Help! Our Bedroom Was Last on Our List

Jennifer and Stephen Standing packed light when they moved back to the United States after five years abroad. Bringing almost nothing with them from their stint overseas, they bought a 1930s Colonial in Savannah, GA, and started decorating from scratch. They prioritized first-floor rooms and their kids’ bedrooms, figuring they’d spiff up the master bedroom eventually. But three years later, the space was still mostly empty. The walls were bare, the main light was a clunky ceiling fan, and random furniture seemed adrift in the 14-foot-by-19-foot room. “We didn’t even have a headboard,” says Stephen. “It was like being in college.”

Before:

The key to taking the bedroom from lifeless to personality-packed: We used a snappy blue-and-white palette and tons of patterns on everything from the walls to the floors. Now their favorite furniture blends comfortably with new pieces in a mix that’s part vintage, part preppy. “The combination makes for my perfect bedroom,” says Jennifer.

After:

Here's a look at the elements that went into this bedroom makeover:

Bedding

The couple’s white bedding lacked zing. Pattern came to the rescue in the form of a cobalt duvet cover and shams from Coyuchi, a triangle-print Lands’ End sheet set, and a long pillow sewn from a Nate Berkus Home Decor fabric with batik-like medallions from Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft. Another Coyuchi duvet cover acts as a throw at the foot of the bed. The citron pillows are from Pehr Designs.

Get the Look:

• Oxford Printed Sheet Set, Lands' End
• Nate Berkus Home Decor Fabric (used for lumbar pillow), Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft
• Mediterrannean Duvet, Coyuchi
• Citron Velvet Pillow, Pehr Designs
• Mustard Hatch Pillow, Pehr Designs

Furniture + Art

Mid-century nightstands from an estate sale were the only carryover pieces from the old bedroom. To bring in more ’60s style, we added a walnut armoire from a local thrift store and relocated a vintage chair from the living room. A leather bench from Joss & Main has acrylic sides that the rug shows through. Pulling together all the colors in the room: an abstract print from minted.com.

Get the Look:

• Lucite and Leather Bench, Joss & Main
• Painted Grunge Print, Minted

Bed Skirt + Headboard

The couple loved the bed skirt we had made out of Nate Berkus Home Decor fabric from Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft, so we DIYed a matching 72-inch-by-80-inch headboard using plywood, foam, and batting. 

Get the Look:

• Nate Berkus Home Decor Fabric, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft

Wallpaper

Stephen was leery of wallpapering the room — “I associate wallpaper with the ’70s stuff my parents had” — but was quickly won over by the herringbone print from Serena & Lily. It’s bold, but with lots of white, it doesn’t feel overwhelming. 

Get the Look:

• Feather Wallpaper, Serena & Lily

Rug

“We bought our old rug 12 years ago, and our style has evolved,” says Jennifer. To replace their old-fashioned floral one, we picked a Surya flat-weave ikat wool rug with a large-scale pattern that mirrors the colors in the wallpaper.

Get the Look:

• Frontier Wool Rug, Surya

Lighting

Swapping the utilitarian ceiling fan for a glam 19-inch-by-19-inch perforated steel pendant from Dot & Bo makes the room feel polished. Its glimmering gold also complements the mustard hues of the West Elm lamps on the nightstands.

Get the Look:

• Honeycomb Pendant, Dot & Bo
• Modernist Table Lamp, West Elm

Curtains

Floor-length solid wool panels from West Elm temper all the room’s patterns. Transparent Lucite curtain rods from Luxholdups allow the wallpaper to peek through.

Get the Look:

• Heathered Wool Curtain, West Elm
• Lucite Curtain Rod, LuxHoldups
• Finials for Curtain Rods, LuxHoldups
• Brass Curtain Rings, LuxHoldups