Help with decorating my childhood bedroom

11 years ago

Hello all. I need your help please. I recently left my contemporary condo in Miami Beach to return to my childhood home in a small rural town to care for my 87 yr old ailing mother. My bedroom is painted pink with pink floral wallpaper trim and rose colored carpet. I can't replace the carpet but I have to do something with this room so I can sleep without having nightmares! I have already removed the pink ruffled bedding and replaced it with white and grey pottery barn sheets/bed skirt/duvet cover etc. And removed the pink ruffled curtains (on a single window). I've started removing the pink flower wallpaper boarder but I'm stuck with the rose colored carpet. (The picture of me at 16 yrs of age will be relocated to my mother bedroom!)

I'm thinking about painting the walls a light gray and intalling a gray design curtain. I've order new gray barrel shades for the pink lamp bases but would really appreiciate any ideas on how to make this room livable without spending too much money.

I don't know how to attach multiple pictures so I included a picture that shows most of the room. Any ideas - and true light gray paint color ideas would be helpful. I'm limited to Sherwin Williams, Valspar and Walmart for paint shopping.

The exposed light bulbs on the ceiling fan also have to go but I need a fan in my bedroom because my mother is constantly cold and I'm constantly hot!

HELP PLEASE!

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Comments (6)

camlan
11 years ago
I think pink can be part of a sophisticated color scheme. Grey and pink and a touch of black and a bit of sparkling silver can come across as very grown-up, not little girly.

So I think grey walls would be a good place to start. You will need to have a couple of touches of pink somewhere else in the room so that the carpet doesn't stand out as the only pink thing in the room. A pillow on the bed. A bit of pink in a patterned curtain. Your lamps. A throw. That way, the pink looks intentional and not as if you were stuck with carpet that you are trying to ignore.

Some black would help to ground the room. A black nightstand or throw or picture frame or lamp or vase. Something silver and sparkling, like a mirrored nightstand or silver lamp or mirror or candlestick, to add light and sparkle.

They sell all sorts of glass shades that would create a less girly look that the ruffled shades you have now on the ceiling fixture. Some are frosted glass that would help to hide the light bulbs a bit. There are also small bulbs that would be less noticeable.

Adding drawer knobs to the dresser might help update it a bit. It can also be painted--you could try black or a silver leaf finish. The lamps could also be painted if you don't like the color, or they could be stenciled or otherwise decorated. Check out the Apartment Therapy website for a lot of tutorials on how to DIY changes like that.

Also, look at how the furniture is arranged. Can you create a more adult room by adding a reading chair, side table and floor lamp? Putting the dresser into a closet so that the room looks more like a studio apartment than a bedroom? You should think about what would make this room a sanctuary for you, a place to rest and recharge. A chaise lounge? A recliner? A beautiful piece of artwork? Plan on one "splurge" item that will give you peace and joy at the end of the day.

I'd paint the walls and then take your time finding things for the rest of the room, your accessories and window treatments. It could be a fun hunt for just the right thing, and a nice break from care-giving.

I've attached one of my favorite inspiration photos. This is from my "How I'm going to live when I retire" wish list. This is a pink room that is far from little-girly. You can see how she took a somewhat bland beige carpet and incorporated it into a pink color scheme with some personal flair and sophistication.
palimpsest
11 years ago
I think the rose colored carpet will read completely differently once you have gotten rid of the pink walls.

I would take the light kit off the ceiling fan and just use it as a fan. The lighting provided by a central fixture like this is mostly glare; it's unflattering and maybe useful for when cleaning the room but mostly too harsh.

The simple white furniture should be pretty easy to work with.
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Comments (13)
Great space! You have some excellent pieces to work with! Your space could really benefit from a few pops of color. The recommendation would be to pull colors from your beautiful prints. Most of your furniture can stay as it works really well with the boho-mod look. Consider adding an accent chair to replace the one dining chair, paint a deep blue accent wall- perhaps behind the headboard- add a couple of wall sconces, and layer in some fresh textiles. Depending on your budget, look at thrift stores and/or West Elm, Target, and World Market. The artwork on your large dresser could be hung just above the dresser with the top of the frame lining up with the bottom of the header door trim. Consider the two other pieces on the wall opposite the dresser with a couple of wood box beam floating shelves, a metallic dimensional piece and a few accessories to create more of a gallery wall look. Happy Decorating!
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All you have is neutrals, so you have a lot of freedom with other colors. I'd start with either a large piece of art for over the headboard, and then take colors from that for the rest of the room, or a set of sheets/duvet with a pattern you like and then take some accents from that.
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I do think you have too much that matches. For art, I'd get what you love and not worry about whether it's the same size or "coordinates" or anything else. You might do a small gallery wall on one side (including one or two 3-dimensional pieces), and a large image (canvas or framed) on the other. But whatever you decide, don't go out and look for "art." Look for what you love; maybe you already have it! I'd replace at least one of the lamps with something different since the nightstands appear to be the same. (Again, something you love.) If it's you and your partner you can each decorate or keep on your nightstand what works for you be it a plant, pictures, water pitcher, books, reading glasses, etc. These should be your individual islands that work for you and less a "decorating surface." If the colors work for you, great! But I find them dull and uninteresting. (That said, I despise browns and beiges and grays so take my advice for what it is worth.) What colors turn you on? Use some of them in wallpaper, paint, curtains, pillows, comforter.
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Instead of adding shelves, look for a narrow white table surface and chair to use for your makeup near your small dresser, which I would also paint white (try Ikea). Use a white roman shade on the window. Replace the light with a chandelier. Paint the walls a very light grey tinted white, and use a deep pink color with white on your bedding. I love pink, but I agree that pink walls may not work with the wood units. If you're willing to paint the shelving white, you can use a soft pink on the walls. Deep bedding like this if you keep the wood: Or paint the woodwork white: You might consider opening some of he shelving if you don't need it all for closed storage. A simple table surface like this with a chair, only in white.
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cat_mom
11 years ago
Reading your thread reminded me of our house when we first bought it. The MB walls were Pepto pink. We painted the walls white very shortly after moving in. During the short time the walls were still pink, DH was convinced the carpeting in the MB was pink as well (it's light grey--probably appeared pink because of the walls)!!!
yayagal
11 years ago
To diminish the look of pink you have to use a chocolate or dark brown color so concentrate on finding an area rug in one of those tones, preferable with a strong pattern to draw the eye away from the pink. Use the rug as your inspiration for the rest of the room. You can easily spray paint the lamps to a better color and add lovely shades. I see one white chest, is there other furniture in there? Yes change the fan glasses and could you have someone take down the fan so you could spray it dark brown? Take a look at SW smokey taupe paint. It would pull it all together and then some drapes and pillows and you'd be on your way.
teacats
11 years ago
Excellent ideas above -- gray and pink -- with touches of black and silver and white would be wonderful in your room!

Just want to say that I think that you are truly the best kind of daughter to come home and care for your mum! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Phoebe Howard -- designer -- pink bedroom
Susan
11 years ago
lol camlan i love your picture!

Help with decorating my childhood bedroom

Comments (6)

camlan

palimpsest

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yayagal

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