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Many moons ago I said I would be featuring photos of my home. And then work got busy, my life got busy, and a tree fell through our bedroom. Well finally we got the bedroom back in order, and I captured a few images of it to share with you. This room is still a work in progress – we have more art we want on the walls, are in search of the perfect rug to fit the space, and still need to go through all the boxes under the bed that we inherited when my husband's dad passed away. Even so, this is my favorite room in the house:
I bought this bed from IKEA in 1998 when I left college; I have been toying with painting it another color but can't decide what shade. The dresser on the left is from Hood College – when they replaced their dorm furniture my husband's grandfather (who was a professor there) grabbed it; when my husband's parents divorced my father in law got this chest for his new home's bedroom. It was his bedside table for the almost 20 years he lived alone, when he passed away my husband took it for his nightstand. My nightstand was my husband's bureau from his childhood bedroom. Curtains are from Target – we had this room created and painted while I was on bedrest for pregnancy; I bought the curtains on clearance online hoping they would be a gray that would complement the wallcolor, I couldn't believe they were an exact match!
The cedar chest has been in my mom's family for a long time; it stores my husband's sweaters. The quilt is from Overstock. The two paintings on the wall are of my husband and his father, painted by his grandfather in the '80s.
My nightstand – I always have a bottle of water, a couple of journals to write my random thoughts, and a book (I have been trying to get through Eating Animals for what feels like a lifetime – I won't replace it from the nightstand until it is finished!). The picture in the silver frame is one of my favorites of me and my husband – we even used it as the photo on the water bottles we passed out at our wedding! Under it is a jewelry box that belonged to my husband's grandmother. The books next to it are old diaries of mine and Emerson's baby book – by keeping it near the bed I remember to fill it out every so often. The photo cube was a gift from an old coworker, the picture showing is of me and my dad at my high school graduation. My cousin made the stained glass pencil holder, and the teddy bear is “Tina,” my teddy from childhood. The framed record? That's my dad and his first wife on the cover – his friend was the photographer and needed models… some props and a red filter later and two Jews from Brooklyn became gypsies!
My husband's nightstand – he's always in the middle of 50 different books. Right now he's obsessing over The Devil in the White City, which was recommended by a neighbor. The reading lamp belonged to his father. The lampshades are from the Liberty of London for Target collection – I bought them back when the whole room was in shades of blue and gray. I loved them so much I started decorating around them!
When we inherited many of the contents of my father in law's house, we got his record collection. Eight of these are ones from his collection that my husband remembers listening to (and loving) as a kid; the one in the lower left corner is Peter Frampton – my husband saw him in concert a couple years ago and was able to meet him and get his signature on the album.
The duvet and shams are from Marimekko for Crate and Barrel, the print body pillows and red sheets are from Target, the paisley pillowcase is from Lands End – we have the whole set (back from the original color scheme of the bedroom).
My dressing table is the bureau mirror and the desk from my husband's childhood bedroom. The bench is from the Shabby Chic collection from Target, the lamp is also from Target (both must be at least a decade old).
My dressing table is my little domain – my perfumes, my makeup (in the drawer organized in boxes), all my brushes in a coffee mug from my sorority days, pictures that mean a lot to me (framed picture of me and my sister as kids and me with my mom on our cruise to Bermuda in '98, and then a photo of my husband the summer before I met him – reminds me of when we were high school kids). I also have a vase full of perfume samples – when I was in high school we visited a family friend who had a fishbowl full of them in her hallway bath – I was inspired and have been casually collecting since. Not sure what to do with them yet, but figure when I have amassed quite the collection I will do something crafty and fabulous!
The top of my husband's dresser. The glass bottles and the leather box belonged to my dad, the box still contains some of my dad's cufflinks, tie tacks, and coins from trips to foreign countries. The lacquer box was a gift from a friend who was stationed overseas. The small Buddha statue I made in Sunday school back as a preteen – it has been through quite a lot, you can see it has had its head break off numerous times; I still find it to be good luck. Tucked in the mirror is my husband's really dreadful fake ID from high school – I found it while cleaning out his dad's house and it just cracks me up so much! The photos to the left are of my husband, and then me and my sister. The picture in the frame is from our friend's rehearsal dinner – we found out the next morning that we were pregnant. It's the last picture taken of us before we became a family and a great memory of an amazing time in our life.
