My Bedroom Glow-Up Plan

In my last post, I talked about how this room has changed over the last three and a half years, and why it’s suddenly getting a little attention right now. The short version is: my husband bought me some sconces I’ve been lusting after for my birthday. The kind of sconces that cost more than I usually like to spend. And once those showed up, it became very clear that they deserved a bedroom that was… better than the current, not terrible but not great situation I had going on. Not a brand new bedroom. Just a better version of this one.

This isn’t a reveal post or anything groundbreaking. It’s basically just me yapping about the tweaks I’m considering and trying to decide what actually makes sense.

What’s Staying

A lot, actually. The paint is staying. The bed is staying. The bedding is staying (but probably getting a little refining). The nightstands are staying. The rug is maybe staying. All of those pieces still feel right, and I’m not interested in changing things just for the sake of change.

There are a few areas that just feel…unresolved. And once you see them and start to focus on them, there’s no going back. So…

What’s Changing

Wall decor above the bed – There’s been a metal piece hanging there for years that I’ve never liked, but also never done anything about. I genuinely grimace when I look at it…not because I don’t like it, but because I don’t like it there. I just didn’t know what to replace it with, until a few weeks ago.

I’ve recently lost my last grandparent, and my family is in the process of cleaning out their house. I’ve brought a few things home, including this set of four bird prints.

I would have never on my own have chosen a set of too tiny old bird art for above the bed, but they felt right. They have history. They’re sentimental. They’re free. And they actually mean something to me, which automatically makes them better than anything I could order online. I’ve actually already done this part, so I won’t hold out on you.

Bedside Lighting – The whole reason this post/bedroom glow-up exists. They’re the Nelson Bubble cigar sconces. Very iconic. Very mid-century.

But the real win? Soft, diffused light that doesn’t attack my eyeballs at night. That’s the magic.

Curtains – I’ve had my eye on this Anthropologie pattern – the Judarn – for years. Literal years. It’s the prettiest floral pattern in greens, blues, and oranges. These colors find their way into my home no matter how hard I try to branch out. My style may change, but the colors that feel like home… I just keep gravitating back.

This pattern wouldn’t work in the rest of my house (too modern and minimal for these), but in this room, it’s perfect. The trick is to use it once, in a big way, instead of buying everything in the collection and ending up with a matching situation. Nothing kills a room faster than too much matching…which would be easy to do with this pattern, because you can buy it in so many different ways (45 to be exact).

I thought about adding this pattern to my room in many different ways, but eventually I landed on curtains. Big visual impact, low price, low commitment. It took me maybe six minutes after my husband told me about the new lighting to finally pull the trigger on these.

The I Don’t Knows

Rug – I like my rug, and there’s nothing wrong with it. But once I get the other elements in the room, it may feel…tired. If that happens, then I’ll replace it with something dark teal. I think that would pull the room together. Let’s be honest…I want to replace it. Just need to find another 10×14 that I like that isn’t crazy expensive (my current one is a 10 x 14 and was only $260. Highly recommend.)

Here are some teal rugs that I like (not necessarily the right size or price, but pretty) –

This corner – This dark corner between the “way too many doors” area needs something.

I would really love a vintage pole lamp for one corner of the room…my ceilings are usually too tall for them, but this one spot might actually work. Or a cool floor lamp…or maybe a swag light. Who knows. But here are some examples of what I’m talking about.

Links: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

We’ll see what I find, but I just know I want it to be a cool light.

Something under the TV – Some piece of furniture. What, I don’t exactly know yet. Wood and antique, if I were a betting woman.

The big blank wall – I’ve struggled with this wall for forever. I have no idea what to do with it.

My first thought was a big gallery wall…but no. Then I have a vintage shelf desk system (like this) in mind – which would be cool, but we’ve already established that I can’t work in here.

So, I bought a bench.

The Plan

Here are some of the ingredients, just to get a visual –

This will probably come as no surprise, but I just really enjoy poking at a room until it feels right. I love the process. The hunt. Waiting on the right piece. Making intentional decisions. The thought of going out and buying an entire bedroom’s worth of things in one weekend and calling it “done” honestly makes me sad. It’s like skipping to the last page of a novel just to see how it ends. You get the answer…but you missed the whole story. 

But also…at some point, you do have to close the loop.

The bench is backordered for three months, so I’m taking that as my unofficial deadline. If I find the perfect vintage pieces before then, amazing. If not, I’ll buy something new and move on.

And hopefully, by the time that bench shows up, I’ll finally be able to say this room feels finished. Or at least mostly finished. Which is basically the same thing.