Would you consider painting the furniture?

Old furniture is chic and pairs well with modern interiors. My first suggestion would be to break it up- for instance get an upholstered headboard, use the nightstands in a different room, that sort of thing. The color seems very current so while I like painted it doesn't seem warranted here.

No, we would prefer not to paint the furniture. And it's cherry wood! Here is a photo of the nightstand with some of the colors/color combinations we're considering for the walls.

It's lovely furniture. I think you can decorate around it, using cleaned-lined bedding and contemporary-leaning lamps, rug, and artwork. I actually think you can achieve a very interesting space utilizing what you have, but being sure to carefully curate the other elements. Avoid anything fussy. Go for simplicity and sleekness, but be sure to incorporate items that represent who YOU are ... artwork that speaks to you, instead of simply "matching" in color, for example.

The furniture is fine in the natural finish. Pick a modern wallpaper instead of changing the furniture. Add new bedding. For a simpler look, don't use a dust ruffle or extra decorative pillows.

I think it would be nice if you kept all the soft goods (curtains, bedding, etc) very very simple. Also some cool modern artwork would be interesting. Can you install hard wood instead of laminate?

A couple thoughts: are the pieces all part of a set? The nightstand top looks to be cherry, but the bed looks different. Greens go well with cherry, but off white is a great neutral.

What will this bedroom be used for? Is it a guest room? Vanities aren't used as much today, so unless the room is large, something else, like a chest of drawers or bookcase might be more useful, if you need anything at all.

Finally, what caused the mold? It's not enough to treat it, you need to address the underlying issue. Do you have a leaky foundation or roof?

Thanks everyone for the comments! It’s all cherry wood, it just looks different in the pictures, it’s indeed a set! What do you think of the color combinations we chose? The cause of the mold has already been fixed! The bathroom was right next to it as well as one above it, but both have already been completely renovated!

That is some lovely furniture! I wouldn't paint it. Instead I would pair it with crisp contemporary bedding and lamps.

I'm not an expert on wall color. You could really go with so many options. Some kind of warm gray / greige would be nice. Or if you want something more saturated, I think navy blue would look lovely with that wood.

^^^ Yes. Nice choices.

@Maureen absolutely stunning ideas for this poster!

@Maureen love that look!

Absolutely love the ideas above! Thank you!!!

Please post pictures as you go along updating the room. We love seeing the transformation.

@njmomma I definitely will! We’re cleaning the walls today and will put a primer on the walls and the ceiling! Will post photos later today😁

DO NO PAINT IT!! This fad too will pass!!!

How lucky for you to inherit solid pieces of bedroom furniture. Most of today's affordable furniture offers such a poor quality/price ratio. I like the look of your inherited pieces and agree Maureen's ideas are bang on. Looking forward to seeing this room once done. Good luck with everything!

The OP already said she is not considering painting the furniture.

Love Maureen's suggestions! Rather than go simple on the rest of the decor, you might consider going French country, with an abundance of pattern, like toiles and checks. Here are some for inspiration:

French country retreat · More Info

Seattle Master Bedroom · More Info

French Country Estate · More Info

Cashiers · More Info

Alabama Lake Home · More Info

Diane's examples are lovely. Just goes to show there's more than one way to create a beautiful room. OP, your idea of a "modernish" room can certainly be achieved with non-modern furniture if you think of modern as being designed to meet today's needs rather than strictly a "look". For example, lamps with USB ports might be appreciated. Comfortable bedding is a must. This non-modern furniture wouldn't impede you from offering your guests a comfortable stay.

Love this post! So informative.

There is such a fear of color and pattern lately, which is sad, as this is what warms up a room. The gray on gray on gray is so depressing.

I love @Diana Bier Interiors, LLC ideas! But it's a little bit too busy for my parents' taste! I agree that there's a fear of color nowadays. If it wasn't for the furniture, we would've definitely gone a bit more colorful but since we've already got a whole bunch of heavy furniture in a warm color, we would like to neutralize it a little bit just to make it a bit calmer and more peaceful. (my mom is a very hectic and a busy person so the room needs to be a place where her mind can come to rest)

What does everyone think of these lamps? I think these would go nice with the room!

This is where we’re at with the room right now! We’ll probably go with the laminate flooring shown below with the walls in one of those color combinations.

Great progress! The laminate looks nice and seems a good neutral colour. Much more comfortable flooring than the tile. What do you mean by colour combinations for the walls? Were you planning on walls of different colours? In any case, even if choosing a light wall colour, you might want to decide on it after choosing and seeing the bedding in the room's light because, sometimes, off-white in the store (or on-line) is beige in the room, etc. Colours are tricky like that. Not sure about the lights. Was the pendant to replace the chandelier? I don't know your budget but I really like Maureen's beaded chandelier suggestion. Really depends on the whole style direction you'll choose. Some people describe lighting as the jewelry in a room and decide on it last. If you share your budget and the dimensions of the room (to help determine the amount of light needed), people might have suggestions.

Fwiw, I wouldn't describe the furniture as "heavy", not on my screen at least. The curved details are nice and curves are coming back in interiors now. I was leafing through my copy of Katie Ridder's beautiful book "Rooms" yesterday and spotted a lot of brown wood furniture in her bedrooms. Googled to find images for you because I'm too lazy to take a picture of my book this morning. :)

Found this picture of her 2018 Kips show house bedroom.

And on this blog, they feature some of her rooms with a bedroom or two with "heavy" wood furniture.

@tartanmeup Thank you! We were planning on painting one wall in a darker shade and the other ones in an off-white color, but I'm still unsure if that's a good idea. Yes, the pendant is to replace the chandelier. I loved the beaded chandelier that Maureen suggested, and personally would've gone with something like that, however, my parents still like the more traditional style and would prefer to go with something like the pendant I've sent. The room is fairly small, about 17 m2.

I love the rooms in the photos you've sent! Very beautiful and still quite serene. We will probably keep it more traditional, I wanted to make it more modernish but my parents prefer a more traditional style!

Thank you so much for your input, very interesting and helpful!

Didn’t realize bedroom was for your parents, therefore suggest a modern twist on traditional. I think the lights you chose could actually come across as old fashioned when paired with the furniture. I would hold off until you get a better sense of the room. Also suggest painting the whole room the same color to make it feel larger

Alexia, on my screen that laminate looks a little grey, which is a waning trend. It also makes decorating tougher. Do they have a light wood color, like a birch? To me, that is more neutral.

We have a lot of cherry furniture in our house, and I chose cherry kitchen cabinets. Because it is red, it looks good with green shades. You might look at a pale green color for all the walls.

That would look good with crisp white sheets and bedding. How about a vintage quilt?

I agree about the grey laminate! I think it will show as very high contrast. If possible any laminate with a earth tout might suit the furniture better. Mid tone honey laminates possibly in an antique or rustic or distressed finish might be a consideration? Bring in a few more samples after the paint iso the walls. There is soooo much to choose from in any store!

PS if you are not painting the wood trim on the windows, you might let the wood trim stain point you in the floor color choice. Maybe cut the floor color to half the stain on the window stain for floor consideration?

Maureen I love ❤️ the choices in the blue mock ups! The lamps and pillows are lovely! I am going to consider those lamps for a navy and white guest room in my home! Thanks!

@Susan Davis It really is a versatile lamp for so many styles. Good luck with your guest room - love navy and white.

Maureen: You should put "pro" in front of your posts. I love your ideas and I love the furniture. Real wood is so beautiful in my opinion. It seems timeless.

Diana: Your pictures are inspiring. I know I am frightened of color as well. When you put it together, well, it is just that......together. I even started a discussion after using a "colorist". The adobe dust was fine considering my art, then my daughter said it looked like the inside of a Taco Bell. In fact that is the name of the blog, "My daughter thinks the paint looks like the inside of a Taco Bell". lol. It completely threw me off and now the whole thing is winding up cream. I mean really it is intimidating. I think the furniture will look beautiful in either Maureen's or your presentations. I wish I could think like you two.

It is in your heart, your mind, and your soul. My daughter really has color in her. She was adopted from Russia and there was nothing bleaker then that orphanage. She was immediately transfixed on color. Really. As soon as she could stand I put her on the back deck in her diaper and placed a whole bunch of colors in empty ice cube trays. She intuitively knew which colors went together. Her paintings were seriously better than a lot of modern art I had or had seen. I continued to provide her with paper on easels as soon as she could stand up. I called the local town newspaper and they came by and seriously she wound up on the front page of the small paper. At about five I could show her a color of something and she could go to the many colors at home depot and pick out the exact color. She makes every excuse not to become a colorist even after I showed her how much I paid for six hours and wound up using my daughter's choices. You should look up Mary Morrissey. She starts out by saying we have to push away what we perceive are obstacles (money, divorce, children, health) and see what we want to happen. I found her because I can no longer practice speech pathology in schools the way I want to and the way I know is right. It came to me that I want to be a life coach because I love bringing out what people are meant to do and what would make them really happy. That is when Mary Morrissey popped up on my computer. I put it out there in the universe and there it was. Am I a life coach yet? No but I listen to the inspirations and I know I will. I keep visualizing what I want and I know it will come. I would pay you with a degree or not. lol I wish you lived near me.

Back to the furniture. I just came across this on Marie Killam's blog. I want OA to scroll down and look at the bedroom with the light oak furniture. Things just come to you when you ask. lol https://mariakillam.com/4bestwhites/

Isn't that almost exactly what Maureen was showing with the rug, pillows. Simply elegant.

That is absolutely glorious. I got goose bumps that won't go away. I really get it. Believe it or not my father, born in 1901, believed in mind control and he taught me so much. He believed you could heal your body and would say, "Relax and cure". It was amazing when he got my mom, who had MS to move her toes. She didn't believe in it and got angry so he stopped. Did your daughter pursue the inner talents? It's funny, my niece had inner art. At five she made a rose with dew on it and it looked so real. My sister demanded she was going to be a doctor. Her parents sent her to one school with excellent pre-med. I saw her loosing more and more weight, I mean seriously. She said she didn't want to be a doctor so they sent her to a school to be a physician assistant. She became alarmingly thinner and thinner and they were in denial. Finally, she went to the Center for Creative Studies her in Michigan and got a degree in Computer Design, got married, had two children and guess what? She has developed her own line of clothes. Really cool. I have been telling my daughter about her talents. So what does she do? She decides to be an engineer, wastes so much money to find out it is not for her. It is like if a mother says it (a single mother) it must be wrong. lol We really shouldn't be doing this. I just have a feeling about you. Intuition!

I know, don‘t like to take over the post. All the best!

Wall colour is the very last thing to choose. First choose the floor, bedding, rugs, curtains, and lighting with the proper temperature of bulbs. All of these things will influence how the wall colour looks in your room.

Two colors that have been favorites on Houzz are SW Sea Salt and BM Revere Pewter. For what it is worth! 🤗 you might like the look with your warmer cherry!