Spring fresh bedroom {Master bedroom update}

Hi friends! Sometimes the most impactful improvements to a room can be made using simple supplies and items from elsewhere in the home, (as demonstrated yesterday with our new and improved guest nook). This point is further made in our refreshed bedroom and I feel a renewed sense of peace and calm in our quiet little 'sanctuary'. Our bedroom wasn't begging for improvement, but it felt tired and over reaching for a direction that it just wasn't hitting. It's a new season, in so many ways, so I just thought "why not?!" and decided to go for it. :)

Here's a flashback of our bedroom before, (in a hand-picked grey that turned out quite baby blue):

The white paint came out last week. I rolled our walls in the same Ultra Pure White by Behr that's on every other wall in our house, (except for the littles' rooms). I always love a fresh white canvas to begin with. It's my favorite starting point, (which I wish I had known about myself before we painted over the builder grade yellow in a dusty blue which was supposed to look grey).

Other changes: I reattached our headboard. Did I ever tell you that my great-great grandmother and great-uncle were actually BORN in this bed? Incredible isn't it?! I also replaced the lamps with gold spray-painted clip-on task lights. One less pillow on the bed. Lighter throw blanket. Art flanking the bed. There's more, let's move on. :)

Coming up I'm gonna show you how easy it is to hang art with this sissal rope. I LOVE the height and interest it adds to the wall without being in-your-face. Just love it.

And something awesome happened to our leaning shelves, too. We're gonna be hitting that soon as well.

That tall leaning panel I found at the Luckett's Spring Market last year got a new coat of paint, (custom aqua using Duck Egg and Old White by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint). The chair seat got a fresh white cover using the same white denim I used for the bench at the foot of the bed.

This hits the mark. As I mentioned, toning down the colors to a calming white canvas, and then  incorporating smaller doses of color and natural elements is my personal winning look. It's what my eyes are drawn to and when I feel the most relaxed. What about you? What design elements are you the most drawn to in a room?

Thank you for stopping by! And don't forget to pay Cate and me a visit at our ridiculously awesome garage sale happening on SATURDAY, JUNE 7! 9am-3pm, unique refinished pieces, refreshments available, awesome people. Contact me for the address - located in Herndon, VA!

Happy weekend, friends!

~Chelsea

This post was published under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.

Plank a wall with a Sharpie! {plus two more original ideas in our guest nook}

Hi guys! Okay, bear with me. I have been told by my sweet, funny, awesome, HONEST husband that I am an extremist. I call things the best or the worst. Favorite or least favorite. Scalding hot or ice cold. Perfect or horrible. You catch my drift. He's even challenged me to try using words like "good", "fine", "bad", "nice". I love him so very much. But, today I cannot accept his challenge. Why? Because this IS my favorite post yet. For real.

With summer rolling up fast and a handful of overnight guests on our calendar, I wanted to do something in our guest room. Anything. Anything at all to perk it up.

First off, here is our basement:

But I haven't showed you what's around the corner because, well, there hasn't been much to show. This is what we've had going on around the corner: our honorary guest nook:

There's a full bath down here and zero kids waking up at 5:30am, so it makes sense to use this space for guests. But it's always been blahze, (made up french word, pronounced blaa-zay: means boring in french). I think guest rooms should be fun and different! This is the room where you can really stretch your creativity and try things you might not necessarily try elsewhere in your home! If things go horribly wrong it's not like YOU have to sleep in it after-all. ;)

It took me exactly 90 total minutes split up by three separate projects to fix up our guest room from what you see above, to this:

Project #1:
Sharpie plank wall

Supplies:
-piece of cardboard cut to your preferred size, (I tried to make mine about 4" to emulate actual planks)
-Sharpie

How-to:
Start at a top corner. Hold your cardboard strip onto the wall with one hand, and with the other trace your cardboard with the Sharpie. When you've traced the whole cardboard strip, remove it and add two little dots at either end of your 'plank' to look like nails.

If you're thinking to yourself that this looks so fake, you would be correct. I was definitely not going for realistic when I decided to draw planks on this accent wall with a Sharpie. It's just fun, whimsical and gives this space a real focal point! If you like the idea but not the faky-ness, you could always purchase plank wallpaper and do up an accent wall that way! Or, install actual planks.

Project #2
Turn bookcase into sideboard

Supplies:
-brute strength

How to:
First, be sure you have cleared some room - enough for the height, (which will become the length), of your bookcase. Then, very carefully, turn your bookcase over on it's side. Use those metal shelf bracket holders to secure your shelves on each side so they don't flop over. We have ugly office supplies and storage in our bookcase, (now sideboard), so I used a tension rod fixed between two shelves and hung a curtain, (which, is actually a pillowcase from Target cut right down the seam!)

Project #3
Paint splattered rug

Supplies:
-watered down paint
-brush, (I used a 3")

How-to:
Spread your rug out over a protected surface outside. Pour your paint into a plastic cup and add a dallop of water, enough to make your paint moderately thin. Dip your brush about an inch into the thin paint, then hold it over your rug and shake the paint all over. I used yellow, red, aqua, and green.

There you have it! Three easy projects that make this room a truly special space now. Here are some more photos of the nook:

I made another 'macrame' planter from our hammock to hang over the bed. (see how-to here) With an elaborate wall behind the bed, I didn't want to make it too busy with a large headboard. Bringing in a bit of natural greenery is just the touch to liven up the space and keep it fresh. And since this space gets very little natural light, I used a faux fern. No need to water or move the plant around to follow the light. No worrying about dirt spilling on guests heads in their slumber. Easy peasy.

It always amazes me how even the simplest of ideas and projects can have such an impact on a room. I love this space now; it fits in with the rest of our home. Our guest room is officially open for business and we can't wait to show our visitors to their room while they stay! 

If you happen to try any of these ideas, or have already, please link in a comment below or email me your photos!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

~Chelsea

P.S. Don't forget!

Chelsea's Garage sale #5!
Saturday, June 7
9am-3pm
Email me for the address if you're interested!
(located in Herndon, VA)

This post was published under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.

Peek-A-Week #3 {Herringbone tabletop}

Hi guys! Dropping in today with another peek at a piece I'll be selling at our FIFTH Chelsea's Garage sale on June 7! In case you missed them, here are peeks #1 and #2. What these peeks really boil down to is that it's REALLY hard for me to keep secrets when I'm excited. I'd really just like to show you everything that'll be there, let's be honest. So, in a way these peeks are for my sake so I don't explode. Call it therapeutic if you'd like.

Anyways, this cute little table caught my eye at a thrift store a few weeks ago. It was nothing special; very plain and simple. (sometimes those are the best pieces to really have some fun with!) I didn't get a before picture because...well, I have no good reason. I just didn't. Here's a near identical table I found online:

And after some good fun:

Custom aqua + gold stenciled herringbone

Please stop by on June 7 if you're local, (or up for a drive), to Northern Virginia! Here's all the info you need:

Chelsea's Garage FIFTH sale
June 7
9am - 3pm
Contact me for address - located in Herndon, VA

Thanks for stopping by!

~Chelsea

This post was published under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.