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!

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?

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?