In this week’s podcast, we mentioned that we were going to paint our bedroom! But that’s not all. Over the weekend we brought the speckled shag rug up to the cabin–you saw it in the main living room in yesterday’s post.
While it might not stay in that exact space forever, the cozy shag can be appreciated a lot more at the cabin. The changes were brought for three different, all at once.
- We were asked to do a nightstand campaign with Crate & Barrel! We bought our current bedroom nightstands on craigslist 6.5 years ago and they have served us well! They always clashed with our flooring in this house, which we remedied by scooting the area rug underneath them so the wood tones wouldn’t be touching. But now feels like a good time to swap them out. Maybe we’ll bring them up to the cabin, or sell them? Not sure yet. But we picked out wider, darker nightstands (that have built in, hidden plugs! What a dream!) from Crate & Barrel that we’re over the moon about.
- We were asked to do a rug campaign with Loloi! This actually has a back-story that includes an important lesson I learned as a blogger. Last June, Loloi reached out and wanted to partner on a campaign. It was a campaign that several other of my favorite home bloggers were a part of and I was excited about it–but we all had to choose different rugs. My first choice had already been taken, and I wasn’t sure if the other options would work in our house. They offered to still compensate me for choosing a different rug–and I could even return it!–to just feature it in a room in our house. I passed because I worried what you, our readers, would think about us just using a rug for photos and then sending it back. In the following weeks, I felt so foolish for passing on the opportunity because not only is Loloi a brand we would have loved to work with, but I think showing our readers one of our rooms in a reimagined way with a totally different style could actually have been a really cool project to see and do! Fast forward six months, and thankfully they reached back out to see if we would be interested in featuring one of their rugs in a similar style campaign. This time, I said yes without hesitation and even got our first choice rug that is setting the tone for me to reimagine our bedroom in a new, fresh way.
- Lastly, we were ready for a little refresh. 3 years ago, we painted our room Chelsea Gray for a tone on tone look with our bed (which we’re keeping!) but I’m looking forward to seeing our walls lighter. With the new darker nightstand and rug, light walls will be a welcome change. And maybe with less art–maybe one large piece instead! Our room has received so much love and attention on almost every platform–including print!–and we’re ready to give it new life.
Here’s a peak at where we’re headed with it in the coming weeks.
1. Block Picture Frame | 2. Brushed Silver Wall Frame | 3. Brass Round Frame | 4. Blue Stipe Coffee Mug | 5. Geo Metal Ball | 6. Olive Stem | 7. Sconce | 8. White Ribbed Vase | 9. Black Glazed Vase | 10. Textured White Vase | 11. Bed | 12. Black Pillows | 13. White Duvet Cover | 14. Gold Bowl | 15. Glass Display Box | 16. Nightstand | 17. Rug
I still haven’t decided on a paint color or that one magical piece of art for above our bed–but you better believe we’ll keep you in the loop.
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Semihandmade
Our wood grain Shaker cabinet fronts were designed for busy, high-traffic homes like ours. Clad with durable textured thermofoils, this line is compatible with Sektion, Akurum, Godmorgon, and Besta cabinets from IKEA. It's the perfect, practical way to add the warmth of wood to all the rooms of your home.
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We have teamed up with Loloi to create a line of rugs that are as affordable as they are beautiful. This collection houses a great mix of traditional and modern rugs, in cottage-y colorways, as well as vintage-inspired beauties that you’ll want to roll out in every room.
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Hello!I love the picture frame son the wall! What sizes are they all? Im looking to copy the idea for my bedroom.
I am saving for new bedroom furniture and I saw the Keane nightstands and loved them! But, they’re a bit too wide for my space, and I wanted a lighter wood, so I’m going for the Linea II natural nightstands instead. But, I’m excited to see how you incorporate the Keane nightstands into your bedroom! They really are beautiful and the built in outlet will be handy, I’m sure.
The outlet is my favorite part! Seems silly, but has really tamed the cord situation in our room.
What program do you use to do your inspiration boards?
