Woohoo! I’ve got some “after” pictures of our bedroom today. After renting apartments for years it feels pretty liberating to be able to do ANYTHING I want to the apartment. The front bedroom (that we are calling the Master bedroom) is a beautiful space with Bay Windows. The trim had been previously painted white and it had white walls. So it was definitely a blank slate. When I went looking for inspiration for our house I kept searching for “Modern Victorian” I want to keep all the amazing details that make me love the apartment, but I want the space to feel modern and fresh.
I kept coming back to Jenna Lyon’s Brownstone, probably my favorite example of this. What I like about the room is it still feels fresh several years later. They take risks (like painting everything black!) but there are a ton of architectural details and everything feels modern and a little sparse. I loved how they had painted their trim black too, not just the walls. It gives the room a whole different look than accenting the room with standard white moulding. After weighing my options I became obsessed with painting my whole bedroom black. This might not seem like a risk to some people but I have spent my whole life trying to figure out how to make my small cramped apartments feel “lighter” so to actually make some thing darker on purpose seemed scary to me. Coincidentally Valspar contacted me about the same time and I told them I would LOVE to work with them considering all I do is think about paint colors all day. So I started looking for the “perfect black.” Valspar has an awesome Love Your Color Guarantee where if you aren’t happy with your first color you can have another color “on them.” It’s a pretty amazing guarantee because anyone who paints a lot knows that sometimes, no matter what you do, the paint colors don’t turn out how you thought they would. It was so nice knowing I had the option of switching colors if I didn’t love the bold color I originally chose.
My method for choosing paint is pretty simple. 1. I look at at pictures and look for something that works or something that is inspiring to me 2. I try 2-4 different color samples. This step is KEY. There have been so many times I looked at a color swatch and SWORE it was the perfect color, then after I spent all day painting I would get a sick feeling in my stomach when I realized it was totally wrong. 3. After testing then I choose my color and paint the room. This system has worked pretty foolproof for me.
I tried a few different dark greys and blacks but ended up with Dark Kettle Black by Valspar. I was a little nervous when we first put up the paint but by the end I LOVED it. It makes the room feel cozy and dramatic. It is my favorite room and I love waking up every morning in it. One of the first things we did was install our hanging chair which has been my favorite thing. The kids and I crawl into it in the mornings and read together and look out the window. I still want to hang some more art and our bed will be delivered next week (it’s a low platform bed) but am so happy about the direction it’s going in.
Sources: Hanging Chair – Serena and Lily, Sheepskins – Ikea, White Throw – Ikea, Orange Rug – Vintage from Morocco, Fiddle Fig Plant – SF Flower Market, Orbit Chandelier – Patrick Townsend, Coral Border Duvet and Shams – Serena and Lily, Velvet Stools – Craigslist, Framed Sketches – Alameda Flea Market, Landscape Painting – Paul Ferney, Tisdag White Lamp – Ikea, Brass Lamp – Vintage, White Rug – Vintage from Morocco, Giant Art Canvas – Estate Sale
This post is sponsored by Valspar: available at Lowe’s stores nationwide. To find your nearest retailer, visit the Find A Retailer tool on ValsparPaint.com. And make sure you remember their Love Your Color Guarantee – if you don’t love the first color you choose, you can have another one on them!
Photos by Ashley Batz for Oh Happy Day
katy
December 7, 2013
Lovely – also love the house plants you have, including the one under the bedside table! Is black paint easy to keep clean? The white-painted sills and trim in our apt. drive me crazy because they show dust so quickly.
Erin
December 7, 2013
Absolutely gorgeous! I LOVE the rugs. I will be going to Morocco after Christmas and am hoping to find a similar rug. Any hints for finding one (and getting it home!)?
Thanks in advance. You home is really an inspiration.
CMG
December 8, 2013
This looks so much like AB Chao’s bedroom. (scroll down)
http://www.abchao.com/blog/2012/5/3/bedroom-progression.html
Sammie
December 8, 2013
Love this look! The dark color makes your windows pop perfectly! What a dreamy room you have.
Cristina
December 14, 2013
Wow! Supernice!!
🙂
Lea Hart
December 17, 2013
go for it! I just painted my bathroom black and I loooove it! 🙂