It’s been so long since I’ve rearranged or repainted a room, and I must admit that seeing such a dramatic bedroom transformation is making me a bit jealous. I’m eager to shake things up a bit! I love what Tracey has done for her bedroom makeover, particularly the dip-dyed curtains and the crisply tailored look of the black and white closet doors. The “before” was by no means unpleasant, but Tracey has certainly given the room a freshness and elegance that was lacking before — all with a few well-chosen additions. Nice work, Tracey! — Kate
Have a Before & After you’d like to share? Shoot me an email with your images right here! (Low res, under 500k per image, please.)
Read the full post after the jump!
Time: Two weekends
Cost: $600
Basic Steps: Right off the bat, I knew I wanted to brighten up the room and start over with a fresh color palette, so I started collecting images from my favorite blogs, shelter magazines, and Pinterest. I found myself drawn to rooms with a lot of white, small pops of black, corals, and a mix of both modern and vintage furniture and accessories. From there I just started slowly gathering the accessories, art, and window treatments that were in line with my inspiration photos and overall vision of the room. I also had two obstacles to tackle: the off-center window made furniture placement a challenge, and the old sliding closet doors needed some kind of treatment to bring them up to date. I corrected the ill-placed window by hanging the curtain rod off center to give the illusion that the window was bigger and more symmetrically placed. For the closet doors, I chose to go bold and paint them with black chalkboard paint and a crisp white border.
My advice is to start by collecting images of rooms you love and noting the overall similarities. You’ll begin to figure out what types of furniture you’re drawn to, colors you find appealing, and what your overall style is. Before you head out to the stores, I suggest you first shop your own home for items that can be reused or updated. Think outside of the box. Vintage bowls and candy dishes can be used for storing small plants and jewelry. Old books can be color coordinated and stacked for decoration on night stands and dressers. Wall art can be created with things you already have in your home such as photo booth strips, postcards, greeting cards, book covers, etc. Outdated furniture can be completely transformed with a coat of paint. Our dresser was given to us for free and was quite an eyesore when we received it, but a couple coats of navy paint and some new hardware transformed it into a beautiful piece for about $50. It may be tempting to go out and buy everything for the room all at once, but take your time to find items that you really love. Etsy is a great source for inexpensive artwork, and thrift stores and fleamarkets are good places to find inexpensive vintage accessories. Don’t be afraid to go bold. Just go for it! — Tracey
54 Comments
Anthro has a version of these ombre curtains, check them out, they are great quality and worth the money for the instant wow factor!
Wow, the change is really good. I love how they managed to create a whole different mood without having to put big splashes of color. those curtains are to die for. I must say that although the changes are impressive, the previous look of the room wasn’t nearly as bad as other “before” rooms i’ve seen. Congrats!
Gorgeous. The chalkboard doors look like a million bucks.
oh where oh where did you get those curtains?!
THE CURTAINS! Where are they from? Are they DIY?
I’m SUPER curious about the ornaments in the second-last picture… mini-terrariums? And where do I get some so I can make them myself??
~F
Hi ladies! Tracey here. Thank you so much for the nice comments! The curtains are called Wavering Ombre and I purchased them on Anthropologie’s website on a super discount around the holidays. They were originally $336 marked down to $69.95 for two panels with free shipping! They don’t appear to have that color in stock on their website anymore, but they do have some new colors (although not on sale): http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?navAction=jump&id=083293&parentid=SEARCH_RESULTS Thanks again!
I love those curtains too, as well as the little table with the partially striped legs. Super cute.
Yes, yes! The curtains! Please post a tutorial.
Where is that headboard from? Love.
CURTAINS CURTAINS CURTAINS!!!!! WHERE OR HOW?!
Love the changes. The closets stand out the most…. great idea!
Curtains are on sale right now at Anthropologie – just saw them this weekend at the store…
the mirrored side table looks great next to the boldly patterned rug
Hi Serena, I purchased the headboard from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005M7C4YG/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details thanks!
Fabulous! Did you make the mirror-artsy thing behind the tv yourself? If yes, where did you buy materials? If no, where can I buy this very nice piece? :-)
Best regards
I was wondering where the chandelier is from?
Can you share some more pictures of the terrarium and how you hung them?
Gorgeous! I’ve been seeing these little mirrored side tables everywhere on blogs, but I can’t figure out where they are coming from! Anyone know?
Same question about the mirror, I love it! Where did you get that from?!
Kirstine: I purchased the mirror behind the TV from Home Goods a few months ago for about $50. There was a similar one at Pier One also, but it was much more expensive.
Erik: The chandelier is from Lowes (purchased a few years ago).
