For Phase 2 of Master Makeover (Here is Phase 1, in case you missed it), I focused on walls and tabletop. It took me several months because I subscribe to Nate Berkus’s philosophy that decor should be layered and meaningful. His quote from a feature in the NY Daily News says it best: “…I don’t believe in trends. I believe in collecting things that you connect with. We should surround ourselves with things we care about, that have meaning.”
As Nate advises, I tried not to buy many things and used what we already had.
I chose a “window layout” for the big wall by the bed, and used some special photos.
Hubby gave me the “And they lived happily ever after…” sign for our 5th anniversary (wood).
The round mirror was a TJ Maxx Home Goods special, but the photos on either side are from our honeymoon in Santorini, Greece. It was the view from the pool at sunset, and it’s nice to now see it every day.
I split the photo to fit the vertical frames. The photos aren’t the greatest quality because back then we were using a point-and-shoot camera, but I made it work.
For the dresser, I used our wedding unity candle, and that is a funny memory because it took our moms a good 10 minutes to light the tapers on that breezy day. We should have gone with sand.
That is our wedding invitation that Hubby’s grandma framed for us. I also included a crystal plate Hubby gave me for Valentine’s day. One perfume I wore on our wedding/honeymoon and the other is one I purchased in Paris on our second anniversary trip.
The Waterford frame was a wedding gift and the photo is one of my favorites from our wedding. The round frame was a gift from Hubby’s grandma with an engagement picture. One of these days I will reprint a photo in a size that fits the frame.
The clock was an Amazon purchase because I didn’t want our bulky alarm clock anymore, but the frame is a gift from my grandmother and it says “Babies are a gift from God” with a picture of my son at nine weeks on his baptism weekend.
I’m a big fan of using books for decor. Even though I don’t read as much as I used to, it’s still one of my favorite activities and they add some warmth to the room. These are two that I’m currently reading (I’m embarrassed to say how long I’ve been reading them…). I picked up that candle holder during one of our day trips to Estes Park.
I had big plans to sew some pillows, but I went to various fabric stores and didn’t find the colors or patterns I was looking for. I then realized it would be a good idea to look at fabric stores before choosing a color scheme and patterns. I was put out of my misery when I saw these euros and throw at Pottery Barn.
I was also looking for a piece to hang over our bed, but because the euros have a large damask pattern, I didn’t want it to complete. And then I remembered that I spent days hand painting the wall pattern, so why would I want to cover that up? It’s not Feng Shui to have anything hanging over your bed either because they say it’s “hanging over your head.”
That’s my justification for now anyway.
I struggled with our “foyer” – couldn’t figure out what I wanted in there for months.
Our alarm panel is pretty annoying in the middle of the wall, so I put a frame around it and tried to ignore it. It took forever to find flowers, but then Target came through.
I gave that frame to my grandma for Christmas one year, but now I have it after she passed away last March. I honestly don’t remember where I picked up that candle.
These were pics that we had in our first home, before we had our kids’ pics to hang. I enlarged them after we used them for our wedding slideshow. Again, a little bit awkward with the thermostat right in the middle of the wall, but I ignored it. Phase 3 of Master Makeover will include painting around the thermostat (the newer models are smaller, unfortunately).
This has no special meaning – it was a Hobby Lobby find that I painted silver to match the room.
The top frame was my gift to Hubby on our first anniversary (paper). We love to travel so I gave him an American Airlines share (worth nothing after their bankruptcy – at least I didn’t buy more) with an inscription. The bottom photo is from our first anniversary trip, a Mediterranean cruise, and our Venice stop was one of our favorites.
Here is the inscription. Awwwww. But I didn’t come up with that – found it online.
Overall, it’s almost done. Phase 3 includes some minor things like hanging a clock above the window, making a pillow for the chaise lounge, finding some flowers for the vase on the dresser and some touch-ups. But I don’t know, I may be fine being 90 percent done. I’ve got a nursery to work on, too…
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This looks gorgeous, Debby!! You really did a great job, and I love all of the meaningful details. I'm also a little jealous of all the travel you and John have done! 😉 Smart to do that before kids. Can't wait to see the nursery reveal!
Thank you, Amanda! 🙂 We were travel junkies.
That looks so pretty!!!! Makes me want to relax! Beautiful touches all around!
Thank you, Kelly! 🙂 Relaxation was my goal so that's good to hear!
The personal touches are inspiring! Great job mama.
Thanks, friend! 🙂