Boudoir Beautification: Exotic Escape

There’s nothing as sweet as the satisfaction that comes from transforming a dreary white room into a cozy space that feels like home. And the next best part? Well that, of course, is the sharing of the before-and-after shots!I set out to create an “exotic escape” in my bedroom with just a few small inspiration pieces. I had a beautiful antique oriental rug from my parents, a terracotta colored comforter set, two exotic candle lanterns, and a $3 painting from Goodwill. (Yes, this is at least the third time I’ve mentioned it in my blog; I’m thrilled with the price I paid!)

Here’s the depressing, apartment-white befores:

Now, without further ado, I present to you my cozy new boudoir:

After warming up the walls with a thick coat of earthy paint (custom-matched, supposedly, to my lighter colored throw pillows), I switched up the window treatments for a home made blind in a blue-based multicolor batik fabric. I wanted to add some contrasting colors to the walls while keeping the window area as open as possible. Therefore, I decided that a simple fabric blind would work better than the usual drapes. (Also, with pets it’s nice to have as few fabrics near hair-level as possible!)

I had this big, somewhat ugly (ok, really ugly) mirror that was surely all the rage when my stylish grandma bought it in West Palm Beach in the 70’s. For sentimental reasons I decided to make it work by using it to anchor the wall over my dresser. And it does work! It really helps to open up the room, and reflect the light coming in from the window. Next to the mirror I hung my shadowboxes which, as I mentioned in this post, are my new favorite way to store and display jewelry.

Moving on to the other side of the room, which houses both the door to the hallway and the door to the closet:

I warmed that space up with the mirrored candle lanterns and a framed batik cloth art piece that I snagged at New Jersey’s Golden Nugget Flea Market for only $20!

On a whim I decided to paint the ceiling as well as the walls. And I’m glad I did – it really warms the room up to have the ceiling the same tone as the rest of the surfaces in the room.

Here my little helper is demonstrating how he loves to coat the quilt with his soft and shaggy white hair. (Note to self, and to others: When choosing pet-friendly and washable bed coverings, always spring for a duvet cover instead of a quilted blanket. My lovely sateen comforter from Target holds onto pet hair like it’s going outta style.) My little inspiration painting looks a bit sad in the corner, though. Any thoughts on where I should move it to, or how I can make it stand out better?

That concludes the peek at my weekend completion of phases 1 and 2 of my bedroom. Now what might phase 3 have in store? Well, if I ever finish my other rooms, I’d love to come back to this one and add a stenciled brown Moroccan border around the room, as well as maybe some hand-painted wall art. And as you can see, I didn’t end up building an upholstered headboard. I may do that down the road, but only if I can find a cheap second-hand, footed headboard to spiff up like Julia at Open Hand Living did. That way I won’t have to attach anything that major to the wall. What do you think; does it need the headboard?

To me my bedroom now epitomizes the magic that a little cash (I did this for under $200), some thrifty finds, and a lot of elbow grease can accomplish to transform a dreary rented space into a personal retreat.