More often than not we wait until the very end of personalizing our homes to tackle the master. While it’s our sanctuary, it’s a space that others rarely spend time in, so we push it to last on the list. I tend to follow this pattern, but when we moved into this house the master was the first of my to-dos.
That blue had to go. So within the first few weeks I gave it a fresh coat or three of Benjamin Moore’s Simply White. You all know I love me some color and moodiness, but I need my bedroom to be white. I like the bones of the space to be calming at night, and I am frankly not a morning person. At all. I need to wake up to a bright and clean space to encourage me to get out of bed. Loosing the blue immediately felt more livable, and we moved on to the dining room.
We did that two years ago and it’s looked pretty much the same ever since then. While completely remodeling the bedroom and bathroom and that weird space in between them is on our list of to-do’s for someday, when I got pregnant this time around we both agreed there was an issue we needed to address sooner than later: the bed. This platform queen was a gift for Micah’s college graduation. It served us well in it’s 10+ years, but was also the source of some issues. We both prefer space when we sleep. As in, don’t touch me while I’m trying to go to sleep, ha. A little more space sounded nice. And then there was the issue of the platform. I can’t tell you how many bruised shins have resulted from it; the worst ones in the middle of the night during a feeding.
Getting a new bed got me thinking. While I don’t want to try and tackle any renovating with a newborn, how about a bit of a refresh? The bones aren’t bad if you can avoid looking at the popcorn ceiling, and I’ve found some beautiful pieces new and old to make our master more traditional, more luxe, more grown-up, more us.
More to come soon. Tell me, do you sleep on a king or a queen? How do you like your bedroom to feel?
In case you missed any of our Master Refresh, you can catch up here:
The Before | The Starting Point | Picture Rail | The Furniture | The Lighting | The After
We have had a king bed for years. Almost our whole married life actually and I absolutely will never go back. I like to kinda sprawl out when I sleep and NOT be touched or cuddled while I’m trying to sleep! lol. A king fits the bill for us perfectly! Go for it. So nice! And I’m with you on the white walls in the bedroom. Fresh and clean is my fave!
I’m with you, Kelsey!
When we got pregnant with our second kid, we took the plunge from a queen to a king, and now I CANNOT IMAGINE us sleeping together in a queen bed ever again. Which is funny b/c I used to think king beds were ridiculously, unnecessarily big! Now I get bumped less by my spouse (and thus sleep better), there’s more room for the kids to pile in for morning cartoons, and the brief period of co-sleeping with my newborn felt much safer.
Yes, I’m looking forward to the morning pile sessions with more space!
King bed is an absolute must. My fiancé and I found ourselves in a hotel king sized bed in San Francisco early in our relationship and we were never able to enjoy our queen bed after that. The space is incredible, but it also feels like it wears out less than my old queen bed.
Good point on the wearing!
Just painted our bedroom white with black doors. Feels fresh, but still cozy. We have a queen and I have my baby sleep with me… dreaming of a king bed and can’t wait until I have a room big enough for one. Can’t wait to see what refresh things you do
Yes, love the idea of the black doors, it’s definitely something I’ve been considering. Agreed, those nights with a baby in the bed seem a lot easier in a king!
We moved up to a king when we had our first baby sleeping with us and it was a game changer. From a design standpoint, I prefer the proportions of a queen bed, but the not touching while sleeping is totally worth it ? Our master is RH silver sage and I think I’ll love that color forever. It’s clean but calming. Not too feminine but elegant. It’s the only wall color in my house besides white!
I always look forward to your progress posts! Our styles are very different, but I’m always inspired by your ideas. ?
I’m with you on the proportions with a queen, but I think I’ll choose the function over form in a rare instance. 😉 Thank you for following along, Carmen!
We have a king and personally, I could go bigger! I need all the space.
Ha! I love your honesty. 😉
We went 15 years in a queen. We are not small people and have always had two or three dogs in bed with us. When we moved 10 years ago into a different home, we bought a king sized bed and all I can say is why the heck did we wait so long???!!!
Oh boy, I can’t imagine trying to sleep in a queen with three dogs! Glad you all got that upgrade and hopefully it’s meant more restful nights for all!
We currently sleep on a queen size bed, but after 12+ years I’m ready for more space. While on a trip to the mountains this fall, I spotted a king size brass headboard for $100 outside an antique shop and instructed my husband to turn the car around! We shoved that puppy in our minivan and made the trek home. More elbow room is in the near future!! The headboard will align nicely with our master bedroom’s neutral palette. Hints of green alongside whites and off whites are the colors I chose to turn our bedroom into a personal sanctuary. I look forward to seeing the progress you make in your master!
