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Redecorating master bedroom for new parents!

12 years ago
Calling all Houzzers! Here is the dilemma: Master bedroom in need of a major redesign. My sister and her husband have been renovating their home in San Diego over the last year, but before they had a chance to decorate their master bedroom, they welcomed their first baby! My husband and I are visiting for the week and would like to help redecorate their master bedroom-and it's going to be a big project!

First, we're thinking we will have to paint the walls, then rearrange some furniture and at some point I would love to help them get rid of that mirror closet door. But we would greatly appreciate any suggestions! Photos below...

Comments (47)

  • 12 years ago
    What is her desired style? can you send more pics?

    For starters, removing the playpen full of stuff would help a lot!
  • 12 years ago
    Paint is a great start...you might even wall paper an accent wall..all easy on the budget. Change up their bedding to something sexy! The night stands need a couple of nice lamps to add light and height. You can even change up the hardware on the furniture to give it a little different look. Start with the bedding and work backwards! I suspect you're on a budget given that it's not your house but a hit of colour and your suggestion of changing up where the furniture is will be a great start! Have fun, you're great for doing this for your sister! Don't worry about the mirrors...you could spray paint with a frosted finish.
  • 12 years ago
    Paint last. It can be matched to whatever other colours you put in the room. Agree need new bedding... What colours does your sister like? I think it's great you are helping her :)
  • 12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    For the most restful secure sleep the bed should be opposite the entry, but looks like that would require angling it in the corner where the dresser and chest are. Then the tall chest could go to the left of the window and the dresser where the bed is now, with the TV on the wall above it instead of the mirror. Add a rug pulled half way under the bed to ground the room. Start with bedding and let it guide the other decisions. Start by moving the furniture to this arrangement to see how they like it.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    A cheap solution to mirrored/sliding closet doors is to put up a nice, heavy curtain over the space that divides down the middle. It provides easy access to the clothing, but can also add a great pop and feel almost like artwork if you find a curtain with a great pattern.
  • 12 years ago
    You could start with the paint color for the walls. What colors and styles do you like?
  • 12 years ago
    Would they let you paint the furniture a lighter color? That would lighten up the room. Could also replace hardware on drawers.
  • 12 years ago
    I'd leave the bed where it is, remove the mirror and move the dresser under the window, and move the highboy to the center of that wall. The TV can stay on top since I assume they're lying down when they watch.

    Then, I would work on some really practical ideas for baby storage. If they could get that under control, they might actually prefer to do the decorating themselves.
  • 12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    I'd remove the mirror above the dresser and put the dresser centered with the window. Then, you can put the chest of drawers flat against the wall on the left of the window. Floor to ceiling curtain panels will add some height. The cool art print sitting on the floor by the dresser could be hung on the small wall on the right of the window. If there is little budget, how about just painting the gold trim on the closet mirror black, then spray the mirror with the canned etching so it looks like frosted glass. Tall matching bedside lamps and a paint color choice from the new bedding.
  • 12 years ago
    For starters, I'd get new bedding……(add some nice pillows), new curtains, and definitely a new fan. You could paint the room a nice sage color.
  • 12 years ago
    If you're keeping the ceiling light/fan how about using the mustard yellow with grays or blue or both. The art piece has the golden yellow too, right? Here are a couple of color palette ideas. If you want, you can keep the goose down comforter and add color with sheets, pillows and a toss blanket at the foot of the bed.

    Design Public · More Info

    Cool House Tour 2008 · More Info
  • 12 years ago
    I love that Cool House Tour 2008. If I ever get a guest room it would be this exact same room. I have it in my ideabook.
  • 12 years ago
    Wow thank you all for your suggestions! We are so excited to go through each of these suggestions tonight.

