The bedroom re-do

i always get an urge to do a project over the Labor Day holiday weekend. In 2010, we painted the library walls before the bookcases were installed. Mark and I each picked a quote about books and wrote them in magic marker on the wall where the bookcases were going to go. We loved the idea of someone discovering our messages years from now.  

This year I suggested we repaint our bedroom from deep yellow ochre to gray. Last winter we bought a new silvery gray duvet which was visually at odds with the rest of the room.  Plus it has been this color since 2008. (This image is closer to the actual wall color than the pictures below which look much more pumpkin colored.) 

Mark made a quick foray into the local Benjamin Moore paint store to grab some sample paint cards. That was followed by a curbside pickup of two different gray paint samples. He tried both colors around the window frames . . . 

and on the wall with a black and white photo, since we were considering using all b/w art in the re-painted room. That's the curtain fabric (linen from Purl Soho in NYC, purchased online) spread out on the bed. One paint sample matches the duvet and the other one matches this fabric.

i met friends for a weekly Saturday morning chat while Mark got started painting. 

He is a focused, meticulous painter. When I got home at noon, he had the ceiling repainted and had done all around the windows, the corners of the room and the top and bottom of the walls where they met another color or material. All the really persnickety parts of painting a room. 

I went out to garden while he painted. When I came in a few hours later, I was pooped. He was almost finished and said he was tired out as well. But where I stopped working, he kept going. End result was he took a tumble off our two-step safety ladder, landed on his side on the bed post and broke a rib. 

I was equal parts sympathetic and furious. Mostly I was really scared to have him take a fall for the second time this summer, after rarely even modestly injuring himself in thirty years of marriage. He sat around — medicated — for a few days and then decided he was ready to hang art. We considered b/w prints and photos. 

We've always had a table or bench on the wall opposite the bed. This time we added a pair of upholstered chairs. We were about to hang one of our all time favorite paintings (by local artist Tom Sergeant), when we suddenly went in an entirely different direction. (Note our beautiful silk curtains were falling apart from age and too much sunshine. Very Miss Havisham!)

We opted for simplicity and more sculptural forms this time around. 

The tables had been covered with Indian Kanthas down to the floor. Whether they will be covered again — and with what — is still up in the air. 

On the wall between the bed and the closet are a pair of oyster farming sticks that we've had in various locations for almost 20 years.  

We both thought the color and circular features on this African mask were a nice echo of the sticks. 

Instead of a group of artworks on this wall as we originally planned, we opted for one dramatic piece.

We found this painting on corrugated metal by outsider artist Mary T. Smith in Milwaukee. We discovered Smith and fell in love with her at The Milwaukee Art Museum, which has a similar piece. 

A large African sculpture went on the pedestal that has been in this same corner forever. We both thought she was the perfect partner for Mary T. Smith. 

To add some sparkle and contrast, we brought in our chrome cocktail table . . .

and a pair of glittery pillows. I wanted to add sequins and sparkly bits to the curtains but Mark was not enthused with that idea. 

Last, but never least, Mark added some fall decorative pieces to the table. 

We probably won't be painting this room again because, in another dozen years, we will be old enough that this house may be too much for us to deal with. But that gives us a nice long time to enjoy it in its new incarnation.

Comments

[Barbara H.]

Oh gosh, scary falls - glad it was only a rib though painful that probably is. I need to find some balance exercises - it's kind of shocking when you suddenly find yourself teetering or worse - falling as Mark did. You've done a great job refreshing the room! It's like moving but without the hassle. I love all the artwork.

[Linda Brazill]

BARBARA H. — I decided we should use this time at home to make a change since we are not going to spend time anywhere else! I took a balance class and found it really helpful. I bet you can find something online, esp. if you look at places like Mayo clinic or other healthcare sites. 

[Christine]

I have spent so many Labor Day weekends repainting that it doesn’t seem right not to be doing it. This year I put it off for a week and then the smoke rolled in. I will wait until the skies clear and I can open the windows for air circulation.
I’m so glad Mark has recovered. That type of surprise accident is hard on both of you- for different reasons.

[Bobbie Malone]

I love the transformation. When you described it verbally, I thought it might be too cold, but it's amazing how warm the overall feeling is, and it really works so well with both the 2-D and 3-D artwork you've chosen. Sorry that Mark had to get hurt in the process, but hoping the satisfaction with the update helps the healing!

[Linda Brazill]

CHRISTINE — You definitely don't want to paint with the windows closed. Hope your air quality improves soon.

[Kristin]

Oh Mark! I'm glad it wasn't worse!! Jim just got the ok from ortho this morning to start putting weight on his leg. They said PT was optional, but he is doing it. Being an athlete, he wants to do this right. The room is lovely! Thank you for sharing your transformation with us.

[Kris P]

You approach interior decorating in a much more methodical - and artistic - manner than my husband and I! I love the result and I'm especially enamored with those chairs and their new pillows. It goes without saying that your artwork is more interesting and adventurous than anything my husband and I've ever collected. I'm sorry that Mark was injured in the process. I'm always on tenterhooks when my husband gets on a ladder or, worse yet, walks around on the roof, but my apprehension has yet to have an effect on his behavior.

[ceci]

As I am reading this my husband is going up and down an outside ladder weatherizing some windows. I was already pretty anxious about falls but now....!

The end product is lovely. Sparkles on the curtains would be great too - maybe those tiny mirrors one sees on Indian textiles?

ceci

[danger garden]

What fun! Well, except for the broken rib part... yikes! I absolutely hate painting. I love the change it provides, but detest the work. I hope Mark is healing quickly.

[Lisa at Greenbow]

A gorgeous update. You will be satisfied with this for a long time. Love the statue in the corner. I am with you about the sparkly bits. They would liven up those windows. ;)
Hope Mark heals swiftly. Darn those old bones.