One Room Challenge Reveal of the Moody Traditional Main Bedroom Spring 2021

Like many people, I saved my main bedroom for nearly the last room in the house to decorate, or pay any attention to, if I’m being honest. Thanks to the One Room Challenge, this once ignored room received the royal treatment.

This is my 10th One Room Challenge and is likely the most glamorous room yet. Did I save the best for last? Maybe so, especially if you ask my husband.

If you checked in here on the first day for a reveal, on Thursday, then you saw this Moody Traditional bedroom in it’s most moody state. I started off with a night time reveal mainly because that was when most of the room was complete. I knew so many of you following along were excited to see the room reveal. I will sprinkle a few of those images in here alongside the new images. I think those original images captured perfectly the mood of the room at night.

WHAT IS THE ORC?

Thanks to Linda, the founder and organizer of this amazing bi-annual Interior Design event, the One Room Challenge,™ there have been hundreds of amazing room makeovers over the years. The event encourages and inspires room makeovers of 20 Featured Designers and hundreds of Guest Participants, like me. The official media sponsor is none other than Better Homes and Garden!

If you need to get caught up on the previous week’s progress update and design plan check out these posts. 

Week 1- the Intro || Week 2- Design Plan || Week 3 -Powered Curtains|| Week 4 Small DIY’s 
Week 5 Architectural Details || Week 6 Custom Upholstery || Week 7 Lighting Plan & Upscaling Vintage Furniture

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. It also contains links to sponsors who have gifted product for this room makeover. All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

This season has proven to be one of the most challenging given the times we live in. I encountered numerous delays that were completely out of my control due to the pandemic. It is called the One Room Challenge for a reason. Finishing a room to this level, even in the 8 weeks we were allotted this season, is hard, even in the best of times.

The Before

Let’s start with the before. Just your basic box of a room, 16×16 feet actually.

The only feature we added to the room when we built the house nearly two years ago was to upgrade to a large bank of three windows instead of just two smaller, separate windows.

the after

It’s hard to know where to begin. But I think the most dramatic changes happened architecturally.

The Coffered Ceiling and the Panel Moulding

I must first give a huge thank you to Novo Building Products for their continued support of my One Room Challenge Makeovers. This room could not have been possible without their contributions in lumber and moulding.

I designed the coffered ceiling to incorporate the excess materials from our previous Spring One Room Challenge. Instead of using a traditional crown moulding to finish the insides of each box of the coffee, I used a piece that is called an architrave. It was used to cap off our box panels in the living and dining room.

If you would like to see more of the construction, check out my Week 5 blog post.

Inside each coffered box, I added an additional small panel moulding to the ceiling. I did this to visually expand the trim outward. This was important because the architrave, while highly detailed and curved, is vertical in nature.

The applied panel moulding was designed to perfectly mimic what was happening on the ceiling. A chunky chair rail was used for each outside panel, and the inside moulding, I created by combining two smaller mouldings. I talk about how I “manufactured” this moulding in Week 6.

Lighting

A properly lit bedroom is absolutely vital. Most bedrooms are used predominantly at night, whether it is to read in bed or just relax at the end of a long day. So not only does lighting have to function, when chosen properly it becomes key defining design elements in a room. In the same way, a little black dress is beautiful on its own. It’s not until you add the right accessories, ones that suit the mood of the evening, does a little black dress become something extraordinary.

The chandelier

I don’t think there could be a more statement-making piece of jewelry in the room than this chandelier.

It is the Arden Chandelier, medium-sized from Circa Lighting. It features 94 crystals on burnished brass rings. I was grateful to secure a generous discount for the challenge.

After the chandelier was hung with all of the crystals my husband remarked, “I feel so glamorous.” Trust me when I say, I don’t ever recall hearing this man or any man for that matter, say he felt glamourous. I think that perfectly describes the impact it has on the room.

The Table Lamps

I selected the Jade Table Lamps from Couture Lamps. They perfectly complimented the chinoiserie art on the opposite side of the room. I loved the crackle finish on the ceramic bases and the true gold leaf details.

The sculptural base is beautifully reminiscent of a ginger jar.

The Bedside Sconces

These are the Madison sconces gifted from Crystorama. They are clean-lined, offer pivoting arms and gorgeous details like the gold metal band that accentuates the top and the bottom of the shade.

