Your bathroom looks much nicer than your description of it! I think it's soft and fresh and clean looking and you've done a good job of refreshing it. Now in the bedroom, are you keeping the drapes and bedding? If so, you need a colour that's going to lessen the strong contrast which makes the room seem smaller. Something like Benjamin Moore SEA STAR 2123-30 is a medium blue/green that would bridge the colours in the bedding and look ok with the carpet. Does this help?

Cynthia is right about the fine job you've done of updating your bath. For the bedroom, I'd choose a nice white matelasse quilt and dust skirt, with 3 Euro shams in the green of the carpet. Add a pink and green patterned pillow to tie in with the bath. Paint the walls a pale seafoam that goes with the carpet.

It looks like you have white roman shades on your windows under the draperies and valances. I'd leave the roman shades but replace the draperies with white ones to which I would sew a row of wide (maybe one and a half to two inches) grosgrain ribbon in the seafoam color about 8" down from the top. No valance. Please let us know what you decide to do. Good luck!

Thanks very much for all of your comments - i'll have to show them to my mom. You see, i love to decorate, but when you're only 16, your mom kind of has to approve the projects! :) I really like the white draperies w/ the ribbon idea, Ms. Albert, and all the bullet points were great, AJ. BTW, it is not a fake flower arrangement; it is feathers and reed-thingys w/ grasses in a vase w/ sand and i'm sort of sentimentally attached to it b/c it does actually look really cool in real life. Yes, Ms. Taylor, your comments help a lot. Thankfully, we're not keeping the bedspread or drapes, but my mom is insistent on having blackout drapes and she just went and got some RED ones the other day (that are fairly vile, but i haven't convinced her to return them yet!!) Anyway, will keep you posted!

LOL, thanks for the background details! Best of luck to you. You may have a future as a designer!

I think that Viv is trying to help her mom with the decisions for her parents' master bedroom. Viv, please tell mom that this designer agrees with you that
the red draperies would never work with a seafoam carpet.
Carolyn Albert-Kincl, ASID

Yes, Carolyn, this is not my room. My room is the pics below (sorry, some are sideways). This is actually not my parents bedroom either, it's just our guest bedroom, but stay tuned! Theirs is next on the list!! I do all the redec and painting mostly around here so that is why i'm asking about all these rooms. She really likes all of your ideas tho so something profitable should come of this!!

Hi Viv, I can't tell if the guest bedroom walls are papered or faux painted, but I would remove the border and select a fresh green paint color that coordinates with the seafoam carpet and stick with white bedding and curtain panels. I love the fern throw pillow in the inspiration photo to stick with your woodland theme. Also recommend larger lamps on the nightstands... those birdcage lamps look itty bitty next to the Craftsman style headboard.

Does anyone know where AJ's comments went?? Weird. The walls are faux painted (ugly). Yes, i really like that photo you included, espcially the all white bedspread and the throw pillow. I think, w/ the all white, we are definitely on the right track and then i might use both a pillow similar to the one above and one that Carolyn suggested. I'm still a bit stuck on the wall color tho. I'm afraid that if we paint the walls to match the carpet in a green color the whole room will blend together; Cynthia, my mom LOVED your SEA STAR suggestion so that might be a go! The Roman shades are, unfortunately, cream, so we'll have to work w/ them or find a cheap alternative. Do you guys have any ideas for those odd windows?? They are a serious hang-up. Thanks for all your suggestions - i've got mom hooked on this website! :)

The tub was called a Cinderella tub. Did you keep it? Some people really love those, and they are not really common. Here is a blog celebrating pink bathrooms, maybe it will help you love the pink: http://savethepinkbathrooms.com/

I never meant for you to match the carpet color, but just to find a much lighter shade of it. However, if there's enough light coming into the room then I think that Cynthia's Sea Star is beautiful and I love the picture posted by Michegammamom. A white area rug tucked under the bed a bit could do wonders for that seafoam green carpeting. Watch for sales on a 5x8 white rug.

For the windows, you might check out the bamboo shades at Lowes or Home Depot.

Here is an idea i just got; it's out of a book so kind of hard to see, but i think it will effectively cover the windows and also add some serious character. Unfortunately, the furniture is white and the headboard is upholstered, but i think we might be able to pull it off either w/ the furniture we have or re-finishing what we have. Is refinishing furniture a good idea? I've though about doing it to my mom and dad's set for a while but i don't know if it would turn out. Also, do you know how easy it is to make an upholstered headboard? Is it just MDF, batting, fabric, and nailhead thingys or...? HELP!

Refinishing furniture is quite time consuming, and hard work, unless you're just priming and painting. But to have to remove a finish and refinish is something I know I wouldn't want to do, even if I were 16 again.

But making a headboard is a wonderful idea, and yes, the things you listed are exactly what you need. Take a look at upholstered headboards on houzz and also google them as you'll see other styles.

You can probably buy the batting and nailhead trim at an upholstery supply store if you're in a city. Or look at nailhead trim online at: http://www.dkei.net/cgi-bin/imageFolio.cgi?direct=80_Nailheads_Upholstery_Tacks They can probably give you the name of a dealer in your area for their products. Be aware that nailhead trim is also sold by the yard and is easier to install that way than pounding in individual nailheads, but purists
prefer the individual ones. However, on a bed I doubt that there would be a problem with the kind that comes by the yard as there's very little wear and tear on that part of a bed. I think you could make the green one below.

