Once & Future Home

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House Tour Fall 2016: Bedroom

Hey there! Today we continue our fall hour tour, and we've left the front of the house for the moment, headed for more resting respites. Our bedroom is a decent size by New York standards, and it gets amazing natural light for much of the day.

I made a bunch of changes in here relatively recently, which I documented rather exhaustively/exhaustingly: A free-to-me DIY headboard made from a cardboard box frame and an old shower curtain, some cheap but charming IKEA curtains and a DIY triangle banner made from gold drinking straws were some of the fun updates I shared last time around. Since then, we've swapped out the rug, switched the headboard and coverlet fabrics (as one does), and bought a new leaning shelf in to act as a vanity area between our wardrobe units, which we use because, what the bedroom offers in natural lighting, it withholds in closet space.

The baskets on top of the wardrobes hold swimwear, scarves, and other seasonal items, like tights and boot socks. I switch that stuff out as needed. The leaning shelf, which I had "leftover," so to speak, after I moved two of them from West's room the family room, nicely breaks up the wall of closets we had before. It also offers a lot of function, with storage for my belts, hair supplies, some jewelry, lotions and perfumes.

And a be-tassled model of the Chrysler building...of course? It's a nice little space to get ready in the morning (er, afternoon...whenever it is I get around to "getting ready"), and, while it's not my favorite thing ever, it doesn't look super-terrible.

Of course, we have crammed more storage into the space with this tiered bookshelf, which I initially brought in here because I didn't have a better spot for it, but which has really earned its keep.

Obviously, it stores overflow books, and the (DIY upgraded) basket holds our electronics (the cords are threaded through the back for charging) and, during the day, the books we're each currently reading. The bowl holds change, and even that turtle has a job, corralling safety pins.

But my favorite "view" of the room is this one, featuring my dresser-turned-nightstand with updated gold knobs, our thriving(!) neon pothos, the gold-embroidered headboard fabric, and my grandmother's (she's alive and kicking, lest that phrasing indicates otherwise) matte-black spray-painted Ethan Allen Lamps.

I'm crazy about those dressers, and I personally am a big fan of symmetry, without being identical. So the lamps and candlesticks are the same, and the plants, white trays and small dishes offer reference to one another without resorting to repetition. I'm into it.

So that's the master bedroom, as of this moment. Interested in a slideshow of how incredibly far this space has come? 'K good, me too.

My rather long-standing to-do list includes changing out the hardware on those wardrobes. I'd also like to replace the leaning shelf with either a small desk or dresser of the same depth as the wardrobes. I doubt the latter will happen before we move, but hey, a gal can dream/comb the free classifieds, right? The art above the dressers, which I painted, has got to go. It's not as terribly bad with stuff in front of it - i.e., obscuring it - but it's still pretty terrible. And I liked them both better before they matched the rug, color-scheme-wise, with such precision. I want something better.

If there's anything the slideshow demonstrates, it's that there's always room for improvement! And, while I'm tempted to be embarrassed by those early shots,  think I'll embrace the reality of slow evolution of spaces, especially when you're working with limited time and money, and want to make slow, careful choices. And, don't mind switching things out on a whim. Thanks for checking in, and I'll see ya tomorrow!