Here are 11 great ideas to help you create a stunning and cozy retreat that feels modern and fresh. These simple tips will help you make your primary bedroom look updated in no time!
There’s one room in our homes where we all spend most of our time.
It’s not the kitchen.
Or the living room.
It’s our bedroom.
And for some reason, it’s often one of the last places that we take the time to decorate (unless you’re AnnMarie who has a gorgeous bedroom!)
After all, who else really sees it?
Which is really kind of sad when you think about it!
My husband and I definitely fell into that mindset: we decorated the living areas of our home first.
And our kids’ bedrooms.
About eight years ago, we took the time to actually paint our bedroom.
I got the idea in my head that we should paint it a tranquil color, like a spa.
Every Great Makeover Begins with Some Before Pictures!
Then my husband read somewhere that you should always go one color darker on a paint strip…
So my tranquil, spa blue ended up a little more vibrant than I pictured.
He also doesn’t like cutting in or taping when he paints, so we ended up painting the ceiling the same color.
It’s not awful.
But it never really came together the way I pictured it.
It’s a lot of turquoise…
Since it’s just our bedroom, we’ve lived with it.
The funny thing about not loving the way a space looks is the way it can be uninspiring for keeping it picked up and tidy…
It’s probably the cleanest and tidiest it’s been in a long time in these pictures!
After all, now you’re seeing it too.
You inspired me to get it cleaned up!
Because the time has come for this bedroom to get a glow-up.
The kids are all moving out, and we finally have time to do projects.
Over the past few years, my style has evolved and I finally feel comfortable tackling this room, and I am so. darn. excited!
Are you ready to see what I’ve got planned?
Here’s My Plan to Update the Main Bedroom in My Home
My plan is to go with a deep, rich color scheme with lots of cozy textures mixed in.
Plus some antique gold accents for a little bling.
And of course, I plan to add some trim to dress things up after seeing the impact it made in my laundry room and my upstairs hallway!
1. Refresh the paint color scheme
It’s time for the turquoise to go.
I’m planning to do the wall that the bed is on a dark green from Benjamin Moore.
Peale Green is a warmer dark green than the green I used on laundry room cabinets.
The rest of the walls, doors, and trim are all going to be White Dove, a warm white by Benjamin Moore. I’ve used White Dove in my game room, laundry room, and hallway.
The ceiling is going to be White Dove too.
There are a few pieces of furniture that I’m planning to paint Onyx, my favorite shade of black.
I plan to change most of the metals to antique gold.
2. Build a coffered ceiling
First, we’re going to make the ceiling more interesting by adding coffers.
My husband designed and built the coffers in our family room, and we plan to do something similar in our primary bedroom.
We’ll use 6-inch boards instead of 8-inch ones because the ceilings aren’t as high in the master bedroom.
And we’ll be skipping the square details at the intersections.
3. Add wall trim for visual interest
I’m a sucker for picture frame moulding, so I’ll definitely be installing it in our main bedroom!
I love how the designers installed the picture frame boxes in a variety of sizes in this room.
It really frames both the windows and the fireplace, don’t you think?
I think I’m going to do something similar, but I’m also considering sticking with large boxes.
You’ll have to subscribe so you don’t miss what I end up doing!
4. Replace the carpeting with wood flooring
This is a pretty big project and we’re actually replacing all the carpeting upstairs with this hickory engineered hardwood flooring.
After 16 years, the carpet has gotten pretty grungy!
We debated more carpeting, but in the long run, wood floors are the better choice for our home.
We ended up getting an amazing deal on this particular floor when Pergo discontinued it!
It was a little bit of a challenge to track down enough boxes from all our local Lowe’s Home Improvements, but my tenacious husband did it!
5. Add a patterned area rug
After changing to hardwood floors, we’ll need some area rugs to cozy up the bedrooms.
I’m loving the rich charcoal colors in this rug for the primary bedroom.
It’s also really affordable!
There’s also part of me that likes the idea of bringing in even more color like the red rug in the inspiration picture.
What do you think of this rug instead?
6. Swap the ceiling fan for a light fixture
We installed a ceiling fan almost immediately after moving into our home in 2006.
But we rarely actually use the fan, so I want to change it for a more stylish light fixture.
I got an amazing deal on this gold drum chandelier from Amazon when I chose the “new like used” option!
7. Hang a meaningful gallery wall over the bed
My husband and I have been together for 30 years, married for almost 28 of them.
We’ve collected lots of memories along the way with so many photos!
I plan to hang a gallery wall of black and white photos with pictures throughout the years in gold gallery frames on the wall above the bed.
8. Add texture by swapping the table lamps
We currently have brushed nickel candlestick lamps on our bedside tables.
As much as I like them, I want to add more texture and warmth to this bedroom.
These woven seagrass table lamps with linen lampshades add lots of cozy vibes.
9. Update the furniture hardware
We’ve had this bedroom set of cherry furniture with satin nickel hardware since we moved into this house.
It’s really well-made and I love the rich warm wood tones.
All it needs is some antique gold accents like these handles and these drawer pulls to coordinate with the vibe I want to bring to the space.
10. Swap the curtains
We hung grommet-top curtains in our room from plumbing pipe rods, and they just don’t go with the style in the room or my home.
I’ll be updating the curtains to linen drapes with pinch pleats for a little more formal look that suits the space.
These chunky gold curtain rods will coordinate better with the room’s design too.
11. Bounce light with more mirrors
It’s time to update my full-length mirror from the warped mirror that’s meant to hang on the back of a door!
I’m loving this floor mirror with the arch detail at the top!
I’ve recently brought in a small chest of drawers on the small wall where the table is sitting in the before pictures.
I plan to hang some round decorative mirrors above the chest to bounce some light around the the space.
Now that the fixer upper house is finished, we’re ready to jump into this primary bedroom makeover project!
It’ll probably happen in stages, so be sure to subscribe so you can follow along.
Resources and Shopping Links
Click on any image to shop items from this post
Sources: Linen Pinch Pleat Drapes | Gold Drawer Pulls | Gold Drum Chandelier | Charcoal and Olive Loloi Rug | Round Gold Wall Mirrors | Gold Curtain Rods | Woven Table Lamp | Arched Gold Floor Mirror [not pictured] Gold Drawer Handles | Gold Gallery Wall Frames |
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