We've lived here six weeks now and our bedroom still looks like this. And yesterday, Writer Chic wrote a wonderful post showing her beautiful master bedroom transformation and linked to Nesting Place so much that I think my head grew a few sizes. I felt the need to show you my reality just in case someone out there thinks every room in my house is finished.
Last week I had two guests over--Stephanie and Holley from (in)courage, and gave them a tour of my house including our bedroom. And I'm hosting a whole slew of women this weekend at my house. The room will look just like this when they come but for the bed. I do have the common decency to make the bed.
One of my biggest decorating regrets is not making our master bedroom a priority. But I'd rather have that regret than regretting the time I put into making our bedroom look even better. And right now, if I spent time on this room I'd have to choose to ignore some things that are more important.
This room is builder beige and pretty empty as far as personal items but honestly, it is still a relaxing space and I still really like it. I'd love to hang the mirror, research fabric and make some mistreatments and in my dream world, find 4 matching curtain rods plus hardware for $1 each at a yard sale. But, I also have to balance that with a real budget, real kids home all day and a real tassel order that I need to complete.
The cold hard truth is, that it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful. And I don't have to have it all done now. I'm allowing myself the freedom to enjoy this room and it's clean crisp walls.
But I am gonna hang up the mirror. And I cannot WAIT to get my hands on those four windows! What are you allowing to sit unfinished in your home so you can focus on other things?
The Naked Truth
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With only 9 days left before school, I'm letting EVERYTHING take a backseat so I can love on my boys! So worth it!
There are SO many things that sit unfinished in my home. Being between 2 houses is not easy! But we will be completely done & moved by the end of the month, and things will start to get back in order. I hope.
We've been here 8 years and still have pictures that are not hung. And I am an interior design work. Right now everything remains undone as I focus on NOT spending any money. It makes my husband happy that way.
Hey my love! I was so happy that I got to see you at She Speaks!
I have a kitchen that is unfinished. It is a nightmare. It was built in the early 80s so it has all the modern inconveniences of design disaster. We had a drop in stove that went kaput and we could not find another one that size so we had to redo the island and tear out the pantry to put the slide free standing range there. We figured we'd have the money later to do a complete remodel. HA! One year and no remodel later... I detest my kitchen. Why does it cost so much to fix a kitchen?
All of my walls are bare. It takes an inordinate amount of energy for me to try to figure out what I want on my walls, other than the paint. I get overwhelmed with all the possibilities.
Right now, my walls are bare, but I'm not 100% sure that's because I'm getting other, more important, things done...
I might have to work on that.
Our bedroom is also last on our list. Until our kitchen is painted, it will remain there. Now, where will i get the motivation to just get started?
Thanks for keeping it real. You are right, it is better undone if what we are doing instead is more important.
My powder room and den both need painted desperately, but, like others, I'm waiting until school starts so the I can spend these last few weeks of summer with my kids!
I am putting off packing up the house. Not going to do it until I've officially submitted a change of address ;)
GUSSY
LOL-I'm with Amy on the kitchen thing. I'm having to put kitchen remodeling on hold because my horrible ancient aluminum builder grade windows are FALLING OUT of the window frames.
I won't mention the problems I'm having with Sears Home Improvement fulfilling their obligations regarding these windows...oops. Oh gee darn, I DID mention it! (grr!!!)
Well, I did just finally put drapes up in the familyroom and breakfast room after 4 yrs. So things do take a back seat sometimes. At least you're in and somewhat settled and decorating will get done in time. Thanks for sharing. Hugs, Marty
Ohhhhh... I'm afraid that is a very, very, long list indeed! My husband and I both like to do home projects ourselves (as opposed to hiring them out and spending all that $$$), but we also are really bad about starting something and not finishing it. And now we have two babies under the age of 20 months, so I'm afraid the list is getting longer. I have definitely had to lower my standards around the house since becoming a mommy. But my 2 sweet little boys are so worth it! The projects will still be there.
I LOVE your bright cheery bedroom. The space is beautiful. I tend to focus on all other areas of my home and the bedroom is always the last to receive attention. Enjoy the anticipation of what is to come!!
I tend to have this problem with my bedroom as well - - unfortunately, it becomes a dumping ground for a lot of things, and if I am not careful (which most of the time I am not), it gets totally out of control and becomes a huge mess. As a busy mom a lot of times I find it easier to just shut the door and pretend the mess isn't there!
