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Today, we’re thrilled to share our master bedroom reveal!
{…And a bit of an update on where we are.}
It only took us one year. Precisely 6 months from actually moving in. And we are so glad to have it put together.
For some reason, most people wait to have their master finito until the rest of their home is done.
Cue movie-segue-music-record-screech, because I say ‘for some reason’, but we all know why: there are always higher priorities and we always put ourselves last. So it’s always last. We say it makes a big difference to have it all put together and functioning again. But I’m pretty sure it would have been pushed to the back of the line for us, as well because our bark is louder than our bite. Or something.
But we decided it was now or never.
Because we’re on the brink. The very brink of getting an approval for the basement. ::Insert happy dancing lady emojis here::
Which is another beast in itself, and then at the same time we hope to coordinate the exterior, as well. If you’ve been following along with all of our rehab drama {bless you- we should send you Cadbury Egg bouquets or something}, septic and some other issues have been a nightmare that we just weren’t ready for with the entire money pit saga, {it’s what they’re known for}.
But they’ve also been kinda nice about it all. {Which makes it harder, because we want to stomp our foot and scream and cry and say HURRY THE FREAK UP ALREADY like a couple of two year olds}. So while we’re close to beginning an entirely new project, finishing up the build on the new hideaway, and we have some really exciting client installs coming your way because we’re slowly but surely expanding…
You have one big ridiculous over-explanation alongside our master bedroom overhaul today. Wheeeeee!
Because life is kinda crazy right now, it’s about to get crazier {in a good way} and we kind of needed a retreat.
I lost my ever-loving mind the other day since living and working in 1700 square feet with five people and two giant dogs have been a bit of a challenge for us. {Edited to say – we know it’s all about perspective but all our friends and fam live in 4,000 sq ft +, so we feel like the odd birds over here} So I went on a total rampage and purged the entire upstairs. Pro to living in a smaller space – you don’t hold on to all the things.
It probably took around 8 hours, and my back was killing me, but it felt like I’d lost twenty pounds of outgrown clothes, useless toys they no longer play with, and switching out the winter wardrobe for the spring/summer/organized one. Earlier in the week we even donated about ten boxes we’d had sitting in storage. When we moved in, we kind of went into survival mode and stopped purging. It felt good to get all caught up again, even though there’s still more to do. There’s a transition that happens when you switch homes of figuring out what works and what doesn’t.
So we’ve been in the zone.
When we moved in, this place had some old carpet, dusty brass ceiling fans, sketcho grease marks on the wall, and this odd configuration, to boot.
I’ll never forget the way it smelled.
The other side had a bathroom with the whole charming hair-on-a-soap affect. The overhaul process {we were in for a real treat} included mold underneath the floor, a slight splattering of sewage in our basement, and vomit on the bedroom wall. Don’t ask. Because we still don’t know. But I’m telling y’all, after taking all this on, we can tackle anything ourselves. The only thing that still freaks me out are roaches {three babies were in my hair the other day – yes, again, don’t ask- I’m still traumatized and totally lost all my crap. All of it.} and the occasional spider because spiders.
If anyone thinks our job is glamorous, let it be known here and now that a. it is not. and b. we’re officially hardcore. Even if I squeal like a banshee with rabies whilst swatting at inanimate things because something is probably crawling on me. It’s like, my go-to reaction nowadays.
We loved reconfiguring this wall, so that it made more sense spatially. It also gave us a bigger walkthrough closet.
Remember the stained glass windows in our kitchen? We scored these at the flea market last spring… we even had to fight off a couple of other shoppers that were foaming at the mouth, to bring them home. It was worth knocking over that crazed lady who tried to form tackle me and threatened to bite. No regrets.
We had two more sister windows that we plan to use in fun ways around the house, but this is one of our favorites.
The original plan was to hand this space down to Emerson in the future, because we want this home to be our forever home. Now with restrictions on septic, we’re not so sure we will be able to expand, so we’ll see. It’s complicated, but we’re also willing to wait it out, because we LOVE this house and we love our community. We’re {still} just happy to be here.
The chandelier is in this space because it was one of our moving ‘constituents’ as she loves this light and had the same one hanging in her first bedroom. She wanted it to ‘move with us’, and so we ordered another and here we are.
But we love the way it works with the space.
So the room is a bit of a mix of new finds, with old ones we weren’t quite ready to part with just yet, because they work. So why reinvent the wheel? Reality, y’all. And budgets.
And in case you haven’t seen it, our master bath on the other side of this door…
But I’m derailing… because to see more of our master bath overhaul, be sure to check it out here
So here’s our mystery grease spot.
Now you see it…
And now you don’t. Because all of the paint.
We believe this house sat on the market for so long, because people weren’t quite sure what to do about this space, and the bathroom. We knew we had to be smart about organization and all things storage, as well. So we decided this beautiful etagere from Wayfair certainly did the trick.
It’s attractive, and works hard. Especially with these awesome baskets. They’re perfect for holding clothes, and do so with lots of style.
The rug is from our last house – a-la Loloi. We still love it. For a cream rug, it has held up beautifully.
The rehabbed dresser, nightstand with handmade knobs and closet all work alongside the fun shelf to hold all the things.
Small closets are tricky, so we had to be smart with our space. But we’re also enjoying it because it has forced us to switch out clothes according to the season, but also purge what we don’t wear. I can finally find what I want.
The fabrics are simple panels made in a casual swag via me from this gorgeous fabric a-la Online Fabric Store. That’s probably no surprise since they’re our staple go-to for all things fabric. We love their options.
And while we’re talking windows, we’re still loving our new windows from Window World – we were amazed at how much space it opened up, as well as brought in all the light.
We used a little swag action with these charming brass fox hooks available in our studio.
It’s all in the details – we loved adding hinges and knobs to our doors from D Lawless Hardware another favorite source!
We added some prettier vent covers to add a little character – it was harder to get a clear shot of the one in our bedroom so here’s the identical one downstairs –
And the pretty one from our bathroom. We love this source for all things details.
We love the transition of colors from room to room – and our barn doors which actually afforded us more space in between.
We loved the hardware we used from Artisan Hardware – a true fave of ours that we keep coming back to, again and again. And again. ;} {PSST entire the code “handmadehome” on their site and recieve 10% off your entire cart.}
We threw in some sentimental finds, like this circa 1970’s candy dish that was a gift to my parents when they got married.
She handed it down to me years ago, and I decided the perfect space was here.
We love our new duvet from Crane + Canopy.
It’s a part of their new Luxury Linen Bedding collection. It’s crafted from 100% Belgian Linen, prewashed for an extra-soft feel and relaxed look. In short, it feels like sleeping on a cloud. Our bed is now basically a cloud with a cool headboard and some fun pillows, so that’s always a nice addition, yes?
Be sure to check out some of their pillows here + we still have one of our favorite throws from their store as well, that we keep at the foot of our bed.
But here’s an up close of the charming detail on this not-so-little duvet. I’m a sucker for soft texture.
The pillows here are made of fabric from our own collection in our studio.
The designs in our fabrics are hand painted and designed by yours truly, so I guess you could say we’re biased.
The fun lumbar pillow is from Anthropologie.
We love the splash of global/bohemian vibe it brings to the space.
Our bed was from one of our collections at Joss + Main – we fell in love and purchased it years ago, and we’re actually still not tired of this color, which was one of our initial concerns. I believe we balanced it out with the fun bedding and playful colors. If you keep an eye out, it pops up often in their flash sales.
The painting is hand lettered by me – a song from our wedding that we walked back down the aisle to after we said our vows. {Fifteen years this August. (2017) If we don’t kill each other JK Nancy Grace – Where does the time go?!} #mawwiage
I use this glass lady on my side of the bed from our fun design challenge with La-Z-Boy circa three years ago. It’s such a small piece but still one of my faves and holds all things headbands/jewelry for a pretty accessory. The handmade Breakfast at Tiffany’s Mask adds a little umph with the how-to, here.
We adore this large and in charge circular mirror from Wayfair.
It has a gorgeous copper tone to it, which works beautifully with the rest of the space. I needed a full-length mirror, and then we hung this beaut on the wall. It pretty much gets the job done with all things does-this-make-my-butt-look-big.
A lot of the other finds in the space are vintage books, flea market scores and fun gems pick up along the way.
We adore the way our little closet works as a walkthrough now, since we decided to reconfigure the space.
We were thrilled to install these beautiful Pergo hardwoods throughout the home for a gorgeous, classic feel. It helped create a uniform flow between each room.
A lot of work went into this room, and it was a complete gut out: new floors, baseboards, ceiling planks – We loved the classic feel this brought to each of our spaces and thought it was a nod to the charm of older houses without getting too trendy.
Which brings me to paint colors throughout our home –
- PURE WHITE {HGSW4006}: trim, some ceilings, and our main cabinets.
- SAND DOLLAR {HGSW3117} on our kitchen island.
- NEBULOUS WHITE {HGSW4057}: On our walls
- DIVERSE BEIGE {HGSW3086}: A few of our doors for a nice deeper grey, and accent colors throughout the home.
- SWIMMING {HGSW1327}: The blue you spy throughout the rest of the home, on the ceilings + some walls
We have a gargantuan magnolia in our side yard, and love plucking some of the branches for some easy greenery in our space. We also have quite the plethora of rose bushes, thanks to the previous owners. When they’re in bloom I take full advantage.
And last but not least, these fabulous dog beds are another score from Wayfair.
The girls are big enough now that they don’t chew on things, so we decided it was time for a bit of an investment.
