For Alicia: Master Bedroom

The Master Bedroom -- a safe haven of relaxation, rest, and romance. I truly believe that for young couples starting to make their house a home, the master bedroom should be first on the list. What is the marriage after all but the very core of the home's existence?

Here is the before.



This is after we dared to put golden yellow on the walls. It was tough to choose a color because the colors of our bedding are all dark. But I had a hunch that if we picked up the gold embroidery, it would look nice. And we still love it to this day! I grew up in a yellow room, so it is nice to continue with that. It really helps you wake up in the morning too -- especially if the sunrise hits the yellow walls and makes your room what we like to call "The Room of the Rising Sun."



This picture also shows our bedroom before we were blessed with the finances to get a bedroom furniture set. The mattresses were still on the floor, and we were using Matt's dresser that he grew up with (which was busting at the seams with clothes). Enter my "intermediate furniture" discussion. Notice the basket cubes we were using as nightstands. We bought those in Jackson for $40 total. They also served as storage for blankets. Their purpose was served, but when we could afford the bed frame...the nightstands suddenly became pitiful and inconvenient. Did we honestly NEED nightstands before we could afford the real thing? I bet not. We could have put the lamps on the dresser. So that was $40 we didn't really have to spend at that time that could have gone towarsd purchasing a real furniture set. We sold the baskets at a garage sale because they don't go anywhere else in our house. These basket nightstands are just one of many examples of "intermediate furniture" I think couples making a new home can wait on. Sometimes we get in such a rush to have it all and make it all look nice, that we start sacrificing patience and financial wisdom for immediate gratification. (Now, if something is gifted to you, obviously use it until you can afford exactly what you want.) Note how in the picture below, the nightstands were dwarfed and made obsolete because of how small they were compared to our new bed/dresser.



The following two pictures are of our dresser. The first shows what it was before I "simplified." We were hanging onto that tear-drop lamp because it was a wedding gift and because of its unique beading. But it was a hassle of a lamp that really didn't offer much light. I can't even remember if we sold it or packed it away.

Some examples of using on-hand sentimental items for decor:

~The picture frames are actually from our wedding reception (Matt growing up, me growing up, and pics from our dating/engaged time). I used acrylic paint to do a dark green wash over the wooden frames and then painted a clear coat on top for shine. They look superb with the dark green in our bedding . They also contrast well with the yellow walls whereas their natural tone would have been lost in the yellow.

~The green bottle with the note in it was a Valentine's card from Matt. The green goes well with our bedding and the frames. The bottle also lends to the romance in the room. I draped a shell necklace from Hawaii around it to add interest to its plain sides, but it is a necklace that has dark wooden beads on it so it's not so stark against the green.

~The red beaded box beside the bottle was also a Valentine's gift from Matt. It goes with the Moroccan Romance theme of our room but serves a practical purpose by holding all my bracelets.

Again, notice how groupings of three please the eye. There are three groups on the dresser to mirror the three picture frames. And in the second picture, you can see how using items that are similar in height is much cleaner than having a tall lamp and short bottle on either side of the dresser. It is much more balanced (and easier to dust). I also took away the picture frames that were sitting on the dresser. They were only adding a cluttery look and took away from the three hanging picture frames.



This last picture shows how waiting paid off -- we were able to finally get the nightstands that matched our bedroom set. (Notice how much better they look than the wimpy baskets? The lamps sit much more stable on a flat surface than a weave and we can actually reach them now!) We waited until we knew we could afford them as well as a new couch/comfy chair. If you can wait until you have enough money to get several pieces of furniture, you can usually negotiate a better deal with the salesperson. Having the full amount at purchase time also can get you a better deal. Never buy anything without first leaving the store for a few hours if not overnight. It's amazing how clear your mind is when you return a second time to look at what you want.

Also, notice how the color of our walls also goes with the quilt we got from Matt's grandma? If you do have two bedding sets that you can use in the master bedroom, pick a wall color that will allow you to switch the look on a whim. It keeps interest without having to spend a dime! Anytime you can move a piece of furniture, a knick knack, or play with fabric, it'll take the edge off of wanting something new/different without taking an edge off of your budget!

And to your sewing machine comment, it does increase your options. After we got the quilt, I went through my chest of fabric and made the two orange pillow cases and the green sash for our existing purple pillow. Then, with the recent FIND OF THE CENTURY $27 king sheet set, we now have a completed second bedding set. I love that the dust ruffle of the Moroccan set happens to be dark purple...but then I think almost anything would go with this wild, fun quilt!