I use photoshop and illustrator
Love you bed room the old way but love the new color too! I’m a new home buyer and looking to get a similar color and style bed. Love your podcast and it really made me look different at furniture buying process. Still struggling with knowing how wood works with different woods, colors and texture as our floor is a lighter wood but don’t really want lighter wood furniture. Would love to read a blog post on working with wood colors as well as gray tone furniture
I enjoy your blog, but I agree with the other commenters that the price point jumps have made the pieces (though beautiful and likely well made); out of reach of a lot of your readers. I’m no particle board fan, but I enjoyed more hearing your clever ways of building/fixing up things or getting good deals, rather than shelling out what could seem to be irresponsible amounts of $$ for items which will be swapped out in several years; as is the necessary nature of your business. It’s a catch-22 to be sure as you of course have to have high end sponsors to survive, but please bring back some of the lower cost ideas.
We share things like that all the time! Check out yesterday’s post. :)
$343 for a coffee table still isn’t exactly budget friendly
In context of the original, it’s a pretty significant savings. I’ll keep my eye open for other options, too!
Loving the different direction you’re taking with the rug! When you said you were getting a red rug for your bedroom revamp, I was skeptical, but I’m loving what you picked out! It’s much more muted than what I had envisioned in my head when I thought “red rug.”
What rug size did you pick to go with your king size bed? It looks smaller than the 10’x14’ you had before.
We used to have a 9×12, but ended up going with an 8×10 (we have a king) and it fits our room so much better! I know they always preach to go as big as you can, but in our case, it really made our room feel smaller.
Ugh! Julia, I’ve been obsessing with the Keane set for weeks now!! I’m just waiting for a furniture sale on C&B so I can grab a good deal. I’m excited to see how your bedroom comes together.
I am SUPER into this! This style of nightstand is my favorite and it’s gonna look killer with that rug and your new beige walls!
Have you seen those nightstands in person? I highly recommend it! I too was in love with them and the hidden outlets were definitely a plus! I was really surprised at how shiny and plasticky they looked in person. And they definitely had a reddish purple undertone to them as opposed to the smoky gray brown in C&Bs photos. Look at the pics of the matching furniture to see it. A few things that might not matter to you, but they did to me……They’re really short, but I’m sure you’ve accounted for that. I also didn’t like the sunken top, looked kind of cheap to me. So my search began for something similar! While searching…I live near High Point, NC so I’m lucky that I can go shop and see lots of furniture that is usually only available via catalog….I noticed that this style collects dust on the shelf! Many of the showrooms are outlets and not real showrooms that keep things in perfect condition. It’s not something I thought about until I saw it. I know dusting is not exactly hard, but for a working mom, one less thing to do in my day is what I need. Anyway, hope this helps! I do love C&B, but I think they missed the mark here!
Ohmygoodness I’ve been crushing on your nightstands since foreverrr ago when I came across your page! I’ve been searching for ones like them at an affordable price but no luck! If you sell them, I’d be so excited to buy them! I’m in Michigan though so I don’t know if you’d want to ship them….but ahh I love them!!
Can’t wait to see what you do–no more moody!
Love these changes! The very first thing that drew me to your blog years ago was photos of you bedroom. I ended up using it as inspiration and painted my former bedroom chelsea gray. It was the perfect warm gray. We have since moved to a much smaller space and that gray just doesn’t work anymore. Also…a night stand with built in plugs …doesn’t get much better than that!
Quick question hun about your bedside scones y’all put up a few years ago, which weren’t exactly a steal at $ 260 for both. Why would you not reuse them seeing you had been eyeing them for at least a year before purchasing? We are smitten with y’all and enjoy you to pieces but gosh darnit, like one of my coworkers mentioned, the average home owner can’t purchase (nor do we have a sponsor) or buy new pieces every few years. Ummm yes, there are a few of us over here that do like to replicate what you do in our home. teehee : )
We actually have another spot that we want to use them. :)
I’m dreaming of Sven in that gorgeous caramel color. Fingers crossed!
