There's Hope for This Bedroom

Psst: This is my first post of a whole bedroom makeover. This is part of the One Room Challenge Link Up from Linda at Calling it Home. If you like what you see here and you'd like to know what else happened in this room, here's the rest:

Linking Up
Goodbye, Bedroom Carpet
Adding Some Color Back Into My Bedroom
Thrifty Finds for My Bedroom

Here's the original post:

My poor master bedroom. I've failed this room over and over and over again. When we first moved in, it looked like this:


Then I decided I wanted it to be dark gray, but I accidentally chose a cold, dungeon-y dark gray and we had this (these are pre-blog photos showing different angles of the room, sorry!):


So then I repainted it with a warmer dark gray, and I realized I just don't really like dark gray paint in my house when I got this:


Some people can paint their walls dark gray and make it look amazing. I cannot, so I'm done with that and I will be painting these walls white.

But there's a problem. So stupid. When we first bought this house, I was excited to jump in and start changing things. And I had no clue what I was doing. I knew I wanted white trim, so I went to the store and bought some white paint and painted all the upstairs trim white. Great! Right?

No. Back then, I didn't realize that there are lots of different whites out there, and the white I chose is a bit of an "antique white" and it's a little warm. Meaning, when you put a true white next to it, it reads as a little...pink. So slightly, but enough to drive me crazy. Plus, I used a satin finish, so it just isn't as sparkly and bright as it should be.

So let's talk about what needs to happen here.

Master Bedroom To-Do List

+ Paint the trim BM Simply White in semi-gloss.
+ Paint the walls BM Moonlight White in a flat finish.
+ Repaint the bedroom furniture set (phase 1).
+ Replace the bedroom set with something more mid-century and leggy (phase 2).
+ Hang curtains to make the window look bigger. (Maybe more drop-cloth curtains, maybe stamped? Maybe a different fabric? Not sure.)
+ Find and buy new bedding I like.
+ Replace the lights on either side of the bed.
+ Add some plants.
+ Bring some color to this room with art and pillows on the bed.
+ Hang lamps from the ceiling.
+ Find a way to rearrange the furniture in a way I like.

After the gray paint debacle, I want bright and white. Here are some images of what I'm thinking for this room:






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Are you seeing it too? I know I can't refinish the hardwood floors under the carpet yet,  and I won't part with my ceiling fan that I love to sleep under in the summer, but I've got big plans for the rest of this room. I'm also excited to show you the new bedding. I'm off to go paint now!



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The Hanging Egg Chair is Finally Hanging!

Hey, roomies!

I'm so excited to share the results of my hanging egg chair project! By the way, I've been calling this an egg chair, because it looks like an egg and because I've seen it called an egg chair elsewhere, but I could be wrong. There's also this egg chair and Arne Jacobsen's Egg Chair,  so I hope I'm calling it the right name. 

Look at the difference the boiled linseed oil made! Up close it looks so much better. It's darker and doesn't look dry like before. There is still a little bit of a smell, but I've read several places that over time the oil will "cure" and the smell will disappear.



Finding a place in our plaster ceiling to hang this thing was a pain. I used the "16 inches on center" rule to measure out 32 inches and try drilling. I was really lucky because right at 32 inches from the wall, I drilled in and saw wood shavings coming as I pulled the drill bit out. That was enough proof that I had found a stud, and I started twisting in this big hook. Towards the end, it got really hard to turn, which makes me feel better that I was into something solid, so I called my dad and he taught me a neat trick. I stuck a screwdriver through the hook and used it as a lever to turn the hook. Thanks, Dad!

I bought way too much chain. 



Remember when this corner of my living room looked like this? Oh hey, Ikea rug! You look great, by the way. 

Well now it looks like this (with a blurry cat):




The Wassily and the record player cart have found new homes on the other end of the room, don't worry.

The best part: It worked! Rand and I each tried it out and it did not come crashing to the floor!! 

So what do you think? Does hanging things from the ceiling make you nervous, too? Have you gotten any new furniture lately that you love?



Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

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Tiled Walls Everywhere I Look

It seems to me that ever since my decorating hero, Anna Dorfman tiled her kitchen walls a few months ago, I'm seeing tiled walls everywhere. But, you know, now that I drive a Nissan Altima I see those everywhere I look, too, so I don't know if it really is a popular trend or if maybe I'm just more aware of it. Anyway, I gathered up some of my favorite tiled rooms I've come across for inspiration. I'm trying to get up the courage to do this.







