According to [the nest], I Have a Grownup Bedroom

I was thoroughly amused by the time I got to the end of the "10 Signs Your Bedroom Needs To Grow Up" Slideshow on [the nest]. I started reading expecting to go "Ohh I'll need to do this and add that and do that..." but instead it was "Ohh, I have this and I've done this and that too..."

Then I did a childish "Yeah, I'm a grown up" dance at the end. Oxymoron, I know.
So here they are - the signs that a bedroom needs to grow up.


1. You Only Have Mismatched Bedding

"A complete bedding set including sheets, pillowcases and a duvet will pull the room together in a more sophisticated way. Look for a high thread count and mature colours, like cream, gray & blue"

Grays and blues - check! How about some brown, too!

2. You Don't Have A Headboard

Headboard? Check! Customized, no less.

Bedding set, headboard and bedside tables...check!

3. You Don't Have Bedside Tables

"Time to replace the milk crates with proper bedside tables - two of them! For someone who needs her phone, books, a glass of water ad a hundred other things, a sturdy wooden style with drawers or a cabinet will fit the bill"

I could have sworn this article was about me cos I'm that girl who needs her water, phone, keys, books, magazine and glasses (cos I wear them) by the bedside each night. And befittingly I do indeed have the sturdy wooden style bedside table with drawers - two of them too!



4. Your Beside Accessories Are Lacking

Well, my husband has a nice enough alarm clock on his side of the bed and that's all he actually needs on the side table. So the rest was up to me to style with a simple painting and a "wu-lou".

On my side of the bed, the white tray is the most functional item used to corral my phone, keys and glasses each night. Books and magazine go in the shelf under the drawer. 

5. You Don't Have Curtains

"Curtains can change the feel of the bedroom, so take down those cheap, broken blinds and choose a window treatment that speaks to your style."

Seeing that the 'windows' in the room are sliding glass doors leading out to the balcony, I have a curtain box in the ceiling and floor length curtains complete with sheers too. Necessary to maintain privacy and block out the sun on the occasional mornings I get to sleep in!

6. You Have No Art

"Here's a chance for you and your guy to really showcase your personal style. Black-and-white photos say you're a sophisticated and cosmopolitan couple, while those with more traditional taste might hang classic oils on their walls"

Hmm...so here's where I feel a little..young at heart? So we've got art picked out for the bedroom. And no, they're not black-and-white photos or classic oils. A set of fun prints which are going to go above the bed. Only thing is I just haven't gotten around to framing them and hanging them up yet. Its the thought that counts right?



7. Your Furniture Clashes

"We love eclectic furniture that works together, but if you really want to change the feel of your bedroom, splurge on a set that traditionally includes the bedframe and headboard, side tables and dressers or armoires."

Clashing furniture? Maybe someday. For now, I have a set so coordinated, even the closet doors match.

Matching closet doors!

8. Your Only Lighting Is Overhead

"Nothing sets the mood in your bedroom like good lighting. Coordinating table lamps, floor lamps or wall scones will spruce up your digs in a flash"

Why yes, I do have coordinating table lamps on my coordinating bedside tables! Gosh, I'm starting to sound boring!



9. Your Floors Are Bare

"Center your space with a large area rug or decorate with smaller rugs in different spots of your room for a pulled-together look"

With all the coordinating furniture and table lamps, the last thing we needed was a coordinating rug. The oriental rug in the room was chosen to clash with the theme of the rest of the room, something to break up the monotony.

Yeah, right! The lies I tell myself. If only my decorating plans were so put together. Truth of the matter, the hubby and I went a little (maybe a lot) rug crazy when shopping for the new house. We have so many rugs and this large one we got just happened to fit size wise between the bed and the TV shelf. So there you have it, my decorating style called "making do with my impulsive buys"

10. Your Walls Are Lacking Colour

"Another way to make an impact is to create a color scheme for your walls. Grey is a sophisticated and trendy wall color, but as long as you avoid typically juvenile colors"

Grey it is, with an awesome feature wall too - colour and texture!

 

And there you have it.The 10 signs, according to [the nest] that my bedroom is grown up! View the original slideshow from [the nest] here.

Weekend Project: Another Quick Paint Job

Spray paints and I have become real good friends. Until a couple of years ago, I never realized how easy it was to alter the colour (and hence appearance) of ‘old junk’ to give them a brand new lease of life.

My latest save - an old rotating CD rack I’ve had for years. The simple rack with a light brown wood grain finish just didn't fit into the theme of the living room so, I decided to spray it gray. 
 

A good sanding over and three coats of gray paint later (using 2 cans of spray and costing only about RM15), the rack took on a more modern look and added a little contrast to the living room shelf.  It would have been otherwise a waste to throw away the very functional rack and I’m just thrilled to have been able to ‘recycle’ it.

I now find it easier to shop or just plain recycle items for its function, shape and size instead of its appearance or colour. An item with good bones is what matters. Appearance and colour - easily altered.

My Favourite Nook

My favourite nook in the house came to be rather unintentionally. For a compulsive planner like me, ‘unplanned’ only gave it so much more charm and character.

I wanted to have a reading corner in the study but the end result was entirely different from what I had originally had in mind. My initial plan was to have 2 walls lined with white Ikea BILLY bookcases and a 2-seater sofa, something very similar to a pin I found shared in my earlier post "Finding Inspiration".

But here's how my cozier-than-expected nook turned out.


The beautiful open shelf that houses our collection of books and magazines was one we came across by chance. It was on sale and the hubby and I decided to pick it up instead of the Ikea shelf we originally had our sights on.

The lazy chair was not even a piece I picked out. It was my husband who spent a small fortune on it, intended for him to watch television on in the living room.

The two little piggies which were intended for the rustic-country-ish kitchen were used as makeshift bookends when the kitchen turned out with a contemporary.  

The LOVE carving I had originally bought for the bedroom too winded up as a stray on the bookshelf having not fit the rest of the bedroom décor.

The framed jigsaw puzzles were little treasures we'd recovered from the store room when we moved. There's finally space to display the things I completed over a decade ago!



The clock from Ikea I hoarded for no apparent reason other than ‘it was cheap’ and the penny-farthing motif plate randomly pick out on a shopping excursion with Ink were the few other pieces that just ended up on the shelf.

So there we go. Actual space in my home that wasn't painstakingly planned out.
And I love it!

Quote of the Month: May 2015