Decorate: Making Do With What We Have

Problem # 1

My bedroom is a mess. I dump anything that doesn’t have a home elsewhere, in my room. I don’t have a lot of storage space and I don’t want the other rooms to look cluttered, so everything gets squeezed into my room. Does it look messy? Absolutely.  But I shut the door, and no one sees it.  So that is problem #1: I need to get rid of the junk and throw away what I haven’t looked at or used in over a year . . . or at least hide what I can under the bed 😜.  

Problem # 2

My bedroom also serves as an office. 😬. I don’t have an extra room, so I’ve squeezed my desk and bookcases into my already cluttered bedroom. That isn’t as bad as it sounds since the room is a decent size, but nothing matches – in color or style. Which bring me to . . .

Problem # 3

My room is a hodge-podge of decorating styles – none of it cohesive.  My bed is solid wood – but 30 years old.  It’s a sleigh bed (which I still like), but it’s that orangey pine that just screams 90s. Same as the bookcases. My dresser is a distressed ash. I prefer a look that is bright and having orange-toned wood furnishings is just 🤮.  So – something needs to be done with that.  I think if I could make everything look more blended, the space would look less cluttered.  

Problem # 4

I don’t have a lot of money to spend on this project – so I’m going to have to make do with what I have.

So those are the issues and clearly this is a project that will need multiple solutions. I am open to all kinds of suggestions.  Ultimately what I would like is a bright bedroom with (maybe) tan (or gray) accents and light wood (see inspiration photos below) – without spending a fortune. 

• 

• 

• 

I really like the look of all three of these rooms (keep in mind my space isn’t nearly as big as these). The first I like, but I’m not sure I want that much white. The middle one is a bit darker than what I would like. I’m not fond of the type of furnishings in the third photo – just the color scheme.

You all still with me? Good!

So last weekend I took a critical eye to the room and thought the first thing I should do is chuck the junk. But I was in the mood to paint so off to Home Depot I went. I had seen a picture of bookcases that were painted white, but the shelves were left their natural color, and I liked it. It took both Saturday and Sunday to paint the two (I like to take lots of breaks, 😜) but when I was finally finished, I was somewhat pleased with the result. They definitely looked better – but I didn’t really like the contrast of the natural wood shelves with the now white bookcase.  Again – the orange was awful and just had to go. 

Solution # 1

I’ve seen people “bleach” wood furniture and really like the look.  I have no idea how to do it, but I wasn’t about to watch a YouTube tutorial and run back to Home Depot for more supplies.  I had been working on the cases all weekend and wanted results . . . NOW!   

My solution?

I could just paint the shelves white and then quickly wipe the paint off before it dries.  

What could possibly go wrong? 😬

Guess what . . . it kinda worked.  Ok, ok – it’s certainly not as uniform looking as it could be, but who’s going to see the mistakes with books on top of the shelves.  So, I painted – then wiped – all the remaining shelves and after all was said and done, liked it.  Certainly, new shelves from Pottery Barn would look so much better, but I gotta work with what I have and thought this a good solution. So yeah – I’m happy with how it came out. ☺️

Up next: the orange bed!  Or maybe the walls? The blinds? I don’t know – but I’ll keep you updated as I go forward.  

– Darlene