The Bed is Here!

Our bed has arrived!  Remember this post?  Well, after our long wait, the bed was finally delivered and put together this past weekend.  And it was worth the wait.

Harbor Bed from Crate and Barrel.  

We did have some room-tweaking to do.  For instance, the mirrors needed to be re-hung a bit higher, but beyond that we didn't have much more to do.  I will have to get used to sleeping up so high, especially after a month of snoozing on mattresses resting on the floor.  The room is coming together quite nicely and I'm incredibly thankful for our restful retreat.

Of course there are always a few projects I keep in the back of my mind, but none are pressing ones.  I'd love to add crown molding and somehow make the ceiling fan more attractive.  I think it would be awesome to paint the ceiling (hubby would kill me if I suggested this one).  I would also like a leaning wall mirror, but I haven't decided if I would rather it be in the bathroom or closet instead.  No matter what ends up happening, I am happy and very much thankful for the lovely room I do have to share with my hubby.  I firmly believe in having the bedroom be a sanctuary of rest and peace and mine certainly fits the bill.

Interested in more details or sources?  Check out this post.

Safe Harbor

A dream is coming true, this week I finally broke down and ordered this:

Harbor Bed from Crate and Barrel

I've been dreaming of a new bed, and real bed, one my Hubby and I share and call our own.  The bed we currently have was one I purchased when I lived on my own, for my first apartment.  The mattress is over 10 years old,  and for whatever reason, it never really felt like OUR bed.  It was mine.  We have discussed upgrading for a while, but always put it off.  Now that we are in our house and putting down roots, it feels like it is time.


I admit, I have been window shopping for a while.  I've been pinning wood canopy beds on Pinterest for a year or more now.  It guess its the princess in me.  Unfortunately, that style of bed won't work in our bedroom.  Something about a ceiling fan.  Plus, I'm afraid it would overwhelm the room.  And while our room isn't small, it isn't really large either.  I opted for this bed to keep the space open and light.  I also debated the cost.  The price was overwhelming for me.  Several times I wondered if it was even worth it.  We could just get something cheap; something we could replace in a few more years.  However, I kept coming back to the same desire, I want something that lasts.  I want my marriage to last, so I have to put forth the effort and spend extra time to make it work.  The bedroom is a special place, a foundation for our marriage.  Its a place for relaxation, for restoration, for retreat.   This bed will last us for years, maybe even the rest of our lives.  Its a symbol of us.

With the new bed, comes a new mattress.  Yesterday, it was delivered.  Last night we slept on OUR new king mattress.  It was heavenly, even if it was resting on the floor.  In another week or two our bed should arrive and the package will be nearly complete.  In the meantime, I'm shopping for sheets, king pillows, and maybe a new quilt.  I promise I'll show you once its done.  Until then, I'm gonna snuggle up in bed.

Master Bedroom Update

I'm proud to say my master bedroom is at a done for now state!  Of course, there are a few things I would like to change, but I am delighted with my progress and love the outcome thus far.  Remember moving day?  It was an empty shell, and we didn't have much to fill it with.

Five months later, here we are.  I wanted something restful and calming.  I love to sleep during thunderstorms and rainy mornings, so I tried to bring that feeling in.

I love the gray walls.  They are soothing and cozy.

My red chair has a home, hidden from grubby hands.

Love these watercolors.  A friend of mine brought them back from Italy.  Not only are they sentimental, but they add a bit of sophistication to the room.

Someday, I'd love to upgrade to a king bed.  I'd also like to make the ceiling fan light pretty, somehow.  Still brainstorming on that one (getting rid of it isn't an option for the hubby).  A floor mirror near the chair would be nice, plus more art or shelves on the walls, specifically above the bed and the dresser.  I love to re-arrange furniture, so I'm hesitant to nail something in the wall that I might have to move in another month or so.  The room still feels short and it needs something tall to draw the eye up, either a larger bed, a tall floor mirror, or huge piece of art.  None of that is necessary, but I can keep that thought in the back of my mind as I shop around for the next few years.  For now, the room works, and I love it.

Sources:
bed- Pier 1, 10 years ago, dresser,  table lamps, woven baskets- Target, jewelry armoire - handmade gift, nightstands, floor lamp, and curtains- Ikea, red chair- West Elm, bench- Pottery Barn, paintings- gift from Italy, bedding- Anthropologie, Target, and Home Goods

sweet dreams

I had a dream.  A dream of white bedding.  Remember this?  Well, I can't get a vision of white bedding out of my head.  Unfortunately, my hubby doesn't share the same thoughts.  In his words, he "doesn't want to sleep under a frilly dress".  In the spirit of compromise, I came up with a solution.  Are you ready?  We each get to pick out a bedspread.  He sleeps under his on his side of the bed, and I sleep under mine on my side of the bed.  Am I nuts?  I actually saw this in a sneak peak of Ikea's new catalog and I find it genius.  Lucky for me, the quilt I've been drooling over has gone on sale.  I promptly placed my order and its here!

