While I was in design school, my dear friend and neighbor Justine asked if I wanted some real-world practice and, of course, I did! She was at a loss with what to do with her master bedroom. At the time it felt like an after thought and she wanted it to feel like a retreat. She had one major component there already: a beautiful deep gray upholstered headboard and bed frame. The floors and walls were great! The rest needed some work.
Well, except maybe the pets. They're cute and could stay! During our initial consultation I learned of a few practical needs Justine had for the room to function with pets:
1. Some sort of furniture peice in front of the bed for easy access up
2. A washable rug for any accidents
3. NO WHITE BEDDING
That last one had me a little worried, but I knew there were plenty of other neutrals we could use to make the bedding feel inviting and still fresh.
Justine was also thinking about keeping the nightstands and lamps, but I explained that their scale did not match her bed's: they were too small for the space. She agreed, we made a list of things to shop for and I hit the road (and the internet)!
I ALWAYS pick the rug first in any room. It is such a large piece and can dictate the entire design. If the rug is busy, I know to tone down the pattern throughout the rest of the room. If it's more neutral or solid, I can add in pattern and color in other accents. Because Justine did not want any drapes or new wall color or art, I knew the rug had to be the focal point. And because she wanted something washable, I hit up ruggable.com. Their rugs are beautiful and look high end but aren't crazy expensive and the best part is they are mashine washable! Justine was my guinea pig with Ruggable, but I now recommend them to all of my clients with pets or little kids! We shouldn't have to sacrifice design just because our lives are a little messy and Ruggable helps with that so much. I chose Justine's because of the deep grays that tied in with her bed, but also for the brown tones I knew I wanted to tie into the bedding.
For the bedding, I did some shopping around town for things I thought Justine would love. Once I narrowed down some choices, we went shopping together to pick out the final choices! We hit up Kirklands, Tuesday Morning, Target, and a local boutique and found all of her bedding and lamps.
My favorite find of the day is the beautiful floral lumbar pillow from Southern Chic! It brings in a little more pattern, but doesn't compete with the rug. I also am obsessed with the rust accent pillows from Kirklands. They really pop on the bed and are the perfect compliment to the gray of the bed and the rust tones of the rug. Justine was super easy to shop with and for because she's trusting, but also knows what she likes and doesn't like and is honest about any choices made. Sometimes clients are afraid to voice their opinion and hurt a designer's feelings with they don't like something, but that's an extremely important part of the process! It's how we learn your tastes and your needs. Knowing what you DON'T like helps us really hone in on what works for you and makes our jobs a thousand times easier and your space the most beautiful it can be for YOU!
Once we chose bedding and lamps, only two things remained: nightstands and the bench in front of the bed. I had come across a fabric bench at Marshalls that I thought would be perfect for the space, but Justine had her reservations about the size. Eventually she agreed to it and we both agree it's just perfect for the space and the storage inside is an added bonus!
Nighstands were definitely the most difficult part of the process. I knew white was the way to go because we didn't use it anywhere else and we could here because it wasn't a functional issue with the pets. I also knew they needed to be as wide as possible and Justine wanted something with ample storage. After looking at several options over a couple weeks, we finally decided on a beautiful white pair from Overstock.com that ticked all the boxes. Finally the last piece of the puzzle was in place and we could put it all together. The end result is one of my favorite bedrooms EVER!
Justine agrees. Here's what she wrote about the process:
"Brandie truly took my bedroom from drab to FAB with her amazing design skills! Before it was so boring and nothing matched. Now everything goes together so perfectly and feels so welcoming after a long day. I'm in love with every single things she picked! I also have to say she made it so EASY which is such a breath of fresh air. Highly recommend Brandie Crain Interior Design!"
Justine definitely spoiled me as a first client by being decisive, laid back, and up front. I hope to work with her again on future projects and hope she enjoys her beautiful bedroom for years to come!
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