Master bedroom reveal....

When we moved into this house in September we basically moved our old bedroom into this new house. Nice fit, but zero thought put into the “design” of the room…I basically just put furniture on the floor and a few pictures on the walls.

A few weeks ago my daughter sent me a picture of a well designed bedroom similar to ours.

That’s when I realized our current master bedroom has ZERO “design character.” I hadn’t even taken the time to paint all the trim the “new” white.

Twenty year old lamps, white and brass paddle fan, stacks of pillows in bleach spotted pillow cases, no curtains, scuffed and dinged furniture, clutter…

The picture was perfect inspiration! The push I needed to work this space to it’s potential.

So last week my goal was to to tackle the room. Paint the trim and furniture, new curtains, throw pillows, a few little touches here and there, and declutter.

I painted my bedroom furniture (HERE) almost 7 years ago and while I still love the pieces, they have gotten quite dingy looking. Remember, whites yellow over time and of course there are chips and scratches from normal wear and tear. So it was time to give them a little paint refresher! And the side table tops…holy crud they have gotten nasty. So it was time to strip and restain the tops as well.

Of course the little “room refresh” became a three day chore!

In the end, worth every minute.

New curtains (I still need to hem them), a little wall art and a plant and new throw pillows.

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I stuck with my tried and true white bedspread…with a big dirty dog I need something I can bleach every week. It covers a down comforter in the cold months.

I have always loved the larger throw pillows in the guest room so I bought new for that room and put the guest pillows on our bed.

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(The giraffes? They were made in Africa from the root of a tree…they are Brian’s…they are different…what can I say!)

I painted the high boy and bedside tables and stripped and restained the tops of the bedside tables. ..the dark java stain has pretty much run its course. New lamps (finally!!!)

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I love the look of chandeliers in bedrooms but as I have said before, I HAVE to have a paddle fan above the bed. Brandon gave us a paddle fan he took out of his house and it worked perfectly in our room.

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Decluttering is always a must in any room makeover so a lot of stuff was put away.

One thing I loved in the inspiration room picture was the bed bench. My trunk belonged to my grandparents so it has to stay. You can still see my granddad’s name stenciled on the side.

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I love the basket and pillows on their bench but our big dog uses this trunk as a spring board so that wouldn’t have worked out well. Sometimes you have to change up a plan to fit YOUR life-style (a.k.a. accommodate animals and kids!)

I still want to do more on the “tv side” of the room. I repainted and stripped and stained the top of THIS little side table…

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Maybe add a plant…a little more wall art….a wall leaning mirror.

It only took me a few decades to style the master bedroom in my last house so again, already working at warp speed here.

My next big project are the master bathroom (reveal HERE) windows…

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Oh, it’s happening. I cut big holes in the wall to kind of “force the issue.” Windows are on order and the brick guy is on call.

This was the one thing I neglected to do, and my BIGGEST regret, when I remodeled this house…no operable windows in the master bath. I know from my last house that an operable window in the bathroom is a must. I have ordered two casement windows (the kind that crank out) and hope to have them by the end of the month. I have some plumbing to move (WHY IS NOTHING EASY!!!) and framing to do. These windows will look out at the large flower garden out back…I CAN’T WAIT!!!!

Wait I will though…it has been warm enough to plant a few larger perennials like azaleas and Kimberly ferns, but the threat of a freeze until mid-April prevents me from going all out with the annuals. So I sit…and wait…patiently. Okay, not so patient, but I learned the hard way not to rush the early spring planting! Pay attention to your “last freeze date”….then add a few weeks. Ours is the middle of April, but a few years ago it snowed the first week of May!

Until next week…

Painting light fixtures and paddle fans....

See, I'm not even trying to be clever with my titles anymore...just too much brain work!​

When I bought this house 13 years ago, the "bronzed" look was all the rage...not so much now, or at least not to my taste!  I'm more into light, bright and somewhat "modern" looking! 

But who can afford to change out ALL their light fixtures when the old trends sour.  Not me...so it was time to get "creative."​

Paddle fans and dining chandeliers are probably the two biggest expenses in lighting.  And naturally, those are often the most noticeable!  

Since I was somewhat tired of the dining room light and the paddle fan in my office (and both would be expensive to replace), I didn't think I could do much damage if I took a can of spray paint to them...what is the worst that can happen...I have an excuse to buy new ones, right? ​

As with everything I paint, I first cleaned them and then "primed" them.  On metals, I use a metal primer...or even Kilz!  Just spray it on and then after it dries hit it lightly with 0000 steel wool...and then of course tack cloth it well before painting. (ALWAYS TACK BEFORE PAINTING!)

On the dining room light I used gloss black spray paint and the "brushed nickel" spray paint on the shades.  I used blue/grey spray paint on the fan blades...the same color I used on my dresser... and brushed nickel on the body and hardware of the fan.  I also added a new light globe to the paddle fan, just to update it a tad.

​The trick to painting light fixtures or paddle fans is taking them down and basically taking them apart...once you "disassemble" them, they are easy to paint!  BUT MAKE SURE YOU KEEP ALL THE HARDWARE AND SCREWS!  That is why I have plastic baggies on my materials list.  Any time you take ANYTHING apart, you need to put all the screws and hardware in plastic baggies and make sure you label them!  (Again, just trust me on these things!)  If you have never assembled light fixtures, and you don't feel real comfortable with the thought of getting it all back together, just take LOTS of pictures while you disassemble it.  I did that with my first upholstery job, and it helped a lot!

I found that my swing pergola made the perfect spot to hang the fixtures (with a dog leash) while painting...see, you don't need anything "fancy."​

Note, I also used blue tape on both the fixture and the wires coming out of the ceiling to label what wires went where so I would know how to rewire it...AND DON'T FORGET TO TURN OFF THE POWER TO THE FIXTURE BEFORE TAKING IT DOWN OR PUTTING IT BACK UP!!!​

After 2-3 coats of paint on each of the components, I put 1-2 coats of spray on clear coat, just to give it a durable finish that would allow me to dust and clean them periodically! ​

This easy process allows you to be REAL creative!  It would be fun to paint the fan in your kid's room a fun and funky color...maybe with some interesting design element, like a chevron pattern or polka dots!  Just "think outside the box" and remember my motto...YOU CAN DO IT!  If you don't have the most creative mind, do what I do...Google it!  People post pictures of their projects...and no one is going to be offended if you "copy" their creativity!  It really is the greatest form of flattery! ​

I was kind of sick of my bedside table lamps too...and until I can afford the really awesome crystal lamps at TJMaxx, I got a little creative with those too!

As much as I had tired of this dining room light, it really did turn out great. And it has always been one of my favorite things to decorate during the holidays.  During Christmas it is perfect for the gold shades I painted and the garland and red berries!!  Sometimes, old is good...it just needs a little facelift from time to time!​