Here are some snaps of my beloved bedroom. I definitely have not been enjoying it as much as I should, and a lot of the stuff in my room are things that have been carried on from last year. (I moved student houses this summer) For my room this year, I wanted to use the same furniture, but I wanted to elevate it to a more “sophisticated” level (as sophisticated as the student ghetto can get, I suppose)! I still used my desk, chair and bed from last year and I brought in the large, AMAZING tufted chair (one of my mother’s prized Homesense scores). This room I also painted “cloud white” by Benjamin Moore.
My bedroom was previously the dining room of the house (you can see where they built the wall in the archway in the centre photo). In a lot of student houses, they tend to convert any space they can into more bedrooms (more bedrooms = more rent). It’s a funny small space (measuring 8.5 feet by 14.5 feet), but I was able to fit all my furniture in it comfortably. One item I was a little bit disappointed in editing out was a bed side table, because I haven’t had one the last couple of years. The colour of the room was a grey-blue, which I actually quite liked – the reason I changed it was to give it a fresh look, because the paint on the walls before was quite old. Another quality of the room that I like is the new(ish) wood flooring (which is rare in the student village) and the uber high ceilings, that make the room look a lot larger than it is.
Here is what I did with the space! Main areas: “reading nook”, desk/vanity space, closet and bed. My room is quite long, so I pushed everything pretty much against the wall and it left an open space in the middle. My landlord gave me a brand new door too, which also makes my room look more updated. My colour scheme remained the same as last year: My accent colours are baby blues, greys and light pinks. My main colour of the room is white, because it makes the room appear larger.
I have a queen sized bed (same one I had last year), the sleigh bed frame is a hand-me-down from my parents, and the blue bedding is from Anthropologie. The bedding was on sale, which was an amazing steal because Anthropologie bedding is really expensive and can run you up at least 300 dollars. Also as you can see, I LOVE pillows; mostly because I like to work on my bed and read, so it’s nice to have a few that you can prop up and lean against. The frames were a new project that I took on, with so much wall space, I thought they’d make a nice focal point above my bed. TIP: Frames from the dollar store are amazing (That’s where I got mine)! One thing that I would love to get in the future is a box spring to make my bed a little bit higher… it’s something I actually covet.
This closet is my absolute pride and joy. Last year, I had a lot of difficulty with the “built in dresser” that was stuck in my closet. In my old room, there was barely any storage and I found that my clothes were overflowing and getting stuffy. The rack that I purchased from Canadian tire was perfect. I loved the fact that my clothes would be displayed out in the open (kind of like a stylist’s closet), but it also gave me the incentive to keep it tidy because there was nothing for any of my stuff to hide behind. My mom also helped me install hooks for all my bags, which is useful because I use so many different ones during the week. It’s also a great spot to hang my keys onto.
On the rack I store my current in season clothes; everything out of season is put into under-bed storage rolling bins. I also hung a few of my jackets that I like to have out on display. In the pink bins on top, I store pajamas in one, and undies/bras in the other. The huge “R” was actually a souvenir I picked up when my mother and I took a trip to Boston two summers ago, from the antique market in Brimfield, Massachusetts.
The collage was a project I did in the beginning of school. The bulletin board was from staples, and I used it for a portion of the year last year on top of my desk. My mom hung it for me on the side of the closet, which is a great use for some dead wall space. I love looking at all of my favourite memories from the summer and last year, as well as some inspirational quotes that motivate me.
This year, I finally also had the space to create a little reading nook! The chair was an good treasure that my mom found at Homesense. It’s really comfortable and makes my room look a bit more “grown up”. As a side table/footstool, I used one of the poufs (also from Homesense!) that I’ve had since high school. It gives the space a more eclectic feel. One awesome way to make your room more stylish is to put on display your favourite books (preferably coffee table books/ nice hardcovers). The floor lamp I also adore, and it’s been with my family since I was really young (I believe my mom found it at a flea market as well).
I like to keep my desk really clear, mostly because it has too purposes: Getting ready (mostly) and work (not so much). It’s a small desk that my mom and I repainted last year (as well as the chair). The “Kartell” style lamp was a gift that I received for my birthday last year, and is a piece that will definitely carry on with me into many places to come. On my desk I pretty much keep whatever candle I’m burning, my iPhone speaker, and some pretty boxes for decoration. The mirror is one of my favourite pieces that I found at Homesense. I believe it was pretty inexpensive (35 dollars?), and I like to call it my “Kim Kardashian” mirror because I find it ultra-glam. The chair was also reupholstered last year in a blue coordinating fabric.
And that is my room so far! I would love to add a few gold accents and maybe a white furry pillow, but I haven’t found anything that would match yet. I also would like to mix it up a bit and make the room look a little more bohemian by adding fun pillow cases or accent pillows. Only time will tell!
