The Time Has Finally Come: A Bedroom Makeover Story

I've come to realize that the most neglected space in my home is my bedroom. The bedroom should be the most peaceful and relaxing place in the house, but for some reason, ours is not that way. I think because we spend the least amount of awake time there, it gets pushed to the side. Well, the time has come to change that.

I have quite a bit of work to do. Here's what I'm hoping to get to:

I put together this board using Polyvore and I think it's a great mix of masculine and feminine decor.

A few years ago, I did a simple refresh, but it's time for something drastic. I liked it at the time, but as I get older my taste and style has evolved. Check out the before from the refresh.

Some of the items shown on my concept board I currently have but will have to do some DIY updating and for some items I will get to shop for.

Stay tuned for the exciting changes coming soon! I'll be taking you behind the scenes of all of this through my Instagram page! I'm also planning to share with you some of my favorite brands and provide some product recommendations to you.

Coping with Carpet: Dining Room Refresh

We have been in our house for 5 years now. Somewhere around year two I promised myself I would have hardwoods in my house by year five. In came year five and still no hardwood floors. Talking it over with boo we decided to make investments in other areas of the houses, new A/C unit, updated mattresses and a new closet, so that placed hardwood floors on the back burner.

Being stuck with carpet hasn't been my favorite thing, but I have learned how to cope with it. If you are dealing with carpet woes here are some things you can do:

GO FOR A BOLD COLOR SCHEME
One way to distract from carpet is to use  bold colors. Painting the walls a bold color will bring the eyes off the carpet and onto the walls. You can also play with boldly colored accents too. In my dining room, I opted for black paint on the walls. The black walls takes the eyes off of the carpet!

CREATE A FOCAL POINT
Creating a focal point will remove the eye from the carpet also. If done correctly, your focal point will distract from your carpet. I created a family gallery wall above my bar area. This area immediately grabs the attention of my visitors as they spend time looking over the pictures

INVEST IN A LARGE AREA RUG
Area rugs are your best friend if you have carpet. The larger the best, is my opinion. They do a great job of covering up the carpet and also adding some color to your space. In my dining room, I opt-ed out of a rug and used the next tip instead.

SKIP THE RUG AND EMBRACE
Sometime coping with carpet is as simple as just accepting it. In my dining room, I choose to just accept it. I've been leaning more toward minimizing some of my decor, so accepting the carpet came more natural than adding a rug.

CLEAN IT REGULARLY
Cleaning your carper regularly is a must...and I don't mean just vacuuming. Investing in a great at home carpet cleaner will be crucial. We have an awesome carpet cleaner that we use every 3 months or so. Deep cleaning your carpet often will keep it looking fresh and clean. There's something about a freshly cleaned carpet that is refreshing and makes having carpet not too bad.

What are some ways that you have coped with having carpet? Do tell!

How to get the Perfect Masculine & Feminine Decor Mix

Finding a balance between masculine and feminine decor can sometimes be hard for couples.  I have some easy tips and things to keep in mind in order to achieve the perfect balance.

First let's figure out the difference between the two:

Feminine

1. Soft Material: Plush fabrics, linen upholstered furniture, furry rugs//pillows
2. Curvy or detailed furniture
3. Metallic: Gold, rose gold, silver
4. Light or pastel colors
5. Small print patterns
6. Layered Decor (Lots of accents, multiple blankets and pillows on bed, rugs)

Masculine:

1. Hard materials: Leather, wood, brick
2. Straight line furniture
3. Dark Colors
4. Large or solid print fabrics
5. Metallic: Chrome
6. Simple (one layer) decor

There is a pretty big contrast between the two general styles. Most shared man/woman spaces I have seen usually tends to heavily lend towards one end of the spectrum. This is especially true in the bedroom.

Now that we know the basics between the two styles, here is the trick to keep in mind:

Choose three basics from each side to achieve the perfect balance

Here's a visual of what I mean:

This is the approach I use when decorating my home, but I must admit, our bedroom is leaning heavily on the masculine side. Don't worry, there is a makeover coming soon for that space. Also, you don't have to pick 3 and 3; it could be 2 and 2 too...and you may even come up with your own mix too.

The main thing to keep in mind is to mix up the basics.

Another thing that is associated with feminine decor are flowers, plants, and framed family photos. You can pepper those into any mix that you choose.

I tend to lean more towards Mix 1. Here's some shots of my house from my Instagram:

Dining Room

Feminine: Upholstered chairs w/ small patterns and gold accents, plant
Masculine: Dark color, solid color chairs, straight line furniture

Living Room

Feminine: Layered Rugs, Small pattern on vase, soft throw blanker
Masculine: Dark colors, straight line furniture, large print on rug

Don't forget to pin the handy cheat sheet here on this post and tell me if you are living in a man/woman space, which mix do you lean more towards?