Sara’s Bedroom Reveal

Sara here, and you guys, THIS IS MY VERY LAST POST (for now)! I’m going to miss you all so very much. I’ll still be here working at EHD but I won’t be rambling to you on a weekly basis and reading back your warm comments about my cat and Tom Hardy. I’ll miss it so much.

Sentimentalities out of they way, let’s get on with the final chapter of my three part #MakeoverTakeover series – The Bedroom. *cue sultry music* (and if this is your first time here, jump back to my living room post, and office post to catch up).

It’s not that sultry of a room, but it is bright, minimal, and cozy. This had to be a super relaxing space because, well, we sleep here. So we tried to keep it as minimal as we could, without feeling empty. I personally get something Em has coined “clutter body” (which she suffers from as well), which means we have a difficult time relaxing/working/exsisting in an area that has too much un-organized stuff. You know, when your body starts to feel cluttered. This is 100% a real thing. So when it came to designing this space I didn’t want a gallery wall, or a bunch of patterned sheets. Simple, simple, simple.

A bed was the first thing that needed to be addressed because we were sleeping on a mattress on the floor. We wanted something simple, but beautiful and this Miles & May bed from Wayfair delivered. As soon as I showed it to Mac he was like “that’s OUR bed.” It’s super simple (have I mentioned that I wanted to keep this room simple yet?), but the wood tone and shape are perfect. Plus 90% of the wood that Miles & May use for their furniture is reclaimed. The frame is 100% solid wood, and while that makes it a bit heavy it also makes it a long lasting, quality piece of furniture. It’s a really good frame, folks. Just don’t try to assemble it alone.

Something that brings a little life into the room is that sea foam-ish green rug by Jaipur Living from Rugs Direct. When we first unrolled it I thought it was going to be darker than it was, but the lighter color ended up being exactly what the room needed to feel just a bit more lively. And it’s super soft under my toes.

You can’t sleep on a frame alone (I mean you can, I won’t tell you how to live your life), but we didn’t have money to splurge on a new mattress. So we just topped Mac’s old Ikea queen with a memory foam mattress topper from Target, which is totally awesome for just $70. The thing(s) that really takes our sleeping situation to the next level is our new bedding from Cultiver. We got a set of their white linen sheets, their linen duvet set in ‘smoke gray,’ and their quilted black bedcover. The quilt is amazingly soft and light, so we’re sleeping with it right now as the temperature starts to near summer-in-LA-with-no-AC levels. Plus the tonal colors are so perfect. I also promise I won’t say the words ‘soft’ or ‘simple’ in this post ever again.

The sconces are from Onefortythree, and the matte black metal perfectly matches our West Elm nightstands. We love the minimalism of them, but the little hits of brass on the lamps keep them from feeling flat.

I love this shot because you can see out into our hallway, where we have our vintage German anatomy poster hanging. The colors of the poster play really well off the rug, and he’s just a really pleasant fellow to say hi to every morning on my way to the bathroom.

This is my side of the bed (obviously – cat embroidery). We really did have clocks on either side of our beds when this photo was taken. I had just read this experiment some students did where they grew plants next to wifi routers, and the plants grew all weird, so I decided we weren’t going to sleep with our phones next to our beds anymore. That lasted all of zero nights, and my clock ended up ticking so loud that I returned it. But we kept Mac’s clock, and I like being able to see how late for work I am just by glancing at Mac’s nightstand when I’m running back and forth from the bathroom to the closet instead of having to frantically search, and re-search for my phone.

That awesome piece of art over the bed is a really pretty piece from Capricorn Press. It’s based on a restored antique constellation map from 1849. We of course had it framed by Framebridge.

On the opposite side of the bed I’ve got this tiny little corner situation going on. The room was starting to feel a little too minimal, so I thought maybe bringing in some plant life would help (until they start dying, BUT it’s been three weeks and so far everyone is still chugging along). And they really do brighten the atmosphere up. I potted them in those pretty standing planters from Modernica, and the materials and colors of the planters perfectly bounce back the materials and colors of the room. That standing mirror is from Urban Outfitters, and just a really pretty, affordable find. And again, all our pretty drapery was custom made by Country Curtains.

