5.26.2011

My Blue Bedroom

We’re moving in a few months and as excited as I am to have more space (and a washer dryer!) I’m going to miss our itty bitty, 600 square foot apartment so much. I’ve already told you about our kitchen, Nico’s room which he now shares with Leo, and here are some shots of our bedroom and a little something that helped spruce it up.


When it comes to color, I'm most drawn to blues and greens. For our bedroom, I chose Benjamin Moore's Sweet Bluette, a soft, soothing blue. It looks best during the day when natural light streams, but I also like how it's more mellow and subdued at night. It's the kind of color that has calming powers and tries to convince you to stay in bed just a little longer, even when your kids come barreling in to wake you up. (On that note, Daniel and I watched Date Night last weekend and although we fast forwarded through a lot of scenes, I loved the opening one so much. That's how most of our mornings start.)


We keep  most of our clothes in two dressers that I've had since I was 7.  Which means that for over 25 years, I've been opening and closing their drawers. They always make me think of my mom and how she used to nag me whenever I'd fill them with too much stuff. Old habits die hard, I guess. They're all still filled to the brim. They were originally a shiny blonde wood, but about five years ago I gave them a make-over. I applied a few coats of blue paint, followed by a coat of white and then sanded some spots for a shabby chic look. Something tells me these dressers will be in our family forever. When we move, I'm passing them on to Nico and Leo. I'm sure it won't be long before I'm scolding them for over stuffing!


Leo slept in a little corner of our bedroom for his first 8 months and since we didn't have much space for his stuff, I relied on this Ikea unit. I bought a bunch of blue and brown West Elm baskets and filled them with onesies, blankets and burb cloths. Now I want to buy a few of these for our new place and use them in different rooms for winter gear, shoes and art supplies.


We have a sapphire blue light fixture we bought during a trip to Morocco. It cost less than $10, but it’s something I treasure. It reminds me of our twenties, those carefree days when it was just the two of us. 


There's only enough space for one nightstand and I found this one at a thrift shop in Cobble Hill. With its thin legs and pretty glass knob, it has a feminine feel. I considered painting it white to match the dressers, but decided to keep it blue, liking how it both blends in and contrasts with our walls. The lamp is from Crate and Barrel and sadly, it's been discontinued. I'm bummed I didn't buy two. Daniel built our bookshelves and it was his idea to use pretty antique brackets.


We have one window and a pretty dismal view. I used to have long linen curtains, but they accidentally ended up in the garbage when they were en route to the dry cleaner. We were living with a bare curtain rod and a cheap venetian blind from Home Depot that’s a little lopsided for the past two years, but a few weeks ago, our window got a little love. Curtainworks sent me a sample of their new Caress Voile Sheer. Made from 100% recycled items, it’s a fitting replacement for someone who threw away her last pair. On average, one panel of the Caress Voile saves seven 16 oz plastic bottles from a landfill.

The curtains are semi sheer and they provide some privacy while letting in a lot of light. Our linen ones were kind of limp and lifeless, while these have an ethereal quality. They even sway a little when fresh air sneaks in. I'm not the type to splurge on fancy window treatments. I prefer to save up for an important piece of furniture that'll last for years, so I think affordable curtains like these (they are sold separately and cost $9.99-19.99) make a lot of sense. Roman shades or something similar are more my thing, but for a light and airy bedroom, these really work.


Our bedroom looks out on our kitchen and when the door is open, this is what we see. I saw Breathless in a film class during my semester abroad in Paris and my friend Kristen (who was also in the class and used to eat a few bags of Haribo candies before falling asleep) gave me this poster from the movie. I hung it up in my house senior year, the house where Daniel and I first hung out, using that wall tack that looks like a wad of gum. Framing it after graduation made it feel a bit more grown-up even though it has a little tear in the corner. It'll always remind of me Kristen, my college days, falling in love, and my love for Paris and New York. 

For our new bedroom, I'm inclined to go with blue again, but am now leaning toward a really bright white with fun accent colors like bright yellow for a change of pace. What color are your bedrooms and what do you love about them?

{I was not compensated for this post. I did receive the curtains for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own.}



2 comments:

Katherines Corner said...

I enjoyed my visit to your lovely blog. Subscribed. Hugs!

Lia said...

Thanks so much!

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