Hello, Y'all!
I am finally sitting down to share the first room of the Giese Cottage series. I thought I would start with the coziest corner of the house, the master bedroom. When we bought the place, it was the room with the least amount of reno. (No wallpaper, thank goodness!) The old plaster walls did have some settling cracks, and everything was a lovely yellowy-tan color, but we fixed the plasterwork and hit everything with a fresh coat of paint.
The fireplace in the bedroom screamed cozy cottage, but the solid black slab was too harsh for my taste. I wanted to soften it with a mosaic tile look. I couldn't find a stencil I liked at my local craft store, BUT they did sell blank stencil vinyl, so I used my Cricut to cut out a pattern that matched the style I wanted — the pattern I found on Pinterest HERE. Then my sweet momma took an afternoon with the same white paint as the walls and stenciled the fireplace hearth.
For the first six months or so of living in the space, all the walls were white, and I had dark rugs from my old apartment. The area didn't feel finished, and the contrast was too harsh, so I spent months thinking on it and finally decided to expand my obsession for shiplap to the bedroom, but this time as a pop of color instead of traditional white. (Don't worry - I will have a full post soon about shiplap that is budget-friendly.)
Colors used in this room:
Walls - Valspar Bistro White & Sigh (blue wall)
Trim - Valspar Gloss Ultra White
When it came to furniture, I already had everything before moving in except for nightstands. That was tricky. You see, my vanity is my great grandma's writing desk, and I didn't want to paint it and to keep the more antique vibe for the nightstands. Everything I found out shopping was too big, too modern, or just not right. Finally, while driving around town, I found a pair of nightstands outside a local antique store that almost matched the vanity! They were perfect! The bookcase is an old 1920s bookcase that we painted and added shelves to several years ago, and the chair is a refurbished piece from my first apartment as well. The headboard was a DIY project that I go into detail about and have templates for on the blog HERE.
The finishing touches are mostly refurbished from my old apartment like these Hobby Lobby lamps that I painted the silver hardware gold to make the room better. The round mirror is a budget-friendly solution from Target and most of the art is old posters, vintage prints, or Home Goods finds. The rug is one of my favorite recent Amazon purchases. Rugs can be very expensive, but this large rug was on sale for less than $200 and excellent quality for the price. I love going on thrift store hunts and becoming a magpie for not only blue and white but also brass candlesticks...or the occasional brass unicorn.
The bedding is a mix of quality staple pieces and craft projects. The sheets and duvet cover were a birthday present this year; you know you are getting old when you get excited about gifted bedding. The gingham and bunny pillows are homemade! The bunnies are actually made from a tablecloth that was too small for my kitchen table - I couldn't give up the pattern!
Overall, I love when the afternoon light pours into the room. It is just a cozy paradise! I hope my master bedroom inspires you to create a cozy cohesive space while thinking outside of the box on a budget. Remember, don't be afraid to get covered in paint and dig through thrift store bins for a unique treasure.
Photos by Erin Daniel Photography
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