This bookcase is the top of a hutch we inherited from my father in law – we have the bottom part in the living room as our entertainment center. I don't really like it in here, but am not sure where to put it elsewhere in the house. As you can see, this has really become a catchall of randomness – books too tall for the bookcases in the living room and office, photos yet to be placed in albums (which is pretty much the past three years), CDs that we never listen to but can't bear to get rid of, cigar boxes filled with odds and ends and change. The statue my husband got me as a gift when he was in St. Maarten, the cameras we inherited from my father in law who was a photographer.
The frames behind everything on top of the bookcase used to hang in our old bedroom but they look weird in this larger space – the one behind the cameras are pictures of me and my husband in front of the Eiffel Tower in 1999, the one in the center has pictures of me with my mom and sister in Italy, the one on the far left are three pictures of my husband in front of Niagara Falls from our three trips there over the past two decades.
The chair… it is the BEST Freecycle score! It's the IKEA EKTORP chair and storage ottoman, we got it with shrinkwrap still on it, as well as two more slipcovers. When we went to pick up the chair, my husband commented on the woman's new composters sitting next to her garage – she said she was going to Freecycle them as well so we took them! I am forever in debt to the Freecycle Gods for these scores, and regularly give back to the Freecycle community.
A view from the back wall of the room to the entrance to the master bedroom. The door to the left is the master bathroom, the door to the right is our closet. You can see my jewelry armoire, above it is a shadow frame of our wedding invitation with flowers from the day – my best friend made it for us. The two framed images next to the door are sand art that my father in law got when he was on a trip to New Mexico – one was a gift for us, the other was his that we inherited.
The view from the main windows (we have two on the back wall and one to the right of the dressing table). If you sit in the chair you can see a view of beautiful treetops, from the bed you can see the sun rise through the trees. The stained glass I made back in college. The glass horse is one of two bookends from my husband's childhood home (there is one on each sill).
There is still much work to do on this room – we have a huge painting from my husband's grandfather that we need to pick up from his house – we plan to put it over the chair. We have many concert posters we want to frame and hang up as well. Slowly we are feathering our nest!
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Thanks Sonia! And photos are such a wonderful treasure, especially when you know so well the artist who took them!
On top of the jewelry armoire is our alarm clock, it has dual alarms. We keep it over there so we have to physically get up to turn it off, which ensures we’re awake. 🙂
One question: Where is (are) the alarm clock(s)? Still love the room just the same!
I must agree with previous comments; your bedroom is infused with so much character and personal touches of the past and present! I envy the fact that you have blended heirlooms from both you and your husband’s families and wish I could have done the same in my home. My hubby is a photographer like yours so, luckily, my “heirlooms” have been his photographic works fromt he past.
Thanks Andie!
Your room has so much personality and it really shows what you guys love! What a great room! 🙂
Thanks Kristen! They have the album frames at Michael’s for almost nothing, 3-packs I think I got for around $9 each! 🙂
LOVE the album covers over the bed, and the corner bookcase with the small collections and beloved pieces. It’s so inviting and cozy; I am jealous!
Awesome!
Thanks Kimberlee!
Oh I love the idea of silver leaf! WOuld make a great project this spring. Thanks!
It’s true, I don’t really wear a lot of prints but they are fun… I think I like them better in my home than on my body 🙂
I’m not sure! The bright colours yes, I think maybe I was expecting less prints based on your wardrobe? I’m not really sure until I saw this and though “ooh, different!” Really like it though.
Great room! I love that you have so many personal touches…I think that’s what makes a “home.”
For your bed…I recommend silver leaf…it would go good with the walls, your art, your lamps, other accessories, and is neutral for your bed linens. It would also provide a fun contrast against the wood items in the room. Just a thought 🙂
Lovely! I adore all the unique pieces and your little powder table 😉
Woo, you might be surprised all the ideas I was able to get from this – of how to put together all the things I already have (much like yours) and make it into such a peaceful and attractive room! Thanks!
Thanks Kristin!
Love the mix of colors and patterns, especially the lamps!
Thanks Bernie!
What a lovely room! It’s such a great balance of warmth and spaciousness. I have the same Ikea chair & ottoman in my dressing room (eBayed rather than Freecycled…). Love the lamps and the horses.
So true! I originally wanted to do a shade of purple but while it was easy to see in my mind it was hard to find IRL!
The trick to grey is that it needs another colour to play off of it to make it work! Otherwise, it is too cold and impersonal! Red and yellow are perfect choices.
Thanks so much!
Big difference from then when I regretted this cold blue-gray wall color. It just felt so big and impersonal… it has been nice to make it a proper place for us over the few years!
Sometimes I miss our old cozy bedroom because it was our first room together and so snuggly. I think lack of clutter is key in having a restful place to sleep!
