Project Update: Master Bedroom

next up in the home updates - our master bedroom! you've been seeing snippets of this room for a while but never the full picture (ha no pun intended ;). it's a funny thing about master bedrooms. they are often the last room to be "done" or even thought about, especially for those of us with young kiddos. and we have been no different until now. i always made an effort to have it look nice but it was never great. previously our room was a mishmash of furniture from different houses/apartments that had been replaced in a totally piecemeal way or not replaced at all. until about 2 months ago, you would have looked at our dresser and seriously questioned my design sense. it was from my first apartment after college and it had been moved approximately 800 times. it was this terrible orange-wood tone but it was fine and we had no real reason to replace it.

the orange dresser and other randomness had finally begun to bug me enough that i decided to make our room a focus and give it the same attention that i have given to other rooms. another big part was that we had planned on adding storage in there and i knew it would drive me crazy if we spent a good chunk of change on new built ins and the rest of the room still looked just meh.

the hardest part was getting my wonderful husband on board but i promised him no more bright aqua walls (a paint mistake i would rather forget than talk about!). the concept for the space was calm and peaceful with a touch of california cool. here's where we ended up!

*all photos by kate renyi of ker photography*

i chose classic gray by benjamin moore for the walls which created the most soothing backdrop.

the built ins have made such a huge difference not only in terms of storage but also coziness. they are painted dove white by benjamin moore. hardware is from schoolhouse electric, one of my very faves.

we added sconces above each dresser and put them on a dimmer so they give off great ambient light.

i used the same linen for the bench seat cushion as for the bed and had the seamstress do a french seam for a less tailored look. i love how it came out!

across from the built ins we created a seating area with these awesome banana leaf chairs, serena & lily pillows, and beach photography by artist christine flynn who i found on one king's lane.

i love how the bed and nightstands came together. the bed i wanted was from restoration hardware but even the lowest headboard height was too high for the window above. covering it up seemed awkward so i opted for the custom route. i found this guy, jordan, in arizona who make exact replicas of the RH beds (and any other one you might want) in custom sizes. score! the company is called custom beds and headboards, straight forward enough! ;) honestly his pricing is fantastic - no more than buying it from RH including shipping and tax. so i quickly scooped up some greige linen fabric and sent it to him to do his magic.

the tufting is well done and the thing is sturdy. i also had a giant 4 foot lumbar pillow made from boho pillow on etsy. the shades and duvet cover were pretty much the only things left over from the old room.

the side tables are from wisteria (as well as the bench) and the lamps are from one king's lane. okl actually featured a snap of mine on instagram of this lamp and our bed and it got just shy of 3,500 likes!!

so there you have it! and because i like to keep it real and i'm not perfect...things i would have done differently and/or things left to do:

1. i should have made the bench seat at the window deeper. it's tough to sit there. but i realized too late and decided to live with it as opposed to ripping out what was already installed.

2. the room needs more art. i kind of love how simple and uncluttered it is but it may be too bare.

3. i have a white duvet from west elm that i totally forgot to put on the bed for this photoshoot. we don't use it because stanley our dog likes to cuddle in bed in the mornings and i don't care what happens to the old duvet. but man i wish i had remembered for the pics!!

4. oh and the rug is nothing exciting but in the end there wasn't to budget to swap it out.

thanks so much for following along! this was a long one. have the best weekend!!