Back to School Grownup Bedroom Refresh

Now that my kids are back in school, I get to take time to work on my own projects again! I thought I’d start by giving my master bedroom a little makeover This grownup bedroom refresh is all about the details, clean lines, and soft colors.

We recently sold our latest flip house, that did double duty for a while as an AirBNB property, and had a few items left over from staging it. I enjoyed them so much in the flip house that I wanted to bring them home and find a place for them in my house. And I didn’t have to look far. A few months ago, we pulled out the carpet in our master bedroom and replaced it with beautiful driftwood colored laminate flooring, so I wanted to make the most of that change with a little makeover for the rest of the room. No need for a full makeover, just a little touch up here and there.

~ This post contains affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. ~

Master Bedroom Refresh Details

Here’s a little reminder of how our room looked before.

I loved all the little touches that made it home. (You can see all the details in my original Master Bedroom Budget Makeover post.) But I was ready to move on from the curtains-as-headboard, and use this beautiful linen and nailhead trim headboard that we originally bought for the flip house.

Once I took the curtains down, I didn’t really like the tall bookshelves that we had been using as bedside tables. Instead I moved two dressers (both Craigslist scores) to either side of the bed. I like how they take up just the right amount of space along this large wall. I used slightly mismatched, but coordinated, lamps since I don’t like things to be too matchy-matchy. The dressers also are different but similar, a touch that I think lends a more collected look than buying all the pieces at the same time and place. When I originally bought these dressers, I thought I would paint them, but I came to love the natural stained wood so much that I think I’ll leave them as is. They both got updated drawer pulls from Hobby Lobby.

Now I just needed something to go above the bed. This is one of the biggest questions I get about decorating bedrooms – what goes over the headboard? Every space is different, so it’s a hard question to answer, but I like something lightweight looking. Does that make sense? Nothing heavy, dark or clunky. (Maybe I have a fear of things falling on my head while I’m sleeping.) In this case, I found these simple line drawings of lavender and eucalyptus plants at Hobby Lobby and knew they’d be perfect. They’re slightly feminine looking, but the natural stained wood frames add a masculine balance.

I used a mix of pillows that I already owned, plus two large white Euro Shams from HomeGoods.

I love white bedding, so I layered white blankets, quilts, and a light gray throw.

The old wall color was Valspar Gravity, reduced by 25%. It was a soothing cool blue-gray, and I liked the color, but I didn’t like the way it made the room feel. So I decided to go a little warmer with Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray. It’s quite possibly the most perfect neutral gray.

With the carpet removed and the flooring converted to laminate, we needed a little touch of softness underfoot, so I found this rug at Ross. I love how it brightens up the space and adds just a touch of pattern to the room. With the mostly white bedding above it, I felt like we needed a little something to tie the bed and floor together. This one was the perfect fit, and the perfect price!

Since the room is mostly neutral white and gray, I love these unexpected bright orange/pink accents that bring in a little color and whimsy. I’m not one for too-formal spaces, especially in my bedroom, which almost no one ever sees.

Are you wondering what happened to the curtain and bookcases I removed? I added the curtains to the matching ones already hanging at the window, to give them a fuller look and expand the impact of the window. It’s a pretty small window, so adding a longer rod and extra curtain panels on the sides gives it the look of a bigger, brighter window.

I also moved the bookcases to flank the TV and media cabinet that we use as a dresser. The TV looked a little dinky on that wall before, with nothing else on the whole wall, so these shelves add a lot of color and interest to this space.

Now my bedroom feels light, bright, and airy. I love having a little getaway in my own home. I totally subscribe to the Bedroom-as-Retreat concept, and now this one feels fresh and new, and ready for me to escape to between helping kids with homework and driving all over town.

Grownup Bedroom Refresh Resources

You can create your own bedroom retreat, with a few key items. Here’s where to find some of the pieces I used:

Headboard – This headboard is similar to mine, but I actually love the lines on this headboard just as well.

Art – Hobby Lobby is one of my favorite resources for affordable wall art, especially when they’re running a sale. Find out here.

Rug – I always look at Ross for rugs, but if you don’t buy the one you like when they have it, it may be gone. Here’s a still-available version of my rug. An 8×10 is the perfect size for a queen size bed.

Curtains – For my curtains, I like to try Tuesday Morning first, but the same caveat goes as above with the rugs. The closest version to mine are these semi-sheer curtains.

Dressers – As I mentioned, we found our dressers on Craigslist, which is one of my favorite resources for used furniture. However, if you don’t feel like searching for weeks and meeting up with total strangers, I love the options at Target and IKEA.

Bookcases – These were from Target. They were originally a dark espresso finish, but I long ago repainted them with white chalk paint on the outside and a dark slate green on the inside.

Wall Color – Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray

This was such a fun makeover, mostly because the work was done already and I got to just do the fun stuff, like shopping for wall art!

Now that the Master Bedroom is finished, it’s time to move on to a full Master Bath Remodel Come see what’s going on in the bathroom, and how I’m punching up the pattern with tile!