Love where you sleep! A bedroom REdo....

A friend/client of mine recently moved into a new house...a blank slate...excitement and fear...a new beginning.

There is A LOT to REdo in this new space...but I keep reminding her that life is a marathon, NOT a sprint.  She is a "do-er"--as am I--so this is a hard motto to live by!

One of the spaces we decided she had to LOVE sooner than later was her new bedroom.  In a male dominated house, this is the only space that is truly her sanctuary, her girly space.

Here is a before photo of her master suite...awful brown walls and ceiling with black trim and doors...depressing!  The only girly thing about this room is the PINK tiled bathroom that is attached to her bedroom!  It is dated, but super cute in a retro way.

After a blink of an eye, she and her mom had the room transformed with just a few coats of paint in a soothing gray to the walls and a crisp white on the ceiling.  The two sets of non-working closet doors where pitched into the trash...and the wood floors were brought back to life with a quick refinishing!

Within a few months this is what her room has morphed into...looking amazing, but still not serene...a bit unfinished.

This window was one of the unfinished areas.  The sheers needed to be hemmed...the full length mirror needed to be, well, more full length and substantial, and the scale needed to be hidden...forever.

Looking better with the sheers hemmed, but the room still felt off balance.  It felt too heavy on the right side and needed more balance...

We decided to move the dresser from the right side of the room to the left and centered it under the problematic window area.  Bingo!  

Balance...and chaos on top of the dresser.

A little organization goes a long way...top of the dresser is clear and clean and peaceful.

Hunting for a better full length mirror was easy...HomeGoods to the rescue again!

Serene.

Balanced.

Peaceful...a place to call home.

Next up?  Her hall closet...serenity now!!!

TARGET to the rescue! Again.

Some of you are probably wondering how my Bedroom Design Dilemma client only spent a couple hundred bucks when she decided to REthink, REdesign, and REorganize her entire house? Well, it was simple.

She went to TARGET ... the MECCA of all Mom Stores.

This got your ATTENTION, huh!?!

Going to Target = spending one hundred bucks (or two in this case!)

We ALL know that.

She bought bins for all three bedroom closets, spoiled herself with some matching hangers for HER closet, and a leather storage bench for the bottom of their GIGANTIC bed.

By the way, typing the word "bins" just made me smile...if you know me, you are laughing out loud. I feel the same way when I say "label maker"--no joke.

So, as you know by my previous post, we got rid of--- or I should say "Repurposed"--- her very cumbersome second dresser that was in her bedroom. It was carried by us, rather hilariously, to the basement. Check out how this bad boy got REpurposed.

TADA! Functional as a TV console AND it has tons of storage for all things related to Wii, Xbox 360, or DVDs. Huge success...Bam!

Next, I opened her bedroom closet door (I asked first) to find this!

Whoa....SCORE!!!

Let's get a closer look...at the size of those shoes!

WHOA! was my first thought, but my second was SCORE! Why, you ask? Because she already had a closet system installed...yippee! My job just got sooooo much easier! She has had these closets from Saint Louis Closet Company for over 10 years...it was the first improvement she had done to their house when they moved in. However, this is how they were "using" them. Whaa Whaa Whaaaaa! This is EXACTLY why SLCC and I have teamed up together...so I can be a resource to their clients of how to put back together their "stuff" in their newly installed closet systems.

After a bit of thought, we realized that it would be best if my client moved her clothes from their shared "master" closet into the office closet in the neighboring room. This way, all of the "stuff" that came out of the dresser that we moved out of the bedroom could fit into HIS closet---and very easily I might add. This giant of a man actually has a bit of extra room to grow into in this closet.

Note: His GIANT shoes now fit onto the shelves at almost his line of vision, so he does not have to bend down SO far...another plus. We tried to compartmentalize some of his shoes, but that did not work out so well. Bahahaha!

HIS and HERS

Next, we moved into my client's office to assess the closet situation.

FAIL.

A few bins and some matching hangers later....TADA!