I seem like the only person who is totally on board with you changing your room! I agree that the current room looks nice, but it just doesn’t seem to be the completely curated space that so many of your other rooms have become. I have come to realize that designing our homes is definitely a long process. A few months ago, I made some changes in my bedroom, now its just right, and we have been in hour house for almost 6 years!
Thank you! It takes time. And we often will revisit a room several times before we feel like it’s done.
I loved your bedroom and used it as inspiration to redo our own bedroom. I even purchased the same bed. I made quite a few different changes as I did mine, but kept coming back to look to just see if things were okay… like using white frames on a wall with black frames.
I am so pleased to note your new lighting choices, because they are almost identical to the ones that I actually purchased! I feel validated and excited to see that I did pick something you would have picked as well. :)
I had to re-read the tone on tone sentence. So sounds like the matching tones is the idea you’re keeping not the Chelsea gray walls. Andddd just zoomed in on headboard and now I think I get it. I have a sisal type rug and oatmeal couch and would love to see how you do the lighter theme and accessorize. I need ideas!
Julia, what a great space this will be, and how nice to pair up with your master bathroom renovation coming up. So exciting!
I am just sitting here thinking… how can they do all these removations, it’s so costly and your things are still in good condition. (Being a designer I know condition doesn’t matter as much but let just say your rooms also still look functional and stylish to boot.) so anyway I’m scrolling your feed only to realize the secrets are noted here in this post! There must be so many wonderful opportunities out there for you as a blogger with companies asking you to partner with them or use there product, I wonder how you began the process?
Is it just a bloggers opportunity? What are your suggestions for someone who’s educated and passionate about design and would like to build a respectable online reputation?
Sorry for the loaded comment; Any input or direction is appreciated.
We have an upcoming episode of our podcast talking about this. But I believe if you have an online presence, the opportunities are out there.
You’re putting in the exact same sconces that we have in our bedroom – and love them! They’re great!
ohhh I love your old nightstands! The new ones are beautiful but there’s something about the old ones that I love. Hopefully they find a good home! Looking forward to hearing what paint colour you choose!
Were you able to fix the problem with your bed that was making it not work for you? I love the style, but wondered if you would have to replace it.
Our new mattress (we have a sleep number!) fixed it for Chris. :) Which is great, because I love this bed.
Hello!!
Do you mind sharing what program you use to make your mood board? It’s a neat addition to your blog post!
Thanks!!
Thank you! I use illustrator.
Ok, question for you on your old rug. I love it but its no longer available. There is another steven alan one on West Elm that doesn’t describe itself as “speckled”. Have you by chance seen the other one in person to know how similar it is? Thanks!
I haven’t seen it in person, but I just looked at it online. It doesn’t look speckled but it does appear to have a gradient pattern that looks really nice. And we loved the quality and cushion of our shag rug by him.
Do you have a queen or king size bed in your bedroom?
I only ask because my husband wants a king size bed – which I can understand – but I love a cozy queen. I also don’t know how to style a king size bed, it just seems massive and wide and not as “cute” do you have any solutions ?
We have a king! And that’s funny that you say that, because I often feel like queen beds look too small! Haha.
I’m dying to know the color you are painting it! I have so many grey patches I am testing for our bedroom and one of them is Chelsea grey…so dark…so I am anxious to see what you are choosing. It is hard to pick a grey that doesn’t look purple or blue. I want to have a brown grey but not too dark. I hope you are still doing grey! Good luck and all the best this New Year! Love following you, you are so talented and I love your taste!
P.s. please consider sharing your new paint color so! I can’t wait ????
I’ll probably document the process of choosing on my Instagram stories and then, for sure share afters here, too! Chelsea Gray is a perfect, dark, warm gray. We’ve loved sleeping in it, but are anxious to go lighter, too.
Where is your old speckled rug from? Polly makes it look so comfy. Ha
West Elm a couple years ago
I was JUST thinking about this last night and was hoping you’d post a bedroom update soon! We removed the baseboard trim in our bedroom last night (we are replacing with white) and we will be getting fizz carpeting soon! I’m anxiously awaiting your paint color choice because it seems like a great time to update our walls ????
