It feels like every room in our house slowly evolves over time, but bedrooms seem especially prone to long, gradual changes. We’ve documented this before in posts about past bedroom makeovers, and now our current bedroom is getting its own update.
bench / rug / plant / similar floor lamp, chair, pillow / garden stool / chandelier / art
When we first bought the house, the bedroom was a monochrome palette: walls, ceiling, trim, and carpet were all basically the same off-white shade. Over the last few years we made a number of updates—new hardwood floors, a dark blue accent at one point, a framed gallery wall, and eventually repainting the room a greige tone. Instead of revisiting every tweak, here are the most recent and meaningful changes.
Change number one: the light fixture. A few years ago we added a brass-and-glass fixture that we liked, but it ended up feeling a little small for the size of the room. Instead of rushing to replace it with something larger that might also feel wrong later, we waited until the right fixture appeared. Last December a capiz chandelier caught our eye—its size was perfect for the room and it was on sale, so we finally pulled the trigger.
curtains / rug / bench / plant / garden stool / similar chair / chandelier / inlay dresser / night stands
The chandelier’s chrome finish ties in nicely with other metallic finishes in the room—the floor lamp, nightstand hardware, and chair feet—so the mix of metals feels intentional rather than accidental. We like to repeat each finish a few times around a room so everything reads as cohesive. And, full disclosure: we’re big fans of capiz fixtures and have used them elsewhere in the house.
The fixture arrived just before Christmas and unboxing it felt like opening an early present—very satisfying but time-consuming. Each strand of capiz was individually wrapped and taped for protection, which meant patience was required while we unwrapped them. My arms got tired by the end, so my partner took over. Despite the effort, the result was worth it: the chandelier is beautiful and, importantly, it contains three bulbs, which dramatically improved the room’s functional lighting compared with the single bulb we had before.
The second change is the bed. We previously had an Ikea platform bed that sat on slats. After reading about mattress support and trying to maximize sleep comfort, we swapped our platform bed with a guest room bed that used a traditional boxspring and frame. The swap was essentially free and instantly improved the look and feel of the bedroom.
The bed skirt on the new frame feels substantial and grounded in a way the previous, more leggy frame never did. We rehung a fabric headboard we had made earlier, using a simple cleat system to hang it from the wall. The cleat was made from two 2×4 boards with a slight angled cut—one attached to the wall, the other attached to the back of the headboard—creating a secure, slip-in mount. It’s an easy, strong method for hanging a heavy headboard; for thinner pieces, metal cleats are an alternative that can save the trouble of cutting your own boards.
With the new light and bed in place, the room feels more finished and comfortable. That said, it’s still evolving: our gallery wall could use updated photos since the kids keep growing, and we’re considering removing the bedroom TV altogether—it’s been unused for almost three years—which would open up the long wall for something more creative (I’ve joked about a rock-climbing wall, but that might be a hard sell).
Burger, our resident chihuahua, immediately inspected the updated room and settled into a pillow, as expected. Small dog, big opinion: he officially approves.
similar white pillows, yellow pillows, duvet, lamps, frames / night stands / curtain rods
If you’re curious about specific items or paint colors in our house, we keep a running list of sources for things in our home. And if you enjoy before-and-after projects, the home tour page includes many of our past room transformations.
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