Oasis

A couple weeks ago, I shared that I've been wanting to update my bedroom. Well, friends - it's pretty much done! I am SO happy with how it turned out and I can't wait to hear what you think!

But first... the BEFORE:

And the AFTER: 

It feels so much lighter, brighter, and more relaxing in here now. It's both soothing and energizing at the same time - if that makes sense.

I removed a lot of the colour in the room, deciding to stick with a palate of grey, white, wood, black, silver, and hints of gold and mint. You can see the mood board I put together for this room here.

I started by painting the walls Benjamin Moore's Metropolitan. It made for a nice medium-tone pure grey. In certain lights, it has slight blue-ish undertones but they're very subtle. Before I started to paint, I removed the ill-placed mirror and corner shelves, spackled and sanded any holes (so unexpectedly fun!) and then used two coats of BM's Aura paint, which is a paint-and-primer-in-one.

Once the paint had dried, I layered back in the existing elements of the room that I intended to keep: curtains, headboard, bed, dresser, desk, computer, bedding, and striped pillows. I also switched out my old pink captain's chair for a wicker IKEA chair that I had in storage. It's not the most ideal desk chair but it will do until I find one I like better.

Then came the fun part - shopping! I actually spent very little! The new lamps are Colin and Justin, from Home Sense. The mirror is Wal-Mart, of all places. The accessories (vase, candles, white lacquer box that holds my makeup, mint mug for stashing sunnies), throw, and sequined pillow all hail from Chapters/Indigo. The throw and pillow were crazy steals. There's a budget breakdown at the bottom of this post, if you're interested. 

 

I still have a few little things to do (hang my new curtain rod, switch up the art, consider a bedskirt, potentially make the mirror more impactful) and one major task (staining the desk the same colour as the dresser drawers), but the room really does feel complete already. It's restful and calming and is just such a lovely place to be.

A few more before-and-afters for the road:

Headboard DIY here. Dresser DIY here. Pen/Pencil Cup DIY here. Rolling Drawer DIY here.

Budget Breakdown:

Paint (Benjamin Moore Aura) - $75 (I think it's worth getting the good stuff)

Lamps (Colin and Justin from Home Sense) - $120 (for 2)

Mirror (Walmart) - $30

White Vase (Chapters/Indigo) - $10

3 Candles (Chapters/Indigo) - $18, $18, $8

White Lacquer Box (Chapters/Indigo) - $30

Mint Mug (Chapters/Indigo) - $6

Mint Throw (Chapters/Indigo) - $18 

Sequin Pillow (Chapters/Indigo) - $19

 TOTAL (Not including previously completed dresser or tax) - $352

I actually had a $100 gift card to Chapters, bringing this down to $252 plus tax! Not bad for what feels like a completely different room! I've since bought curtain rods for $30 each, bringing the grand total to $412. I'll share that update soon.