One Room Challenge Master Bedroom Makeover Reveal

It’s master bedroom makeover reveal day and I will say, I couldn’t be more thrilled with the result of the past few weeks’ efforts. I had considered taking on my master bedroom in previous One Room Challenge cycles but was intimidated to complete the entire space with a tight timeline, without compromising things I love and settling for what my timeline could offer. Well, it’s all said and done and I can honestly say, we love it. LOVE IT. Yes, even Dave and even without an overhead fan! haha I feel like I’ve been showing the same little sitting area corner for the past few weeks so I’m absolutely tickled to finally share how far this room has come!

*Post contains affiliate links. For full disclosure, click HERE*

Before we jump in, I’d like to offer a huge thank you to all of my room sponsors and contributors. Honestly, this room would not have come together in six seven weeks without them.

The Mine | Tonic Living | Minted | Pottery Barn | Select BlindsMetrie | Wayfair 

*A full room source list is provided at the bottom of the post.*

Here’s how my bedroom looks today.


Master Bedroom Makeover Reveal

After sleeping in two guest bedrooms and a mattress on the floor, we finally have a master retreat we adore.

Master bedroom reveal sneak peek with gray tufted headboard and red pillows

Before I invite you in though, let’s take a quick look at where we started. Granted, no, the bed wasn’t made so the before is a little unfair but you get the gist 😉

Even though the walls were the same color as the majority of our house, it looked SO dark with the only light coming in through the sitting area. Our rug had been gone for a while, the blinds on the deck door were not cute, and everything in general just seemed brown. After a little planning and a lot of white paint, here’s where we are today…

Bedroom design ideas with gray tufted headboard

Y’all. Is this even the same room?! You know I’m a strong believer in neutrals and I wasn’t about to change things now 😉 Even though most all the furnishings are a version of white or gray, I tried to use enough textures and finishes to keep things exciting. With a simple change here and there, I could go in a totally different direction/color scheme at a moment’s notice (which of course, I love!) (But I won’t because let’s face it- if a project I take on ends up blocking the entire catwalk again for two months, Dave will probably divorce me haha) Let’s go through this beast, k?

Because the room is so big, I wanted some sort of wall treatment. I didn’t want to commit to wallpaper, I already knew I wanted white, so classic moulding seemed like a valid choice. First and best decision of the entire room, y’all. I used 560 feet of this panel mould from Metrie (I explained my vision to my carpenter and he sent me the best options to choose from); one of my favorite details is so simple but the thin outlining box he added to the ceiling made a world of difference. See how it took a boring, flat surface to have a little dimension? I painted it all in Simply White by Benjamin Moore; it’s not too warm and not too cool. For this dim room, it ended up being just what I was hoping for.

Gray Master Bedroom Decor with White Walls

Obviously, the kids aren’t complaining about their new digs, either 😉 They We are stoked to be out of the literal dog pile in the queen beds and back in a more spacious king. Let’s be honest though – when you have three cuddly dogs, it doesn’t matter how big the bed is, it will never be big enough haha.

Dog on bed with red pillows

I talked about my reasons for going with different furniture in previous posts so I’ll try not to be too redundant, but y’all, the more modern tufted bed sets the tone of the room and it makes a HUGE difference having substantial bedside tables. The lamps on our previous nightstands took up over half the surface space, leaving just enough room for a drink and maybe a charging phone. We now have more room for our nighttime essentials, and more storage for our over-capacity dresser. We kept our metal dresser and with it having an “interesting” coloring, I was very specific about the kind of pewter-esque hardware I wanted in our nightstands, and also in the legs of the sitting nook side table. I’ll show that in a bit. Also new and oversized are our I-can’t-believe-what-a-difference-these-make bedside lamps. They are without a doubt, the nicest, most substantial lamps I’ve ever owned.  (I made sure Dave knew this fact, too ((i.e.- “you better not break them!”)) haha).

