I have lived in my current home for a little over 6 years. When I 1st moved in, I renovated almost every room in the house EXCEPT for my bedroom. The only thing that I did to that room was add new carpeting and windows, but it wasn’t enough to make me happy. For years I have wanted to buy new furniture and redesign the bedroom to be exactly what I wanted it to be, but I just never got around to it. Finally a few months ago, I just said “Screw it! I need my bedroom to be my sanctuary. This redesign needs to happen ASAP!”
As for the color scheme…well, I decided to be a little edgy and paint the walls black. Yup, I said BLACK!!! Everybody that I mention this to was a nay-sayer and non-believer. They all said that the black would be too dark for a bedroom. Oh boy, were they wrong!
To ensure that the black didn’t overpower the bedroom, I kept all of the furniture light & neutral and I added subtle bright pops of mustard yellow and pink with accents of gold. To break up some of the black, I chose to do an accent wall in the sitting area. I used a large ribbon stencil with a metallic gold finish. The black, pink and gold combos just scream Girly Chic to me. I love it!
This is an area where I can work on my computer, etc. The desk chosen is a narrow design made up of metal & glass. The fact that the desk is glass gives the illusion that there is really nothing in the space. So even though there is a piece of furniture there, the space still looks light & airy and not cluttered.
I thought long and hard about how I wanted to design the room and the 1st item on the to-do-list was to get rid of that ugly carpet. The carpeting was pulled up and replaced with laminate flooring from Lumber Liquidators. Installing the laminate flooring actually makes the room feel much larger than what it really is.
Designing this space was really very easy because I was my own client. Considering this, I knew exactly what I wanted and how I wanted it to be. The only person that I had to worry about pleasing was ME. Even though I knew what I wanted, redesigning an entire space can be a bit overwhelming at times. Now I know how my clients feel when they start to freak out and complain about going over budget. I literally had to purchase brand new everything, including flooring, window treatments, bed, mattress, dressers, etc. The task of furniture shopping for myself was fun, BUT kind of annoying at the same time, because I have “Champagne taste on a beer budget”! LBVS. Almost everything that I wanted was way too expensive, so I had to give myself a reality check and figure out a way to get the look that I wanted for less money. One way that I accomplished this was with the purchase of my dresser set. I wanted a sleek, mid-century modern feel for my dressers, but all the pieces that I saw were very pricey (upwards of $500+ each). So I decided to browse the thrift stores to see if I could find something comparable. And VIOLA! I definitely did. I found a dresser set for under $100 and I painted them to look like the high-priced furniture pieces that were out of my budget. To find out more about that DIY project and see the before and after pics, you can check out my previous blog post entitled, “DIY Painted, Mid Century Modern Dresser.” I also saved money on the sofa, which was purchased on clearance from Darvin Furniture. I usually try to shop with coupons and during sales events. One great thing about being a designer is that most stores offer Trade Discounts, which turn out to be a huge savings most times. My biggest splurge and most favorite item in the room was the 68” tufted upholstered platform bed from Restoration Hardware.
This tall tufted headboard is the focal point of the bedroom.
THE DEETS
I swear I love this space so much that I have been neglecting the others parts of the house because I never want to leave the bedroom. It has everything that I need in there.
Ok, well, I guess I’ll stop talking about and just let you see the pics. Check out the slideshow below.
The layout for the bedroom is now multifunctional. It’s not just a “bedroom”. It is now my getaway…my chill spot…my Oasis! There are 3 designated areas:
How long have you been in business?
I officially started my business back in January of 2011.
What made you start your business?
I have always had an eye for design and it was something that I loved doing. My close friends & family constantly encouraged me to start my own business.I was a bit skeptical about starting a business considering the fact that I do not have any formal design training. But I just had to get over that initial hump of doubting myself and push through it. I actually have a lot of people that supported my dream to be an interior designer and that surely makes this process a whole lot easier.
Where is your studio located?
Currently, I do not have an official "office space. I utilize my home office for work pertaining to the business. And I have a craft room and large basement area in which I use to work on my DIY and furniture refurbishing projects. As of now, I am only doing the interior design part-time, but the long term goal is to have this become my full time career and open up a design office space.