I think that the very first thing you notice when you step into the master bedroom are the kitties lolling about. Generally speaking there will be one kitty on the bed, maybe two if they're feeling particularly friendly with each other, one in the cuddle ball atop the tall dresser, one way back in the corner of the walk-in closet, and one by the French doors.
Presently, there are two snooring away, Binx on the bed, and Kona on top the tall dresser.... but it's almost bedtime, and as soon as Mr. Wonderful and I start to turn out the lights and meander towards the bed, Bitty and Truffles will follow and stake out their favorite nightime spot. During the night kitties play musical beds, and they will trade places with each other about 4 times each night, tromping across our sleeping bodies on the way to their new nappy spot.
Binx, for some reason, has decided my pillow is her very favorite place of all. She prefers to be smack dab in the middle, offering only the barest of apologies that I am left with only a small edge to lay my sleepy head on. At 18 she is getting quite elderly, and I figure she just likes to be close to the momma cat these days. She rumbly purrs quietly beside me, and her silky fur is so soft next to my cheek. I just don't have the heart to kick her off.
But I digress, as the real story here is my stumbling steps towards decorating my new master bedroom. Here's how it used to look with the prior owner's furniture in it.
You walk into the master just off the great room, through two lovely French doors.
The lovely folks that lived here before us were pretty minimalist, no do-dads for them. Bed, dressers, lamps, and a clock were all they needed. The "window treatments" were these hideous green circus stripe roman shades that tangled up each time you moved them up or down, leaving me cranky every time I fusses with them. Mostly I just wanted to take them out to the burn barrel and set them on fire.
I might say that the tiny ceiling fixture was about the ugliest light I'd ever seen, except the house was full of bad lighting, and this fixture, forever immortalized in our brains as the "brown booby light" just had to come down. Don't get me wrong, I like boobies, but not on the ceiling.
I mean really, we had this chandelier in our last master bedroom. So pretty, and with that lovely ceiling medallion - even better.
Of course, fearful that the list on honey-do's was never going to end, Mr. Wonderful said the booby light was "fine." I've talked to him about using that nasty four-letter word before, but he's a hard learner.
Anyway, the master bedroom is really quite a generous room, but these photos don't do it justice. A huge walk-in closet is down the hall on the right, and just a few feet past that is a nice master bath.
What you can't see is the odd color of the walls. The photos actually make them look okay - kind of a nice gray neutral. they're really a very greeny-gray, and when the prior owners spruced the home up for resale, they "touched up" the walls.... only with a different color, possibly two different colors. [sigh] After a while the green tone gets pretty annoying, but I am forbidden to paint until May - when we can open up the whole house to let the fresh air in and the new paint dry.
More green striped circus awning on the French doors and a nice little seating area at the end. Are you ready? This is how that same view looks now.
My old desk serves as makeup vanity each morning and where I drink my first cup of coffee each day. Yes, the curtains are wild, but I fell in love with them and obviously felt it time to go a different direction with my decor. Not sure why, but change is always good. I still wanted to use a lot of my vintage bedding, and eventually I'll paint the walls a light cocoa, or maybe a creamy ivory, and the mirror frame will get a shabby coat of flat black paint, along with the old cedar chest at the foot of the bed.
An antique grain sack covers the top of the old desk, and a doilly dyed a grey-black-brown provides a bit of contrast. A nice stool from Target slides underneath - just waiting for its makeover. The old desk is slated for a new coat of antique white paint this spring, and should look lovely with the flocked black and white curtains.
The heavy oak bedroom set was an anniversary gift from Mr. Wonderful about 20 years ago, and its ready for a new coat of stain. I'd like to paint the set antique white, at least the dressers, and maybe leave the bed a rich oak.
The bedside tables I've had just about forever; they're really well made and do their job perfectly. The guy who installed the granite countertops in my kitchen cut two granite tops for the night stands, and the little tables are slated to be painted antique white also.
Across the room is the big dresser, which I did not take a full photo of because the TV is on the other side of this shot. TV's are really ugly, and I'd be forever grateful if you all had ideas on how to hide it, or disguise it or something, anything to keep it from looking just like it is, a big, black, modern piece of electronics. I'm thinking a wall mount with an antique picture frame around it...?
So much yet to do, as I confess, I do not have the decorating talent to look at a room and just know what goes where, or what "feel" I want to create. I think I have to live in the room a while, slowly discovering what speaks to me. Come along with me as I bumble my way through trial and error until I find that "just right" furniture and finishes that will make this lovely master bedroom a real haven of rest.
Dear Ones, what do you think, I have some incredible vintage crochet trim, should we make new pillowcases next week?
Blessings,
Eileen ~
Eileen it looks wonderful and I love the pretty drapes. I like that you changed the placement of the bed to over in the corner area and would love to see an after picture of the view from walking in the french doors.
French doors---I would love to have some of those gorgeous doors!!
Little Annie looks precious sitting on your pretty chair.
bee blessed
mary
Posted by: mary | Monday, February 27, 2012 at 11:18 AM