Ugh — I woke up feeling awful today, probably food poisoning or a stomach bug. While I hide out and avoid spreading whatever this is to the rest of the household (so far everyone else is fine), I thought it would be a good moment to share a timeline of how our bedroom has changed since we moved in. Rooms here never transform overnight; they evolve through trial and error, and the bedroom has been no exception. Below is a chronological look at the last twenty months of updates. It’s not finished, but it’s come a long way, and it’s fun to revisit those awkward middle stages and laugh at our own experiments.
This run-through is a reminder that small adjustments, combined with a few bigger moves, can breathe new life into a room as you discover what works for your space and lifestyle. We’ve grown to enjoy the gradual process—tweaks over time are part of the fun. Here’s the very first photo of our bedroom from the day we moved in: a literal blank canvas.
For the first few weeks we just plopped furniture down and slept on a mattress at floor height. Waking up from that low setup was one of those memorable “never again” experiences.
Soon after we introduced “Ed the Bed,” a large framed bed that seemed right for our new, much larger bedroom. Our old room had been only about 10 x 11 feet, while this space is roughly 16 x 16, so a big, bold bed felt fitting.
We also grabbed a duvet on clearance from West Elm as a temporary solution, with plans to upgrade if we found something better. In hindsight, we probably should have waited for a piece we both loved. For now that duvet sits folded in the playroom in case we reuse the fabric for curtains or another project.
Next came a dramatic chandelier—a big snowball-shaped fixture that quickly became one of our favorite focal points to admire before bed. At first it hung a little low due to Ed’s tall posts, so we had to adjust things.
We spent some time modifying Ed to remove the encroaching posts and added a large jute rug to warm up the original, slightly splintery wood floors. That simple rug change made the room feel cozier right away.
At a yard sale we found two Alaskan botanical prints—meaningful because we honeymooned in Alaska—so we hung them on either side of the bed with a stuffed ram in the middle for a touch of whimsy.
The room remained steady for a while until Ramsey the ram fell during a shoot, which led us to rearrange the botanicals and rethink scale. We also discovered a new outlet rug that injected fresh energy into the space—sometimes a single bargain find can get you unstuck and inspire more changes.
We experimented with inexpensive prints and different pillows for a bit, shuffling items from other rooms to test looks without committing to big purchases. Eventually we returned to the botanicals and settled on a set of lamps we actually bought for this room instead of repurposing leftovers.
Then we moved the bed to a wall we’d previously thought would be too complicated because of an off-center window and a shallow nook. The first attempt looked odd, but after re-hanging art and shifting furniture we found an arrangement we loved.
We also gave Ed a small “haircut,” tweaking the frame to better suit the scale of the light fixture and the room overall.
To add softness, we built an upholstered headboard. That DIY touch instantly made the bed feel more composed and cozy.
One of the biggest changes was painting the walls a deeper tone—Rockport Gray by Benjamin Moore. The darker paint made the headboard and chunky white trim stand out and gave the room a moody, sleep-friendly feel. John had been pushing for it for months; he was right.
The new color especially highlights the white trim around the sink nook and ties the whole space together much better than the original pale walls.
We still have plans to:
- refinish the floors
- possibly paint the ceiling a very pale blue
- furnish the bare wall across from the bed
- convert a window to a door leading to the deck
- eventually vault the ceiling for a cozy peaked look
It’s interesting to look back at each phase—it’s like a time capsule of our tastes, experiments, and learning curve. Our first house evolved the same way: moving items around, mixing thrifted and budget finds from Ikea and Target, making mistakes, and gradually arriving at what we love. Would we skip the missteps if we could rewind? Maybe, but those wrong turns taught us a lot and led to better decisions down the road.
Some pieces have remained through all the changes:
- Ed the bed (with its updated trim)
- a free, hand-me-down dresser from John’s parents
- the leaning mirror John gave me as a wedding present in 2007
- our inexpensive Ikea chandelier
Other items were borrowed from other rooms, like a mirror that used to hang in the living room and a small white cabinet from the dining room. And some things moved on—old rugs and nightstands were repurposed or sold to fund new tweaks.
We’ve learned that inexpensive buys, like yard-sale side tables, are low-risk: they can be reused in another room, resold, or painted. Undoing a mistake—changing paint, reupholstering a piece—usually isn’t permanent and can be the bridge between “not sure” and “love it.” Flexibility makes decorating less intimidating and more playful.
Seeing all these photos together is satisfying, and we plan to document other rooms the same way as they evolve—linking project posts so anyone can follow a room’s progression and find details about each phase. Many readers have requested an organized “room evolutions” area, and we’re aiming to make that easier to browse over time.
Have you photographed a room over time? Did it take multiple paint colors to get right? Were you surprised by what stayed and what went? Small shifts—rearranging furniture, trimming a bed frame, or adding a DIY headboard—can make a huge difference. For us, the upholstered headboard and our oversized pineapple-based lamps are current favorites.
What’s your favorite thing in your bedroom?
By the way, we’re visiting John’s grandmother in Huntington, WV, this month. If you’d like us to visit and see your home while we’re in Huntington or Charleston, WV, send submission photos to [email protected] — we love touring interesting spaces.