Oh too funny, what did you expect? It used to be far more… typical with the green quilt as the comforter, the paisley sheets, white lampshades and matching nightstands. But over time we realized we’re a bit more mish mash than that 🙂
My pleasure! 🙂
Thank you so much Priscilla!
I loved that print from Liberty for Target, I also have a bowl in the print and tried deperately to have clothing from the line work for me. They also had a teal peacock print, I have frames of it in my office at work 🙂
This is totally where we hide out after we have put Emerson to sleep. Our hidden place away from the dogs (though Cindy sleeps upstairs with us most nights), the jobs, the world! 🙂
Thank you!
It’s a sad reason why we have so many inherited things, but it makes it a more special room. We have learned we can’t buy new because we have so much inherited… and we realize we don’t really want new any more! 🙂
Before the remodel, our bedroom didn’t hold much more than our bed, my nightstand and my husband’s dresser. We had these tiny end tables as nightstands and we couldn’t rearrange because there just wasn’t space. Even though we have had this big room for three years it still feels crazy and luxurious!
Thanks for sharing Allie! I love your home decor stye with the mix of older furniture and modern elements and ofcourse all the personal little details. It says alot about what I gather from your personality via your blog: warm, inviting, open minded, and intelligent 🙂
I just LOVE those lamps! Your room looks great and I remember reading about the time you were on bedrest, so it’s nice to see the space….
Oh, I absolutely love your room! It’s so bright and fun but also looks really relaxing. I love the wooden dressers/nightstands/chest. Also love how big your bedroom is, and that freecycle find? AMAZING! The bedroom my husband and I share is pretty small (about 2 feet between my side of our Queen-sized bed and the wall, 2 feet between the foot of the bed and the closet doors, and 5 or 6 feet between my husband’s side of the bed and the other wall/bathroom), but I love it all the same. We try hard to keep clutter out of it, so it’s a nice cozy place to be.
This is weirdly not at all what I was expecting but I love it! Despite the fact I didn’t expect it to look like this, I feel like it fits your personal aesthetic really really well. Also the chair is a great score!
Allie, I read the Devil in the White City years ago and that book really stuck with me. It is very disturbing but really good. And I adore those lamp shades. I covet them. Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
OH, LOVE. Your design aesthetic is EXACTLY like mine–lots of heirlooms and bright colors and fun found objects, placed together in interesting ways. I mean, seriously love. I think everything in a house should have a story–you obviously feel the same way.
I also think it’s funny that your favorite room is your bedroom, as I’ve always had a very hard time with my sleeping space. Right now, it’s the most unfinished and impersonal space in my house, which is odd. I’m much more comfortable decorating living spaces–but seeing your bedroom makes me see a lot of potential in my own. Thanks SO MUCH for sharing!
Your room is wonderful. Those lampshades! And I love the album cover arrangement over the bed. So many people decorate rooms so that they look like something generic out of a catalog–this just looks like a room for real people with good taste!
I love that everyting in the room has meaning. I’m especially fond of the large night stands. Everyone has stuff they want handy when in bed: lotion, lip balm, books, water, nail file, aspirin, or whatever. A tiny night stand just won’t do. I would totally do a room around those gorgeous peacock feather lamp shades!
i especially love that nothing outright matches, but it all GOES. it has that cozy ecclectic feeling, like you could really just stay there all day — if only work and kids didnt get in the way. 😉
Your room is so cool! And so pretty! I love the idea of the record albums above the bed. They’re so well chosen, and look good with the bed cover and the lampshades. Such a friendly room, but also clean and calm.
Wow! This is so inspiring!! I, too, like how so many of your items have a personal connection to you or your husband. Great job!
I love that so much in your home are inherited, they have a story behind them and are so much more meaningful than a home filled with designer stuff. We try to do that with our home too.
Inspiring and gorgeous! I love how you’ve go so many personal mementos there but it doesn’t look too cluttered and they all tone in nicely.
I am v. jealous of your huge bedroom! Ours is pretty much as wide as a queen bed with two small bedside tables and not that much longer than that! Certainly no room for armchairs etc.
We’re about to inherit a lovely new bedroom suite, so that’ll help. I’ve got piles of inherited bits and bobs I haven’t placed around the house yet, and probably quite a bit of stuff I should be getting rid of. We’ll get there…
We’ve lived here for a decade and are finally making our room a haven… it has been a long journey!
I love the colors that you have chosen for this room – the vibrancy of the bed linens is an awesome contrast to the serenity of the walls and curtains. I also love how everything in your room has a history and a story – mine is such a mishmash of things!