Isn't it lovely?  Its the Rosette bedding by Lazybones, carried by Anthropologie.  I've been dreaming about this bedding for over a year!  Originally, it wasn't available in white, only an ivory color.  I'm glad I held out, and got 25% off!  It's still a splurge, but I love it.

Unfortunately, my hubby isn't on the ball and hasn't found a quilt for his side of the bed.  He is still looking for the perfect Transformer bedset. Originally, we were each going to get a twin size.  However, I can't let my husband sleep in the cold, so I ordered a queen size.  He can share with me until he finds his own.  How's that for compromise?

Master Bedroom Paint Reveal

Remember when I said we were painting?  Well, we did it.  I struggled a bit with choosing a color.  You know how sometimes there is a "right" choice?  Then there is the choice you want to make but everyone tries to talk you out of it and deep down your afraid to make it because you know it isn't safe.  Well, that's the choice I made.  The color I wanted, but was afraid to choose.  I chose it.  And I couldn't be happier.

Here is the terrible before:

Operation Vacation

OK, so my idea of a vacation is probably not normal.  I actually made several lists of projects I wanted to accomplish around the house.  Projects like, weeding, mulching, painting, and the like.  Hubby wasn't really amused, his idea of vacation is spending an afternoon at the pool or beach.  I can't relax when I know there is a project to be done!

Painting our bedroom has been at the top of my list for some time.  I just wasn't sure what color.  Finally, I decided I wanted some sort of gray.  After a few weeks of picking up paint chips, reading design blogs, and pinning gray rooms on Pinterest, I had three samples mixed and painted stripes on my wall.

I waited a day or two before deciding.  I wanted the end result to be gray, not blue.  My vision is to have a moody, cozy, cool, relaxing bedroom.  I love sleeping in on cloudy, rainy days.  I love thunderstorms and find them relaxing. 

#1 gray horse, #2 moonshine, #3 gray owl, all by benjamin moore

And as luck would have it, it was a cloudy afternoon when I took these pictures, so the room was a bit dark.  I think all these colors actually photograph darker than in person.  So what do you think?  Which option would you choose?

Cheap House Project #1

Moving in can be expensive.  I'm trying to keep it cheap.  We are blessed to have bought a large house, but are faced with not having furniture to fill it.  Plus, I'm still on the whole get-out-of-debt thing.  Which means I am learning how to become more creative with my house decor.  Enter project number one.

We don't have night stands.  The last place we used bookshelves, and were fortunate to have sconces built in.  Now we don't.  However, I do have an old occasional table (from Target clearance, where else?)  It was dark and dinged up, so I decided to spray paint it and lighten the look.

Here it is in our previous house. 

It took several coats.  I used a primer, then gray paint, then a gloss top coat for extra durability.  Over the course of about a week (I had my work schedule and rain to contend with) we had a new night stand!

Its a light gray, and in person its more of a blue-gray.

It's functional and only cost me a few dollars for spray paint.

What do you think?

Master Bedroom Update

The master bedroom is almost complete!  We finally got a dresser, so our clothes now have a home!  I also gave up on my white bedding dream for the moment.   Yes, I still adore the idea of having an all white bed, BUT I have very specific ideas of what I want it to look like.  The bedding I want is not currently available in the US, and is on back order from the Australian website that could ship it too me.  Plus, it is expensive.  I tried to make do with a duvet from Target, but it didn't live up to my vision.  So I have temporarily substituted this duvet I found on clearance at Home Goods.  It is a calming gray and white paisley pattern.  Hubby approves, he thought the other bedding was too girly and frilly.  In his words, "I don't want to sleep under a dress".  So here is my(our) soothing oasis:

I haven't decided if the curtains are staying yet.  I might move them to the living room and use another set of white curtains that I already own that have some embroidery on them.  Not sure.
I think the book shelves are too cluttered.  I would like to move some of the books out to the living room once we have some bookshelves in there, and add some more decorative accents instead.  Ideally, I don't want much on the top.

We need to add artwork.  I actually have a lot still in boxes, just trying to decide what I want in each room.  I have some watercolors from Italy that a friend gave me, I just need to have them framed.  I think they would  look lovely over the bed.  I also have a mirror, but I'm scared of it hanging above me while I sleep.

The sconces on the wall are the only lighting we have.  We are thinking of adding another lamp on the dresser, and maybe a light kit to the ceiling fan.  We get A LOT of natural light, but that might change with the seasons.  Plus, its annoying to have to walk through the room and stub your toe five times while roaming through the dark to turn on the light.

Oh, and the room isn't perfect.

I live with a musician and with that comes music stuff.  Plus, a baby gate and old sweatshirts.  At least they live behind the door.  The baby gate and sweatshirts will hopefully disappear in a few days, but the speaker and amp come with the man.  I'm not trading him in anytime soon, so I guess I'll learn to live with music stuff behind the door.  They won't fit under the bed with the other music things.

So what do you think?  Any suggestions?