We did a bit more bedroom noodling — noodling, not canoodling. *Blush.* Last time we left off, we’d moved our Alaskan prints over the bed and surprised ourselves by getting a new rug:
We also received a handful of frequently asked questions in the 800+ comments on Monday’s post. The most common were:
- Have you thought about larger bedside tables?
- Could the bed go on another wall?
- Will you repaint, maybe in a darker color?
- What will you do with the nook to the left of the bed?
- What about changing the pillows, painting the bed and tables, getting a longer bench, or switching the lamps?
The short answers: yes (but it’s complicated), no (for now), maybe down the road, add an armoire or built-in, and yes — all of those ideas are on our list, we just haven’t tackled everything yet.
To expand a bit: we’ve definitely considered larger nightstands, but the door would swing into anything bigger than what’s already on that side. You can see the clearance issue in an older door-open photo (we can’t share a newer shot because we’ve got a secret book project attached to the front of the door).
We don’t want to move the bed to the left because the chandelier would no longer be centered above it. We could put a larger table on the left, but we’re planning an armoire or built-in for the nook there and don’t want to crowd it. Reversing the door to swing into the hall is possible, but it could make the hall feel cramped. A pocket door is out — there’s ductwork and electrical in that wall — but we’ve thought about a barn door on a track. There’s a possible spot for a barn door near where the leaning mirror lives in one of the photos, though we’re also considering using a barn door somewhere else nearby, and we don’t want to overuse the look. We’ll keep you posted when we decide.
The room’s layout is tricky: two off-centered windows, a nook across from the door, a sink tucked into another nook, and a chandelier centered on the ceiling that makes things look off when the bed isn’t placed just right. The chandelier lines up with the mirror above the sink, so we don’t want to swag or move it — aligning elements like the bed, chandelier, and mirror keeps the room feeling balanced. We tried the bed in many spots, and the current location works best: it’s the only long, flat wall in the room.
In other positions the bed just didn’t feel centered with the chandelier or windows, and in person we like how the chandelier reflects perfectly in the sink mirror each morning. It’s hard to capture in photos, but that reflection is something people often fall for when they see the room in real life. Regarding repainting in a darker color, we’re open to it, but we plan to refinish the floors in a dark mocha someday. The rug is already dark and the room doesn’t get a ton of natural light, so we’ll think carefully before making drastic changes. Everything’s still in flux — painting furniture, switching accessories, and so on. Many items like the lamps and bench are carryovers from our first house and were placed “just for now.” (Burger uses that bench as a step-up, so it’s our makeshift doggie steps until we get something better.)
Now for the fun part: noodling with pillows and small accessories. The pillow mix inspired a little art switch because the floral shams were busy next to the old botanicals above the bed.
Up close, the mix was playful — the shams were from Pottery Barn a couple of years ago, the blue bolster from Marshall’s, and the front accent pillow from HomeGoods. But from a distance the new art felt too small. We want the room to feel balanced, and with tall vertical elements on other walls — the bedroom door, ceiling-height curtains at the windows, and the sink nook with a mirror — the squat art didn’t read right compared to the larger Alaskan prints.
Still, we liked the idea of breaking up all the blue with different pillow colors. We’re glad we tried the art experiment with a few tiny nails even though it didn’t work out — trial and error (and spackle) is how we learn.
The small prints turned out to be an inexpensive find: three IKEA prints for $2.99 in a clearance bin, and we already had the frames. It was a cheap experiment, so not a big loss.
We also scored new lamps. They have a slightly artichoke shape, a silhouette that’s new for us since we tend to favor gourd lamps. These were from HomeGoods ($49 each, including the extra-large shades). The older lamps on the nightstands came from our first house and are over five years old, so we’ll either relocate them to another room like the playroom or sunroom, or sell them if we don’t find a new spot.
The new lamps, with their larger shades and darker bases, make the nightstands feel wider and more substantial. The rounder, textured shapes unintentionally echo the chandelier, which is a happy accident. The putty color is neutral enough that it doesn’t compete with the pillows or the rug, but the form adds interest and dimension.
Small personal note: there’s a book on my nightstand called One Word a Day that John and Clara gave me for Mother’s Day with a tulip bouquet. It’s meant to capture one word each day, but John thought I could use it to jot down a funny Clara quote, so now it holds little moments like when Clara responded “Yes! Put some ice cream on it!” after I said we might rearrange her room again.
Because the smaller art didn’t work, we returned to the Alaskan botanicals and swapped pillows. We landed on a pop of yellow with a teal bolster to tie into the rug, plus a deeper navy-and-white pillow in front to ground the arrangement. The yellow ginkgo leaf shams came from a small shop in Old Town Alexandria and are made by Dermond Peterson.
Pillows are perennially nomadic in our house, so they’re likely to change again next time we share photos. Pillow swapping ranks right up there with watching Parks & Rec while eating Oreos in terms of our home hobbies.
We still have some major pieces to add, but it’s nice to see a few warm yellow pops balancing the blues. The darkest tones in the smallest accent pillow, the botanical frames, and the lamp bases relate well to the slate and navy in the rug without feeling too matchy.
The lamps might be our favorite small update (the rug remains the favorite big change).
So that’s where we are. We don’t gamble, so trial-and-error decorating is our thrill-seeking pastime. We’re still exploring lots of possibilities, including:
- Replacing the curtains (for sure)
- Possibly painting the bed a deep charcoal
- Finding or making a longer bench for the foot of the bed
- Painting or refinishing the cherry-colored side tables and dresser
- Adding an armoire or built-in in the nook next to the bed
- Possibly repainting the walls down the road
- Considering a painted ceiling
- Maybe removing the bedposts (they look good in renderings, so maybe not)
- Continuing to switch pillows and bedding as we go
- Adding more art and furniture so the room feels less empty
- Staining the worn, yellowed floors a rich mocha color
- Possibly installing a barn door to allow larger side tables
- And a few other ideas we haven’t listed here
Some projects might happen this month; others, like refinishing the floors, could take years. Even seeing one change — like darker floors in a Photoshop mockup — can make us excited about the possibilities.
After more tweaks, we’ll see where we land. Maybe one of the mockups will feel right, or maybe we’ll discover a different direction entirely. Have you ever hung something new only to realize you preferred the original? Made any easy lamp or pillow swaps lately?