My (Current) Favorite Room at Netherfield
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The before and after pictures of our bedroom are possibly the ones that get me the most. Before we bought the house, this room seemed to have been used for grandchildren, because there were a couple beds, including a crib, and there were children’s toys scattered throughout the room. We were between using this room (which we referred to as the pink room, even though the pink didn’t stay around for even 24 hours after we bought the house) and the room that adjoins this one on the far left wall (which we referred to as the blue room).
In the end, the room with two closet won out over the little bit of extra space in the blue room. This room was the first to get its wallpaper removed (note the fun print of the ceiling!), and it probably spoiled us a bit since it was not painted over. But it got the ball rolling, and we only spent about a week removing all the wallpaper in the house.
After removing all the glue, my little brother primed the room, and then there was a group effort to do the painting. We used the Woodlawn Blue from the Benjamin Moore Historical Collection, which made me fall in love. As mentioned in the dining room post (link at the bottom), we used Benjamin Moore colors, but we got the paint at Sherwin-Williams. I tried taking pictures of the color with different lights, but none of them really show how gorgeous the color is.
After we got the painting done, it was time to clean the floor! This floor had been pretty rough because we hadn’t thought to put down plastic before starting to remove the wallpaper, so there was a lot of glue and small pieces still on the floor despite my sister and me sweeping it up before it could dry. Thankfully, two of our friends came over and helped us by scrubbing the floor the first time, which was a major help! I believe I had to scrub it one more time with Murphy Oil Soap, and then I used my concoction of vinegar and olive oil to give it a clean and condition it. I used the same things on the rest of the wood in the room, including one of my favorite features of the woodwork in the house, the little corner pieces. In the above photo, you can see that piece sitting on the right windowsill. I love that they’re removable! …I just wish the last owners had realized that before they painted the rest of the house. In the next picture, you can see it in place again!
I had so much fun getting to decorate our room! It’s still not finished (are they ever?), but I am happy with the current results. I love the cozy feeling even the picture gives me!
The thing that really draws the eye is the velvet curtains. I adore these curtains so much that I am getting a different color for at least one other room in the house (thank you, Amazon Prime Days!) but even just in general, these curtains weren’t super expensive, and they came with two panels! Mine are the Wild Rose color. They aren’t blackout, but they are room darkening, and I enjoy the reddish light that comes through them gently in the morning. I have them hung on the back tabs to make them easier to open, which also makes them drape evenly when open.
Another thing that adds major cozy vibes are our blankets. Yes, Andrew and I use our own blankets, and I believe more couples should. You rarely have to worry about your partner stealing your blankets, it reduces the chance of them throwing the blanket on you at night when they get too warm, and you can use as many blankets as you want without suffocating the other person! It’s a win-win! I got Andrew the gray one last year for our anniversary because he wanted one that was a little bit bigger than a normal throw blanket like he’d been using. I was worried after washing it a few times the faux fur would get clumpy, but almost a year later it’s still going strong! I got him the twin-sized one, but they come in throw, twin, queen, and even king! Mine is the throw size, which I also got for a bunch of people last year for Christmas. They get used a lot, and I love it!
Satin pillowcases are something I don’t make the bed without nowadays. Since both of us have longer curly hair, the satin pillowcases help reduce knots and frizzing! I have the coral set of queen-sized one, while Andrew has the silver-gray ones. Bonus perk: Andrew got a nose bleed in his sleep last week, and the blood rinsed right out of the pillowcase!
Because of my preference for an older style of furniture, almost all of our furniture is secondhand. The mid-century modern dresser set I got at a yardsale a couple of days before Andrew proposed to me. They were in rough shape with scratches and missing pulls, but I took a chance on them. Since they are made of good wood, they cleaned up nicely with (you guessed it) vinegar and olive oil, but I did use the walnut method on some of the scratches as well. Andrew welded the pulls, and I love how well they complement each other.
Not pictured is my nightstand, which I never had a need for before this house, so I didn’t own one until my great-grandmother’s estate sale when I bought hers. I planned to clean it up and refinish it, but I still haven’t refinished it, and I may not for now.
The mirror was something my brother picked up for someone to take to the dump, and I got it instead. It’s so pretty! And it started a bit of an obsession with gilded mirrors, but I’ve been good and only bought one more so far.
We are currently using two rugs in our room because we haven’t wanted to invest in another large one yet (and I haven’t found the perfect one yet. I’m being picky, remember?). So my side of the room is a bit more classy and his is more simple (see the first photo of the finished room). His rug is the one with the tag saying “indeterminable materials” that has made me really conscious of what material is used in the new carpets I’m bringing into the house.
Since the windows in the house are probably original (yes, they do have some waves!), I wanted to make sure the window treatments would be able to keep the heat out in the summer and the cold out in the winter, but I also wanted to be able to open the curtains and enjoy the view. I purchased some inexpensive sheers from Walmart with the hope of either embroidering on them eventually or buying prettier ones later. I knew I wanted both sheers (for a little extra privacy and hopefully some protection from UV…and because they’re pretty!) and room darkening curtains. I found these great dual drapery rods, and now I have enough of them for almost all of the downstairs windows as well.
The last little detail that’s making me smile is the Victorian style chair. I found a wonderful drop leaf table at the ReStore (with Habitat for Humanity) with these chairs, and I had to have them. The table and some of the chairs will end up in the parlor, but I’ve also put one of the chairs in our room, the guest room, and my study. They go well in every room of the house!
Here are other rooms of the house: