My now-husband and I dated for about 13.5 months before we got engaged. In all that time, I never once saw the second floor of his house. He told me his bedroom was ugly and that it would need work before we got married, but it wasn't until after I had an engagement ring on my finger that I saw it for myself. "Ugly" was quite an understatement. When I finally got to tour the upstairs, I think I just kept repeating, "Wow." Everything in the master bedroom and bathroom was original from 1978--mashed down blue/tan/multicolored carpet, powder blue toilet and shower, blue tile floor, and a very-1970s vanity lamp hanging from a chain. Moreover, the master suite was laid out like a hotel room: The toilet and shower were enclosed in a separate room, but the sink was in the bedroom. I have often wondered what they were smoking when they designed this room. It wasn't just ugly, it was very impractical. But don't just take my word for it. Here are the "before" pictures to prove it:
My then-fiance had been waiting for a decade to redecorate the bedroom. He kept thinking that someday he'd have a wife, and then it would be time to change it. Well, "someday" finally came. About three weeks before our wedding (yes, just three weeks!) the master bedroom and bathroom were completely gutted and major renovations began. My husband did some of the prep work, but we hired a contractor to do the rest of the project, which included moving a wall, rearranging plumbing, converting the shower to a tub, enclosing the bathroom into a separate room, and much more. Literally the week of our wedding, I was at Sherwin Williams picking out paint colors. Crazy? Yeah, a little. But we were anxious to get it done. Like any project, there were some delays. The night we came home from our honeymoon, we had to move tools to the side of the room, sweep the floor, put down plastic dropcloths, and put our mattress on top (only to move it out again in the morning when the workers came back). Let's just say, it was a little bit of a stressful first week at home. But in the end, the renovation was totally worth it! We absolutely love our bedroom and bathroom now!
It was awesome to have a "blank canvas" to work with--to completely design the master suite from top to bottom--the decor and the layout--exactly the way we wanted it. It was so much fun to pick out all of the individual elements--tile, granite, cabinets, light fixtures, furniture, colors, fabrics, wall art--and see it all come together. I am so pleased with the final result! It is elegant and romantic, while still warm and comfortable. Two bedroom walls are painted a deep red; the rest of the walls are "blonde" (a golden beige). The fabrics on the bed and window treatments are gold, deep red, and brown. In the bathroom, the walls are blonde, and I brought in the red and gold with the shower curtain, window valances, and towels. We went with cherry woods and oil-rubbed bronze for all the metal fixtures. And we installed a whirlpool tub, which I use frequently--it's so relaxing!
We've come a long way from the hotel-style 1970s powder blue room that used to be there. It doesn't even feel like the same house anymore. This bedroom is truly "ours," and we love it! Here are the "after" pictures:
