My Daring Bedroom Makeover Embraces 2 Design “Hot Takes”

I have two hot takes that informed my recent bedroom makeover. First, I don’t believe in accent walls. In my mind, if you’re going to wallpaper a room, go all in. Do the whole thing top to bottom, wall to wall.

The second is your bedroom should never be the last room you tackle. People often go straight to renovating their living rooms, kitchens, and dining areas because that’s what guests see. Meanwhile, they’re sleeping on a mattress on the floor and using a moving box as a dresser. But shouldn’t your bedroom be your haven? It’s your retreat away from the world, where you curl into bed to recharge. Make your bedroom somewhere calming, and your days will start and end on the right note.

All that is to say, while I currently have a tub in my living room, a bathroom vanity in my dining room, and a microwave that’s held together with masking tape, I do have a dreamy bedroom that’s 90% done.

Part of what made my bedroom redo so exciting was finally having a completely blank slate. For years, I’ve had tiny bedrooms where all I could fit was a queen bed and two tiny nightstands. Moving into this home, with a main bedroom that not only had room for a king bed but also room for a chair and a dresser (imagine that!), got my wheels turning.

The (wall-to-wall, of course) wallpaper is classically chic.

The blue and white toile wallpaper was the foundation of the entire design scheme. This print seemed big enough to hold its own given the size of the room, and it was just off from pure white, giving it a softer feel.

Going all-in throughout the room, including on the ceiling dormers, was a bold move, but it makes me feel enveloped within the space. Because of the blue and white palette, as well as keeping the palette blue and white throughout the room, the result is calming rather than frenetic. While I’ve DIYed wallpaper in the past, I do know the limits of my abilities — in this case, it made sense to hire someone to do the job!

I highlighted (and added) architectural details.

Crown molding was added to give the room a polished feel that works well with the new wallpaper. I also painted the doors throughout the house in a grayish blue (Benjamin Moore’s Apollo Blue). We’re lucky enough to have the original doors still in place here, but undoing 130 years of paint layers was a little intimidating. The easiest way to update them was to paint over them (again) in a striking color.

Throughout the room, I’ve paid attention to the devil in the details. A company called House of Antique Hardware has been my best friend. I’ve ordered door hinges (yet to be installed!), door knobs, switch plates, and outlet covers all in the same brass Victorian detail. Those are a few of the nagging pieces that are left, but they’re the details that make a room, and they’re easy to install — all you need is time (hence my not having installed all of them yet!).