Thank you for this post! I needed it.
I have a gigantic writing deadline to meet on Sept.1 and it is literally consuming my life at present. I have so many things in my house that need tending to, but the reality is that I'm not going to be getting to them anytime soon. I was feeling so guilty and out of sorts like no other woman in the world ever has this problem. I needed to hear that YOU have it!
Thanks, hugs and kisses!
My master bedroom has always taken a backseat to the rest of the house. My daughters rooms are the only rooms that are really done.
Oh... the rooms people look at less (including myself) are ALWAYS last. Plus my bedroom.
My real problem is, when I do up a room, I steal from it to finish another. Leaving the first one unfinished again. I have no budget to buy new so I must find. One day at a time.
Your bedroom is beautiful just the way it is! Well, I think so anyway. :)
Donna
I wish I could name just one room. I have two rooms on my main central hall that have closed doors ALL THE TIME. Your sleigh bed is beautiful and keeps anyone from noticing that you aren't done.
What I am leaving undone, without too much thought about it...the backyard, the kids bathroom, the upstairs bonus room/playroom. I'll get to it all eventually. It's nice to move slowly around the house and enjoy the process of working on each room in a way that feels enjoyable! Janell
Sometimes you just gotta let things go for the more importants in your life. Thanks for sharing your unmade bed and un finished room!
Before I read what you wrote, I almost emailed your bedroom picture to a friend, saying, "THIS is my kind of decorating!" So peaceful. My kind of Perfect.
HAHA! We've been in our place since Oct (got our stuff in Dec) and my master is still a disaster (ha, look at me, I can rhyme). Actually, much of the house is a disaster. Boo. I'm working on it though. I'm working on it.
BTW, if you want to see pics of "The Birthday Party By Which All Other Parties Will Be Measured" (TBPBWAOPWBM for short) hop on over to my blog. It was awesome. Like you. And me. ;)
I can't even begin to tell you how glad I am to see this post today. We moved into our new place almost a month ago and I'm still looking at bare white walls. Photo frames and mirrors are stacked up in our guest bedroom and our master bedroom is pretty boring.
Thanks for the reminder that not everything has to be done now. Tackling my home room by room is easier to handle.
Can't wait to see what you do with your windows!
You wrote this post for me, right? ;) I have two little girls: 3 and 19 months...it takes me all day long just to keep my downstairs picked up, much less decorated. The entire upstairs is very neglected, with the exception of the 3 year old's room, which I decorated before she was born. I need to get my act together!
Oh, I have LOTS undone that needs attention.....I need a wife!! :)
Suzanne
This was a refreshing post to read today! I have a ton of things I want to do to my house, but finally told myself to take a break and enjoy the summer because everything will still be waiting for me at the end of it. The world isn't going to end because I didn't get the walls painted the new color that I want before we move in the furniture from our old house that's almost sold.
Well...right now I'm letting my decorating take a back seat so that I can focus on paying off debt... Then it will be SO SWEET when we can write a check for the new living room furniture :)
I have just finished decorating my sons room and now am currently sewing, dyeing and spray painting several flea market and goodwill finds in the hopes transforming of my college bound daughters first apartment.
Did I mention that I have 3 weeks to complete everything before my own classes start? :)
Come by and see the customized typography basket I made.
That's exactly how our master bdroom looks :) 7 mos and counting!
Well, thank goodness you have common decency. ;)
I'm leaving a LOT unfinished in my house. I tried to do a lot when we first moved in, but having a baby sapped me of any creative decorating energy!
i neglect the dishes every day until bedtime. but i think it's more lazy than priorities.
My master bedroom has color swatches painted on the wall, but the painting and re-dressing of our bed will wait until the kids are in school. I so appreciate your catch-phrase, "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." It's true in our homes and in our lives.
Blessings!
After a year of homeschooling, my kids just went back to their charter school this morning. Now I've got no excuse not finish my master bedroom. I'll start by selling the HUGE elipticle and treadmill that sit unused. They just don't seem to make it the love cave it ought to be. LOL.
that looks like the color in my studio and it is actually called Cottage White. Does that make you feel a little better?
I think you have lovely bedroom furniture!
