Gamechanging Small Master Bedroom Renovation

Spring bedroom refresh with light and airy textiles, white bedding, plush pillows, and textured blankets and pillows

Master Bedroom Renovation

Next up in the renovation series is the master bedroom! When we first purchased the Acorn Hill Home we knew it would need a ton of work, and this room was no exception. This is the room which alerted us in the first place to some mold spores on the old drywall due to a lack of proper ventilation in the home previously. The mold was not terrible, but the spores stood out so starkly on the peachy/pink drywall we felt more comfortable eradicating it entirely rather than treating.

The entire home had this gorgeous (heavy sarcasm) tiled ceiling which we wanted to get rid of ASAP. The windows were all brown (with brown lattices inside the window frame) and made of plastic so we could have painted them… but it would have started peeling after a year. Two of the windows also needed to be replaced due to the seal being broken so we decided to replace all the windows in the home for a nice white no maintenance high efficiency vinyl.

Before master bedroom renovation. Old bedroom with pink walls and wooden trim

I knew I wanted to go neutral in this bedroom right away (surprise, surprise). I wanted a slightly warmer tone bedroom since this room is south facing and therefore has the best natural light, so I definitely wanted to take advantage of that.

Structural Changes

Next in the master bedroom renovation were the closets. Both of the bedrooms in the home had two small closets, and this is the bedroom where we reduced it to one. There were a few reasons for this decision, the first being that it would make the bedroom feel bigger. If we kept the second closet there would not have been enough space to have a nightstand on each side of the bed and the walkway next to the bed would have been very narrow. Although we got rid of the second closet we did not lose the storage space since we have drawers in the nightstand. This also eliminated one of the bump outs in the dining room which gave more space back to that room as well.

Demolition of the second closet in the old master bedroom during renovation

Doors

This room was taken down to the studs and we put up all new sheetrock, trim, and windows. Similar to the other doors in the home we went with a sliding barn door to conserve space. The hallway was so narrow there was no room for an outswing door, and it would have made the space feel claustrophobic.

When we were searching for a house we came upon a pantry that had a magnetic door and thought this would be a really cool idea for a master bedroom. We kept the long handle pull on both the entryway door and closet door so that they matched. This is the only closet in the home that has a magnetic close. This gives the master bedroom a slightly more elevated feel compared to the second bedroom. The magnet we used has a 70 lb. strength so it has quite the pull and there is no way the cats can open it on their own.

Lighting

Another element I wanted to add was recess lighting above the bed. We have a central light for the room but I love to sit in bed and read every single night so I thought it would be a great idea to have some reading lights! I am so happy I did this, I almost exclusively use the recess lights rather than the central light, and this is just one more thing that elevates the bedroom.

Determining The Design

I had a pretty clear idea of how I wanted the bedroom to look going into the renovation, so the design was not only easy to put together but it was fun! There was a ton of inspiration to be found on Pinterest and I created a board just for Master Bedroom ideas. I knew I wanted a little more glam in the bedroom, but didn’t want it to stray too far from the Modern Farmhouse aesthetic of the rest of the home; I still wanted it all to tie in.

completed master bedroom renovation with flam light fixture

The large furniture pieces I chose worked with the Modern Farmhouse theme, and I glammed it up a bit using the light fixture and accents such as mirrors and lamps. If you don’t already know I am a big fan of white bedding, it adds such a clean and high end feel to the room. To ensure the room didn’t look boring I used a knitted throw blanket to add some texture. My favorite part of the Master Bedroom is being able to change the pillows and blankets for each season and it all still goes well together because my base palette was neutral!

Finished master bedroom with a bed, nightstands, but no accent furniture yet

Selecting Furniture

When I first moved in this room was a mess. There was stuff everywhere and the design was not cohesive at all, and to be honest, it really stressed me out. The bedroom is my sanctuary, my safe space, so I really wanted this room to come together so it would finally start feeling like a home. I had my major pieces like my bed, rug, and nightstands, I just needed to find the right accent pieces to finish the space. I got really lucky by finding everything I wanted in one trip to Home Sense! This has never happened to me before…ever… nor do I ever expect it to happen again. I believe you shouldn’t force items into the room just because you want it to be complete, it’s always better to wait until you find just the right piece, especially when you have a small space!

finished master bedroom decorated for the winter holidays with chenille pillows, a red throw blanket, and snowflake accent pillow.

Accent Pieces

When doing a master bedroom renovation it is important to plan out your accent pieces. Once the accent pieces were chosen the whole design felt cohesive. The finished product is still a far cry from what it looks like today, but for the first few months of living here it felt cozy, finished, and like the little retreat I was looking for. After the winter seasons passed I wanted a much lighter and brighter feel so all I did was change out the textiles (pillows, bedding, blankets, etc.), everything else stayed the same! This goes to show how big of a difference textiles can make in your space!

The finished product is this light, bright, neutral, relaxing bedroom that can mix with a variety of different accent colors. I can’t wait to refresh the bedroom for fall (my first fall living in this house!) and I frequently change up the blankets or pillows depending on what I am feeling in the moment. It’s important to keep in mind the size of your space, the color palette you want, and the light of the space during a renovation. I am loving how this turned out!