Neutral master bedroom with a pop of red


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White washed night stands

I used some of our china saucers as bedside catch-alls on each nightstand. One thing I’m super proud of this time around is that I shopped the house for almost all accessories when I was pulling everything together. I didn’t make any dumb or expensive last minute runs 😉 Speaking of shopping the house, before I bring another single thing into this house, I have got to go through my “accessory stock” in the basement and pull to donate and list. One day, on a day I don’t care about being embarrassed, I’ll show a little tour on Insta-stories.

Pretty nightstand styling and bedside essentials


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I wanted to go with a bold velvet something to make a statement on the bed. I’m probably just as surprised as you that I ended up going with this wine color pillow! I loved them so much when they came in though, I think they are likely responsible for half of my Christmas inspo for this year.

Mixing patterned pillows on the bed with neutral bedding

The bedding may look familiar, and that’s because it is 😉 We have the same gray linen quilt in white and natural, and the same linen duvet cover in white. We’ve established they are our fav bedding so we have no shame in doing what works in basically every room haha. I wanted our bed to be nice, but casual. A place to flop down. And this past week, at the end of our over-committed days, that’s just what we’ve done.

If you’re wondering the latest on the Nan vs. Fan debate, my solution totally won! Dave has had nothing but positive things to say about our new system – both in feel and sound. As in most of our rooms, he put the chandelier on a dimmer. If you don’t have a dimmer in your master bedroom, put it on your list!

Master Bedroom Makeover with Wall Moldings

I’ve had this little ceramic foo dog for almost a year but it hadn’t made it past the storage closet. When I brought him out, Dave loved him so much, I made sure to make his home on his side of the bed 😉 I totally got the “unexpected animal accessory” habit from Mama Nan.

Nightstand styling for men

We initially moved the dresser because we will eventually have a sliding barn door on the wall the dresser was on previously. I actually like it here better and it works perfectly under our already hung tv.

Bedroom TV wall with molding and hanging tv

And see that huge basket? We put our throw pillows in there at night, but during the day, it gets to hold our new favorite toy (the fan).

Bedroom fan storage ideas

Before the makeover, I was wishing we didn’t have a sitting area because ours wasn’t outfitted properly or proportionately. The dated (albeit, only re-covered three years ago) loveseat wasn’t doing it any favors and it held well, just a bunch of leftover things. Now, I truly love this little nook. Letting the moulding stand alone as the “art” for the majority of the room, the nook is the only place we hung a few pieces on the wall.

Sitting nook with two chairs - Benjamin Moore Simply White Paint

I kept my fur rug but instead of it being the only rug in the space like it ended up being before, I used it as a cozy layering rug and paired it with this new, inexpensive rug from Wayfair. The chunky knit wool rug underneath my bed is a new household FAV! (sitting area rug is 5×7; bed rug is 8×10)

Transitional modern bedroom sitting nook with white chairs


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Oversized chair in bedroom sitting nook

Sitting nook in master bedroom

So now that you’ve seen all the brass accents and the metal dresser, see how the pewter finishes kind of marry them together? The legs of this table are the perfect combo of all the metals in the room.

Black and white tonic living flock bird pillow in oversized chair

After the room came together, I was even more glad we went with these streamlined woven shades from my fav, Select Blinds, in lieu of curtains. They don’t detract from the moulding and keep everything in the nook all neat and tidy.

White woven shades in bedroom sitting nook

I’m still borderline obsessed with how my flock pillows from Tonic Living work with my bird art from Minted. One of those happy coincidences that I’m going to pretend was totally intentional 😉 Something else that was totally lucky- see how perfectly level and even those art pieces are? Know who did that with only one extra hole? This girl 😉

Bedroom sitting nook with white panel molding in Benjamin Moore Simply White paint

A simple bit of space planning that made a world of difference in the nook is that before, because the loveseat was small, I felt like pulling it out from the wall made it look like a dinky little floating piece that didn’t belong. Now, with furniture that fits in the space, I was able to pull everything away from the wall and make it into a more intentional conversation area.

