If you haven't figured it out yet, a little paint can completely change a room. Add a few accessories and it will change it up even more. Here's how I updated my bedroom during quarantine:
**This project was done and explained in two parts. The second part is explained in a separate post. The photos on this blog post do not reflect the fully updated room. Only the first part.
First... paint. Originally I wanted a pure white so that I would have a clean slate, but it didn't work well with my already painted cream trim. I went with the color "Stone Eagle" from Sherwin Williams which is more gray with a cooler tint. I found this color by picking up a few paint samples from Lowes and seeing which one went best with my trim color because I couldn't change that.
Don't Forget to make sure that you like the paint sample that you choose in different lighting. As you can see the paint color in daylight looks very different from what it looks like at night.
The teal pottery barn kids lampshade that is shown in the photo above doesn't go with the room anymore. For the time being I added a gray lampshade I found in my basement, but eventually I switched that out with a gold table lamp that matched the desk lamp I got. My room also had the classic half circle early 2000s light fixture in the ceiling which was update with a gold pendant light fixture that matched the other gold accents in the room.
One thing I didn't realize until after painting the walls was that the ceiling was painted a light blue... I wasn't going to change it because I was leaving for school soon, but it did not compliment the room at all and was painted white after I left. I have never painted a ceiling before either... It seems like quite the challenge and one that I was not up for at the time. My bathroom was also painted a light tan color to match the tan/cream countertops that were not going to be replaced at the time. (My bathroom was a bright blue green). Another thing to consider in your project is the color of the trim and whether or not it needs to be painted to match the new paint color. Personally I selected my paint color to coordinate with the off-white trim in my room.
Some tips for starting a new project such as a simple room redo:
Simplify your space. Sell furniture you know you won't be using. Donate accessories you know you won't be keeping around, but also keep anything that you see potential in. I kept my lamp that I used in a DIY project later on.
Don't over clutter. Keep it simple to begin with and you can always add something later!
Only take on what you know you have time for. I began this project in December 2019 when I was home over winter break. I painted the room and planned to come back in the summer to finish everything else. Then COVID hit and I was home a little earlier than expected. With so much free time I decided to take on creating a bed frame, something I've always wanted to do. I put all of my other projects on hold, but as a busy college student finding time to do these lengthier projects was hard. I will be writing a separate blog explaining the creation of my pallet bed frame.
Make sure your new space is something you will like in a few years. Take into consideration what exactly your room will be used for and whether or not your design ideas would be "in style" or functional a few years from now. This is especially important if DIY home projects don't happen often at your house.
"Take pictures of your progress. It's always fun to see where you began".
As I mentioned at the beginning, his project was done in two parts. The first part was the paint and bed frame. Most of the items/accessories were things I already owned. This included the bedding, desk and chair, and lights. The second part includes the addition of the desk I redid with my grandma and the added fixtures and finishing touches. Click here for the link for part 2.
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