One Room Challenge Spring '24: Primary Bedroom Makeover

Happy April everyone! Phew, okay so this blog post is the first for so many things. I'm not a writer and avoid blogging like the plague, but I'm going to start and what better way to kick off a blog than with a bedroom makeover? Specifically, MY bedroom - yay and also yikes! I feel like there is a saying, "an electrician has the worst wiring in their own home" or something along those lines... and if there isn't, well I'm making it up now. Basically, what I'm saying is, "Hi my name is Ashley. I'm an interior designer and I don't have a beautiful bedroom." But, that's okay because we're going to fix it!

The Bedroom Makeover Challenge

So why am I starting a blog and documenting my bedroom makeover? That brings us to first number 2 - I am participating in the One Room Challenge event for the first time. This is an online community event that takes place twice a year where participants have 8 weeks to start and complete a One Room Makeover. It was created to help people kickstart the creativity and have an accountable way to finish what they start via blogging/social media.

The Consultation

I sat down with my super wonderful fiancé, Sam, and we had a consultation about our primary bedroom to go over what we like and what we don't like about the space. Here is the current floor plan we have right now:

Our Needs:

We've been renting our house for a year, and have had that year to think of all the things that aren't working for us in this room.

#1 Traffic Flow

I think our biggest pain point that we feel on a daily basis is the traffic flow. In all of the other places we've lived we have been able to put the dresser in a "neutral" area of the bedroom - meaning it was put in a spot that we both could access without having to go on either one's side of the bed. In this room the only place it can go without being in the way is on my side of the bed. The placement isn't the worst, but Sam and I are both up and moving around getting ready for the day at the same time usually and we end up running into each other walking back and forth from closet to dresser. The laundry sorter being at the foot of the bed also doesn't help. Why don't you move it behind the bathroom door so it's not at the foot of the bed creating a 2ft wide walkway, you ask? Good question - the door needs a wider swing to accommodate for the tiny 2ft narrow opening.

#2 Curtains

Pain point number 2 is we don't have any curtains and our next door neighbor has a high powered flood light mounted on a street lamp pole in their backyard that comes on automatically when it gets dark. Why they have that, we have no idea. Our best guess is to keep nocturnal critters out of their yard at night... The reason is neither here nor there, all we know is it shines through our blinds at night like 1,000 suns and makes it very hard to go to and stay asleep. So, curtains are a must have with this makeover. But, Ashley, why haven't you put curtains up before? You ask so many great questions! Technically, our lease says that we're not allowed to hang anything on the walls, but we've followed the rule for a year now and I think Sam and I both agree it's worth risking the security deposit to put up some cute black out curtains and get a solid night's sleep.

#3 Closet Space & Storage

You don't know how spoiled you are with a walk-in closet until you move into a house that doesn't have a walk-in closet. Sam and I have been living together since 2013, and have been fortunate to have ample closet and storage space in all of our bedrooms, save the first one and now this one. I think our current "lack of closet space" bothers me more than Sam because we do have plenty of closet/storage space between our two rooms we use as offices, but I think it's silly to go back and forth between the bedroom and our offices to get dressed. Right? Right. So I would like to figure out a way for us to both be able to have all of our clothes and shoes in the bedroom, because we honestly don't have that much between the two of us.

#4 A Rug

This last need is for our dog, Jack. He is a three legged Pomeranian who is getting up there in years and he struggles with our tiled floors. In the past, at bed time it hasn’t been much of a worry because he will lay down in his bed and conk out until the next morning, but since moving into the house he’s taken to crawling out of his bed in the middle of the night and sleeping on the cool tiles. I think it feels good on his joints, poor little guy. To help him with traction when he does this I’ve put down my yoga towel, but it’s not the best solution for him because it’s paper thin and easily gets bunched up since the grip material on the back isn’t the greatest. I would like to find a rug that is big enough for Jack to have more freedom in the middle of the night and be able to pick spots that are comfortable for his old, puppy bones. 

#5 Summer Duvet 

I love duvets. The covers allow you more freedom to change up your bedding that won’t break the bank or eat up storage space like comforter sets would. I love our duvet because it is snuggly cozy in the winter time, but man oh man do I roast alive on summer nights! In the warmer months, which is the majority of the year for us in Florida, we use a light quilt but I’ve found it’s not warm enough since we like to have a fan on while we sleep, so I find myself playing a layering game with extra blankets to find that perfect equilibrium of cool and cozy. In addition to a summer duvet, it is time to retire our duvet cover and shams. They have served us well for a decade now and they’re getting worn and tired and a bit hole-y so it’s time to get a new set that we will inevitably enjoy for another decade at least. 

The Wants

Moving on to the things that aren’t vital, but would spark joy regardless: 

#6 Color

Sam and I have had an accented monochromatic color scheme - everything black, white, and gray sans our sheets - in our bedroom since we’ve lived together. It’s modern, it’s minimal, and it ages well, obviously, because we haven’t gotten tired of it yet! Almost. I’m ready to add some color into our lives. While we are not able to paint the walls, again per our lease, I do want to add color through the rug and duvet mentioned above. It would also be a great opportunity to add some variety to our all black, matchy matchy IKEA Malm furniture, which after 10 years and 4 moves is still in surprisingly great condition. 

#7 Faux Ceiling Light

We don't have a ceiling fan/light in our bedroom. Which isn't a problem because almost all of our previous places haven't had one in the bedroom either. The difference this time is there used to be one and it was removed because the owner preferred not to have one. Which again, is fine since we're used to not having one. The annoyance I really have is there is a noticeable ring on the ceiling where the unit used to be, and since we're not allowed to paint it just looks dirty. So, I would like to cover it up with something that will hide the ring and look like a light fixture or something pretty and decorative.

#8 Artwork

We're going to be breaking the rule of not hanging anything on the walls when we put up curtains so why not go full throttle and hang some artwork as well? The walls are so blank.

The Wellness Benefits

With this project, I am looking to achieve the following benefits to our overall wellness physically, mentally, environmentally, and financially:

• Improved sleep quality

• A better balance for our circadian rhythms

• Reduced stress, fatigue, and frustration

• Increased feelings of calm and happiness

• Mental quiet

• Reduced waste and saved money by means of recycling existing pieces

The Before Pictures

Wish Me Luck!

I am very excited for this project because our bedroom has been just a place to sleep up to this point. I'm looking forward to it being a room that Sam and I want to go to for rest, relaxation, and us time. I hope you'll follow along and join me on this journey :)

Tune in next week for the Concept Development.