It’s that time of year where I’m in the end-of-the-year teacher mode which, unfortunately, comes with other things that take precedence over projects for the house.
Case in point: I’ve started a painting project that is taking an unnecessarily long amount of time, but I’m hoping to put my nose to the grinder (or is it grindstone?) and get it done this week after school. Fingers crossed that that actually happens and that I’m sharing it with you next week!
I’ve also been scheming a design plan for my back porch. I’ve purchased two things already to be used for the “after”, but I haven’t quite gotten to putting any of it to use yet.
I’m showing you the before of the porch today. It’s a mess, and I’m almost embarrassed to show you just how bad it is, but I’m pretty real here on the blog, so here it is…pollen-caked table, dead ferns, and all. This bar cart was something my parents had on their back porch that wasn’t getting much use, so I happily took it off their hands. I had it inside at our house in Louisiana, but it lives outside here and clearly doesn’t do anything useful. That’ll be changing soon. We’ve had this table set for nearly seven years, so it needs some love and sprucing up.
Bernie just can’t help herself. She’s always getting in the shot.
Isn’t it a mess? Oh my goodness! *Insert face palm emoji.* You can see that it’s an area of our home that’s been pretty neglected. We spend a decent amount of time out here supervising the dogs so that they don’t run away when they have to do their business, but I’d like to spend even more time out here now that the weather is pretty warm. And once things look pretty, well why wouldn’t I be out here more? 🙂
So here’s a sneak peak at what started the design wheels turning in my head.
Rug from Target
Isn’t it great? I am having quite the moment with pineapples; I totally jumped in head first on that trend. I also love pink, and let’s be honest, that is one pink doormat, but I knew I had to have it when I saw it and saw that it was on sale for $10!
I have a lot to do (and clean), but I really want to be able to enjoy this space this summer. So that’s where I’ll be for the rest of the month-cleaning up, organizing, planting, rearranging, etc. Can’t wait to share the “after” with y’all.
I’ve often heard your master bedroom should be a top priority on your home decor to-do list. Somehow I’ve never heeded this notion, and the master bedrooms in all of our homes have been close to the bottom of my list of to-dos.
Nothing’s changed this go ’round either. I’m actually having serious design cloudiness for this room. I think I’ve got the major things nailed down, though. I truly love my upholstered bed from Overstock. You can see some similar ones from Overstock here. The bedside tables and dresser are from the same store (Kayu) in Louisiana as our coffee table and buffet and will undoubtedly be lifetime pieces.
The bookshelf is a piece we were fortunate enough to acquire after the passing of Paul’s maternal grandparents. It’s beautifully old and clearly busting at the seems with all of my books. (Something I’m quite proud of, actually. One can never have too many books.)
The dresser currently displaying our TV is a piece that belongs to Paul’s parents. They were kind enough to let me fish it out of the storage closet here in the building, clean it up and set that big TV on it. Promise I’ll be careful not to scratch it up. It’s so pretty and curvy. And that gun case, well, it’s too heavy to move, so that’s where it lives for now.
So here’s where it gets cloudy. Our current bedding is a quilt set I found at T. J. Maxx. But, I have those two adorable dogs with black/dark hair that shed so badly. I am one of those people who desperately wants to have one of those crisp, white duvets, but our dogs have been sleeping on our bed for quite a while now, and we just can’t stop that out of nowhere. I mean, sure we could, but we’re not gonna. Needless to say, the crisp, white duvet is out. And I don’t know if you’ve ever looked for a dark bed topper be it a comforter, quilt, duvet, whatever; it’s slim pickings out there. I found this really pretty and trendy one that I liked a LOT, but Paul wasn’t really going for it. As you can imagine most men wouldn’t. It sure is pretty, though.
I thought for a hot second about leopard because leopard is totally a neutral in my book. But it has to be done right or it can start looking a bit cheap. I think this styling is gorgeous and would love for this to be my room.
And then I saw a pretty option with a fur blanket that could be pretty when expertly strewn across the bottom of the bed when it’s made but could also be the actual blanket used every night that keeps us warm. But Alabama is HOT in the summer and let’s face it, as much as I’d like to say I make my bed everyday, that’s just not the case. Plus it’s probably not machine washable, and that’s a must with pups.
I’m also stumped on window treatments. I have nothing on those giant windows which makes for some terrible lighting in these photos. I apologize. I originally wanted drapes from this material.
I love it so much and have seen it used as drapes and to cover ottomans and as upholstery for chairs. It’s fun and funky, and I’m in love with emerald green. But every time I try to make them work in this space, I feel like I need a dark wall and crisp, white bedding. *Sigh*
I’m not beyond leopard window treatments. Again, it’s a neutral. It literally goes with everything.
Also, you can see I have not one thing hung on the walls. I’ve planned to hang this mirror, another treasure we got from Paul’s grandparents, above the bed. I just haven’t bit the bullet because I was waiting to see if I knew what kind of curtains I would be hanging and would it “go”.
I had planned to hang our wedding portrait above the bookshelf, but now I’m not so sure. I have no idea what should go above the TV and don’t even get me started on the dresser. *SIGH* I feel like I’m better than this.
The eagles were also from Paul’s late grandfather. He loves them so much that we always have them displayed in our homes, but I haven’t figured out what to do with them except sit them on top of the massive dresser all alone. Well with the vases that I love. They were a wedding gift and are from Karen Rainey Interiors. I fell in love with them the moment I saw them, and I’m so thankful we were gifted these gorgeous pieces. They need flowers, I know. I’ve been saying that for about 6 years now. (I told you master bedroom decorating was not my strong-suit.)
So, I’m stumped everywhere. This is real life. I’m not going to sugar coat it here. I struggle with this space. I always have in every home, and as much as I love home decor and all things beautiful, I am clearly lacking a bit. I want something timeless and pretty and functional. This is not a space where everything is going to be perfect all the time. We live in this room. Our dogs live in this room. We throw clothes on the floor and shoes on the floor and don’t close the closet doors and stack clothes on top of the dresser and sometimes have three water cups on each nightstand because we don’t always take them to the kitchen every morning and there are dog toys and dog hair, so it’s got to look nice but still function for us which, in my opinion, is important for all areas of your home. Otherwise it would just be a house you live in and not your home.
I know these are first world problems. Please know that this is one of the least important things in my life and quite possibly why it sits so low on my to-do list. But I do want to decorate my bedroom and style it with pretty things and make it functional for our family. Perhaps I’ll figure it out soon and there will be an “after” to this “before” post. If any of you have good ideas/suggestions or want to share some of your bedroom decor that you love and that works for you, let me know in the comments. Or tag me in your photos on Instagram. I’d love to see them!
This bar cart was something my parents had on their back porch that wasn’t getting much use, so I happily took it off their hands. I had it inside at our house in Louisiana, but it lives outside here and clearly doesn’t do anything useful. That’ll be changing soon.
We’ve had this table set for nearly seven years, so it needs some love and sprucing up.
