Our Bedroom in the Barn: Before and After

You know how when you move into a new place, you only have so much time, money and energy to fix it up exactly the way you want?  And then you get the the point where one or all of those things run out, and you're done?  Well that happened to us with our bedroom.  I've been wanting to do a bedroom before and after post for, well, 4 years, but we only just got to the "after" part!  Here's a decent "before" picture.

 We moved into this barn about 4 years ago, and we refinished the floor, painted the walls Iron Mountain (Benjamin Moore), framed and hung some art we really love, repainted a great bed frame from Ikea. . . and then we ran out of money and motivation.  We got really stuck finding a 9x12 rug we liked and could also afford.  So we borrowed an old oriental rug from my parents attic that was the right size, if not the right style and colors, had a baby, and now it is 4 years later.

A confluence of two things got me motivated again.

 

One: Recently my good friend Cara bought a house in Brooklyn and asked me and a couple of other friends to put together a couple of decorating inspiration boards on Pinterest, and that really got me going again.  Looking at all of the beautiful homes and great creative decor styles made me really start to look at our space again, and get the jump start I needed to tackle the final details.  I decided that what our super modern, minimalist bedroom really needed to make it more cozy was a little bit of boho pattern and texture.

Two: Our bedroom is really drafty, and the one heat vent in the ceiling blows right on TH's side of the bed and drives him crazy.  So you know what is cheaper, and awesomer, than moving a heating vent?  Bed curtains.  I have always harbored a secret desire for a super princess-y bed, and this idea really jived with that.  How often can you find a really practical reason to give yourself a super romantic princess bed?  Just the once, in my life so far.  So here it is! Our finished bedroom:

Ok, so of course it's not totally finished.  I still need to get that little loveseat recovered in a fun boho fabric, which is still TBD.

 I tied the curtains on with pieces of white grosgrain ribbon, which was very inexpensive, and won't fray.

We found this great 9x12 rug for very little money at West Elm, along with the curtains, actually.  They are having a great sale. Thanks West Elm!

I also have plans to make some throw pillows of various sizes from block printed Indian fabrics in rich and slightly clashy colors and patterns.  But when? Hopefully soon.

The cozy cave the the bed curtains make has proven to be a much approved of place to read books by the three year old set.  And TH wakes up in the morning with no more muttering about why the heat system insists on blowing cold air on him all night.  And I have my princess bed, and can pretend I am a character in a Jane Austen novel, which for some reason makes me feel right at home ;)

Win, win, win.  Three thumbs up from the family.