Sounds beautiful and way to score!
We sleep on a queen but with several cats, sometimes a dog, and often a toddler joining us we dream of a king -but alas! we don’t have room. Our bedroom has also remained one of the last rooms touched – windows, paint, a new bed frame, curtains, you name it, we need it! Plus the conundrum: how to fit 3 dog crates in our bedroom (one being quite large and actually in our closet sans doors instead of our clothes). I have nearly given up as my husband doesn’t see the problem with our mismatched/disjointed room- hope you can get your refresh just right so you can wake please feeling refreshed! !
Oh man, that’s a lot of creatures in one bed! 😉 Sounds like maybe the animals need their own room so you all can have some peace and a space to refresh yourselves!
So excited to follow along! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for following along, Kelly!
We have had a king bed before our marriage of 10 years. We love it & would never have any different because we love our own space. Also great for those night time kid visits (mostly our youngest 3 yr old). Secretly I love that because she is our last child, I don’t really mind the kick in the back or arm/punch to the face/neck. I miss her when she isn’t with us. King bed is also good for that occasional weekend wake up snuggle, play & chat with all 3 kids in with us (even just for 30min).!
That’s so sweet, Rachelle!
We’ve always been in a queen. 18th c. Houses don’t have bedrooms big enough for a king! The flip side is that when we have a getaway, the king bed itself is a vacation!
But the trade off is it sounds like you live in an incredible home, Amy!
When we moved into this house we were so excited to have a room that could accommodate a king bed. It has been a gamechanger. We will never go back to a queen!
I have a feeling we’ll feel the same way!
We are also “don’t get in my space” while sleeping.
We bought a king bed and have never looked back. It’s perfect.
Our bedroom style is calm and peaceful, a bit of gray and navy blue accents but mostly shades of white.
Sounds beautiful, Kitty!
I can’t imagine being married and NOT having a king bed. It’s the best!
Ha, I can’t believe we’ve waited this long!
We have a California King (my husband is 6’4”) and I tell everyone who is getting married to get a King or CA King bed – it’s just one of those things that is totally worth it. And we’re cheap people….but I’d scrimp on a lot of things to keep a King bed. 🙂
Ha, I can’t believe we’ve waited this long!
It’s hard to commit to redo the master because it is such a HUGE undertaking! Our master and master bath are probably the worst spaces in our home, but I also know they will require a lot of imagination and money (bathrooms are so expensive…). For now we are just enjoying other parts of our home, and I’m pinning away.
Excited to see what you do with what you have. I’m thinking cozier for our room, leaning towards paneling and built-ins to make it feel like a grown-up hideaway.
They are expensive! Sounds like you’re plans are beautiful, Callie!
I lucked out because when we moved in 1.5 years ago the master had cream walls with puddy color moldings, trim, and fireplace – really neutral and traditional looking. It works for us but I do think about doing an inexpensive uplift. We’ve focused all of our efforts on fixing the rest of the house, like you have. Can’t wait to see what you do and get inspiration from it!
Also…we’ve had a king bed our entire married life. This fall we lived abroad for work and we had to share a FULL size bed, as in smaller than a queen. Ugh it was terrible. We couldn’t wait to get back to our king!
You had me at cream walls and buddy color moldings, Kathryn, it sounds lovely!
King bed is the way to go with kids, I think. Works well for snuggle sessions and the late night meltdown. I like a moodier bedroom just because I am a super morning person. So having a dark room helps a lot. Our master is horrible though – I love the color on the walls (Valspar Chocolate Milk), and we have a gorgeous West Elm bed frame. The rest is sad and awful lol. I’ll get there eventually.
I wish I was a super morning person. 😉
I found the blue with white was busy. It was like colouring within the lines. The all white is soothing.love it! And, can’t wait to see what else you do.
Oh, and you couldn’t pay me to give up my king bed. I’m a light sleeper and my husband woke me every time he tolled over or hot up.Now, I sleep like a baby.?
Yes, very busy and just the wrong shade of blue too. Glad you sleep so well now!
It’s so funny because we have exact opposite feelings about bedrooms. Our bedroom is dark almost navy color. I love it. It’s moody and sophisticated and it feels enveloping. My kids rooms I’ve done in more color for sure too. But our main living space, kitchen, eating area and living room are white (simply white) and shiplapped. It feels so fresh and clean and calming. And that’s kind of what I need for enjoying our day with 3 kids and homeschooling. There’s lots of textures, it’s cozy, but it’s very uncluttered. And that helps with the toys and books etc. also we have a king. I’m a don’t touch me while I sleep, and my husband is not. ? All I can say is you are lucky you both agree. Can’t wait to see what you do.
