We mentioned some recent bedroom changes on this week’s podcast, so we wanted to share a photo-filled post to show how the room looks now. Most of the bedroom furniture and decor were purchased while we lived in our previous house, so when we moved here in 2013 things mostly landed where they landed. Over the years we painted, hung frames, swapped dressers a few times, and repainted. Anchor pieces like the rug, the bed, and the armchair largely stayed the same. More recently we scored a chandelier on sale and swapped beds with the guest room, which made the space feel closer to “done.” We assumed it would stay that way for a while.
Then a curveball arrived. A friend texted a photo of a rug she found at a local consignment shop called Izzie’s. I fell hard—instant rug love. I ran to John, cheeks flushed, saying, “Remember how we always said it would be nice to have a plush wool rug in the bedroom someday?” Thankfully he remembered and agreed to check it out (and to make sure it didn’t have any odd smells).
We love flat-weave rugs and have several in the house, but after discovering our affection for plush wool Turkish rugs, we’d always thought the master bedroom would be the perfect place for one. The old soft-green flat-weave had been bought in 2011 and worked for years, though its length wasn’t ideal for the bedroom layout. The new consignment find, however, was practically perfect—about 12 x 16 feet and with zero smell. It also felt one-of-a-kind, so we knew we couldn’t wait. Izzie’s was ready to hand it over, and soon John was grinning with it on a dolly, ready to load into the car.
And guess who carried that heavy wool rug up the stairs? This married couple (thumbs pointed at ourselves). Once the rug was in the room I may have done a small happy dance. The colors, the pattern, the texture—everything about it felt right. It quickly became a favorite in the house.
We already have other rugs we love in the dining room, bonus room, and living room, but this bedroom rug felt especially special. The old green rug sold within an hour on a local buy-sell board and is happily installed in a neighbor’s home, so no hard feelings there.
The bold, larger-scale pattern of the new rug instantly shifted the room’s focal point. Our frame wall that used to be the visual center suddenly felt too busy next to the new rug. Two focal points were competing, so we took all the frames down and experimented with calmer artwork. Instead of immediately buying new pieces, we moved things around from other rooms to see what fit—often that small shuffle is all that’s needed to refresh a space without spending money.
We chose a painting that used to hang above John’s desk in the office. It complements the rug rather than competing with it. From a distance it reads nicely with the gold frames on the opposite side of the room, creating a more cohesive look.
In the office we rehung a mirror where the painting used to be, which helps reflect light from the windows across the room. I enjoy running items between rooms to see where they work best—it’s like solving a puzzle and can be surprisingly satisfying.
As for family photos, we distributed a few to other spots and moved some into the guest room above my sewing desk. There are fewer photos on display now, but that feels intentional and calm. I reframed the pictures in a set of gold frames I already had, and arranged them in a neat grid above an antique wood dresser—an heirloom piece from John’s parents that had been tucked in the closet. We swapped that in for the white dresser because the wood tones pair beautifully with the rug’s richer colors.
Rearranging the photos made us realize we were overdue for updated prints (many of our pictures feature baby and toddler photos), so we sent new 8 x 10s to Target to refresh the frames. Updating images makes you notice them again, which is a nice bonus of rearranging a space.
The opposite side of the room still showcases a gradient dresser we painted back in 2011. Our dog Burger is often photobombing—walks into shots like he owns the place and is always ready for his close-up.
We also finally had a favorite print properly framed: a Samantha French piece John gifted me. We used a framing service to get a chunky white frame and a perfectly sized mat, which elevated the artwork. It cost a bit more than an off-the-shelf frame, but the finished result looks polished and well-done—the kind of detail that makes artwork feel special.
The framers even asked whether we wanted the mat to show the penciled title and signature on the print, which was a thoughtful touch that made the piece feel more professional.
So that’s the story of a bedroom that we expected to ignore for a while, but that ended up with an accidental and surprisingly fun refresh thanks to a single rug and a bunch of thoughtful furniture and accessory swaps.
One interesting detail about the rug: some rows look faded, but that’s intentional. The consignment shop owner explained that different looming methods and wool types create a watercolor-like effect in certain areas, giving the rug a layered, softly blurred appearance I love.
I occasionally daydream about centering the windows, but that would look odd on the front of our brick colonial, so I’ve learned to embrace the slight asymmetry. Adding another curtain panel and extending the rod might be an easy way to make it feel more balanced, so that’s on my to-do list.
And finally, here’s a performance art piece by Burger titled “Dog Leaves Bed.”
If you’re curious about sources for items in the room, we keep a running list of paint colors and room sources in our shop page, which also includes details on many of the pieces you see here.
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