Oh, friend! You always seem to read my mind! If you could only see my entire house right about now! Shew wee, do I have work to do!
You know what? I'd rather spend time with my little ones than stress over hanging pictures, etc. Well, actually, if I even tried they would be up the ladder too!
Have a wonderful, restful week!
I ignore our master bedroom as well. I did spend time on it once, so there are things hanging on the wall and I like the furniture, but I don't spend any time "tweaking" what I already have. I would rather focus on rooms that we are in all the time, as well as rooms that we're in when our eyes are open! Haha.
I LOVE how you always say "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful". And I love your honesty and transparency.
Good things come to those who wait, right? I can't wait to see what you do with that space.
Thanks to all of your wonderful inspiration, I bought some fabric to do your poofy method ;) Anyway, the only thing that confuses me (cause I confuse easily) is where is the top of the material?? Isn't it on the top of the poof and if so, doesn't it pull forward and look dorky?? how do you keep the top of the material folded under? Or do you not? I hope that made sense, it's hard to talk material on a blog! Maybe I need to send you a picture :)
I started recovering some dining chairs in March. I completed one, have 90% of two more finished and three to go. I don't think I've touched them in about 4 months. Yeah... I moved on to more "important" things. Those really need to move back up on the importance chairs so we aren't still sitting on "before" chairs.
It has taken me two years to find a desk and four for a dresser - you don't have to do it all the first day, you just have to do it well to suit yourself. I would rather wait for great that have mediocre on a delivery truck in the driveway tomorrow!
I have been in my home 9 years and mine still hasn't become a priority! I bought fabric to update it about 6 months ago and it is still leaning agains the wall! Can't wait to see how you transform.
My list could go on forever! I've not only let things go at home but I haven't had the time to blog either. At times, life is just too busy...this is one of those times!
Michelle, I've done it both ways--but usually the top of the fabric is folded under the poof. So it's sandwiched between the long part and the poof and then there are actually kind of 3 fabric parts in the clip.
makes no sense.
Glad to know you are normal. I am letting just about every project sit while I spend time with my kids for three weeks before school starts.
the dust on the 2 inch blinds.
and on the nighstand. it's free aquadoodle. the boys are drawing on it.
did i just say that out loud?
That furniture is so beautiful- you don't need much more!
I always take forever to hang things up on the walls. I usually end up leaving them leaning by the spot I plan to put them.
Love this post. More than half of our upstairs has been left unfinished since we moved in... three years ago. But we waited since we weren't sure what we wanted to use the rooms for. One is now the recent home to my new office (LOVE), and the other is now painted and furnitured ready for Baby Sam in three months. Waiting definitely pays off, especially when the room really turns into something you love, not just something you're settling for.
Our master bedroom is in virtually the same state and we've lived here for 3 years. Why is it that the room the homemaker calls her own is the last to get done?! :) Hoping to move it closer to the top of the priority list soon just so it gets a fresh coat of paint!
I think your bedroom is beautiful as it is. After many years of painting walls in many different colors, I have found it more peaceful with a muted palette. Most of our house is "cottage white" with cream "plantation white" trim. It is bright and peaceful. So, I think your "builder beige" is just fine...
HA right now it's the dishes!! Last couple weeks of summer so just enjoying the days with the kids out by the pool and not worrying about the chores is top priority!!
Enjoy that freedom, sweetie!
Love ya even more for sharing the imperfect with the perfect =)
It still looks great even though it isn't show room decorated.
Our bedroom still needs some help too, but I'm limited in what I can do b/c the hubby sleepwalks and anything on the walls spooks him :)
I just want to say shut up. Your room looks great. But I won't because shut up is so not nice of me.
My room is FILLED WITH BOXES and miscellaneous. We have lived here 7 months. Do I want the boxes there? Um, no. Do I want to make my room a priority? Um, yes. Do I agree with you that sometimes other things come first? Absolutely. Therefore, I have boxes in my room. So while I hate you because your room looks so serene, I love you because I know you get it and we have to live our crazy life first. Now I'm rambling. Time for me to shut up.
We moved 11 months ago and I still have boxes in our room... finally picked paint color and trim for shelves though, so as soon as school starts back up I'm getting to work!
