We’d like to nominate our bedroom for the award of Most Frequently Tweaked. Over time small changes sneak in and inspire other experiments: removing the top bed rails, hanging a ram above the bed, ditching the duvet, or shifting horse art around. We embrace trial and error—who gets a room perfect on the first try? If you do, please share your secrets. This room is one of our more eccentric spaces (not everyone’s cup of tea), but it’s our private bedroom, not a public entertaining area. As long as we love it, nobody else has to fully understand our giant dandelion-like chandelier or Señor Ram (who first made an appearance doing yoga with Burger).
Recently my mom surprised me by saying she liked the whole room. That felt like a win and maybe a cue to push our style even further sometime soon. One big lesson we’ve enjoyed learning over the years is how liberating it is to make your home truly yours instead of trying to please everyone. Do what you love so your house greets you with a hug whenever you walk through the door.
This latest round of tweaks was inspired by finally getting new nightstands. For more than eight months we’d been using side tables from our previous living room that were about five inches too low—reaching down a half foot from the bed was uncomfortable—and they had no drawers, which meant clutter and a temptation for curious little hands to grab and hide things. The new mid-century nightstands we found at a yard sale solved both problems: five extra inches of height, and glorious drawers that help keep things tidy.
Of course, this side of the room is still maybe 10% done. Our last bedroom took about four years to blossom into a space we loved, so we expect this one to evolve slowly too. We still need a cabinet on the left wall to balance the door, a longer lighter bench at the foot of the bed, perhaps a colorful throw, and a few small objects to complete the area around the ram.
Before describing the stylistic changes the new nightstands inspired, a quick tangent about their smell. These mid-century originals had a musty, decades-old odor that needed fixing. I tried two methods: a mild soap-and-water wipe down and then wiping with undiluted vinegar. The soap made no difference, but the vinegar worked wonders. I wiped the insides and outsides with a rag and the mustiness vanished as the vinegar dried. If you inherit drawers that smell moldy, a vinegar wipe is a fast, inexpensive fix.
Back to the bedroom tweaks. The sleeker lines of our new nightstands led us to remove the finials we’d previously added to the bed and try something more subtle and temporary. Instead of painting or making a permanent change, I used thin ribbon from a gift closet and secured small pieces with tape on the unseen side of the posts. The ribbon echoes the greeny-gold tones in the curtains and is completely removable if we change our mind.
With the nightstands taller, we finally raised the art above the bed to a height that feels intentional rather than like a random placement. We experimented by holding the artwork in various spots and settled on a position that creates a pleasing triangle with the chandelier, with the ram anchoring the composition at the base.
We also updated the lampshades. The older shades were looking dingy, so we picked up slightly wider, cleaner white shades that brighten the bedside area. The new shades are similar to ones we’ve used in other spaces and feel fresh and cohesive in the room.
We finally put the Ikea duvet we mentioned earlier on the bed, after seeing good feedback from friends who own the same one. It’s comfortable, looks calm and clean, and seems to stay presentable even with a baby and a dog around. The neutral duvet lets other elements—our Alaska berry prints, horse art, a paint-chip collage, the mirror above the sink nook, and the large chandelier—play the starring roles. We’re still considering a colorful throw or a longer upholstered bench at the foot of the bed to add a pop of color, and even a touch of color on the ceiling could be intriguing.
I expect at least fifty more small tweaks over the next few years as the room fills in and evolves. That gradual process is part of the fun for me: envisioning throws, benches, and ceiling colors and then changing my mind a million times along the way. It’s an enjoyable journey to see where the room will land.
Are you making any changes in your bedroom? Share what you’re trying—clean and simple updates, storage solutions, or styling experiments. We’d love to hear about your tweaks (and my mom is probably reading and admiring Señor Ram).