My Bedroom, Finally

It was the bedroom furniture that I was refinishing for my new place that actually prompted the start of this blog, so I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I only very recently "finished" my room to the degree that it will likely be finished before I move on to another home.

More than any other room in our house, I appreciate this one. Someday I will get married and have to compromise with a silly boy and the bedroom will become a reflection of our style instead of being wholly mine. After all, most men don't go for the aqua and raspberry color scheme.  When that happens, I'll probably welcome the idea of building spaces together, but I suspect that part of me will always miss this space. This is the one room that I have complete control over, that was a total blank slate when I moved in, and is the only one that I have been able to completely transform into something that suits my personal aesthetic and my lifestyle. It is me at this very point in my life, and I love it.

This room was a nasty one to photograph. Living in a townhouse = very uneven natural light, and I was trying to take these pictures in late afternoon, so the lighting was even worse. Still, I think these capture my room and the colors in it pretty well. I've been in love with this color aqua for most of my life, and a year later I still absolutely love the fabric I chose for my curtains. My gallery wall has been a work in progress for what feels like forever, but it's finally got something in every frame. There are some pieces that I may replace along the way, but I love sitting in my big girl bed and looking at the collection of art I've curated specifically for my own boudoir.

The comforter is the same one I have had since my second year of college. It's a Marimekko print from Crate and Barrel that I was able to snag since I had a gift card that someone had given me for my high school graduation. Aqua is pretty easy to work with and goes with a bunch of different colors, and using the same comforter for seven years means its was well worth the amount I spent on it.

Up until very recently I had bookshelves next to my bed. Then I acquired an end table from my grandparents' house and I started grad school. I needed a place to put all my school stuff, and a place to put my new table, so I decided to switched the bookshelves with my new end table and a washstand that I had laying around (literally, it was just chilling in my basement). I like that I've been able to bring the lamps down a few inches, which contributes to a slightly more soothing ambiance than having it on top of a bookshelf.

You may recognize my desk from a while ago. I still love the way it looks when there's nothing on it, but man-oh-man does it start to look cluttered the second I put so much as a piece of paper on that thing. I have no plans to change it and still like the way the pattern looks on that side of the room, but I will definitely think twice before I stencil another table top with such an aggressively contrasting pattern.

The light and mirror next are next to the bathroom door. I realize that the light isn't in the greatest position, but it was one of the best places for a full length mirror and provides me with natural light to get ready in the morning, and it really doesn't pose much of an issue when the bathroom door is open.

My room is by no means perfect. The carpet is ugly. The molding stops in funky places above the bed and the window. Still, I love this room because it is perfectly "me". This color may seem childish but it makes me so happy. I love the feminine artwork and the botanical patterns and the fact that I am sleeping next to a table that I remember seeing in my grandparents' living room every time I visited their house.

More than any other room in our house, I appreciate this one. That's probably because I know that some day I will get married and have to compromise with a silly boy and the bedroom will become a reflection of our style instead of being wholly mine. After all, most men don't go for the aqua and raspberry color scheme. At this point in my life, this is the one room that I have complete control over, that was a total blank slate when I moved in, and is the only one that I have been able to completely transform into something that suits my personal aesthetic and my lifestyle.

If you want to see the evolution of my bedroom, here are a few posts for you to check out:
Refinishing my big girl bed
Learning nightstand proportion
Another nightstand attempt
Painting the room
Sewing a pillow
How I stenciled my desk
Painting my dresser's hardware

Using Lacquered Furniture in a Space

I mentioned last week that I'm really starting to enjoy pieces with more texture, rather than just the lacquered look. As I went through my images, I also realized that my favorite rooms that have shiny, bright lacquered furniture, temper that focus with lots of texture throughout the space.

For example, this room has gorgeous, shiny bright yellow chairs. But you'll notice that the black trunk has a bit of a patina, there's a wood arm chair in the corner, and the wood frame on the wall, bamboo shade, and sisal rug all provide texture that tempers the intensity of the yellow. And the fact that the brass and those natural elements are desaturated versions of a yellow-orange help move your eye from the chairs through the space.

Via Elle Decor

This room below from Lonny has a gorgeous, dusty blue shiny finish, and shiny lucite chairs. But it also has those rich floors, full of variation and depth, and that painting on the easel, which also has a subtle, layered look to it.

Via Lonny

Even Jonathan Adler, who is well known for his bright, shiny pieces, uses many different textures to give spaces a curated sense of age in his colorful spaces. 

Via Jonathan Adler

A few more examples:

Via Jenny Komenda

Via House Beautiful

Via House Beautiful

Via Lonny Magazine

Obviously this isn't the ONLY way to use lacquered furniture in a space, but it's my personal preference. I also think that if you are someone who tends to end up with a lot of vintage pieces, found accessories, etc., it allows you to add contemporary elements to the space without having them look out of place.

What do you guys think? Have you used lacquered pieces in your home? Have you ever thought about how to use them?

New Projects

Over the past month I've made a push to get as much lingering projects out of my house as possible. Two of those projects include a side table that I haven't used in a while, and an extra chair from a set I picked up for my dining room.

Originally I was going to cover the chair with a grayish green and blue fabric, but I had a gorgeous coral suzani in my stash and decided I really liked the bright coral against the gray. This chair is available in my shop.

I wanted to do a pattern on this table, but I didn't want to go with my usual herringbone. I'm also really into gray and gold right now, so I designed a pattern and used painters tape and Rub 'n Buff to apply the design. It's also available in my shop.

Linked to: Miss Mustard Seed