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Small Master Bedroom Makeover

I am so, so, so excited to share the “reveal” of our small master bedroom makeover. It’s the first officially completed room and now one of my favorite places to be! Despite the minimal square footage, this was also the biggest “blank slate” I tackled because we had our old furniture put in the guest room. We actually slept there for the first few months because we didn’t have a bed or even a mattress for the master.

The In-Between

Since the last time I shared the bedroom, we made some major changes. I liked what was going on (interior designers are incredible!)… but realized I didn’t love it. That set me off on a borderline obsessive path to get that room in tip-top shape. I tried so many different things to make the space feel 100% “me” and spent an embarrassing amount of time looking things up online, measuring, remeasuring. Buying three options, returning what didn’t work. I’m glad I documented that first iteration because I feel like most of the “design” blogs I follow only show the final result. Maybe these people are really geniuses and get it right on the first try, but it certainly was not the case for me!!

This small master bedroom design was a labor of love. And, I’m not going to lie here friends, I am legitimately proud of how it turned out. Even with the small footprint, it’s a relaxing space that’s perfect for our everyday life.

Small Master Bedroom Makeover

The Process

We live in an old house, so our room is on the cozier side… though it’s definitely better than my NYC bedroom, ha. Who remembers that?! (Honestly though, is there ever enough space?) Carter took these with a wide-angle lens to capture more of the small space at once. We opted to fit a queen bed comfortably instead of squeezing in a king bed (we would have technically had enough room, but barely). It definitely makes the room feel bigger and we’re used to having a queen bed so it doesn’t bother us at all.

Translating the vision in my head into reality took trial and error, but as soon as I started to piece things together, I could feel the room coming to life and reflecting my personal style. I really wanted to capture a gender-neutral, light and bright, cozy atmosphere but not stuffy hotel-y vibe. A space for quiet time and restful sleep with an elevated look. Bright colors are tough for me, so instead of doing an accent color or following any bedroom color trends, I really wanted to focus on a neutral color palette and maybe some metallic accents.

The hardest part for me was figuring out what artwork to hang above the bed. I could NOT find anything that matched what I had in my head. Guess what though? I ended up printing out a couple of floral photos from my iPhone!!! I converted them to B&W and sent them to the pharmacy to be printed. I bought these gold bamboo frames to hang them in. (I love these frames but I had to “configure” them to hang on the wall because they come with a very bulky back and didn’t lay flat on their own. Just something to keep in mind if you want to hang them versus standing them on a table.) Maybe one day I’ll fill them with family photos… who knows!!

Small Master Bedroom Design

The closets in our primary bedroom are pretty small (here’s how I organized mine) so I like having larger nightstands on either side of the bed too– especially with a basket for even more “out of sight” organization. It’s not really enough storage… but it’s better!

Decorative Pillows

After struggling with throw pillows (both color and size), I ended up finding this Etsy shop that has beautiful fabric selections and even more beautiful construction. She’s super responsive and sent fabric samples to me and everything before I confirmed my order. Highly recommend. (Also, I underestimated just how much visual interest decorative pillows would add to a compact room! They kind of create a focal point.)

Neutral Color Palette Primary Bedroom Slipcover Headboard Bows Barn and Willow Custom Shades

Oh man. I originally ordered some from Pottery Barn that… still haven’t arrived. I got so fed up with that and started to research other options. I had gotten a handful of ads for a custom curtain website and was ~influenced~. 10/10 recommend Barn & Willow. They are a great way to get custom sized shades that are relatively affordable (especially for small rooms!) and they were delivered in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS. That felt unheard of. They fit perfectly and weren’t too hard to install at all. (Just needed to use my own screws because the ones they came with were too wide for the opening.)

Anthropologie Mirror in Small Bedroom

Serena and Lily Trunk

Small Primary Bedroom Design

BED (Queen)

SCALLOPED DUVET

SCALLOPED SHAMS

RUFFLED PRINTED SHAMS (Ruffled 20″x20″)

GINGHAM LUMBAR PILLOW (Oblong 16″x12″)

QUILT

SCALLOPED SHEETS

SMALL SIDE TABLES

BASKETS w/ LIDS (Medium)

TABLE LAMP BASE

LAMPSHADES (18″)

ROMAN SHADES (Belgian Flax Linen, Optic White, Black Out)

BAMBOO FRAMES (8″x8″)

NAKED LADIES WALL ART

GOLD MIRROR (Small)

RUG (8’x10′)

FLUSHMOUNT

TRUNK

Shop the Room

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19 Comments

Joy Hambrick

Gorgeous! Congratulations, Carly, it’s amazing! I especially love how Ham & Ted match the decor 😉

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Sarah

Really love the texture the lampshades add! Glad to hear you’re happy with the end result – it’s so important to have a bedroom that makes you feel calm and cosy and happy to be there 🙂

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Kelly

Love the reveal and your honesty. Also, weird question, I’m going to assume the heater covers came with the house. But just in case, any idea on where the heater covers came from? We’re remodeling and can’t find any anywhere.

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carly

Aren’t they amazing? I actually LOVE them in the rooms, but they did come with it. I ~think~ they were custom made… a long time ago. I “inspected” a few and think they hired someone, literally, decades ago ha!

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Carmen

Absolutely love your rug. I’ve been having the hardest time finding nice rugs for our house and our master bedroom in particular. The Serena & Lilly website is a great find.

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Monica Nguyen

Hi Carly!

I love coming to your blog and reading everyday. You are a wonderful writer and I enjoy reading through details vs a short caption on Instagram.

Two questions:
1) where did you get your backboard for your bed? Looks like a pillow?
2) I have a dog with black fur and he sheds moderately. Do you know a brand of comforters that holds up pretty well with dogs or is easy to wash and breathable?

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Meg

I’ve been waiting FOREVER to re-do our master because nothing has felt just right. Needed this in inspo!!!

What is on the wall opposite your bed? Windows, closets? That’s where my bureau would be..wondering how your room is configured!

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