Using a sconce instead of lamps, offers much more table stop space. We look forward to having more space next the bed for all of our essentials.

Especially on my side of the bed, where I have an antique vanity that opens up with a large mirror, giving me only a small area beside the bed to use daily.

The rug

This gorgeous rug brings a lightness to the room to balance the dark walls. As soon as I decided upon a color palette, I knew I wanted this particular rug by Couristan. I had partnered with them for last spring’s ORC and have been extremely pleased with the superior quality. The rug in the bedroom is from the same line of rugs, using the same color way but in a slightly different pattern. I don’t think I could adequately express to you how luxuriously thick and soft this rug is. It is heavenly to step out of bed barefoot onto this rug.

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Custom Fabrics

All of the incredible fabrics in the room were sponsored by Calico. They are my absolute favorite resources and partners for fabric, custom drapes and upholstery. I love shopping at my local store and lean on the assistance of the in store designers to help me find the most amazing fabrics for my rooms. They ARE the fabric experts.

The upholstered bench seat at the foot of the bed was made by Calico. I refinished the base of the bench to give this inexpensive Facebook Marketplace find a major upgrade. I think I have to share the before photo again, just so you can see the transformation.

The pillows were also custom from Calico. I love the detail of the silk like banding around the bolster pillow.

I like to keep my bed pillows to a minimum. Neither my husband nor I, enjoy taking a dozen pillows off of a bed. I call this style the “unfussy bed.”

Calico also provided fabrics to completely makeover the two French chairs. I purchased these chairs about ten years ago. Read more about their transformations in the Week 4 Update blog post.

The little diddy pillow on the french chair was a last minute add to the room. The petite fringe and fun little dot print is the perfect hint at a lighthearted touch.

Here is a look at all the fabrics together when I shared my design plan from week 2.

Clockwise from top left. Tape for curtains in Pewter, Watercolor Fabric: Cedar Rock-Luxe Collection Charcoal, Geometric cut Velvet: Social -Luxe Collection Carbon, Animal Stripe, Zebu-Crypton Home Coal, Beige Modern Chinoisere: Emilia Dove

The bedding

A majority of the bedding you see here is either part of the original main bedroom makeover a couple of years ago at our previous house or added last fall. And I am not at all sad about it!

The only new addition is the Signature Embroidered Sheets, In Pewter from Boll and Branch. They pair perfectly with the Heritage Quilt also from Boll and Branch. We having been using it as our primary blanket for months and really love it. The weight of the quilt is absolutely perfect. It’s been cool enough in the summer and perfectly warm during our relatively mild winters.

The blanket at the foot of the bed was purchased during trip to London, England with my best friend. She is the sounding board for all of my design dilemmas and came from Louisiana the last few days before reveal to help me finish all of the little projects. She’s the absolute best!

The Furniture Makeovers

The simplist makeover was to the “new to me” antique nightstand. I purchased it off of Facebook Marketplace to replace the matching piece we had. This chest was previously part of a set with a china cabinet. The seller kindly separated the two pieces for me.

It wasn’t until I got home that I realized one of the handles was broken and completely unusable.

I reached out to Charleston Hardware Co. when I discovered they carry all kinds of reproduction and historically accurate hardware. They kindly offered me these Hepplewhite pulls in Unlacquered Brass, which means it will naturally age with a beautiful, warm brass patina.

I also had a piece of black honed granite custom cut for the top. Our previous night stand had a marble top and I loved the durable, carefree surface it provided us year after year.

The Bed

I had already made the huge leap to paint our four poster bed several years ago. But once the choice of wall color was made, I realized that painting the bed again was inevitable.

This time I painted the bed with Fusion Mineral Paint in the color Coal, a rich black with a beautiful luster finish.

The Vanity

The vintage vanity was also previously chalk painted. I absolutely love this practical piece of furniture and use it nearly everyday to sit and put on my makeup. With our room generously sized bedroom I can easily use this as a bedside table.

To avoid a matchy, matchy look, I painted it with a color called Ash, a deep warm grey, also from Fusion Mineral paint.