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I saw a lot of tiled walls in the Ikea showroom, too. If our house doesn't sell in the next couple of months, maybe I could talk Rand into letting me replace our stainless steel backsplash with white subway tile. I would love a whole tiled wall, especially in my kitchen or bathroom, but I need more tiling experience first. 

What do you think about the tiled walls trend? Have you ever tiled before?



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Anniversary Ikea Road Trip

Today is our seventh wedding anniversary.

Before I talk about how this relates to decorating, let me just mention to everyone on the internet that I feel so fortunate to get to spend my life with this guy:


He is as close to perfect as I can imagine.

And seriously, he knows me so well.

It was during lunch on a Friday that he called me and asked me if I wanted to make the seven-hour drive to Dallas to shop at Ikea. That's the closest Ikea to where we live, and while this may sound dumb to anyone who lives close to an Ikea, for Missouri people like me, the drive was worth it. It's like going to Six Flags. One hour of driving for every year we've been married. How romantic!

After school I rushed home to pack (although we didn't manage to get packed and out the door until the next morning). Rand drove the whole way there and back, and he wandered through Ikea with me without complaining or telling me I was spending too much money. It was an awesome anniversary gift for a wife obsessed with home decorating.


After seven hours of driving, it was so exciting to see the Frisco, TX Ikea over the horizon! Rand was fascinated by these electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot. We're such tourists.


We searched around for sofas, since we've agreed that we'll be ready to buy a new sofa next summer. We both loved the leather Karlstad sofa with the chaise lounge...


 ...but I'm voting for white leather.


I was in wicker chair heaven, by the way. You just can't get this stuff back home.


Side note: It was a little comforting to see that maybe my old sofa isn't completely out of style, according to Ikea. I guess someone out there still wants that puffy, off white look in their living room.  I still want to replace mine, though.


After hours and hours of shopping, we walked away with two rugs, a bedding set, a shower curtain, three light fixtures, and a few little things. I'll share more about those items when they are all settled into their new places in my house.

It was an exhausting trip to make in between two full work weeks, but it was a blast.  Nothing beats an adventure with Rand.

Are you lucky enough to live close to an Ikea? Do you take it for granted? Am I a crazy Missouri tourist for driving that far?



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Thanks, Mom + How to Restore Rattan Furniture



Oh. My. Y'all. 

Remember this post? Remember how excited I was at the possibility of finding a hanging vintage egg chair in my own parents' barn? Remember??!!

Well, feast your eyes on this:


I am freaking out right now.

Yep, this baby came home with me about two weeks ago. It came to the states from the Philippines about 45 years ago when my dad, who was serving in the Vietnam War, bought it and shipped it home. It is in incredible condition, and it lives with me now. 

It was a little dirty, so I started by hosing it off and letting it dry in the sun. 




























Then I hammered the loose nails back into place.


However, it was still looking a little dry and gray, so I decided it needed an oil rubdown.


After doing a little internet research, I decided my best option was boiled linseed oil. This was what several sites recommended for rattan, and rather than being a stain, it was just an oil, so it soaked in pretty evenly and I didn't get any weird lines.

Here's a close-up to show you what I started with:


Here's a blurry progress shot to show you what an amazing difference the oil made:



The directions said to wipe on the oil (I used a toothbrush) wait a few minutes, then wipe off the excess. When I went to wipe it off, there was no excess oil. This thirsty chair had soaked it all in.

The only downside to the linseed oil was that the chair was stinky afterwards and it needed to air out on the back porch for a couple days. But still. Look at the difference! 

I'll be back soon with an after picture of the chair and (hopefully) a picture of this thing hanging in my living room! 

My Talented Sister + A New Portrait

I love this girl:


I also love this girl:


Not just because she gave me one of her own original drawings as a gift, and also got it framed. But that was really nice of her! I am so amazed at how talented my little sis is. And crazy generous.

I originally thought my little girl would join Kirsten Stewart and the gang on the portrait gallery wall, but she was just too amazing to not have a wall all to herself, so she's hanging out in the kitchen. She really makes the room!


I think my sis should open an Etsy shop or something. Or Society6? How does that all work? Anyway, I think she's great.

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