Sitting nook with vows on photo hanging on the wall

Even though we were bringing in a lot of new pretties, I didn’t want to purge our most special, sentimental pieces. I relocated our wedding vows as a standalone piece in this space and even though I meant to get it re-framed, I’m kind of liking the more intricate frame now!

Wedding memento idea- hanging vows on the wall

How to decorate a Bedroom with sitting area

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Between Maggie and my hair, I’m not sure who rules the bedroom more.

Brown Dorkie puppy dog

Master bedroom decorating ideas with modern brass chandelier and white walls with molding

If you missed any progress weeks, you can go back to the beginning here:

WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3WEEK 4WEEK 5WEEK 6

Here’s how my bedroom looks today.

Thank you all for hanging in there with me over the past several weeks! Your enthusiasm and kind, supportive words (along with our motivation to have a place to sleep again) kept me going. Dare I say I’m already considering my next room makeover?! Actually, scratch that. Even though I DO have an idea, I’m not gonna think about that any time soon. Stick a fork in me for 2017! If you are new over here, we do a lot of other fun things (room makeovers included); you can sign up for email updates at the bottom of the post to make sure you catch the next project. I’ll be bringing out the Christmas any day now 😉

Thank you to Calling it Home for another fantastic One Room Challenge cycle. Be sure to check out the other completed room makeovers HERE.

LINENS: White Linen Duvet Cover & Euro Shams| Belgian Flax Linen Linen Quilt (in Flagstone) | King Linen Shams (in Flagstone) | 700 Thread Count Sheets | Black & White Flock Pillows | Leopard Pillow | Wine Velvet Pillow | Black & Cream Striped Pillows

FURNITURE: Bed | Nightstands | Dresser- Restoration Hardware (no longer available) | Oversized Chair (no longer available- SIMILAR) | Ottoman (no longer available- SIMILAR) | Side Table in Sitting Nook | Garden Stool | Bench 

WALLS & WINDOWS: Bird Art Print 1 | Bird Art Print 2 | Moulding | Woven Shades (Bali White; Cordless) | Leaning Floor Mirror- HomeGoods (SIMILAR) | Paint: Simply White by Benjamin Moore

LIGHTING: Chandelier | Bedside Lamps | Floor Lamp | White Sitting Room Lamp

FLOORS: Gray Rug in Sitting Nook (5×7) | Chunky Cream Wool Rug (8×10)| Sheepskin- Costco

ACCESSORIES: Vases Flanking TV | Brass & Mirror Tray on Ottoman | Foo Dog- HomeGoods (Similar) | Catch-all China Dish | Leopard Throw- HomeGoods (Similar) | Oversized Double Handle Basket- HomeGoods (Similar) | Hamper- HomeGoods (Similar) | Inlay Box- HomeGoods | Gray Striped Throw- HomeGoods | Bladeless Fan

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73 Comments

  1. 11.16.17

    Yay! It looks great and I LOVE the nightstands. So beautiful Kelley. My favorite part is the sitting area with the layered rug. Perfection.

  2. 11.16.17

    Kelley the pictures turned out amazing! Of course my favorite is the one of Penny, love her. I love your new bedroom makeover, it is even more stunning in person!!! Those pillows…. I am coming to steal them right now, lol. Great job my friend xoxoxo

  3. 11.16.17
    Teri said:

    I have been trying to be patient for week 7! Love this room– it was worth the wait. It looks so modern, clean, and peaceful?

    Congrats!!

  4. 11.16.17
    Karen said:

    Love everything you did!! The room looks so pulled together; what a difference! You’ve given me a lot of ideas – thank you. It’s a stunner!

  5. 11.16.17

    Kelley I love every single thing in this space! EVERY!! It must be so amazing to wake up in this newly refreshed space. I love all of your beautiful neutrals and the pop of the crimson pillows! Tell Dave that he is one lucky guy (although I think he knows it already! 🙂

  6. 11.16.17
    Shelly said:

    You have the Midas touch Kelley, this is perfection!

  7. 11.16.17
    Meg said:

    Everything is so pretty!! It looks like a perfect space to cozy up in during a winter night!