I have to admit, I love this side of our room. Where do I start? How about that amazing mid-century dresser Mac and I picked up at the Rose Bowl for $300 DOLLARS?! Or the vintage French seascape that Jess found on Etsy for $100 one day, and I impulsively bought before Emily could decide if she wanted it or not? (#sorrynotsorry) OR that freaking vanity nook?!?!? Who even has a vanity nook these days? You know, besides me. 

The dresser has these amazing oblong handles with blush copper metal details, which had me swooning. And so far Mac and I haven’t fought over drawer space (yet). Mac found that little captains box at the flea market too, and it’s where he keeps his ever-growing collection of enamel pins and saint pendants (and photo of me that I definitely didn’t put there). Also note the beautiful ceramic vase, with adorable little feet. I’m a sucker for ceramics with feet.

As I write this I’m starting to realize we have the tiniest bit of a nautical theme going in our bedroom, with the captains box, seascape, constellation map, sea-foam green rug, and cloud wallpaper. But I’m going to call it ‘minimal-nautical-modern’ so I don’t feel too weird about it. It’s kinda hip, right? . . . right??

Don’t tell Mac, but I’m in a serious relationship with this vanity nook. I think it might be my favorite part of this entire apartment. Ginny pointed out pretty early on that this was a small space that might be able to handle something bold and fun. At first we thought about painting it a darker color, like navy, but the idea of a printed wallpaper sounded so intriguing. I had never wall-papered anything in my life, and I felt like it was a right of passage. I spent hours looking at removable wallpapers, but in the end we both fell in love with this Fornasetti mural wallpaper from Cole & Sons (which I got from Lee Jofa). It’s not temporary, and we did pay someone to install it, but I’ve convinced myself that wallpaper is easy enough to take down, and it’s makes such a difference in that space.

I refuse to read a single comment ruining this illusion.

The sconce is from Schoolhouse Electric, and matches the flush mount that we have in the hallway. I learned how to replace a chain-pull sconce on my own to install this. No moral to that story, I just wanted to share my accomplishment. But that sconce was worth all the youtube tutorials. That sweet little painting is by my very good friend Molly Purcel, who’s just opened up an Etsy shop where you can buy prints of her adorable and whimsical art. Every time I go over to her house I rifle through her recent paintings and sketches and sneak away with 1 or 2 pieces. Soon I’ll have a full-blown collection.

And finally, let’s talk about that vanity. It’s a pretty piece from Ekais, which I found on Etsy. This vanity was the absolute perfect piece for this nook in size, color, and functionality. Several times people have asked me ‘why didn’t you hang a mirror there where the art is? Then it could have been a little dressing table,’ to which I respond by opening the lid of the vanity to reveal a mirror and storage area. This usually produces loud ‘oooooohhhhhssss’ of satisfaction and amazement.

And it’s all finished off with my tiny vintage rug. I love this little space so much.

Oh no, we’ve reached the end. That’s it. I’m all out of rooms in my apartment (Mac…should we buy a house??? Haha, just kidding (I’m not kidding)). I hope you’ve enjoyed taking a peek into our home as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing it. Thanks so much to everyone on the EHD team who helped make this happen, to all the amazing companies and individuals I worked with to pull together these rooms, and of course to all of you for your warm comments and support.

Now I’m going to go crawl into that bed and sleep for like 1 bajillion hours.

xx

Sara

1. Black Quilt | 2. Linen Duvet Cover Set | 3. Swing Sconce | 4. Constellation Art | 5. Bed Frame | 6. Nightstand | 7. Navy Blanket | 8. Sheets | 9. Rug | 10. Gray Striped Pillow | 11. Gold Hex Cup | 12. Blue Bud Vase | 13. Black Planter | 14. White Planter | 15. Gold Clock | 16. Photography Book | 17. ” How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are” Book | 18. Anatomy Map | 19. Sconce | 20. Wallpaper | 21. Oil Painting | 22. Vanity | 23. Stool | 24. Black Clock | 25. Ceramic Vase | 26. Mirror | 27. Cat Dish | 28. Fox & Rabbit Totems Art Print | 29. Leaning Mirror | 30. Hanging Macrame Planter

**Photos by Tessa Neustadt

For more of Sara’s Makeover Takeover : Office | Living Room | Childhood Bedroom | Living Room Update