It only took me over a year and a half but I’m finally here to share our cozy vintage modern bedroom refresh. I had all intentions of sharing this before we had Savio and then life happened and here we are. The changes we made to this room have completely changed the vibe and helped create the cozy vintage modern bedroom of my dreams. It’s been a process but after 9 years of living in our home, our bedroom feels exactly the way I want it to.
Let’s take a little walk down memory lane and remind you where we were at before this refresh. It wasn’t bad by any means, but over the years I’ve learned that I like more character and depth to my spaces as well as more rich, dark colors and wood tones. So basically, I was tired of our plain white walls.
I did lots of research on Pinterest and kept being drawn to dark wood paneled walls. They add so much character and interest and also an old world feel. Like something you might find in an old library. I was determined to make it happen. So we pieced together different pieces of wood to create our own DIY version.
We used 1/4″ plywood as the base and then layered on different pieces of trim to create the look I wanted. I bought all the trim locally from Baird Brothers.
Of course I had to stain it in my favorite dark walnut gel stain and it turned out so gorgeous.
On the top half of the walls we used a limewash from Meoded Paint in the color villa. It was a little bit of a process but exactly what I envisioned to add even more character to these plain walls.
The fireplace was already updated from the year before when Papa and I added stone. So the only other major update we did in here was to add some built ins and a window bench. We had all intentions of doing everything ourselves but after running into our cabinet maker, Ben, from Haug Cabinetry and Design in Lowe’s and chatting more with him, I decided to go a little fancier and have him create our drawer fronts for us.
So Dan built the frames for all the cabinetry and bench, and then we had Ben make the drawers and fronts for us. I LOVE the detail on the drawer fronts. I saw it on Instagram from a British account and was immediately drawn to it. He did an incredible job recreating it!
After lots of back and forth and many paint samples, I finally decided on Muddled Basil and it was the perfect dark green to compliment the walls.
I also scored a beautiful new desk on marketplace and stained it the same color as the walls and added a little gallery wall.
And without further ado…the reveal of our new cozy vintage modern bedroom!
I’m absolutely in love with the colors and textures in this space & how well they play together. It feels like the perfect combination of comfort and coziness with an elevated flair.
The wall with the window bench and built ins is 100% more functional than before. It always felt like wasted space and the day bed that was under the window was always a drop zone for our random stuff. But now we have two large wardrobes with 6 drawers each which took place of the dressers we had here before.
We’re still finishing up the inside the wardrobes but currently Dan has a shoe rack in his and is going to put a rod to hang more clothes. I’ll have some shelves for storage/clothes and a rod for hanging clothes as well.
This closet got a little makeover as well which was pretty simple but made a huge impact. I used some spray adhesive to glue down fabric for some texture, and then added wood framing around it to create the look of panels. It fits the aesthetic of this room much better now and adds more character.
Often when I share the fireplace in our bedroom people don’t realize it’s not our living room. From this view below, you can see the entrance to our bedroom down the hallway and where the fireplace is when you walk in.
The doorway with the reclaimed wood around it, is the entrance to our master bathroom.
And when you walk into our room this is the view to the right. The stone fireplace we updated a few years ago and it created the perfect European Cottage vibe in here. After that, I knew I had to make the rest of these changes.
The mantle is a piece of reclaimed wood that I found on Facebook Marketplace and the velvet chair I found on the side of the road!
My little desk nook has evolved a lot over the years and this is by far my favorite version. I don’t have an office in our home so this has always been my work space when I need to sit down at my computer. I got the desk on marketplace and stained it the same Dark Walnut as the walls.
The chair was a roadside find that I updated and added a cute little ruffle cushion to.
Another view to the other side of the room! I don’t show this view often on Instagram but hopefully it helps you understand the layout of our room. It’s a very large room that I feel like could have been designed better, but I’m thankful for the space & this cozy retreat we’ve created in here.
The hardware on the built ins are Cremone bolts which are another European detail that I love. They mount on the surface of the cabinet, and have rods that extend into small brackets at the top and bottom to open and close. Beautiful and functional pieces are always my favorite.
The nightstands were another marketplace find that I painted black and added new hardware to for a fresh look. And the lights I bought on Etsy before we even were planning this refresh. It was $50 for both and I didn’t know where I was going to use them but I knew I needed them. I think they ended up exactly where they were meant to be.
The sconces in the window nook don’t have lights in them. I may add some battery powered ones but for now they’re more for looks. I made the custom shades with some pretty block print fabric and used Rub n Buff to match the cabinet hardware.
The cushion for the bench I had custom made locally by Yanni Custom. He’s done lots of work for us over the years and always creates the most beautiful pieces.
I hope this refresh inspires you on your own home journey. So many pieces I used are secondhand and I hope that reminds & encourages you that you don’t have to spend a million dollars to create a home you love. Mixing old and new items is the secret sauce to designing a space that feels lived in & cozy while also feeling fresh and elevated.
This room has evolved so much over the almost 10 years that we’ve lived here. It takes time to figure out your style and hone your skills & I feel like this room is now the perfect reflection of me. And don’t worry, Dan loves it too 😉