This post made me laugh. What I am letting slip? WEll, right now a hammer pounds above my head. We are in the middle of adding a new masterbedroom suite, new roof, new siding, new basement, landscaping, and why not throw in there a trip for 5 to family bible camp?! This house is a MESS! I am giving myself permission right now to let it go.
This post is SO where I am right now. With three young children and a new homeschooling year I started on Monday, there's not much time to do the stuff I'd really like to do (like clean out closets and finish the places in our great room where we ran out of paint...a year and a half ago.) I haven't even posted in over a week because life's most pressing concerns, mainly the three who call me mommy and the one who calls me wife, need me more. So that's that.
I really need to finish slip covers for the chairs on my back porch, but a friend is in Hospital and I have been spending time with her. I was her only visitor today, and I am so glad I took the time to go. I will complete the slip covers some other day. Hugs, ~cindy s~ PS And I know your bedroom will be gorgeous one day! Unlike mine that needs closet doors!
Nester, we have faith that your bedroom will be stunning! The home you are in now looks so nice.
Hey, I think it's time for a 5-minute party. That one is so motivating and fun!
we are guilty of master bedroom neglect also!
I'm embarassed to say that I've lived in my house for 3 years and I've done NOTHING to make it a home. However, after taking several days going thru "price my space" blogs, that's all about to change. Starting tomrrow. And I can't wait!!
We can relate! Our master bedroom's walls are bare also. I've been trying to see it from my DH's point of view - it's peaceful and non-cluttered ;) I wish hanging pictures didn't intimidate me so!
I can't even number the things that I'm putting off! Right now, I'm having to focus on Mom...she is staying with me for a couple of weeks since she had surgery on her leg and is not quite ready to head back to her house an hour and a half away. So, blogging, decorating, tasseling...cleaning (seriously!)...all have been put to the side for now. And, oh, yeah. We are supposed to start school on Aug. 17th. "Supposed to" being the operative phrase here. : )
Well...I have to confess...this spring break, we have lived in our home 10 years, and we are just now painting the rooms...only because we are selling!! lol So dont feel bad! :)
(I know my next house wont be like that at all, we just got into decorating the last 2 years!)
It has only been 6 weeks? Don't be so hard on yourself! I have been in my house for 11 years and I am finally getting around to decorating my home office (you know, the one I spend work hours in each day)for the FIRST time! I have been feeling overwhelmed and uninspired. Have a blessed week!
You don't have all day to read my list of unfinished business. .. I have unhung decor, un mistreated windows, boring walls & we don't even have a head or footboard for our bed! You're so right! Real budgets, real kids. . .and I pad that with 12 hour labor & delivery shifts & grad school right now (just to keep me out of trouble!). I'm looking forward to getting into some trouble when this class is done this week! thanks for the inspiration:)
There is always something waiting in the wings! Most of the time because of money! Right now my husband are trying to get through a wedding mid September where we are matron of honor and best man....then we can focus on our new nursery! That's been hard to ignore considering my excitement! Thanks for the reminder that sometimes, you just have more important things on your list! :)
I'm so glad I am not the only one! I see my home through eyes full of ideas, and inspiration and things I want to do! If only I could wave a magic wand and it would be done! Time and money limits!!! I think your room still looks nice and inviting though!!!
Joann's is having a 60% off fabric sale this weekend! Starts tomorrow!
We just moved into an old house. We're renting, so options are limited, but I am loving the space and the old charm and even all of the groovy imperfections. There are boxes everywhere and nothing on the windows...but I found this post SOOO encouraging.
aahhhhhhhhaa. welcome to my world Nester. This post made me smile from ear to ear... my decorating friend and inspiration has a room unpainted and undone. This makes me feel, soooo, well..... good? Is that mean?????
Just know that you made my day and I feel free as a feather. heehee.
It takes a lot o' patience, doesn't it? Hang in there, it's lookin' GREAT!
Never in a million years did I think I would see my bed, my very own bed (or at least an exact replica) on the Nester's Blog. WOW! I can't wait to see what you do with your bedroom so I can be inspired to do something with mine (aka copycat). LOL
Thanks for your inspiration and encouragement (especially w/the master bedroom). It is the last thing I want to think about. But inevitably is always the LAST THING I THINK ABOUT before bed every day!!
But I DID "Nesterize" my front hallway this weekend with a $14 mirror and things I had on hand at home. Now hubby is letting me go nuts on the rest of the house...in sections;)
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