I hand painted the gold bands with a combination of Vintage Gold and Bright Gold, also from Fusion Mineral paint. If you are local, check out the Brass Bear in Hoover, for the Mended Fence booth. She carries everything you need to complete your project.

The Dresser

The dresser was the one piece of furniture that took a hard beating in our last move. A large gouge in the top and significant scratches along the bottom trim left me with little choice but to either fully refinish or paint the piece.

Given all of the intricate details, I felt like painting was the best, relatively painless way to give it an update.

After a great deal of debate, I decided to paint just the outer portions of the dresser and leave the drawers stained. Right up until the moment this afternoon when the drawers went back into place, did I feel like not painting the entire pieces was the right choice. At least for now.

The Art and Framing

One of the first decor items I selected for the room was the art from Diane Hill Designs. I have long been a fan of this amazing, classically trained, Chinoiserie artist.

To frame it up beautifully I partnered with Custom Picture Frames.com. Not only is the framing completely custom, easy to order and offers a quick turnaround, their prices are very reasonable.

Essentially, it is a DIY style custom framing. You send them the exact measurements of your art and they send everything assembled for you. I just had to remove the protective film on the high-quality acrylic, add my art and picture framing hardware. (Just to be clear, it’s not the flimsy acrylic you are likely used to seeing. It is firm and thick.)

The Paint Color

The only dramatic element I didn’t mention yet is the paint color. After much deliberation, trying to find the perfect dark and moody blue-grey, I finally chose Roycroft Pewter from Sherwin Williams. I love that it is an extremely complex color.

It reads mostly blue-grey, like a rich pewter, but also can lean a little green in the right light. I absolutely love the color that is a bit of a chameleon.

Accessories & Technology

Most of the accessories are antiques or thrifted. I love how these collected and gathered pieces give a room so much soul. But to balance the old I most definitely love modern technology. I try to keep it all hidden, because let’s face it, technology isn’t always beautiful.

On the dresser, a bowl I ordered from Facebook Marketplace, became the perfect vessel for a floral arrangement. The box was an inexpensive find at Ross several years ago and have since painted grey and now black.

The horse. What a lucky find just a day before the reveal! I have been searching for a horse sculpture for months. My friend Dana, spotted him first at the antique mall where we were hunting for vintage art. I nearly ran over when she said, “Horse!” He is extremely heavy, even though I’m not exactly sure what he is made of, but I adore him nonetheless.

Turns out I had this piece of art behind another piece in a vintage frame. We thought it was perfect and another lucky find, this time in my own stash.

The stand is new and is actually a stand for a glass frame. I might eventually swap out the art for a wedding photo. I’ll link it below because i think it’s a great find.

On the nightstand, are two pieces of Gold Imari pottery. I had searched Ebay and Etsy for pottery that was soft greens and blues that complimented the Jade lamps.

The two bronze vases were another find at a different antique mall. Y’all, please support your local dealers. They have have fantastic treasures too. It’s one of my favorite relaxing pastimes.

If you look closely at the image above you will see a piece of technology. The black marble disk is a wireless charging station! We love not fumbling for a messy cord to charge our phones at night and it’s beautiful.

The wall of room darkening curtains are also smart. We can operate them via remote control or with an app on our phone. I share all of the details of how it works and a brief tutorial in week 3. The only drawback to this mechanism is it’s not particularly attractive. It uses a very small ceiling mounted track. But to remedy that, we installed the track inside the beam for the outer most coffer.

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Thank you!

Thank you for following along on this room makeover. I hope you take the time to visit my amazing sponsors, as well as the other designers participating. The community around this event is so encouraging and welcomed during those grueling weeks of work.

I would love to hear what your favorite part of the room is! Drop me a comment here and on Instagram! I greatly appreciate hearing from you.

SPONSORS

All of this would not be possible without the support and contributions from these amazing sponsors!

Novo Building Products and Empire Moulding and Millwork || Calico Fabrics  || Couture Lamps
Crystorama || Custom Picture Frames || Boll & Branch || Charleston Hardware Co.

Be sure not to miss this season’s Featured Designers and the Guest Participants links at the One Room Challenge weblink up! As always, special thanks to the One Room Challenge media Sponsor, Better Homes and Garden and Linda, owner and creator of the One Room Challenge.