    In the meantime, there were a few comments regarding my sister's style/taste in color, and here is what I know. Her preferred style is classic with neutral colors. She would like a more open floor plan if that's possible. Also, the playpen is only a temporary fixture in the bedroom, since it has the baby's bassinet attached.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    Looks like they have most of the essentials. They also have clutter, which seems to come with growing families.... Help with the basics, they can focus on the big stuff later....
  • 12 years ago
    I don't know about fresh paint drying with a new baby in the house...or new bedding.
  • 12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    Here's another thought you can try out. My guest room is very small so I made the footboard the headboard and removed the headboard. I needed to put the bed under the window but didn't want the headboard to be higher than the window. You could do the bedding "hotel style" with pillows just laid flat. Even if you don't move the bed under the window, removing the footboard (or using the footboard as the headboard) will make the room feel more spacious. Here is bed under a window but the window would still be above the footboard height. I don't know if the space is large enough to put the chest on the short wall and dresser on the long wall though.
    bedroom · More Info
  • 12 years ago
    Kathryn: What a nice sister you are! Bedding is a rather personal choice (we all get used to our "cozy" spots), so I would work with what your sister has already chosen to sleep on/with. I'd focus on wall color (totally do-able). Soft blue walls would be my choice, to go with her green. Darzy's furniture re-arrangement seems like a good one for starters. You could get some simpler frosted shades for the ceiling fan at Lowe's/Home Depot. For the mirrored doors, look into window film applications (also available at Lowe's/Home Depot). It comes in rolls, frosted and patterned, and is applied using water and a squeegee sort of tool that comes in the kit. You could get the plain frosted film and cut out a simple scroll pattern to mimic her metal inserts in the bed, if you like to get fancy. Two matching lamps with neutral shades seem like a good purchase. If you could find ones that have multiple light level switching ability (rather than just on and off) that might be helpful for nights up with baby. If you could find some simple white background drapes for both windows incorporating the green/blue, that could be pretty.

    One other thing--not as obvious as decorating--that you might do is to help her go through/store items currently in the highboy and chest. There's a whole lotta furniture in that room, so if you could get everything needed in just the dresser, put the TV on top of that, and eliminate the need for the highboy and the dresser mirror, the room would feel bigger. Baby's stuff isn't going away for awhile, so you might as well accommodate it!
  • 12 years ago
    Get a rocking chair, for feeding and lulling to sleep. Priceless for new parents.
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    ...don't think anyone's mentioned low VOC paint; important for a newborn.
  • 12 years ago
    a comfy back rest pillow with arm rests for staying in bed for night time feedings on chilly nights.
  • 12 years ago
    i notice an alphonse mucha print tucked behind a piece of furniture.
    i would start with that.
    it's got TONS of warm neutrals to pick from, and the furniture color makes perfect sense with it. get new hardware for the furniture peices if you can, in a dark color like ORB or black, to go with the iron lacework. plus, the swirling shapes of the ironwork make perfect sense with that mucha print. they echo the shapes in her hair and the disc behind her.

    i can't see what lady that one is, but he often used blues, greens, and aquas in with his warm neutrals, so you could get away with using one of those from the painting as an accent color. maybe a pillow or 2 on the bed, or a throw, or a trim on window treatments could pull from it.
  • 12 years ago
    I would remove the TV from the bedroom. Your sister needs a quiet sanctuary.
  • 12 years ago
    I suggest moving the bed under the double window. Use room darkening curtains that pop with the bedding. I would use solid colored quilts for the bed. A print curtain. Quilts are easy care and wash beautifully. Ask how much your sis likes that picture. Its on the floor. I agree with putting the long dresser on the wall where the bed was, minus the mirror. You have the closet mirrors. Use the opposite wall for the tall dresser and a nice comfy chair.
    If you don't want to lose the closet mirror. Get some fancy molding and frame the closet. Let her choose her colors. Add a throw rug and put art over the long dresser. Put the tv somewhere else in the home and add music. Much more soothing for a sleeping baby.

