Client Diaries : Burgundy Bedroom

Adding vibrance and color without lifting a paintbrush!

When a friend of mine asked me for advice on how to update her bedroom my mind immediately started thinking through how I used mine. For me it's important that my bedroom be calming and feel like a retreat. I need it to be a place I can go to to relax and wind down at the end of a busy day. I love having some glam touches without allowing the room to be too fussy. I like things to be cohesive and well tied together without requiring a ton of energy to keep it that way everyday. Personally, I've always enjoyed having a spot to sit that's not on the bed and I did that by bringing up our old living room couch to add that seating area. But that's me - and I wanted to know what it was that my friend was looking for.

I asked her how the room currently functions and how she and her husband use the space other than for sleeping. She said that it didn't and that they hardly spent time there other than for sleeping. Then came my follow-up question - how would she like it to function in the future? Some of the options that came to my mind were creating a sitting area with a couple of armchairs or creating a bedroom office with a writing desk and chair or even a dedicated spot to put on makeup. After giving it some thought she liked the idea of creating a seating area. Once that decision was made I was able to put some design options together.

The bed, nightstands, TV and floor standing mirror were staying in the room. An unused chaise filled up the area by the windows and would no longer be in the space. Instead that area would see a couple of armchairs, an end table and an ottoman or two. Here are the moodboards I created to get this room going:

She loved the neutral chairs with the white ottomans and the black and gold blanket ladder. Once these pieces were decided we knew the room still lacked pops of color. Everything, including the walls, was neutral. There was a hint of green in the artwork (shown in the moodboard) and the night stands were black and gold. That's it.

We decided to take the makeover a step further and layer in decor that brought in some color. I put the following two concepts together, one with a cooler color palette playing up the blues and greens and another bringing in those deep reds and warm grays. She picked the latter and it was a great choice.

My friend also added in a faux olive tree and a gorgeous black and gold planter from West Elm tying into the colors on the blanket ladder and nightstands. Even though this room makeover didn't require much DIY, I offered to create a frame for her canvas art. I made one out of scrap pine boards I had in my garage. I ripped them down on my table saw to the exact width of the canvas and once it was all assembled together, I spray painted the sides black and the face gold, again repeating the black and gold theme throughout the room.

This room came together so beautifully and I could not be happier. As your eye travels from one end of the room to the other you see one night stand with faux stems, the bed with the natural linen duvet, pillows with warm greys and reds and a lumbar pillow to bring back the brightness of the whites and greens. Then over by the windows you see the faux olive tree in the corner in the gorgeous planter filled with moss for a finished look. Then you see the beautiful nailhead trim armchairs with the tassel pillows and creamy white ottomans. Your eyes go up to the art and back down to the gold and glass side table with those coveted faux red stems. A decorative bowl adds interest to the bottom of the side table and then your eyes move to the gorgeous glass and gold floor lamp in the corner. By the TV you have the blanket ladder with a burgundy throw blanket to tie it all together.

I hope you enjoy the tour of her space through the pictures below. She said that every time she walks into her room she has a smile on her face and if that isn't the best compliment, I don't know what is!