On a side note, I think I need to give this client some props because not only does she have her all of clothes in here (and COLOR ORGANIZED, I might add), she also has a lot of her "work" equipment in this closet, as well. It is well hidden and contained inside of these colorful bins, but nonetheless, she made it all work with a huge sense of style and a SMILE.

Finally, we decided to tackle the boys' room. We had to do this because at some point in time she had decided in was a good idea to keep some of their clothes in her office, even though they have the BIGGEST closet and a dresser, plus two night stands. Did NOT work for me. And, she admitted, very easily, that it did NOT for her either, but she just didn't know how to make it work. They are boys, after all, which means messy and unorganized.

Oh NO they didn't.

When I saw this I LITERALLY got down on my hands and knees...not to pray...but to get this pile of boy things put into their right places. After all, everything should have a place, especially to a child. (Parenting tip: Train them well now, so they can function well later as adults.) A lot of this stuff went right into the trash--they'll never know, I promise. A few 3M hooks and some new bins later...TADA!

3M hooks in action!

My client had never heard of them before...gasp...

she is now keeping them in business!!!

The two boys can reach everything easily now and know WHERE all of their toys go because we decided to buy only clear, plastic bins for these millions of tiny pieces of things. The wicker or colored bins hold things like socks/underwear (on the lower shelves) and albums/extra sheets (on the higher shelves)--brilliant, I know. The boys were happy with the REorganization, as well. After all, everyone...but especially children...want boundaries and routine and stability. Ask any therapist or teacher...they will agree with this 1000%. Sorry if this hits a nerve for some of you, but it's true. Call me and I can help...I am cheaper than a therapist!

Now the inside of the closet matches the inside of the boys' room....organized, functional, and AMAZING!

After all, isn't that what we all want to BE?

Organized, functional, and AMAZING?

Yep.

Now onto my next Design Dilemma...

This time it's a KITCHEN.

Stay tuned...

Bedroom REdesign Dilemma Solved--ROUND TWO!!!

This second Bedroom REdesign took just a minute to come up with, but a day to fully implement the REdesign completely. And, I must admit, ROUND TWO of my client's Bedroom REdesign Dilemma is truly a BETTER option entirely.

It was simple, really. But even better than it being simple, it was SUPER FUN...really!!!

Below is the photo of the ROUND ONE Solution to helping balance out this huge bed in a rather smallish master bedroom on an off-centered wall space. The taller lamp DID help to make the room appear more balanced, but I wasn't satisfied. I just KNEW it could look and feel better.

Round One Solution

Now don't laugh when you look at my NEW and EVEN BETTER solution...it was just the start to something awesome. My client (who is up for almost anything at anytime) and I decided to spontaneously move her HUGE and somewhat awkward KING-SIZED bed and the connected headboard to the adjacent wall in her rather smallish bedroom. This was a feat in itself and rather comical!

Looks pretty good, right? I thought so, too. But then I realized my client was pinned in between the side of the bed and a semi-bulky dresser, which was not so good...but still rather hilarious! I moved the bed over just a little and she was able to shimmy her way out, unhurt thankfully.

Now this, my readers, is when the magic began to happen.

We both stood just outside of her bedroom doorway and marveled at how much more BALANCED the room already looked. Amazing! But, quickly, we began to take our focus away from how CENTERED the bed looked because we just couldn't seem to ignore the bulky dresser on the left side of the bed. After a few minutes of gibberish talk about how this arrangement MIGHT possibly work, we came to our senses and admitted that, in fact, it would be VERY DIFFICULT for her 6'5" husband to operate in such a tight space. After all, his side of the bed no longer had a walk space or any space for that matter. Dang.

Just to show you how HUGE her husband is...I am giving you a visual of how big his gym shorts and gym shoes are. (Side note: I like this photo because I look tiny-ish next to these shorts.)

At this point, my client's shoulders seemed to be slumping and she looked as though she might be defeated. I assured her she was not. WE were NOT!!! I reminded her that there is always another solution to any problem. We had solved the initial problem of the room feeling off-balanced and off-centered. The problem was not the massive bed anymore....because it was quite "centered" in its' new position in the room...and it felt great!