    I would change the handles. I will show you what I mean. I got mine from Lowe's. Very reasonable. We updated my daughter's furniture.
  • 12 years ago
    Try Home Goods and TJ Max for quilts, lamps and accessories. If you have a Christmas Tree store in your area for art work. Good luck and have fun!
  • 12 years ago
    Vincent Avenue Residence/Inspired x Design, LLC
    Check out this photo from houzz.com- http://houzz.com/photos/6391470
    Here is a great example of the infront of the
    Window. f
  • 12 years ago
    I agree that the head of the bed should be placed in the window. This way you will make better use of the length of the room and create an instant welcoming focal point when you enter. The drapes on that window can be used to accentuate the focal point and to make it seem cosier. The rod that's there might be fine, but it should be hung much higher -- half way between the frame of the window and the ceiling often looks good. Then you could buy pre-fab drapes in a complimentary, but slightly dramatic colour and tie them back to either side of the bed. I also agree with the person who recommended that you use the framed picture (currently stuffed partly behind the wide dresser) as a starting point. If your sister likes this, it goes well with the furniture and will provide you with an instant colour palette. Tred carefully -- this is a wonderful thing you are doing, but it is someone else's house -- maybe treat your sister like a client (the closest client you've ever had : ) ) and present her with options, but let her make all the final decisions.
  • 12 years ago
    Bay Street/Ken Gutmaker Architectural Photography
    Check out this photo from houzz.com- http://houzz.com/photos/662027k here I go again. These are beautiful neutral colors as well.
  • 12 years ago
    I just noticed the fan!! We had a fan for YEARS! Finally got rid of it. So ugly. Fans are for billiard rooms in my opinion. Changed out the fan for a beautiful and simple lower hanging pendant drum with a soft linen type shade, which when lit looks slightly golden. What a difference. Who needs a helicopter over their heads especially in a bedroom?
  • 12 years ago
    You can get a fan that is white so it blends in with the ceiling more. Also try to get one that is as flush as possible. I could not live without an overhead fan in my bedroom.
  • 12 years ago
    I, too, have a white ceiling fan in my bedroom which I use every night. It does blend in with a white ceiling. Also get one with a remote which allows dimming of the light and controlling the fan so no one has to get out of bed to make the adjustments. My DH and I used to fuss over whose turn it was to make fan/light adjustments until we got the remote! Bless you for helping these new parents.
  • 12 years ago
    If budget is an issue, can you paint the mirrors or frost them?
  • 12 years ago
    How about removing some of the dressers?
  • 12 years ago
    I would move the bed to the opposite wall under the window. This will give you better flow...the person going to the far side of the bed doesn't have to walk into the room then around the bed! The nightstands need lamps that are tall enough to use if you read in bed. The dresser can go on the wall where the head of the bed is near the doorway and the chest could go in the corner on the other side of the window where it stands now. De-cluttering would really help. Maybe you could re-organize the closet and drawers and find things that aren't needed any more. (Lots of articles on Houzz about that!)

    I would be in favor of changing out the closet doors, but it depends on the budget. A fresh coat of paint might help, but if you change the bedding, put up new curtains and find some artwork to put on the walls you wouldn't need to paint if it's only to change the color.
  • 12 years ago
    Lighten the floor. It's very dark and makes the whole place feel much smaller.
  • 12 years ago
    My best advice would be sheers to let the light in UNDER blackout curtains to get the rest they're going to need!
  • PRO
    12 years ago
    Changing the ceiling fan can drastically improve the look of the room but also it is a very functional product. Ceiling fans can help you cut down your energy bill in both summer and winter. In summer you can cut down on your AC bill by running the fan on cooler nights. In winter, running a ceiling fan in reverse can help with your heating bill. The ceiling fan running in reverse can help recirculate warm air and bring it down from the ceiling and keep the room warmer. With a quiet, high-quality ceiling fan you will barely notice it is on but the benefits will be tangible. Take a look here for some great fans: http://faucetlist.com/Ceiling-Fans/ Consider a Ceiling fan with an Uplight that diffuses the light up to the ceiling and offers a much nicer ambiance.

    Here are a few popular items: http://faucetlist.com/Concord-Fans-60-Aracruz-Oil-Rubbed-Bronze-Ceiling-Fan-Up-Downlights-Remote.html and http://faucetlist.com/Concord-Fans-52-Stainless-Steel-Ceiling-Fan-w-Up-Down-Light-Wall-Control.html or even http://faucetlist.com/Concord-Fans-52-Stargate-Modern-Stainless-Steel-Ceiling-Fan-with-Light-Remote.html - I think would look great!
  • 12 years ago
    The furniture looks too large. You may need to remove a dresser or the night tables
  • 12 years ago
    Change the hardware on the dresser that you keep to update it :)
  • 12 years ago
    I like many of the comments above! I wish to combine some of them and present my idea. I would keep the bedding choices, since they evoke calmness. I would then hang curtains over each window at the full height of the walls. I would make sure the curtains are lined and mostly white with a few of the colors in the room, but not a busy pattern. Then I would place the low dresser, without the mirror, centered in front of the window to the side of the bed. The highboy, if it must stay in the room, can go against the wall to the left of the window facing the foot of the bed. This leaves a nice space in the corner between the two dressers for the dresser mirror to hang right of the window to the side of the bed. I think that will be a happy threesome, especially if a table or low stool is placed below the mirror. In my opinion, the tv is probably something the sister and her husband wish to keep in the bedroom, and the top of the highboy seems good for that.