Vaishnavi: For each terrarium I drilled a small hole in the ceiling and inserted a small white plastic anchor. I screwed a little white cup hook into each anchor (like this: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100141919/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=white%20cup%20hook&storeId=10051) and then used clear fishing line to hang the terrariums from the hooks. You can see more pictures of the terrariums on my blog – here: http://www.traceytilley.com/Site/Blog/Entries/2012/1/18_Operation_Bedroom_Fancification.html and here: http://www.traceytilley.com/Site/Blog/Entries/2012/1/30_Bedroom_%3D_Finito!.html
Hi Caren – my mirrored side tables came from Amazon a few years ago. They don’t carry the same ones anymore, but here’s a similar one with a drawer (which I like so much better!) : http://www.amazon.com/SEI-Mirage-Mirrored-Accent-table/dp/B004BSF82M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330035077&sr=8-1
I’ll add my sentiments of love towards those curtains.
Too crazy, I just did this to my bedroom curtains 2 weeks ago with a royal blue and I can’t stop looking at them. I got some white curtains in a textured fabric from the thrift store and used dye to create the ombre effect. Took me 1 of my sons nap times.
To dye in ombre, google better instructions, or: wet the whole piece, wring it out a little, dip it to the highest point you want the color to go and wait a minute. Then hold it up to the next level and wait 5 min, and so on. My curtains cost $5!
I love that they make the room a wee bit darker for mornings we want to sleep in, but still let in more light than if we had solid dark curtains. Plus, they’re gorgeous just like Tracey’s!
Very resourceful! I love how you’ve managed to get so much impact with relatively simple changes.
The curtains look amazing!
I love the black and white wardrobe doors. Very smart! And the headboard… I would love one of those for my room.
Very sophisticated! I love the curtains!
I absolutely adore the results here! That curtain is delicious, and I love the look of the chalkboard paint. This looks amazing.
Those curtains and hanging terrariums. SWOON.
great Interior design Blog! I love the layout and articles. I did a search for top Interior Design Blogs and came across your site. Bravo! So many blogs related to Interior Design are so-so. But I agree that this site is well done! Bookmarked!
…amazing transformation, love it!
hi i like ur curtain, full mirrer.where did u get it?please please tell me
love the paint-over, especially those his n her doors. thought i was tired of chalk painting, but not here. btw, is it rude to not like the new curtains or headboard? cause i really don’t.
Wow…I love the closet doors! The chalkboard doors have such a crisp, clean look and a bit of fun with the labeling. I also love the curtains here too.
Great room renovation. I see from your blog that you have a cat. How do you keep her from uprooting the plants on your night tables?
(or is that just something my cat does?)
I spy flapper doodle art on the wall, so adorable :)
Thanks again for all the nice comments! :)
Jalpa: Both the gold mirror behind the dresser and the big full length mirror are from Home Goods. They have GREAT prices on mirrors. The curtains were from Anthropologie.
Maria C: My cat generally leaves the plants alone, although I have caught her doing a little nibble here and there on the spiky plant in the owl planter. I do buy her edible “cat grass” from the pet store every now and again though, so maybe that helps?
Krystle: Good eye! Love Flapper Doodle. :)
Ingenious!!!
I’m dreaming of an upholstered bedhead for my own. Thank you for the inspiration! x
Hi Tracey, Love the white paint you chose for your walls. Would love to know the color and brand! So hard to choose a good white!!! thanks!
Looks good, but I think the chalk stuff is getting a bit tired. The closets would look better and cleaner (like the entire room) without the writing on them.
Great lamp!
Hi Nina – The color is “White” by Benjamin Moore. I taped up several white chips in the room before deciding, and many of them turned slightly blue or pink during different times of the day. “Decorator White” by Benjamin Moore was probably the runner up – though it was a bit cooler of a white. Thanks!
can some creative person give a DIY tutorial for dip-dyeing …love the curtains but don’t want to spend a ton and would love to be able to pick my own colors…
Hi! i love this make over, what about the striped rug… where did you purchase that?
Thanks Paige! I purchased the rug at Crate and Barrel.
Beautifully sophisticated result! Now this room rocks! Cheers to another great post!
Wow what a beautiful transformation! I wrote something about transforming Bedrooms myself the last day on my blog. Read it here: http://livingnice.net/2012/02/17/essentials-bed-room/
I love a good bedroom before and after! I’ve been in the process of updating my own
master bedroom. It’s still in progress but you can check it out here if you’d like:
http://vividhuehome.blogspot.com/2012/02/family-joins-master-beforeafter.html
Design Sponge, you continue to be my idols in the design world! xoxoxo
Hi,
Variety is the spice of life.Everybody loves change. So its a good idea to give your bedroom a new look. I really like the style which you have depicted in your post. Keep us update on the new ideas of home improvement.
Wow what great after’s I love the ChalkBoard Paint on the his and hers closets!
Great looking room..I was wondering if the dresser was distressed? Looks like it from the picture. If so any tips for a first timer?
Hi Kelley, thank you! Yes the dresser was distressed. Here’s the info on how I did it: http://www.traceytilley.com/Site/Blog/Entries/2011/11/13_Vintage_Dresser_Makeover.html
This is a job well done, but It’s very typical of a trend thats happening right now! Clothing stores use this same motif and it frankly cheapens the place.
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