Thanks very much Carolyn. It makes me really inspired to get started! Can you prime and paint on top of finish or is that still not a super good idea? Also, what do you think of that curtain idea?

I'm not a refinishing expert, but the general idea is to prime over the bed as it is now and then to paint. Ask at your local paint store for the appropriate products and the process they recommend.

What do you think about the curtain idea?

Viv, I would stick to light colored curtain panels for your room, unless you have a really unsightly view that you want to block out or an asymmetrical window arrangement you want to camouflage. That's a lot of cumbersome fabric to deal with if you want to let a little natural light in. If you paint any finished wood furniture, it needs to be sanded prior to priming and painting.

I think the bed draperies would work better if the bed were on a wall without windows or a wall with just one window. Can you move the bed? I do adore bed draperies and have them on our iron canopy bed.

I would love to mix up the room arrangement but it is so small that there is basically just the wall it is on (w/ the two windows that need covered up) b/c the two short walls are too short and the wall the dresser is on has a closet door coming out of it and i kind of think it would be a pain to have the bed right in front of the door. I liked the way the draperies went all across the wall so it didn't look like you were trying to cover anything up. However, our ceilings are a bit low and it might look really heavy. Darn! Are we back to square one? :(

No, we're at least at square 5 or 6. You can do draperies on the windows and allow them to hang behind the bed, if there's space. And if not, pull the draperies back to one side, to the left on left side of bed and to right on right side of bed.

Thanks for the encouragement. Suggestion 1 is what we have now, but i like the way suggestion 2 looks and the color scheme is sorta what we're going for, do you think? That greenish hue to the curtains and all? What about that porcelain blue from the roll pillow on the walls?

One option would be to have draperies in cream or off white so that they can be used for several years with possible changes of bedding along the way. Draperies are expensive. Paint is cheap (well, at least it used to be!). So paint that lovely pale blue/green on the walls and go for a pillow or 2 in same color on bed.

OR, paint wall cream or white, upholster headboard in a pale blue/green fabric and use same fabric to have draperies made. Have creamy bedding with blue/green pillows, same color but different texture fabric. Or make the pillows out of a cream and blue/green patterned fabric.

Third choice, and maybe the best: Do a Viv inspired room using that wonderful creativity you possess!

I think you've gotten a lot of great suggestions for the bedroom. Why not embrace the bathroom's retro-ness? If you remove the really feminine elements: curtains, shelves, flowers, knicknacks, rug you can give it a fun retro update. Add elements of chrome, a graphic print shower curtain, new light fixture and rug. And paint the walls whatever you paint in the bedroom. The seafoamy/pink combo is retro and fun.

I really want to go w/ a modern/vintage look for the room, starting w/ the removal of the border and painting the walls the porcelain blue. Then I will come back to your comments w/ pics and see what else you suggest!! I really want to start border removal this Sat., but i don't think i'll be able to get around to painting until a few Saturdays from now. Thanks much for all of your suggestions, especially Carolyn!! :) You WILL be hearing more from me, never fear!

I am delighted to have been of help to you and I await, with great anticipation, your future reports and questions. It's indeed a pleasure to work with you.

Here i am, back again and the bedroom is finished!! Amazing!! We actually got it done in 2 weeks, prompted by some company coming and i am cheered the way it turned out!! Sophisticated, calm, and glam, i'm almost wishing it was mine! What do you all think??

The pics are a little dark - i took them at night- but we have dupioni silk looking blackout curtains on the window and the chair is a grey mod wingback w/ brushed nickel nailheads around the edges. What you see on it is a lovely cozy cream fur throw. the sign above the vase in the corner says "enjoy the simple things"

It actually looks much better in person, seriously! :)

I like it, fresh and light compared to how it looked to begin with. I also like the bed placed on the wall opposite the bathroom door and not under the windows. It shows off the bed, too.

Nice!! I have one suggestion for you to try & see if it suits you: place the 2 white vases (with grasses) on the right side of the bureau top and place the large silver vase (without grasses / flowers) on the left side of the bureau top.

Good God. You pulled off this kind of transformation and you are 16? Please come do the house I just bought..I'll give you great pics for your book;).
Seriously, wonderful job! Definitely pursue this, or some other art, as a career, you've got the eye.

Nice job Viv,
The transformation from masculine lodge look to soothing spa is dramatic. You should be very proud!

Viv, you did a truly outstanding job! Congratulations and best wishes for a great future career in interior design!

Thanks very much for all your comments - i am very happy about the way it turned out and it came together very easily. Ikwewe, we actually totally got rid of the windows!! Thank goodness! It made the room much more "normal" and easy to work w/. J222b, that is a good idea; i had wanted something on either side of the mirror and just haven't found the right thing yet. However, that vase in the corner is way bigger than it looks! It would totally dwarf the dresser if we put it up there! Photogirlla, THANKS!! :) I'm actually 17 now, but i would love to be an interior decorator or a graphic designer. Sure, post some pics of your house and i'd love to give some suggestions, even if they're not probably good enough! It's fun to try anyway. Michiganmom and Carolyn, thanks for all your support! Hoping to move on to my mom and dad's room next!! :)