We are doing the same thing! About to order the fizz carpet for the upstairs and need to start thinking about baseboard updates. Why is carpet so tricky?? With a million options I’m taking the easy way out and copying CLJ.
:) Here to serve you!
Thank you for the transparency. I think it’s really easy to sit here as a whiny reader and say hey “I want free stuff” or “They didn’t pay for anything in their house!” But what a lot of people don’t realize is that you both invested so much of your hard earned money toward a beautiful home that made these companies want reach out in the first place. I get why these companies do it; you two are credible sources who love their readers. Today, we can’t trust the reviews on websites anymore. Too many paid 5 star reviews. So I truly appreciate your honest review of products that I’ve been considering (and even ones I never even thought of!). By the way, I have tons of Crate & Barrel coupons waiting to be used! Way too many for me to use so I’d be happy to share the codes with any interested readers.
Also– I think you should get more than just free stuff for advertising for companies. I don’t know how it works because I’m not a blogger. It seems that giving you a few free things is not enough compensation for the amount of advertising you’re giving them. Take for example, those dining chairs that sold out after you blogged about them. I know you didn’t get them for free, but still! Look at that selling power! I hope you get more than just a few free things.
By the way, your bedroom was how I found your blog in the first place. It’s sad to see it go! I’ve always loved it. But I’m so excited for the changes and your big reveal.
You should check out Young House Love’s podcast – they had an episode where the interviewed bloggers who do sponsored content, and they talked about the payment and perks they get in exchange for various campaigns. It was super interesting! Honestly, I would love to hear about how Chris and Julia structure all theirs as well, so fingers crossed they’ll do a podcast episode themselves on the topic!
There’s definitely a lot that happens behind the scenes with sponsors. We talked about it in our podcast episode 19, “Become Affiliated with Affiliates.” And Episode 40, “Real Talk on Being Professional Bloggers.”
I also wanted to chime in and say I respect the fact that you passed on the first rug campaign. I think some bloggers are “stagers,” and maybe their readers are used to it, but I think you guys have set a more authentic/real life tone, and I’m glad you chose to be true to yourselves. As you shared, the opportunity came back around at a nice time, so I’m glad you were sort of “rewarded” for your conscientiousness about your readers and how they would feel. I love your current bedroom, but I totally understand needing a change. I’m looking forward to seeing what you do.
I like the fresh ideas. I feel as though our small master has too much furniture. What do you use as a dresser? I’d like to downsize my husband and I to one (shared) dresser, just not sure if it’s feasible.
Agh, I love the plans!! You know what would be so cool with those rich tones? A wood paneled wall! Vertical, cedar tongue and groove planks would look so good. Maybe just an accent wall – wait is that over?! – or all the way around.
Maybe the ceiling!
We’re in the process of redoing our room and I kept getting stuck. This is just what I needed! What color(s) are you leaning towards for the room?
This looks go classy! I can’t wait to see it pulled together!
How exciting! Love your ‘old’ bedroom and I’m sure your new one will be the bomb too.
Excited to see your refresh, love the direction you are in! contemplating repainting in our room too, right now it is more moody and I love it but I wonder if I would like to brighten it up eventually. I go through the same emotions as other readers when things are above or below my price range, and I am not in my forever house so I generally relate more to the decorating on a shoestring type posts, but I also like seeing products I wouldn’t necessarily buy myself or just see at target and I feel like you show a great variety or price points, (baby room dresser vs Preston’s shower insert come to mind) and highlight the value of both so thanks!
I love your current bedroom! I mimicked yours into mine and ordered the same bed frame, wall color, and put art prints above our bed just like yours. However, i’m definitely looking forward to what you come up with for your remodel! :) I love everything you do.
I love the new nightstands, but just curious, do you guys not have a dresser too? I’m thinking back and I don’t think I have ever seen a full shot of the other half of your room, haha!