The NEW DESIGN DILEMMA was this pesky and rather large dresser that was in our way! She agreed, reluctantly, but felt unsure of what to do next because they NEEDED that storage for their "stuff"...really NEEDED it. My response was straight forward.

NO. YOU. DO. NOT.

I was confident in my statement...and she was stunned. I felt excited by her reaction and what was about to happen. I reminded her she had ONE great dresser in her room...and that she didn't need TWO just because she owned them. "Huh," she said out loud. A lightbulb had just switched on! This is where things got even more interesting, more hilarious, and even BETTER than she could have imagined! So...are you ready?

TADA!!!

Notice that the bulky dresser has disappeared. And that the room appears much BIGGER because it IS much bigger without that silly dresser. Victory! The Bedroom REdesign Dilemma has been solved once again. This solution is MUCH better. Well, we think so anyway.

Now you might be asking yourself where in the world did all that "stuff" go that my client NEEDED so badly? Good question. I can PROMISE you that it was NOT just tossed or stuffed or or hidden somewhere else. How can that be you might be wondering!?! Well, as a once popular song repeated itself over and over..."one thing leads to other!"

Come back and read how moving this one (gigantic) bed led my client to rethink her entire house...and she only had to spend a few hundred bucks. True story.

Bedroom Design Dilemma Solved--Round One!!!

Dear Rebecca,

First of all, thank you so much for responding so quickly! Once I get something in my head--I want to get it done--so thank you! I tried the floor lamp idea and it worked! I think if I add a few photos to the far left wall, like you suggested, in between the window and the corner of the walls, it will help balance things out even more. I loved your suggestions!

Sincerely,

No Longer Stumped

BEFORE

(room felt off balance because the bed can not be centered on

wall and there is too much empty space above the left lamp)

AFTER

(room appears more balanced because of the

taller floor lamp filling up the empty space)

Although, I am pleased with how the taller floor lamp balanced out the left side of the bed---helping to make the room appear more balanced, I am not totally convinced that there is an even better solution to helping solve this bedroom design dilemma. Stay tuned for ROUND TWO of Bedroom Design Dilemma Solved!

How to properly make a bed.

Lesson of the day.

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Bedroom Design Dilemma

Dear Rebecca,

I recently purchased two night stands for my master bedroom. Because of where the window is and where the tables go, my bed is not centered. This bugs me. Do you have any suggestions for the left side of my bed in the corner--to balance it out?

Sincerely,
Stumped.

Dear Stumped,

First, let me say that I LOVE your bedding! It shows that you have a great sense of style and really shows your personality---fun, eclectic, and colorful! Most people would tend to shy away from color and pattern in a smaller space, but you stayed true to your style. Impressive!

Now onto your design dilemma...

By looking at your photos, I can see that you have a very large bed that can NOT be centered on a wall...giving the room a feeling of imbalance. This is a frustration that I see over and over with many of my clients.

I have a few suggestions that might help you achieve a more balanced feeling for your space.

• Buy a floor lamp for the left side of the bed that is taller than the one you have right now. Place your side table in front of the floor lamp with a decorative accessory (frame, bowl, books) on top of it. This will help fill up the empty space that is creating the feeling of imbalance.
• Coupled with the new floor lamp, you should hang two pieces of framed art or photos vertically on the blank wall in between the window and the corner of the room. This will add weight to the left side of the bed and help balance out that side of the bed.
• Another option would be to buy a taller plant and place it to the left of the bed. This will add height (and color) to this corner and help give you a more balanced feeling. You might have to lose the lighting on the left side of the bed, though. Not sure if that is functional for you to lose lighting in such a small space.

These are just a few suggestions that I have for your design dilemma. Hope that one of them works for you. If not, I have a few more tricks I can share with you...I don't want to overwhelm you with too many options now. I am happy to come over and help you...just email me at or call. You can find my information at rebeccastisser.com.

Can't wait to see what you come up with to give your room the balanced feel that you want! Send updated photos soon please!

Good luck,
Rebecca