{Master Bedroom} Kottong Homestead
When designing our Master Bedroom I didn’t want the room too big. We don’t do much in our room and so I wanted it to just be a warm retreat to lay our heads at night. I made the bed the focal point of the room and positioned windows directly on either side. Because we lived out in the country and have gorgeous sunrises, I wanted to capture that with a large (6’x5′) window to look out at the farm fields from our bed. I also wanted to have a small reading area with a chair and light in case I needed an escape from the kiddos (not that that ever happens!). 
For the wall & ceiling color, I went with SW Anew Gray. It is a medium, warm gray and lends itself well to both brown tones and gray tones. Because I have so much natural light in the room, I was not worried about it being too dark either. 
I made the bed the focal point of the room by installing a stained wood wall (see my tutorial on my blog) and creating an elegant upholstered headboard (DIY tutorial available on this blog!). I had to constantly re-measure the spacing of that wall throughout the build process because I always feared I was cutting it close! But not to worry, when it came time to install the headboard, it fit like a glove! For the lighting, we chose to do can lights and a ceiling fan to help air circulation with the vaulted ceilings. I didn’t just want a boring, eye-sore ceiling fan so I did some searching and found the perfect fit for our modern-industrial-country room from Bellacor. It was reasonably priced (on sale!) and as an added bonus came with two amber lights that create nice ambiance lighting.
Textiles have to be my favorite thing to pick for a room. I just love getting creative with the layers and textures. Some might say I go over-board, but I don’t care – I LOVE all of it.
For the windows, I chose a soft gray twill curtain (from IKEA of all places!) and a simple white sheer for an added layer of elegance. I hung both with a modern black double-curtain rod & rings. For the sheets, I wanted to keep a neutral pallet but wanted something cozier looking than a harsh white or cream. I went with West Elm‘s Belgian Flax Linen sheets in slate. The quality is great, and they have a casual heathered-worn look that plays well with the wood wall. For additional warmth, I added a waffle-knit gray blanket from the Company Store. And then for the rest of the bedding I went to my favoritest store (Pottery Barn!!). I already owned the timeless Velvet Channel Quilt and Euro Shams so all I needed to add was the Jacquelyn Duvet Cover. The rich colors of the duvet pulled everything together for the bed. A few throw blankets and pillows later, and it was complete!
Decorating above the headboard took a few attempts. At first I re-created what was in our last master bedroom but decided it was too busy for the look I was going for this time. So I simplified it with some chicken-wire, galvanized letters that I scored on clearance at Marshal’s and then switched the boxy-frame around my dear (whom I named Lenex) with a more elegant & sophisticated option.
For the bedside tables, I didn’t have money in the budget to purchase new ones so I transformed my old one’s! I used white chalky-finish paint and a brown glaze to accomplish this worn farmhouse look. I wasn’t a fan of the three knobs or the dated built-in basket so I got rid of both. I cut the knobs off (sadly they wouldn’t come off any other way!), filled the holes, and replaced them with a simple black pull for a more modern feel. Because there was a groove left in the table (for where the basket use to go), I decided to use that as a way to add a wood element. I stained some scrap wood I had to create a shelf for books or magazines. I then got lucky and found the perfect size basket at Marshal’s to fill the bottom. I really like how they turned out and soften the space even more.
After I finished the side tables, it was time to re-finish the bench at the foot of the bed. I sanded off layers and layers of paint to expose some beautiful wood that I stained a warm Early American color. I also removed the old upholstery to find rich brown leather! Who knew that was under there?! I can see why it was previously recovered because it is in pretty bad shape at the seams (I bought it from a second-hand store years ago when it was lilac faux-velvet {eek} and just recovered it upon purchasing it – I never thought to see what was under the purple material!). Any way, i have yet to recover the bench because my husband likes it the way it is (translation: he probably doesn’t want me to spend more money on the material to recover! ha-ha!). But it works for what we need it for right now, so I consider the imperfections as some “rustic charm”! 
For the flooring in the Master, we went with a super plush carpet and a thick pad. It feels like you are walking on cloud 9 when you get out of bed! I know hardwood is a more upscale designer look, but I wanted my room to be cozy – not just “stylish” so I went with the warmer option. Then, as much as it killed my husband, on top of the carpet I added rugs. That’s right: rugS – plural! I think I enjoy layering my rugs as much as I do my bedding! I first got a cream 8’x10′ rug with a subtle gray design and used that to anchor the bed. Then I added a 5’x7′ tribal design rug (from IKEA) that has rich browns, grays and tans. And lastly, I re-used a 4’x6′ cream shag rug from another room in our old house. Seriously, it is the coziest floor you’ll ever walk on! 
Instead of a traditional door to our master bathroom, we did a barn door. We really like the one in our last house, but decided to make this one a little more rustic. We built it out of cedar boards and then took a chisel, hammer, chains and any other item we could fine to give it a distressed, worn look. I then stained it an espresso color, which at first scared me because it was sooo dark! But it actually works great with all the natural light in the room.
For the decorations I kept it simple and natural. There are so many textures throughout the space I did not want to overpower (or over clutter) it with extravagant decor, so I mainly used a mixture of live & faux plants to add pops of color throughout.
The final product was exactly how I envisioned – a warm & cozy retreat from the crazy of the days…