  8. 11.16.17
    Tiffany said:

    What a stunning space, Kelley! LOVE your framed wedding vows, that’s such a beautiful idea!

  9. 11.16.17
    Haneen said:

    Kelley!! It’s beautiful!! LOVE the pillows! LOVE the light!! LOVE the trim work! Love your sweet dogs! Another gorgeous room by a mega talented lady! Love you!

  10. 11.16.17
    Tamara said:

    Kel – one word – SPECTACULAR!! What an incredible transformation! The moldings are no doubt the best feature – they elevate this room beyond!! And the ceiling detail!! But seriously, every detail is perfect and you have outdone yourself on this one! I love it all so much, you amaze me! xoxo

  11. 11.16.17
    Lisa said:

    This turned out so beautiful! I am still totally ga ga over that chandelier! And all the details are just the icing on the cake. Well done 🙂

  12. 11.16.17

    Is that really the same room?!!! Stunning Kelley. The paint color alone made such a huge impact, but all of the well thought out details just put the icing on the cake. Great job.

  13. 11.16.17
    Emilie said:

    Hi, beautiful makeover! what size rug did you use under your master bed? Thank you!

  14. 11.16.17
    marion said:

    You nailed it!! What a beautiful transformation. The moulding on the walls really draws your eyes up to the grand scale that this room actually is…if that makes sense…lol….The rug is amazing! Looks like you might have spent the past 7 weeks knitting:)
    Outstanding job!
    Coffee time was great looking at the completed make-overs this morning!

  15. 11.16.17
    Randi said:

    Kelley! I am so so happy for you! This has truly been transformed into a gorgeous retreat for you and Dave! I love the trim and all of the beautiful touches you put into this room to make it so special! Well done my dear friend! xo

  16. 11.16.17
    Colleen said:

    Looks beautiful and clearly doggie approved 😉

  17. 11.16.17
    Amy said:

    WOW! So, so beautiful!! I’m *almost* inspired enough to tackle my master. 🙂 Moved in our house 1.5 years ago & just can’t decide what to do with it. I’d love to know when you are ready to sell some of your stuff you’re clearing out. What site do you typically use to sell stuff? I’m in Roswell (I’ve messaged you before:) so not too far if you end up selling out of your house. Congrats on a gorgeous room!

  18. 11.16.17

    Beautiful bedroom! The molding detail on the wall adds so much sophistication to the room, and I love that’s its white on white, simple but beautiful. I would also spend every extra minute I have lounging in that cozy sitting nook. : ) Looks like the puppies really like the room as well, they fit right into the decor!

  19. 11.16.17
    Alisha said:

    It’s all so bright and beautiful- I love it (and apparently so do your sweet puppies ?) I love the giant basket for throw pillows, the layered rugs, and of course the molding!!! The suggestion for molding on the ceiling was perfect ? Having never had a large bedroom myself, do you find that it feels to open or less cozy? Did you consider a fireplace?

  20. 11.16.17
    Lisa said:

    Kelley it all looks so beautiful! I love love love the moulding, it give the room such dimension and is a stunning detail!

  21. 11.16.17

    This looks amazing!! Those walls are gorgeous – makes me want to try this myself. And I adore that braided rug! Simply stunning!

    I’m honored to have been in this ORC with you!

  22. 11.16.17

    My sweet friend!!! I love how well this suits you! Lots of neutral, a beautiful pop of color, something sentimental, and puppies!!! All of the things that make me think of you. Glad we all got through this challenge and you have a GORGEOUS new space to enjoy! Phenomenal job! Give those sweet pups a kiss for me. xoxo

  23. 11.16.17

    What an amazing transformation – a soothing and sophisticated retreat!

