One Room Challenge: Principal Bedroom Update

I am so pleased to be participating in the One Room Challenge (ORC) sponsored by One Room Challenge and Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. The ORC is a marketing opportunity that allows designers to showcase their work and support the work of others. Participants are chosen and guest participants are invited to join. You can follow along and support the progress here. So many creative home projects will be executed.

ORC Spring 2019

I participated in my first ORC in the spring of 2019, when we updated our laundry room to make it more functional and beautiful. We continue to enjoy this creatively revamped room.

Let Me Introduce Us

I am Leslie, a mom of three thriving young adults. I left my government career due to back issues and started River Studio Design and I am loving my new design career. I could not due what I do without the support and amazing DIY skills of my husband of almost 30 years, Geraint Jones. Together we have renovated four homes and a cottage and have lived a life full of laughter due to Geraint’s uncanny sense of humour. Ger (prounced Gair) is my partner in crime on this One Room Challenge project.

ORC Fall 2019

For this fall ORC I have decided to upgrade our principal bedroom.

When we moved into our house on the river four years ago, we had the house painted top to bottom in mostly white (simply white) and some greys.

Principal Bedroom Before

The principal bedroom got a lick of paint and a new light fixture.

Ikea Closet System

Since the room did not have a closet, we added this Ikea closet system and we are so happy with it. We have more functional storage than we did in our former walk-in closet and it seems more accessible since we can open only the cupboard that contains what we are looking for.

The result of adding this closet system is that it reduced significantly, the available floor space. We are ok with that though, as we have had a really big bedroom with excess space before and this space offers everything we need but not more.

There is nothing really wrong with the layout in this room as it works well for us.

Furniture

We have two dressers that are the right size and colour and will not change. Once acts as a night table on my husband’s side of the bed.

The other tall dresser fits perfectly on the wall when you enter the room.

I plan to change the table that I use as my night table. The one I use currently, is a table that I refinished early in our marriage and it has moved to four different homes and our cottage and played different roles in each place. I have yet another role in mind for this table, just not as my night table. The biggest issue, is that it does not provide adequate storage. I can’t tell you how any times I have spilled my water or my glasses have fallen to the floor when I am reaching in the dark.

Upholstered Bed

The biggest change we will make will be to our bed itself. My husband built this bed probably 20-plus years ago to execute the design inspiration I loved at that time. It has served us well, but since that time, we seem to have taller beds and the headboard is almost hidden behind the pillows.

Windows

We currently have venetian blinds on the windows that came with the house. If I never see another venetian blind it will be too soon. They are dusty and always seem to be different lengths.. We are considering installing new bedroom windows in the spring, so sadly these venations will stay another winter. But I will definitely address the light coverage on this east-facing room

Bedding

Another thing that I am anxious to change is the bedding. The biggest issue here is our furry friend Lola. Lols loves to sleep on our bed. Since we live on the river, she will often jump in the river and chase ducks, then bring wet and dirt when she retires to have a rest on our bed. I know the right thing to do would be to close the door and keep her out. But, I can’t do that. I like having her upstairs with me, so I am willing to look for a solution that works for both of us.

The walls in this room are pretty bare and uninspiring so I am on the hunt for pieces that suit the room and that we can enjoy.

Lighting

There is nothing really wrong with the lighting in this room. But, the overhead light that we quickly chose for this room does not fit with my design plan. So I am going to find a new home for this one. I really like the bedside table lights that I got two years ago, but they are quite big. So I have another plan for those as well.

Chair

I am on the hunt for a new chair for this room. The one that is there now, I stuck there because I needed something. But, I am going to find something that I like and that suits the design plan.

Rug

The last thing I am going to address is the rug. We have hardwood floors in our entire house with exception of the bathrooms and entry-hall and mudroom. I like to have rugs in bedrooms for warmth and to help muffle sound. The one that we have now, I quickly bought in a Black Friday sale. It does the job and is the right size but the look does not really work in this room. I have another place in mind for this rug and I can’t wait to get something new in here.

The Plan

There are no major complaints about this room, just a bunch of little ones that add up to it being less than ideally functional and also uninspiring.

After all, your bedroom should be your sanctuary. It should be a beautiful space that you and your partner can retire to at the end of the day and enjoy. I can’t wait to show you how I make this room our special space.

Next week I will reveal the design plan for this principal bedroom for the One Room Challenge.

Always

Leslie