So, after I moved in I shared where we plunked all the furniture down, then photos of the patio and as far as whole space tours, that was about it. Everything seems so in-transition and I didn’t think anything was “done.” Well, nothing is still done and we have been here almost four months, and I think things are about to change. We have Christmas and the expenses associated with it behind us, and I think I’m ready to do a DIY project for our headboard, but I would like to share photos of the bedroom as-is now so that I’ll have something to compare the “after” to.
Unfortunately, as I write this it’s easy to enumerate the sources of frustration here in the room and not so easy to list the positives. The good news is–there is a lot of room for improvement, which makes for a more dramatic “after!”
I’m still in love with the duvet cover, but have been having issues with the blanket inside it. When we bought the duvet cover, I bought a duvet insert on overstock.com which has nothing on the corners to tie the duvet strings to. Which means the insert gets all bunched up down at the bottom. Annoying. So, I tried putting our old gray pebble quilt from target inside it which has the same result. C’est la vie until I buy a proper duvet insert with holes in the corners (or whatever makes a proper duvet insert work with a duvet cover).
That was quite a tangent! How’s about another one?
I was distressed by the lack of headboard. It didn’t seem to matter in the old place because of the rich gray walls, but here in an apartment complex in an all-white box of a room, it just seemed sad. So we DIY-ed a little bit of artwork to act as a stand-in focal point. The lighting in the room is also a source of frustration since we have no overhead light and the arsenal you see here (two bedside lamps and the christmas lights) even when all on together, is very dim. Dim rooms are such a pet peeve of mine!
The glossy black dresser was mine in high school and my mom was very happy to see it out of her house. I have a project in mind for those space-aged handles…
Another thing that needs to be contended with, I think I have mentioned before, is the dog kennel. We crate-train Mosey, which is great for both owners and dogs, but the kennel is U-G-L-Y! There really is no other space for it. Oh well! There is room in here, and it doesn’t obstruct traffic or anything–it’s just an eyesore.
The BEST thing about the bedroom is the light in the morning. A sunbeam makes its way through the window slowly from the bed to the closet and Mosey is happy to sleep in it, shifting locations occasionally, from around 8 AM to 2 PM. This is wonderful as I can get stuff done on the computer or around the house without him pestering me to play! Side note–is that fake newspaper not the cutest dog toy you have ever seen? And is Mosey not the cutest blurry dog you have ever seen? Awww…
So, here is the bedroom! Nowhere close to “finished” but it has served us well for the past few months.
My Friend Staci 
I love your makeshift headboard with your christmas lights and bullitin board. I totally understand wanting something more permanent, though. I can’t wait to see what it looks like when you’re through.
And I hear you about lighting. I hate sterile over-head lighting but I really dislike that dim, dungeon feeling you get otherwise.
The natural light in there is gorgeous!
Could you sew or heat n bond some ties onto the edge of the duvet insert? Or go fancy and put grommets in it? I also know some people use safety pins from the inside to hold them in place (nappy safety pins are the safest!)
Thanks for the tips! Here I am thinking about DIYing furniture and I miss the most obvious duvet cover fix!
Haha! We just moved two days ago and are still moving our stuff (our movers absolutely sucked), but with my mom coming on Monday (AAAHHH) we have a fire under our butts to get everything as unpacked and normal looking as humanly possible. Maybe you should try inviting over some people to your place that you worry about their opinion (if you have any, haha! If I invited friends over, I know I’d be too chill to worry about getting it all together…), to help jump start the organizing and settling?
Also, our bedroom is also screaming for a headboard. I’m going to eventually attempt one of the simple headboards covered with fabric that will run us around $80-120 depending on fabric, because our 9ft ceilings make our bed look TINY and NAKED. And we also have a small concern about central lighing in our bedroom, but we’re considering taking a cue from YOU (haha) and doing a swag kit with a chandelier to bring something over the bed for light. We were going to do it in our living room over the dining table, but the overhead fan is just in the way, and we get enough natural light during the day that it’s only night-time that will be a small issue. But, it may be worth the bit of eyesore of chain on the ceiling for the cute chandelier and overhead lighting in the bedroom! =D
I totally think you should try the swag kit and pendant. Make sure to get a long enough cord though! That’s our downfall! And a high-wattage bulb, too :)
Do you sew? Could you add a buttonhole to the corners of whatever you have inside the duvet cover and not have to buy something with a spot to tie onto in the corners?
Yeah, thanks for the suggestion! I guess I kept missing the obvious solution about adding a tie or a buttonhole/grommet. Totally going to get right on that :)
Can’t wait to see what you do with this space!!! We are also lacking a head board, so you’ve caught my attention!
I love seeing your play-by-play decorating and I am sure it will all come together.I really love seeing photos of Mosey also.
Try a safety pin in each corner for the duvet and blanket (on the inside). Worked for me!
We’re having duvet issues too and I never knew about the corner string attachments until this week when I saw on a forum I’m a part of the members talking about it. They said you could make your own attachments too. Probably something easy to find on Pinterest I’m sure and they also suggested the safety pin option as Randi above also mentioned. Anyway enough rambling! The room looks great and is inspiring me to continue to decorate mine. I’m in dire need of a headboard and framed art. I’m thinking of finding inspiration in Young House Love’s new book I recently purchased!