It seems like every room in our house goes through a slow, often ongoing transformation, and the bedroom is no exception. In past homes we chronicled the gradual changes in our master bedroom and our daughter’s room, and our current bedroom has been following a similar winding path.
bench / rug / plant / similar floor lamp, chair, pillow / garden stool / chandelier / art (top, bottom)
When we bought the house, the bedroom was a bland canvas: walls, ceiling, trim, and carpet all in similar off-white tones. Over the past 3.5 years we’ve made a number of updates—hardwood floors, a stint with dark blue paint, a frame gallery, then a repaint in greige—and the room has gradually become more layered and comfortable.
Two recent changes made a big impact. Change #1: the light fixture. We loved the brass-and-glass fixture we’d installed a couple years ago, but it felt undersized for the room. Rather than rush into replacing it, we waited until we found something we truly loved. Last December a capiz chandelier caught our eye on sale and the price made it a no-brainer, so we ordered it.
curtains / rug / bench / plant / garden stool / similar chair / chandelier / inlay dresser / night stands
The larger scale suits the room better, and the shiny chrome finish ties in with other finishes in the space—floor lamp, nightstand hardware, and chair feet—so the mixed-metal look feels intentional. We’re big fans of capiz; it’s a finish we’ve used elsewhere in the house and it reads both delicate and substantial depending on the setting.
The fixture arrived just before Christmas, beautifully packaged. Every capiz strand was individually wrapped to avoid breakage, which made assembly a bit tedious but worthwhile. It took time to untape and unfurl each strand—enough that I eventually handed the job off to Sherry—but the result is a chandelier that’s not only prettier than our old single-bulb fixture but also brighter, with three bulbs that improve functional lighting.
Change #2: the bed. Our old Ikea platform bed used slats, which we learned wasn’t ideal for our foam mattress compared to a boxspring setup. To improve sleep comfort without buying new furniture, we swapped beds with the guest room, which already had a traditional bed frame and boxspring. The new bed felt grounded and substantial thanks to the skirt, which made the room feel more finished.
We re-hung a fabric headboard we’d made previously. To secure it we used a simple cleat system made from two 2×4 boards with angled cuts—one attached to the wall, the other fastened to the headboard—so the headboard locks into place. It’s a sturdy, low-profile solution that works well for heavy, deep headboards; for thinner pieces, metal cleats are an easier alternative.
The two small updates—swapping the bed and upgrading the chandelier—have refreshed the room and made it cozier and more functional. Looking at the gallery wall now, we realized a few frames are overdue for new photos since the kids keep changing every year, so a future update will likely include refreshed prints.
Burger, our chihuahua, of course offered his official pillow-sit-of-approval—no photo shoot is complete without him settling into a pillow. He makes the room feel lived-in and loved.
similar white pillows, yellow pillows, duvet, lamps, frames / night stands / curtain rods
The evolution isn’t finished—when is it ever? We’re likely to remove the TV from the room soon (it hasn’t been used in almost three years) which will free up that wall for something more interesting. I’ve joked about a climbing wall, but we’ll see what Sherry says about that idea.
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