master bedroom | Operation Home

So, our master bedroom is painted. And not a moment too soon. Actually it was painted last weekend, but I ran short on time for taking pictures.

Anyhoo, we started out a dark tone of purple…

And ended up a pretty grey…

I know… This looks mighty similar to our last bedroom. Because it is. It’s actually the same Driftwood Grey by Glidden that we used in our last house, but I had it tinted 25% lighter. I just couldn’t get this shade of grey out of my head. Its just so interesting and complex with it’s sexy green undertones. In my mind, it’s the perfect grey. So, I wanted to keep it, but lighten it up a smidge to account for the smaller window and dimmer lighting. I actually think I could’ve even gone 50% lighter now that it’s up on the walls, but I’m happy enough that I don’t see it changing anytime soon.

Here’s a progress shot which shows the difference in colors. You can see how purple the walls were in comparision…

Here’s the view from the doorway (extra Brownie Points to anyone who can teach me how to take proper photos of windows)…

And for fun, here’s what it looked like when we took possession, before we changed the carpet…

I haven’t hung any curtains yet because we’re having our paper-thin 1970’s windows replaced in a few weeks (Woot!). Once that’s done, it’s on. I’d also like to get a bench or something for the end of the bed. I’m not used to having a room this big, so I’m not really sure what to do exactly… maybe some kind of area rug for visual interest?

I decided to make this little corner a seating nook…

I’m absolutely digging the vintage Naugahyde footstool. I found it on Craigslist and just had to have it. The end table came with the coffee table in the living room. I never finished it with anything because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it, but now I think I’m gonna Polyshade it darker to match the footstool. I’d love to add a standing lamp of some sort, and that fake plant will get a different pot (or I’ll maybe chance the life of a real plant again).

I’d definitely like to get some different art for our room this time around. Something modern and quirky that suits our personalities. Maybe some kind of oversized framed posters or something. I’ll have to just keep an eye out for what strikes me. I think between different art, getting a new, sleeker bed/headboard (once I actually find one), and a few other tricks that I’ve got up my sleeve, the feeling of the room will change immensely.

On to the little atrium area… which is now the home for our new MCM dresser….

And it fits like a glove. I’ve put no effort into accessorizing it again since moving it from the adjoining wall because I wanted a clean palette to work from. Hopefully, I’ll glean some decent art ideas from the blankness. I do know that I’d love to add some interesting floor-to-ceiling wall treatment behind it. I’ve seen some neat tutorials where fabric was applied to the wall for pattern, so maybe something along those lines. Plus, I’m thinking either a mirror above it or some light, bright art.

In other news, I’ve also painted the master bathroom. But thanks to the Home Depot providing me with the incorrect color, I’ll be repainting it before I show it to you. Don’t worry… I’ll divulge the deets at that time, along with some always-fun blooper pics.

We’ve also been researching exterior color schemes for the outside of the house. We were told during our inspection that the house needed to be caulked, sealed, and painted to make it more impenetrable to the elements and prevent further damage from occurring. We’ve gotten estimates and would like to get that done before it gets too cold in case we have another harsh winter. I’ll let ya’ll know once we’ve figured it out.

So, is everybody ready for Halloween?? We have a little Ninja Turtle roaming around these parts at any given time. And he’s not Lucas anymore. He’s Michelangelo. He now introduces himself as such to strangers. Though, strangely, he decided on Rafael for his costume. I guess it makes sense, though. If he truly IS Michelangelo, then Raphael is bit of a departure. On that note, if the Ninja Turtles dressed as each other for Halloween, would we even notice?? Yes, this is what I’m thinking about right now. Okay, time to go. Ya’ll have a fun, safe holiday!!! 🙂

So, yeah… the hunt was WAY less taxing than last time. Woo-hoo!!! Remember in this post, I mentioned that Drex (our first mid-century dresser) is now being used as a buffet in the dining space? And that we needed a new dresser for the bedroom?? Well…

I give you the newest member of our family. He’s a handsome, solid wood, Bassett mid-century gem of awesomeness.

Ya see, after we moved in, I began searching for a new dresser for Joey (he uses the dresser while I monopolize the majority of the closet. It’s just how we do.). I visited thrift stores and antique malls, but nothing. I tirelessly searched Craigslist, and after emailing no fewer than ten sellers about their dressers, I came across this ad…

It was towards the end of the 3000+ listings for dressers, so I figured there was NO WAY this dresser was still available. I mean, it had great lines and the original wood finish. Plus, it was listed weeks ago. So, color me shocked when the seller responded that not only was it available, but she’d dropped the price to $90. Um… Where do I sign???

We arranged a time to meet and my dad and I went to check it out. Seriously, I was shocked when I saw it. It was SO much more lovely than it looked in the Craigslist picture. It reeked of quality and character. The seller told me that she’d been trying to sell it for months and it hadn’t sold, hence, multiple price reductions. I was absolutely dumbstruck by this fact and jokingly stated that it was simply because I hadn’t come along yet. 😉

I paid the nice lady and brought him home. I shined him up with my favorite combo of Restore-A-Finish and Feed-N-Wax (for more detailed instruction on how to use these products, check out this post or this one). The Restore-A-Finish covered all the nicks, dings and scratches and the Feed-N-Wax shined him up beautifully. And that was all he needed. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

And so begins the jumping off point for our new room.

The rest of our bedroom looks like this currently, since we basically just plopped down the furniture on moving day and left it at that…

I think it’s definitely time to lose our current bed frame in exchange for something more simple and masculine to offset the more feminine bedding (Joey’s actually been lobbying for this for a while, thus engaged in major fist-pumping when I broke the news that it was finally time.). So, we’re gonna sell it (any takers?). The nightstands may get a little makeover as well. And the paint color…. Oh, the paint color. It’s hard to tell from these pics, but in person, it’s straight-up purple. And it’s dark. Darker than it appears in this pic. I really despise it more and more every moment that I spend in this room. It feels so oppressive to me. Which just goes to show how colors affect people differently. This color fit the previous owners decor well. And it looked nice with their stuff. But it just isn’t us. The only window in the room isn’t very big in comparison to our last house and the backyard is so shady that the room gets little light most of the time. Thus, we need a more neutral color in a lighter tone, stat. I actually already purchased the paint for this room and am getting on that soon…. I’m so totally stoked about it, too. I’ve mentioned it before, but I LOVE painting walls. It’s just so therapeutic and satisfying. Once the room is painted, I can work on the fun stuff… curtains and art and such.

Oh, and let’s not end this post without mentioning this ceiling fan….

Not only is it incredibly ornate and feminine which DEFINITELY doesn’t jive with the sleek, mid-century vibe that we’re going for in this house, apparently the blades were painted….

… but the paint didn’t take. We’ll be replacing it with another ceiling fan (’cause I mean, it’s Texas). I know the design world tends to shy away from ceiling fans (not that I flatter myself to actually think that I’m a part of the design world), but I’m all about attractive-function. We can find a more stream-lined fan that better suits the feel of the space. No doubt.

And while we’re on the topic of lighting fixtures…