  24. 11.16.17
    Emmy Australia said:

    Oh Kelly,! That colour scheme is so unique, unexpected and AMAZING! Your so talented! The reading nook is divine, those little pops of black really make it, with mix of pattern and texture! Stunning. I can’t wait to see what you get up to next! I’m sure your going to end up doing other people’s houses, do you have any rooms left? Haha

  25. 11.16.17

    I love everything that you’ve done Kelley! The molding is to die for… I need to add the same to my family room. ?? So much inspiration! xx

  26. 11.16.17
    Gretchen Thomas (Nan) said:

    Oh…my…goodness! I can not believe the transformation! This is truly a room fit for a king, queen and their royal pups. I love that you incorporated some of your favs and the little foo dog, too!

  27. 11.16.17
    Libbie said:

    Your bedroom feels like a beautiful high end spa! Congratulations
    on finishing and it is absolutely beautiful!

  28. 11.16.17
    Jackie said:

    Great job Kelley, not sure how you managed to do all that work in such a short amount of time, anyway it’s a very pretty room.

  29. 11.17.17
    Joni King said:

    Totally AWESOME Kelley Nan! You nailed another great room makeover! Love the brightness and addition of colors this room – so cozy! Hugs!

  30. 11.17.17
    Joss said:

    Another fantastic job Kelley!! I love the molding and the sitting area. Also love the chandelier! Everything looks pulled together and welcoming. Thanks again for the inspiration!

  31. 11.17.17

    This is such a gorgeous room, the more photos I look at, the more beautiful details keep popping up! An amazing ORC!

  32. 11.17.17
    Vel said:

    Anything you do is amazing, and this room just proves that! Congrats and Cheers to us for another room done!

  33. 11.17.17
    Joan said:

    This is just beautiful!

  34. 11.17.17
    Tania said:

    GORGEOUS!!!

  35. 11.17.17
    Pamela said:

    I just want to dive into that gorgeous bed and stay for a week, but then I see the sitting area-ahh, I want to curl up with a book and blanket and stay there for awhile too! You’ve created the ultimate retreat! We’ve thought about customizing a bed wall to wall but I don’t think it would be enough room still for our two Frenchies and us – funny how they can take up so much room no matter the space given!

  36. 11.18.17
    Tamisha said:

    Gosh Kelley! You’re SO DANG GOOD! 🙂 I loveeeeeeeeee this makeover! Absolutely beautiful!! I love the black and white with the wine touches. Perfect for Fall and the pillows can be switched out by season. I really like the idea of that too. Smart styling.

  37. 11.19.17
    mimzy said:

    It’s gorgeous!

  38. 11.19.17

    Oh wow! Such a huge difference. I kept scrolling back to see how you managed to get so much light into the space. It looks so stunning!

  39. 11.19.17
    Ivory said:

    Your bedroom and accessories are stunning. I love it all.

  40. 11.20.17
    Susie said:

    If I tried to list all of the things I love about this space, I’d be here all day. So let me be short and sweet….I love it all. Every single detail. It is an amazing makeover! Congrats and enjoy! ~~ Susie from The Chelsea Project

    • 11.20.17

      Susie, thank you so much! I loved taking on this space and love it even more after 😉

  41. 11.23.17

    I love every single detail Kel! And I especially love the new seating area – it’s so inviting!

  42. 12.10.17

    I love all the light that falls in the room! You had some great ideas with decorating! Great job!!

  43. 1.8.18
    Anita Hidic said:

    Love this entire look! You are so talented!! I have a question about the wool rug under your bed, is it hard to take care of and does it shed? Xoxo

    • 1.9.18

      Hi, Anita! In that specific area, it is not. I wouldn’t put it in a super high traffic area though because I would imagine it would be difficult to clean. we can’t tell if it sheds since it is on carpet. The only problem is that my pups have already gotten “curious” about some of the loops. Ugh!

  44. 1.20.18
    judi said:

    Hi ,Wow.. another wonderful room in your home.. I love all of it!!!! I wish our bedroom was as big as yours to have than extra sitting area but thats ok .. I do have a chair in mine but to have your space is great. I love following you because I love all your neutrals you use .I have similar at least it looks like it on the computer, kitchen cabinets/color. would you think using Simply white paint on the walls with the off-white cabinets would be a good combo? I know I shouldn’t ask but In considering doing this and scared to get my kitchen all painted and the it doesn’t look good.. Anyway, Love all that you do and love your home..

