I feel like an adult.
Not just because I have four kids, a mortgage, a minivan, or because I let my kiddos have the best middle bite out of my sandwiches (sometimes). I feel like an adult because we finally purchased our first bed. For over a decade, we've been sleeping on a mattress frame: no headboard, no frills, just rails that suspend our mattress in the air. But it was functional and we weren't sleeping on the floor so we left well enough alone.
And then last summer I spotted the bed of my dreams. It was exactly what I wanted: the fabric, the color, the outline. It spoke to me. The bed told me that this was a bed for very cool adult people. But it cost a lot of money. Even for an adult.
I started a fund and began selling stuff around the house. I purchased furniture off Craigslist, fixed it up and sold it at a profit. I also began stalking the bed for sales and coupons. And one miraculous day, months later, the bed went on super sale with free shipping and I was able to use a coupon code to snag it in my price range.
It was meant to be. Ain't no one going to stop me from adulting.
Assembly took about an hour and I liked what I saw right away.
I think this bed is the best purchase I've made in years. Not only because of the sweet deal I got, but also because I liked the scrimping and saving process to buy it. It was a very adult, very reasonable, very satisfying thing to do.
Like I said, I'm totally an adult now.
A couple weeks ago, I was encouraged by Havenly to feature my favorite decor piece in my home. Of course, it's this bed. It's the perfect piece to finish our bedroom. If you haven't heard of Havenly, it's an online interior design service that works with your unique space, even your existing pieces, and your budget to create a room that you can adult in.
Let's take a look at the before situation first.
When I chose paint for the room, I went with a simple white. I was too overwhelmed with other decisions and a baby due to choose another color. I'm glad I chose white, but I knew I wanted a bed to add some color. And because I have this thing for blue, this bed was a perfect fit.
I picked these lamps at Target on clearance this week (for some reason, they're not on clearance on their website). I've had my eye on them for awhile and brought them home with me. I wanted to tie in the black from the ceiling light, but wanted a touch of brass as well. These do the job pretty well, and the price was right. (And in case you're wondering why I still have the tags on: I have serious Commitment Issues, my husband being the exception.)
Yes, I have marble contact paper on the top of one nightstand. I like how it brightens up the wood, but I'm not sure if I like it enough to do both nightstands. I've been living with it this way for almost a year now. Stop yelling at me about it. I have Commitment Issues.
Let's talk about my glowing orb of happiness for a minute here too. When we were renovating, I saw this light in a couple different places. I liked it a lot but it was expensive and I'm always nervous about ordering something online without seeing it in person first.
Luckily for me, there's BBC Lighting in Milwaukee. First, and most importantly, they have FREE popcorn. Secondly, they have an amazing selection of light fixtures. I have logged many hours (and have eaten my weight in popcorn) walking around their showroom. Thirdly, I'll tell you that the prices marked on their website are often less if you order in store. I've purchased several fixtures from them and they are all exceptional.
We were able to repurpose the original doors from the first floor. Someday I'd like to refinish them to knock out some of the orange, but they're fine.
This marble lamp is super heavy and super cool. I found it on clearance at Home Goods and skipped all the way to the check out. I've seen lamps just like this for four times as much.
This little nook used to be a flat patio, which leaked badly and created a hole in the ceiling of the bedroom beneath it. We enclosed the patio to make it part of our room. Now it's a bright reading corner and one of my favorite spots to read to the kiddos. Or to hide behind the chair for a moment of calm. It's good for both, really.
I layered the rugs for extra softness and texture.
Another reason for the rugs is to hide the laundry chute. We wanted a chute and the only place to put it was to cut a space in the floor because old houses are relentless quirky and difficult.
It's super convenient for laundry, but it's also a Deathtrap of Doom for families with little kids. With the rugs on top of it, the girls didn't bother with it. No one has taken a ride down....yet.
Here's looking two floors down the Deathtrap. But really, so convenient.
Also, I'd like to tell you about some real life decorating. My house was not move-in ready to say the least. And for the past three years we've been using paper shades to cover the windows in our room. They were mounted with masking tape, paper clips and prayers. I wanted to purchase a shade, but was overwhelmed with sticker shock at how much a custom shade would cost. The windows are really wide and really short and needed an exterior mount so a custom shade was the only possible route. So I waited for three years to buy a shade, mainly because I was angry about paying for it.
And every time I had to change the masking tape on the paper shade to make it hold on just a little longer, I cried angry, bitter tears.
Here's a photo of our paper "blinds" right after we installed the shade.
We tore the old blinds down and put them in their proper place after we mounted the new shade.
I chose a neutral shade because, Commitment Issues.
Here's looking at the room from the other side. The closet with the bifold door still needs a coat of paint or stain. Someday. This closet holds our off season clothes.
This fixture was an extra from the kitchen. I ordered three but only used two in the kitchen, and this one worked well with the orb light. 'Twas a happy accident.
The dressers are vintage and were given to us by my in-laws. They're awesome (my in-laws--and the dressers).
