I know it has been ages since I have mentioned house progress on the blog but the gift of a new rug that happened to work really well in my master bedroom gave me the swift kick in the ass to style and photograph my just-about-complete space. My bedroom has been a slow work-in-progress for the past year or so, ever since we FINALLY purchased a king-size mattress (memory foam – our first one and we love it). This rather large new mattress was a god-send since we have many cats, most of whom love to sleep with us. The room is about 10’x12′ which for a master bedroom in a 4-bedroom house is pretty freaking small. It basically fits the bed and not much else, which is fine because we each have our own dressing room. OH YES!
Here is a photo I took about 10 days after we moved in (with our old queen mattress) 2 years ago.
And this is what it is looking like these days…
I was looking for an earthy, natural theme and colour scheme so it is all about reclaimed wood, plants and brown tones. I was recently asked by EcarpetGallery to pick out a rug to feature on the blog and this beauty above was what I chose. A 4’11” x 8’10” hand-knotted antique wool rug from Afghanistan. It is absolutely beautiful and fits perfectly in this room (and tones down my orangey birch hardwood floor). It took me days to pick out a rug because they have such an amazing and large selection of traditional rugs, modern rugs, tribal rugs, transitional rugs, kilim rugs, shag rugs, persian rugs etc. Endless possibilities! And I was stoked to find out they are based in Montreal (YAY Canadian!) and New York so shopping is a breeze! (They now offer free shipping on all orders shipped to Canadian provinces and the continental United States with a 30-day free return policy).
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Thank you so much EcarpetGallery for this absolutely gorgeous rug, and giving me a reason to finally shoot my bedroom even if it is not quite complete.
Not complete: the curtains are what I purchased at our first trip to Ikea after moving in and not knowing what I would do in here. I think I would prefer something darker. The bed legs are eventually going to be wrapped in the reclaimed wood of the rest of the bed. I have been waiting a year and am hoping this post will embarrass my husband into finishing it FINALLY! Oh yeah, so husband built the entire bed from some red oak he got from a guy who was taking down a wood-clad workshop/shed thing. It is beautiful wood. The resulting bed frame is fantastic and I am so happy with how it turned out. HOORAY for handy husbands who build stuff!!! I also need to find pillows that fit the pillow cases that came with the duvet cover as they are an odd size.
We mounted the Artemide Tolomeo lights that I had installed on either side of the stove in the last house on the bed frame and I love how they look against the rustic wood. The wall colour is Mouse’s Back and the door panels are Black Blue by Farrow & Ball.
The side tables are Kartell Componibili from A Modern Space. The vintage printer drawer I bought in P.E.I one summer while visiting the inlaws. The burlap storage bag is from this Etsy shop that seems to be out of business. The blanket is old and gross from Ikea.
This fantastic shelving came from my favourite vendor at the Morrisburg flea market because they have ALL THE WEST GERMAN POTTERY – Off the Wall Retro. It came apart and was unpainted so I was able to do what I wanted to it. It is filled with plants, some of my favourite earthy West German vases, and my collection of Oaxacan pottery I have brought back from trips to Puerto Vallarta. The hanging pot on the left I brought back from Evoke the Spirit in Sayulita. The one on the right is by Ferm Living from The Modern Shop. The girl head vase was a gift from Jo. The dream catcher was purchased at the Ottawa Maker’s Market made by The Quintessence.
I finally caved and agreed to have a TV in the bedroom. A wise decision. It is so cozy watching movies in bed. Because it is rather large and ugly I did what I usually do and surrounded it with art to hide it. Above the door is a vintage map of Ottawa embroidered with a heart by Sadie & June from Maker House Co.. Deer and raven prints by ButterBean Design. Buffalo print by 100th Meridian from Maker House Co. Vintage saint painting from Antiquus Goods. Skull and ribcage drawings from Cassie Meder. ‘Mr. Wolf’ original mixed media by Dulce Tapp from Orange Art Gallery. Vintage mounted butterflies from a flea market. Horse photo by Road Trip Creative. Original oil painting I had commissioned for husband of our dearly departed Cheeks. And last but not least, ‘Animal’ by Marc Adornato.
This gorgeous walnut bench was made by our friend and master wood worker Matt Wallace of na coille Studio. Vintage toolbox with handle removed and amber glass bottle to the right of it from HighJinx. The toolbox and bench aid to hide the cord and plug for the TV.
I am dying of shock that this little succulent grouping I made a few months back is still alive and thriving.
My beloved leather Eames shell chair from Found Design.
Driftwood and shell mobile also brought back from Sayulita.
Eos feather pendant light by Vita
I am so in love with this duvet. It is by X+L (Xander Vervoort and Leon van Boxtel, designers based in Amsterdam) and is hand painted in Gujarat, India.
The cats adore it too. Mostly because I shoved the duvet inside for these photos. 🙂
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Check out The Rug Blog
Sparky says:
I have purchased three rugs from ecarpetgallery. I agree, the selection is outstanding and makes it possible to be certain to find the perfect match for my situation and desires. The prices are very affordable for the quality and who will argue with the FREE shipping? I love hand made rugs and am very pleased with those I purchased from them. ~Sparky
KiM says:
@axie – apparently that bug is supposed to be a boot removal tool but since I don't need help in that area I thought a door stopper made more sense.
@Monika – I honestly cannot remember as I ordered them about 7 years ago. Pretty sure it's a micro or mini.
@Sparky – awesome!
d of dogland says:
Cheeks portrait is BeAuTiFuL!!! It caught my eye before I'd read you'd commissioned it. That just made it all the more special and choked me up a bit. I love your room's comfy, calm (exactly what a bedroom should be). You've made yourself a lovely nest.
katie @ Red House West says:
That rug is GORGEOUS! A perfect choice.
Betsy says:
I think its wonderful your husband is so talented working with wood and handy. That's a very admirable quality.You have a studied way about you but without trying so hard (everyone seems to be these days, no matter which side of the fence, traditional or modern), and looks editorial, yet livable.
KiM says:
Thank you d of dogland. That portrait means so much to us. I balled my eyes out when my co-worker brought it to work when it was complete (her husband painted it) and balled my eyes out when I gave it to husband for his birthday. There will never be another Cheeks, never be a cat that grateful to have been taken off the streets after many years, and we will never forget what he meant to us now that we have this portrait hanging on our wall.
Thanks katie!
@Betsy – it is wonderful 🙂 Thank you so much.
greta says:
this is such good job! The room looks completely different from the first picture. I love every details even the smallest: the chair, the furniture, the bed, the plants and the gallery wall, great job really! not to say that the rug fits perfectly.
KiM says:
Thank you greta!
ombia says:
Great transformation Kim!
I really love how Artemide looks in your bedroom.
And – that all that pottery is alive with all those cats!
My two are playing and running all the time and knock out most of the furniture like chairs etc.
I also love the wall with the art.
What are two two stripes in the wood? Remindes a little of band aid
https://www.desiretoinspire.net/storage/allpostphotos/DesireToInspireEarthyBedroomTransformation_5068.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1467075034527
It is probably a culturale difference since I really can not imagine two people sleeping in queen size bed.
And – Felix rules.
KiM says:
Thanks ombia! Those are "bowties" in the bench. They're put there to prevent a split in the wood to split more.
Yes, Felix does rule. 🙂 #felixrules