friday home update: we are redoing every bedroom in the house

Send help. And paint swatches.

We’ve entered into our great bedroom makeover era, and it’s stressing me the absolute fuck out. Every bedroom. All of them. At the same time. And we don’t have a small house with just a few bedrooms (big family problems). We are taking on all of them.

Everyone in this house has decided they want to redo their rooms from paint to furniture to décor, and that’s all right. The kids are growing up, getting bigger, and they’re ready for something a little more timeless, classic, and elegant. They all have different tastes and styles, and they want their rooms to reflect that (while I work overtime making sure their personalities all show in their bedrooms but in a way that’s elegant and timeless).

The problem for me, however, is that as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown out of the fast-décor, let’s go to Hobby Lobby and find some new wall art style. I don’t really care for trendy décor or style. Over the past few years, I’ve become very intentional about what I want in our home in terms of artwork, furniture, and décor, and that means redecorating now takes me a tremendous amount of time.

Our lounge, for example, took me three years to decorate because I wanted a very specific bar to go in it, and no one made it. I could see it in my mind, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I spent three years looking before I finally found it. I find myself looking at empty walls longer than I’m comfortable with because I want to make sure I find the perfect piece to hang. It took my husband and me two years to re-decorate our family room because we couldn’t find the perfect furniture. But when we did find the perfect furniture…the game changed and I’ve never been happier.

But, also…it’s a bit overwhelming doing it all at once.

Everyone is suddenly my design client

It started innocently enough. One child wanted to redecorate her room in a very classy navy blue and white color palette. Then another decided he wants to go all in on a totally cool sports room. And then my husband decided he no longer cares for our master bedroom and has been sending me ideas for almost a year now (but nothing has spoken to me).

Naturally…that all changed last week when he found the perfect bed for our master. Which turned into me finding the perfect new mattress and bedding. And suddenly, what was just one child wanting to redecorate turned into redecorating the master bedroom, Charlotte’s room, Carter’s room, and Ava’s room. Oh, and did I mention decorating an entire dorm room for Addison? Because yeah.

Just like that, I was no longer a busy mom of four and wife and dog mom and friend with a packed calendar. Now I’m an interior designer with four bedrooms to redecorate.

The master bedroom: A tale of waiting, searching, and refusing to settle

Our master bedroom furniture is the only original furniture we have in our home. We spent a small fortune on it when we bought this house and decorated our room. But in all honesty, we’ve outgrown it. Literally, here’s a fun story: We have a queen bed. Why? Because our entire marriage, we slept so close together that we didn’t have any need for a king-size bed. We liked being close, and we never saw the appeal of a larger bed, even on vacation when we had one and used half of it.

Now? Now we need a bit more space. Cuddling is great, but we both want more space to spread out. I read at night, and I know I keep my husband up as I move around constantly because he’s so close to me. He moves a lot in his sleep and wakes me up constantly…and he probably just wants to be further from me so I can’t kick him as easily when he forgets that breathing is a SILENT JOB.

But…nothing has spoken to me. Everything is boring and mass-produced or the wrong shade of cream or the wrong material or the wrong height. But, we finally found the perfect bed. And ordered it. And now I have to find new nightstands that complement it. I think new bedside lamps, too. I did buy a new area rug for the master about a year ago that is absolutely perfect, but I’m thinking new drapes are necessary. And my husband does want a reading chair and ottoman. Of course, I also need to find a bench to place at the foot of the bed, too, so it’ll be a project that takes some time as I search for the right pieces.

The kids’ rooms: Finding a way to mix personality with timelessness

This is probably the most difficult aspect of redecorating their rooms. Finding paint colors that are perfect but also timeless. Furniture that they will love for years. Décor that says, “This is my room and my personality,” but that can be easily modified when, undoubtedly, two years from now someone’s personality changes direction.

New beds, dressers, nightstands, lamps, artwork, décor, bedding, frames, etc. I’m so overwhelmed shopping for everything, but I’m constantly reminding myself (and the kids) that decorating a space takes time and patience; otherwise it’s rushed and tacky. Good luck to all of us, right?

The truth about decorating and getting older

Some might say I’m being picky, and they aren’t wrong. But it’s not about being picky so much as it’s about finding the right pieces. I don’t want to buy something because it’s trendy or in style. I don’t want to buy something just to have it. I want to make sure every piece is perfect for the space it’s in. I want everything to be just right. I want to find the right pieces. I want everything to feel right and feel like it belongs. I don’t want to rush.

Every piece should speak to the room and the person who lives in it. I don’t want mass-produced artwork and cheap pieces that’ll break or make the space look rushed. I want it right. So, it’ll take time. And the kids have to deal with that.

Final thoughts

That’s where we are right now. Our laundry room currently looks like a furniture store filled with boxes of furniture and décor that are being shipped, purchased, and delivered to our home while we un-decorate, repaint, and lay out new rooms. I have to keep the door shut, and I cry a little on the inside every time I go in there to do laundry or grab a beverage, and I have to live with that.

I don’t like chaos. Or mess. But right now, I’m just trying to remind myself that all good things take time, and not to rush the process. And I’m just sticking to the main living spaces that currently have all my fall décor out and feel like home.