Master Bedroom Refresh: A Neutral Palette and Faux Shiplap

I love being on vacation. Who doesn't? You get a free pass from all the day to day pressures of life. Your attention isn't being pulled in a thousand different directions. You aren't surrounded by reminders of all the projects and tasks you should be spending time on. For me it's more than just a clear schedule. Hotels/vacation rentals are usually simple and stripped down to the essentials. Only the most important things are there and you don't really miss the rest. You make do and enjoy what you have. So it hit me while I looked around the bedroom we were staying in: I want to feel like this at home. More than just wanting it, I was determined to make it happen.

The room already had a lot of character. Our house was built in the 1940s and has good quality trim and doors (one of the things that made me fall in love with it) and the master bedroom has the slanted ceilings of a classic Cape. I was also starting with a solid base of beautiful antique furniture. I bought the set at an auction several years ago and I fall more and more in love with it all the time. I believe it's from the late 1800s and the quality is better than any furniture I've ever owned. The set included two twin sized beds (typical for that era), a large tall dresser, a low dresser with an attached mirror, a vanity with an attached mirror, a nightstand and a full length mirror. Since two twin beds wasn't really going to work for us, those went into storage and we bought a matching king sized bed. All the pieces have beautiful inlay on all sides and the tone of the wood is just beautiful. I feel so lucky to own it! I wanted the rest of the room's decor, accessories and bedding to do it justice.

I actually found a bedspread and curtains while I was still on vacation. The matelassé bedspread was on clearance at the LLBean outlet. I loved the simple diamond pattern and I knew the driftwood color was going to brighten up the room compared to the darker brown one we had in there for years (and years and years), so I jumped on it. The same day I also found the paisley curtains at TJMaxx for $24.99 (for two panels!). I love it when things come together like that! Once I saw them side by side I knew I was headed in the right direction.

The rug was the biggest splurge. I justified spending the money because the bright colored vintage rag rug we had in there is being moved to my girls' room (my next project!) so we needed to replace it with something. I do love vintage and antique rugs but I knew finding something old, simple, large and neutral would be a challenge so I decided I would buy something new. When I'm buying a new rug, my first choice is HomeGoods. Their prices on large wool rugs can't be beat. However, HomeGoods is hit or miss and I kept missing so it was time to start searching online. Overstock.com is usually my first choice for online rug shopping. Their prices are great, it's easy to search and filter by size, fiber, color, etc.. and shipping is very inexpensive. They actually had a lot of great options. I narrowed it down to seven gorgeous, neutral, natural fiber rugs that were less than $400 for an 8x10. As I was trying to make a final decision I stumbled upon this beauty Joss & Main and it was love at first sight: 

It was all wool and cotton, had an interesting yet subtle pattern, combined several shades of beige, cream and gray so it blended nicely with the bedding and was in my price range. I'm so happy with it and will be sure to check out Joss & Main the next time I need a rug. 

Bedding was mostly covered. I have been sticking with plain white sheets for years now. It just makes things easier. I don't have to match anything, they look crisp and clean, they can be bleached and I can buy them when I see a good deal. So I didn't need sheets and I already had the driftwood colored bedspread but I needed some shams and decorative pillows. 

I will spare you the ugly details of my sham search (seriously, it was not pretty and my husband's new favorite saying is now "It's all a sham.") and just say that after buying and returning more pillows than I care to admit I decided to make two king sized shams out of a vintage bedspread. Ok, fine. I didn't make them. My mom did. But they are awesome and I love how they came out. The quality of the fabric is so much nicer than any of the budget-friendly options I was considering. The bedspread was white so we dyed them gray. It took a little trial and error to get them the right shade but I'm so happy with how they came out. I shared more about that process here. 

The faux shiplap wall was definitely the most involved part of the project (you know, besides trying to pick out shams). Luckily, we had all the plywood we needed leftover from another project so that saved us some money and helped convince my husband we should do it. The slanted ceilings made all the cuts a little more complicated. Straight walls would have been much easier. But, we worked on it when we had spare time (which is hardly ever). Unlike other projects, we didn't have the option of working on it when the girls were asleep because air compressors and nail guns are not quiet. So let's just say that our bed hung out awkwardly in the middle of our room for a few weeks. Once all the wood was up I painted it a shade of gray that is several shades lighter than the gray on the other walls. I really love how it came out. The lighter color brightens up the room and the shiplap made an even bigger impact than I expected on the whole feel of the room. I have plans to add more shiplap in a few other areas in our home and I will share how easy it is to do in a later post! 

Source List:

Shiplap wall color:
Plaster wall color - Behr Porpoise
Rug - Joss & Main

Bedspread - LL Bean

Curtains - TJMaxx

Sheers - Ikea (several years ago) 

Bamboo Shades - Overstock.com (several years ago)
Double Curtain Rod -  Amazon.com

Shams - DIY

Decorative Pillows - Marshalls

Blanket -  Marshalls

Lamps - Target

Wood Bead Placemat - Target
Faux Potted Plant - HomeGoods

Vintage Clock - Etsy

Vintage Gold Round Mirror - Crompton Collective
Framed Watercolor - frame from Michaels

Furniture - Antique (purchased at an auction several years ago)

Before and After:

I am really thrilled with how it all came out and I would love to hear what you think. Do you like an all neutral look or do you prefer more color? Is your bedroom due for a refresh?

Thanks so much for following along!

Kaitlin