    The room is too crowded for a rocking chair, but maybe that chair can be placed in a light traffic area of the house. It appears that there may be a nice corner area to the right of the window facing the foot of the bed, so maybe that can be where the bassinet/playpen can go when momma and baby aren't sleeping. A rug sounds great if it doesn't make anyone slip. The closet would look great with curtains, but since the room is small and will already have at least 4 panels at the windows, I would say a curtained closet would be too much. Painting the door frames to match the door molding and adding a frosted film over the mirrors sounds perfect, since there will still be an enjoyable reflection of sunlight from them during the daytime. That framed art is beautiful and I can imagine it being hung above the bed on a wall that is painted a matching color from the lighter areas of the painting. Maybe the side tables can stay less cluttered if the lamps were replaced with wall mounted lamps that will complement the furniture's rod iron scrollwork and the fan's amber glass. These wall mounted lamps might help fill the wall on either side of the painting.

    I had fun visualizing the room and wish you lots of fun and success on what you choose to do!
  • 12 years ago
    Thank you for all of your comments! My sister and I have spent a lot of time in her master bedroom this week, trying to envision each of these comments. I've also been reorganizing the closet space to relocate the linens to the guest bedroom closet, to free up some space.

    There were several inquiries about my sister's preferred style, and here is what I know. She prefers a classic style with neutral colors. She wants a more open floor plan if possible, and would love a little seating area next to the window to the right of the dresser. Her duvet cover is actually not included in these photos, but it's a white, pintuck style and she loves it. Also, the painting seen on the floor in one of the photos will definitely be hung on one of the walls. My sister loves that painting and wants it to be displayed, perhaps on the partial wall next to the window, right of the dresser.

    We love the suggestion many from many of you to move the bed under the windows. Darzy- I loved your suggestion to remove the headboard, however it doesn't look like we can take that piece off without dismantling the entire bed frame. Also, my sister likes the feeling of having a headboard to lie back against while she's reading in bed. Do you think we can still make the bed work under the windows with the headboard?

    Here is what we are thinking, based on these suggestions above:
    Move bed under windows, bookended by the two nightstands. New matching lamps for both (although I love Cuddlebun's suggestion for the mounted wall scones!) Next, move dresser to wall where bed is now, removing mirror. The highboy will have to go on the wall adjacent to the bed, opposite the dresser. We would like to keep the closet enclosed since the staircase from the first to second floor runs beneath the closet and creates an awkward slant. We want to replace the mirrors though. Several comments mention frosting the mirror, but we don't know what this means exactly? In the meantime, I'll post a link to some closet doors we found at Lowes. Pretty simple but I think it fits my sister's style.

    Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions! We are excited to finalize the plans and start making some adjustments!
  • 12 years ago
    I'm not so good on the linky thing, but go to Home Depot/Lowes and search window film. That's the one that goes on with water and a squeegee. Lots of patterns, some in color as well as plain frosted. Peels off when you don't want it anymore. Budget friendly.
    Kathryn thanked nwduck
  • 12 years ago
    Thanks, nwduck. That helps!
  • 12 years ago
    Just reading back through many of the comments-mydixiedoodle, we would love to see photos of your room if you have them!
  • 12 years ago
    last modified: 12 years ago
    Hi Kathryn, I just noticed your comment... So sorry. Yes, I will take some photos and attach them to the site tomorrow. I want to take them during the day... I am so happy with the way my room turned out, and it's all because of PAINT. I may even have a before and after photo. Please send me another comment so that I have the 'attach photo' link again. I lost it when I responded to you this time. :)
  • 12 years ago
    help i need a complete makeover my in come is short but still need a makeover one roon at a time