They love them, and they’re the perfect fit for the space; they add a lot of style without being too large and in charge – we’ve always had some cheap ones in the past. Since they’re now 2.5 years old, we decided it was time for a bit of an upgrade. {Movin’ On Up! – Cue the ear worm.} The covers are washable, and I think they’re kind of proud of their little additions. At first they were all, fow me’s?
But they’ve claimed them, and this is where they sleep each night. A part of the pack with the rest of us.
Rigby and Fitz approve of their space, too.
And that concludes our little master bedroom tour!
If I left anything out or if you have any questions, please be sure to let us know!
See more of our own home here + our spaces here + learn about our contractor + design services here
:: This post was brought to you in partnership with some of our favorite brands.. All opinions are 100% ours. Please read our full disclosure pertaining to partnerships here ::
Amy says
It’s so beautiful, I love it! Nice job. I have to admit I chuckle and do a little eye roll whenever you mention your 1700 square feet. My family of 5 has never lived in more than 1500, and we’re soon moving to approx 1200!! I just can’t imagine having much more space than that. Probably cuz I hate cleaning, haha. But I can’t wait to see what you do in the basement! Been reading your blog for a long time and love your style!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Awe thank you! And I figured someone was {eye rolling} ;} – it’s just hard to run our business, too in this house! Where do you live? Here in the south, all our friends and family live in McMansions. Like 4,000 sq ft plus. We literally are the smallest so we feel like the odd birds sometimes. ;} It’s all about perspective for sure!
Amy says
4000 square feet, wow! I can’t even think about heating/cooling/ cleaning a house like that! LOL. I don’t even know what I would do with all that space! I’m in Portland, OR, so we have mostly cute craftsman bungalow style houses. It’s cozy, and it forces me to really think hard about what comes into the house and constantly resist accumulating more stuff, (as in, “Mom, please stop mailing me boxes of random stuff from my childhood bedroom!” haha) Love the blog, thanks for all the great ideas and beautiful eye candy, as well as sharing your journey with us!
Anna says
This is gorgeous!!!! Seriously you guys out do yourselves every time! We live in the south so I get what you’re saying about square footage. We live in a smaller house. Makes me wonder what will happen to all these huge houses a few years down the road with changing economies and family dynamics.
Ashlyn says
Stunning!! I love the blue ceiling!!!
Tanya says
I love every bit of it!! just beautiful:)
Bonnie says
It’s just perfect. You did a great job. I know you are going to enjoy having your own space where you can relax checked off the list.
Sue says
This bedroom is beautiful,sunny, and so inviting. Is it possible to move the boys to the basement when you do that overhaul? Absolutely love what you are doing with this house.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Thank you so much, Sue!
We are definitely open to figuring some things out down the line. The kiddos are perfectly happy with their room shared now as it is, so we are riding that cash cow to the bank for as along as we can. We will probably get pretty creative because we love it so much. You just can’t find yards like this here without 1 million in your pocket, and the community is priceless {think Mayberry} ;}
There’s always the possibility that sewage will actually come through in a few years, which would change everything for us. So we’re willing to wait it out.
Jenny B. says
Looks lovely!! I know what that mystery grease spot is. The previous owners must have had a bed against that wall without a headboard. My husband’s greasy shoulders and bald head have left a similar stain on our bedroom wall (he likes to sit up in bed and read). I want a pretty upholstered headboard, but I fear the fabric would meet the same fate. Ick. So… ours will be wooden whenever we finally grow up and get a real bed. Enjoy your retreat! I hope it helps you recharge before you have to tackle the basement! đ
ashley @ the handmade home says
HAHA! Thanks! Yes, we totally figured it was from someone sitting in bed! ;}
Linda says
Just lovely!!
Susan says
I love that even though you moved you stayed true to your style. You didn’t go nuts buying all new stuff. I think you use color brilliantly! I would also not want to manage 4000 sf. My guess is they all have cleaning people. We have a 1500 sf moving up from a 1275 and I feel like I’m in a mansion lol.
Beth Miller says
I agree about the McMansions! Our house is the smallest in my family by a long shot. I’ve always said I don’t want a house bigger than what I can clean myself. It keeps everyone close by and utility costs aren’t outrageous! I also don’t have a house full of stuff I don’t use bc I’m picky about what I keep. I’m over in Mayberry too, Cottonwood that is! You just can’t beat Franklin! Your master looks so cozy!
Jen says
We lived in an old rental home and had horrid spiders and bugs. I about went crazy. Anyway my uncle is a farmer and he swears by a product called Tempo. I found it online. You dilute it in a spray bottle and wear gloves. When everyone is asleep spray along all your baseboards. Its safe to touch when it drys. It GOT RID OF all of the nasty bugs! In our new home we built i sprayed before we moved in.
Stephen says
What an amazing transformation. Well done!