We don’t have a dresser in our bedroom.
Love the ideas! I love the design of this nightstand–just looking for something taller. I appreciate seeing different price points of furniture available-we all have choices on what to spend money on and many blogs already feature affordable Target, etc. finds that can mix with C & B really well! For me, I spend money on good bras and well-made shoes. In my home, I spend money on well-made sofas and good bedroom furniture. The rest can be inexpensive and fun and easy to change. Thanks for the inspo!
I also appreciate you passing on the first go with the rug company. I look to your page to see real pieces your family actually lives with long term, not just short term inspiration type images.
Thank you! We really do think about our readers all the time. :)
I have always LOVED your current night stands. Like since you got them. I wish I lived closer so I could buy them from you!
I have been STALKING those nightstands for like, 5 months now! They also soft close = <3
I have been debating sale vs Ebay coupon…
Sometimes you can find an eBay coupon you can stack with a sale! Just make sure you read the fine print.
Cool! Can’t wait to see it all pulled together.
$500/nightstand? I really miss the older CLJ/relatable posts….
It’s a great night stand but I thought your target audience was somewhere between middle/upper middle class Americans. Would this be something you would have actually bought if it wasn’t sponsored and on an slightly above average salary?
As a middle/upper-middle class 33 year old who’s looking to buy new bedroom furniture, Uh… yes. This is firmly in my wheelhouse. I want a quality nightstand that will last! And while it is a buy that we are budgeting for, I don’t think I can get a really good quality piece for much less (aside from second-hand.)
Thanks for reading for so long, first of all! You’ve actually been reading almost as long as we’ve had our previous nightstands. We really love a deal–REALLY! But we also believe in investing in pieces that are going to be around for the long haul. And these have the extra feature of the hidden plugs and ample storage. While I was searching for new nightstands, I was also surprised at how quickly they jump up in price! It’s only two bad you usually need 2!
I’m also in the hunt for nightstands, and noticed the same thing about the price points jumping up. I just can’t seem to give in to the idea that the nightstands are going to cost so much, so I keep searching for some mystery, solid wood, beautiful nightstand with drawers that doesn’t seem to exist. Looking forward to the bedroom redo. We’ve been in our new house for 9 months and still have no bedframe and are using garden drum stools for nighstands. Ay! Time to get going on this!
I appreciate the fact that you didn’t do the campaign the first time! I can see it both ways and in fact i did a rug campaign once and returned the rug (that wasn’t my intent from the beginning but the colors in real life just didn’t work for my room) but at the same time it feels like the reason we connect with bloggers is because it’s “real.” The items you use in your home are items you love and that’s part of what makes us fall in love with them. But blogging seems to be losing that “real” factor. We all know magazines aren’t real and I’d rather see pieces styled there just for show than in your home. That’s my 2 cents! Of course I love your blog and style and will continue to be along for the ride/journey regardless of how you handle campaigns. Thanks so much for your authenticity!
I do feel like our blog is more about the real story of putting together our home–and that’s what we try to stick to! However, we do get a lot of what if questions. But I’m glad you agree that passing was the right thing. It’s funny how everything seems to work out, huh?
Thanks for your reply and so glad the campaign worked out in your favor this time! Can’t wait to see what you come up with! The funny thing is I just showed my husband your room as inspiration for a gallery wall over our bed. I told him I thought I was “over” gallery walls but fell in love with yours!
I applaud you for passing on the first go round with Loloi. By no means would it have been dishonest to show the rug as an option but it shows integrity that you really thought about your readers. Hope you love the new one.
Thanks, Marianne!
Have you ever considered altering the double doors to a more traditional single door opening? If you did something like that you might have more flexibility in that corner of the room – could even change the opening of the bathroom to that area instead of directly across from the bed?
As always Looking forwarding to seeing what you do!
We drew up the plans for that last night and walked through it and it’s not going to work! : ( . We’ll have to do a follow-up post about it, but closing off the wall directly across from our bed and moving the door over, makes the room feel way too tight.