One of my favorite clients of all time is my mom. Yes, that’s right. My very own mom. She has style, she has pizazz, and she loves to change her décor, as she is ever evolving herself.
Living across the country from my family is tough, and it is one of the only things I’d want to change about my life. But, here we are, Denver to Pennsylvania…and somehow we manage. So much great technology surrounds us; picture texting, facetime, social media…it’s easy enough to feel close to home. When my mom asked for some help re-decorating her bedroom, I figured, let’s do it! No way was I going to let the distance between us keep me from helping my mom transform her bedroom into that relaxing oasis that she SO deserves.
We started simple with paint. She told me the color palate she wanted, and I hustled over to Home Depot to pick up the swatch. We settled on a soft gray, a stark contrast from the brighter white and gold paint chosen many moons ago. After the walls and trim were painted, we moved on to décor. Now, my mom was looking to decorate on a budget, and it’s something that many clients request. I can certainly appreciate that, and there are so many ways to re-use pieces or find a great deal. When we started this project, my mom was set on keeping her dresser and armoire. These pieces were built way before my time, and let’s face it, they are a quality of product that we just don’t find as often in modern day furniture. But, they were brown, and faded, and dated, and they just didn’t go. I told my mom, there is no point in doing all this work if you keep the dressers as is…no can do. They will take away from everything else you are changing.
So my idea was simple, transform the pieces. Rip off those old school plastic door faces, paint the dressers black, and glam them up with some current hardware. She cannot BELIEVE the transformation. But I knew those pieces could be brought back to life…and brought into the 21st century! I am delighted that she stuck it out, put in the hard work, and saved herself a TON of money by re-using some good quality pieces that just needed a little TLC.
The rest of the room was quite simple: a chair for reading, relaxing bedding
, soft curtains, and a few pictures and candles to make the space even more warm and inviting. Voila! A beautiful bedroom, put together with elbow grease, smart décor choices and a warm but neutral color palate.
Looking at the before and after photos, I am so pleased by our collaboration. My mom has worked hard her whole life. She is my role model, and always taught me to stay strong, persevere, and live life to the fullest. One of the best lessons she ever taught me: if there is room in your closet, you have room for more shoes in your life! I’m thinking this is where my design bug came from – fashion or home décor – it’s all about style.