    • 1.22.18

      Hi, Judi! I would test in different areas around the kitchen against the cabinet color and see if there is a way to tie them together (backsplash?) Cream and white can be beautiful but make sure the paint doesn’t make your cabinets look yellow 😉

  45. 2.22.18
    Lynne Ornduff said:

    Absolutely love your makeover. I am redoing my bedroom and attached office next week and painting with simply white. What color are your woven shades from Select Blinds? I’m on their website and having trouble picking out which color you used.

    Thanks so much. You have really inspired me.

  46. 5.3.18
    Kelly Kirk said:

    Love your space! What color did you paint the ceiling? It seems to blend perfectly with wall color (BM simply white) but looks a bit whiter.

    • 5.3.18

      Kelly, it is the same color! Light and shadows just hit it differently, and, it is a flat finish 😉

  47. 5.15.18

    Very nice article! and it was so inspiring, I have learned many things in this blog. You have a very creative mind, you made the room very interesting. Thank you for sharing your thoughts it helps.

  48. 9.24.18
    Lauren said:

    Hi Kelley! Your blog is so inspiring to me as I try to take on decorating (aka pulling together so it doesn’t look like a total disaster) our new home! I’ve really been struggling with pillow set ups for a king bed. I have three large euros in the back, but do you have any tips for choosing size and layout for other pillows?

    • 10.9.18

      Lauren, I need to do a post on this! You can do king shams in front of the euros (or leave out), and then I typically do throw pillows between 20-22″ in front of the euros, along with a center pillow in front of those two.

  49. 1.18.19
    Kelly Rieser said:

    I want to order the chairs that you have linked, but not sure what color to select. Your pics show that yours are a cream or off white. Is that correct? That’s what I’m looking for. I don’t want white white because I think that’s too stark and I’m afraid some of the “off white” selections might have a little yellowish cast to them. Any thoughts on color? My bedroom is also gray (a darker gray than yours) and white. Your house is gorgeous!

    • 1.19.19

      Hi, Kelly! Mine were discontinued so the chair won’t be identical. I would definitely look at a swatch in person- I LOVE the ivory performance crypton fabric I used on our living room sofas – it isn’t yellow at all. Wishing you the best of luck!

  50. 6.8.19
    Gerri said:

    Love this bedroom!

    I can’t tell for sure, but is your duvet and euros white or cream?

  51. 6.17.20
    michelle said:

    I can’t find the shade color of Bali White? Is it discontinued?

    • 6.24.20

      Hi Michelle, Thank you so much for stopping by. I understand the Bali White is simply out of stock and should be back soon. It may be helpful to contact Customer Service for more information. I hope they can help!

  52. 6.25.20
    Jen said:

    Love your bedroom Kelly! I am trying to do something similar to brighten up mine and want to replace my gray shag rug with something lighter but I can’t decide what would look good with our natural color hard wood floors. Would you still do something like your chunky cream wool rug or maybe a white or cream shag rug?

    • 6.28.20

      Hi Jen,
      Thank you so much for stopping by! As a purely personal preference, I don’t think I’ve ever done a shag rug. I have drifted toward woven, or patterned rugs. But you must go with something that you love. I can say, the chunky cream wool rug has held up well, even with lots of traffic and three pups. The most important thing is for YOU to go with what you love.

  53. 4.16.21
    Mia said:

    Love this room so much! I know this is an older post but I can’t find the bed you got and I love love love it!! Any suggestions on where I could find it (or something similar)?!?! Thanks so much!

  54. 5.29.21
    Karla said:

    Hi, your bedroom is so beautiful! Love the simply white color on your walls. Did you use the same color for your molding, trim, & ceilings?

    • 6.1.21

      Hi Karla, Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by. I really appreciate your kind note! The paint color is the same, but I believe the wall, molding and trim finishes are eggshell and the ceiling is flat.