Thank you again for all the sweet comments about our home this week! Today, I thought I’d continue the thread and share the before/after photos of the bedrooms.
Hudson’s Room
Before:
Before moving into this house, Hudson had slept in a mini-crib in our closet (about 5 feet from my side of the bed), so we were really excited about his having his own room… down the hall. The previous owners actually have two children as well and Hudson’s room was their son’s room—and they had installed a really clever cork wall on one side. We loved it! We bought him a full-sized crib (the rail of which he chewed up just as he did that of his first crib) and then realized that we’d never put any thought into decorating a nursery the way most new parents do.
This was the first set-up… which lasted a very long time. It was nice, but it always felt a bit off to me. For the longest time we planned to wallpaper at least one side of the room (remember this research?), but we just couldn’t figure it out.
We decided we needed to paint the cork board white to make the whole room feel brighter and then see how we felt. At first, however, I thought it looked terrible! I almost cried—I feared we’d made a terrible mistake and had ruined the thing that was really unique about his room. But after we putty’d the the gaps in the cork panels and covered the nails to make it look as good as the other walls, I realized it was the right decision.
We changed out the yellow chairs for jute/yarn stools; added another Ikea Expedit unit (at this point, even Hudson can practically assemble them); and brought the rug in from my office. Hudson loved the changes. I got the sense it made the room feel more special to him, knowing that it had been “made” just for him.
After:
Skyler’s Room
Before:
It’s funny to look back at the room that has become Skyler’s room and remember the wallpaper we removed. I wonder, had we known we were having a girl, if there’s a chance we might have considered leaving it—the pattern is especially fitting for someone named Skyler.
But the first incarnation of the room was as a guest room (and storage-box catch-all to be honest), so we painted over the lavender walls and stripped the wallpaper. Until recently it held a queen-sized bed.
After:
It’s a very (very) small room and one day Skyler is probably going to realize how much smaller her room is than Hudson’s and be very upset. So far, however, it’s mostly just waiting for the day we actually use it.
(Seriously. This is probably one of five times she’s been in that crib.)
Our Room
Before
Again, we actually really liked the wallpaper the previous owners had chosen—all lovely patterns—but we just wanted to start with a clean slate, so the first thing we did was to strip the wallpaer and paint everything, including the ceiling beam, white.
The master bedroom is set apart from the other rooms (something I really love) and has its own little patio off the side. Sometimes, if I have a babysitter over to watch Hudson while I work, I’ll move between the office and the bedroom by going outside.
We initially thought the dog would get to use the patio and so we had new fencing installed to be sure there were no gaps (and to push back the fence line). But it gets too hot over there for a little black, furry fellow. Now I have this fantasy of one day installing an outdoor shower. Maybe one day…
The potato vine on that patio got completely decimated in the process of rebuilding and painting the fence, but it has come back completely—stronger than ever, in fact—so if you’re looking for a hardy, flowering vine in a similar climate… I’m a big fan.
After:
We brought home the headboard—a giant slab of (super-heavy) fast-growing Suar wood—from Bali (here’s the full story). Otherwise the walls have remained fairly stark: we had planned to create a gallery wall in there, but I find I really appreciate the feeling that it’s a serene retreat at the end of each day.
Thank you again! I can’t believe it has been nearly two years since we moved in! It feels good to have finally taken all of these photos.
P.S. Our Living Room and Dining Room, and Our Backyard. And an interview we gave about the house on A Cup of Jo. The last of the rooms (the office) coming up tomorrow!
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