One Room Challenge Week 2 – Bedroom Makeover

Today is week 2 of the One Room Challenge and I’m sharing my progress from this past week.

As I mentioned in week one, I cheated a bit and recently painted our master bedroom before I took on the One Room Challenge so the walls are now a nice creamy brown. I used BEHR Whisky Barrel and I love it. It reminds me of soft serve chocolate ice cream. And it’s yummy.

First, I tackled the curtain issue. I know this may seem a little backwards to pick curtains as one of the first design items but I really loved the curtains I had and I knew I wanted to keep them. But I didn’t love how they worked on my windows. I needed a different solution. I got them at HomeGoods a few years ago and I had my friend sew a band of fabric along the bottoms to make the panels longer and more unique. We have cathedral ceilings and I wanted to hang the curtains high. At the time I couldn’t find any curtains in a length that would work and I didn’t want to pay for custom so this was a good solution and now they’re one-of-a-kind.

Originally, the panels were hung in pairs on each of our three windows. You can’t see it in this before picture but there are two symmetrical windows along one wall and then the shorter window in the corner. The pretty curtains weren’t working. The panels were just too busy and expected – and I never knew what to do with the shorter corner window. Plus the curtain rods were a little flimsy for the long panels.

I decided to keep the panels but instead just use them on the 2 larger side-by-side windows. I bought this extra long (120″) drapery rod from Target. I love the industrial pipe design of this single rod that now extends the length of the 2 windows – along with the wall space in between.

I grouped three panels together on each end of the rod and this really simplifies and streamlines the look. I left the corner window alone and added roman shades to all three to control the natural light. I bought the roman shades at a local ready-made curtain store and they’re a nice neutral beige.

Next, I added a small gallery wall to the space between the windows. If you know me, you know I love my gallery walls. This is a great solution for any wall space and it can really tell a story. Click here to see some of my tips on how to hang a gallery wall.

Gallery walls can also be an inexpensive solution too because you can use frames and art you already have and group them together for a whole new look. For this wall, I had a few random frames in colors and finishes that would work in this new room. They were all a little different but they had similar common elements: silver, wood, white, teal blue and black. I found this Oh Happy Day typography art also at Target and used it as the centerpiece and hung all the photos from there. I had to buy a few new frames to complete this wall but it was minimal.

You can add anything to a gallery wall including artwork, photographs, signs, shelving, hooks. I wanted to use just photos since this is our bedroom and we’ll never get tired of seeing pictures of our kids. Plus my frames were all so different that keeping the items simple helped make this work.

I hung two macrame plant holders from the ceiling – this one from Etsy and another one I found at HomeGoods. Again, drawing the eye up was my intention and even though macrame is having a moment, I love the throwback vibe from these 2 pieces. Now I just have to get some plants for them and make sure I don’t kill them.

I also added a larger floor plant and a plant stand from Home Depot. I think greenery is necessary to complete every room. Branches, floor plants, succulents, ferns – any greenery adds life, texture and color.

Here’s my updated to-do list: