Bedroom Makeover ~ From 90s Mauve to #Farmhouse! #FixerUpper Cape Cod #Remodel #Design

Jinx likes the new duvet

This blog is usually dedicated to book-related things, as writing and reading are my passions.  But I also post about some of my other hobbies and interests, like exploring new places, fitness, and gardening, and for the past six months, my main focus has been on remodeling our master bedroom, a space that hasn't been updated since the early 1990s when we moved in.  Decorating doesn't come easy to me, but research does...so I've been combing the internet for inspiration and pinning pictures to imitate for what seems like forever.  Like many people, we're big fans of the HGTV show Fixer Upper, and we wanted to shed our stale mauve and floral decor and do a sort of farmhouse/cottage design in its place, complete with a few interior renovations to enlarge the tiny master bathroom and move the closet from beneath a cramped sloped dormer.  

I studied the images I pinned for what it was that appealed to me, and what made certain combinations "work".  Then I tried to come up with variations that would give the design a personal flair, especially since we don't actually live in a farmhouse.  But Cape Cod has a great deal of farming history, due in part to the area being one of the first places settled by the English in the 1600s (and I happened to research a lot about that for my latest book The Haunting of Hillwood Farm!).  This means there are tons of flea market finds from old houses and barns to be found around here!  And with the entire peninsula surrounded by water, a cottage coastal theme fits right in.  So I set about combining the two sources of inspiration, and I'm excited about how it came out.

I spent a lot of time on the sites of talented bloggers who are actually good at this sort of thing, and the links they provided to products really helped me.  So I've linked the sources for some of the items in the pictures.  The majority of decor was found at those local flea markets, or at HomeGoods/Marshalls/T.J. Maxx. 

A few "Before" pics to compare to the new look:

A mauve carpet, faux finish wall paint I did myself, heavy floral drapes,
and a worn comforter from years of washing and 3 pets who love to snuggle.
Although that's just a black cat pillow in this pic--
but one of the real cats made it into the top pic above!

What a change!  The window on the back wall was removed to create a statement
wall of just shiplap, but the window in the old closet was revealed so no loss in
total windows.  Kept the bed and nightstands but got a bed frame and new lamps. 

One of two dormers in the room...the other one was in the very small closet.

This is the dormer that was hidden in the old closet.  Kept
the table but new decor and shades.

For renovations, we moved the closet to reveal a window, lifted the ceiling into the unused attic space, and enlarged the master bathroom (those pics coming soon-still a work in progress!)

More of the new look: 

Almost all of this came from flea markets except the table

The wall color is Sherwin-Williams Silver Strand

I had a line from our wedding song made into wall art via
Etsy...it's the Romance Author in me!  Tying those curtain
tabs was a little challenging, but I found a YouTube video.

Mirror and table from flea market, chair, pillow, and vase
from Marshalls and HomeGoods.

A few specific links from things I bought online if anyone likes something in the pics (I'm not an affiliate, I don't receive anything for clicks or purchases, I just know it helped me to be able to quickly find something I liked while trying to design the room!)  I'm always happy to answer questions in comments or via email too if there's something I'm forgetting!

Also, aside from Amazon which usually tries to price match all the time, most of these sites will have sale codes on a regular basis.  If there's not one advertised, I check places like RetailMeNot to find the current codes.

wreath above the bed

table lamps  (note - I don't love the shades, they look a bit yellow to me, especially up close.  But the sale price on these was great and I can replace the shades eventually)

bed frame

bed skirt

duvet cover (light gray, button style)

rug (this site had a price $100 less than others with same rug)

ceiling fan (wait for sale offers!)

console table (I got it on a half price sale!)

long white curtains  (note--these are sold per panel, not in a set.  I purchased one and then realized I had just one curtain lol)

white Roman shades

More products I looked at and the pics I used for inspiration on my Pinterest Board - Bedroom, and check back soon for the bathroom reveal!  It should be finished by this Friday, officially ending a project that took 6 months overall.  Hopefully now I can get back to writing!  Thanks for stopping by :)