I totally love a moody bedroom, they are so beautiful, but I just can’t do it – I would never get out of bed! 🙂
Looking forward to the room re-fresh. Go for KING! You will never regret it…
Thanks, Ann, I have a feeling we won’t!
While white is my first love, I want a deep, moody gray for my bedroom – something like a cave that says “hibernate.” But I’m a morning person, so maybe we are opposites. Your room seems so big and I am looking forward to seeing what you do with that weird space. I’m surprised it didn’t become a nursery spot for Domino.
I wish I was a morning person! The size is kind of deceiving, the room itself isn’t that big and the odd space in between the bed and bath is only about 5 feet wide. While it could have made a nursery spot, there are no doors. I like that the french doors offer a bit of separation. Thanks for reading, Julie!
Thirty some years ago when my husband and I were engaged his parents generously offered to by us a bedroom set for our wedding gift. My parents always had a full size bed but I decided to be a little rebellious and request a queen size ( I am 5 feet 9 inches tall so I hang off of a full size bed. They cautioned us against it because it would be difficult to fit in a bedroom they felt. Also neither of them was over 5 feet tall so they couldn’t fathom why someone would need all that . But I held firm and we got a lovely bedroom set with a queen size bed and I felt positively spoiled : ) funny how our expectations change from one generation to the next. I hope you find something that makes you feel spoiled too!
Ha, I love that you pushed for that! And my mother in law is under 5′ and has a king herself, so I don’t have to deal with that judgement. 😉 Yes, I think I will feel spoiled! Thanks for reading, Lori!
Ok I haven’t read all the comments, but a king is a must in my book. We’re a lil on the flip side ourselves. We started with a king, then had to downsize to a queen when we purchased our first home due to room size restrictions. We recently went back to a king after moving to a much larger home. I’d have to be practically homeless to go back to smaller than a king size now. We are cuddlers & touchers by nature, but once we’re out cold, we sleep far better with some room to spare. I do love that it remains comfortably roomy when lils join in & that even our big boys will come sit for a chat now & then with us. However one of my fave reasons is one never runs into the issue of hanging off the edge of the bed (in the middle of some adult fun) unless we want to.
Yes, lots of good reasons to love a king!
Hi Gwen,
I will be excited to hear about the updates here. I think I don’t know how I want my master to feel. I bought SW Repose Gray last summer and have yet to paint b/c I still can’t decide if I want to stick with neutral or do more color. At one point, I said, I’m just going to decorate this room like it’s a guest or extra room b/c there is pressure with a master…you want both of you represented but I’m doing the decorating! You want it to be a sanctuary where you can unwind and forget about the day, yet I find it relaxing to be in rooms with ME (or US) in them, where I can look at things I love. Of all rooms, I have found the least on Pinterest that can really help me. And so funny…when I flip through House Beautiful and Elle Decor, and can ooooh and ahhh and swoon over an entire house, then get to that last page with the master and I’m yawning. It’s so personal yet…
On another note, we do sleep in a queen and our room is too small for a king so that is out of the question right now. We need a new bed/headboard and I love this platform bed and hadn’t thought about the problems until I read this post. Guess I’ll put that style off! I do like a lot of the linen tufted styles I see, but I cannot change beds that often (or don’t anyway) and I worry about cloth on a bed and how quickly it will collect dirt. These styles are so popular, not sure what to do.
I think as long as the platform doesn’t stick out like ours does you’ll be fine! Plus, the platform was so big it basically took up the size of a king bed. We’re getting a fabric bed, I was kind of worried about the cleanliness too, but I think they’re really pretty and I’m not going with something super light.
Thanks Gwen, I am still drawn to the fabric bed too in spite of this problem. Decisions, decisions…:) Looking forward to seeing your own choices.
Yes, it’s never easy to decide, especially for yourself!
Hello, in my first apartment we had sort of lavender walls and my great grandma’s bedroom furniture (minimalist art-nouveau or almost art-deco). I was happy with the wall color. The bedroom had a large window and was on the 5th floor. When we moved to a bigger apartment we kept the furniture and I went for the same wall color, but it did not feel right at all. This room gets less light and the violet/lavender just drove me crazy. Before our third was born I had to change it to off-white, I also changed fabrics in the room to black and white and it is perfect now. Yes I am with you on the not being able to get out of bed, if it was too dark, although I am a fan of dark for sure.Looking forward to your reveal :o)
Thanks for sharing! It’s interesting how each room has it’s own light and certain spaces require certain colors and decor.