Naomi – Author at Plaster & Disaster

I know you all think I’m totally slacking off on the bedroom makeover – especially compared to the massive and transformational progress that Sage is making in her kitchen! And you’re mostly right. Life has definitely gotten in the way.

But I HAVE been working on it! I shared this mini-update on Instagram over the weekend:

Yes, painting windows. As part of this makeover, I’ve decided that it is finally time to paint those window sashes that have been hanging out as raw wood ever since our renovation years ago. And not just in the bedroom – throughout the whole house! This is a pretty time consuming undertaking since we have divided light windows (SO. MANY. PANES.) but really needs to be done. I’ll do a full post on that (and explain why we’re in this window-painting mess to begin with) once we’ve finished.

This is what my house looks like. DIY is super glamorous.

But back to the fun part: making my bedroom prettier! While I’ve been working crazy hours, battling the flu, and taping 104 (not joking) individual panes of glass, I’ve had the chance to think a lot about the advice you all gave me on decorating this room.

First up, I was really torn on the whole lamps vs. scones question, and asked for your help. You delivered! Most important was the folks who pointed out that sconces wouldn’t work for the space. With the big bay window, the spot we’d be able to mount sconces on the wall would be too far from the edge of the bed to be convenient, and might look weird.

You can also see the wood window sash in this pic!

I guess I knew that, but I was resisting because I LOVE SCONCES SO MUCH. But it is important not to force-fit something, and instead to get lighting in here that will really work. Your feedback was really helpful. Lamps it is.

I also got some great tips on other places to check for awesome lamps (hello new friends at World Market and 1-800 Lighting), using dimmer or remote switches if the lamp I like has a hard-to-reach on/off switch, and how to calculate the right lamp height.

But while we know it will be lamps, I haven’t picked them out yet. I know, I KNOW, this is supposed to be the room in which I shed my compulsive need to wait for the perfect rather than going with the good. But Brad and I are at a stalemate. He is now very much in the bird-light camp.

Brad's Favorite Lamps - Plaster & Disaster

(via 1 // 2)

I had one bird lamp in my round-up, but some comments pointed out options for other bird lamps which derailed Brad from productive-lamp-decision-making and into a spiral of bird-lamp-advocacy and online-bird-lamp-shopping. (And for those of you who know Brad, you know that online lamp shopping is not a standard activity.)

On the other hand, I am feeling a very different vibe. These are my two favorites:

(via 1 // 2)

In fact, per my motivation to make quicker decisions and to just go with things that I like, I am totally ready to buy the Globe Table Lamp from West Elm. It isn’t ideal for a bedside light as the light is focused upward, but I love it, have loved it for a while, and really want it somewhere in the house.

However, Brad is convinced that it looks like NYC subway lights.

Please tell him that is not the case.

But enough about our lamp navel-gazing, and let’s move on to a purchase that I’ve actually made! I had also shared some of my favorite tapestry options to use as art on our large wall. I think this is a great affordable option, so I was glad most people liked the idea, and I didn’t get like 50 comments telling me it would be too “college dorm.”

A few people really liked this one by Julia Bars (affiliate link –read our policies), and I agree: it’s my favorite of the bunch. The colors and style match perfectly with the color scheme and other elements we’re introducing to the room.

However, Brad wasn’t a fan. He likes the one showing a dreamy night scene, with tree branches and lights. (We have a pillow in the bedroom with a similar image that Brad’s mom gave us, and it goes great and will be part of the long-term decor of the room.) But that particular tapestry wasn’t one of my favorites, so we decided to compromise on both of our second favorite: the moody mountain scene which several of you liked, as well (affiliate link –read our policies).

It is ordered and takes several weeks to make and ship – I can’t wait for it to get here! While it won’t go as perfectly as the Julia Bars one would have, I actually think that is good. I like having some elements in every room that bring in a different point of view. The color scheme and style is going very “spring” and “pretty,” so introducing a little moodiness will serve the room well.

There are still a few more spots for art that I’ll need to figure out, but I’m glad to have this largest piece figured out.

So, while I haven’t made as much progress in here as I would have liked, at least I’ve got a few things moving! I’ve found that when life gets really busy, maintaining some small wins within big projects helps to keep the momentum for when things quiet down. And, clearly, I’m only here because of so much great advice from readers! Thank you!

Here is where we are:

~~Hang shelves in the corner~~
~~Buy and/or DIY matching bedside tables (ideally with loads of dresser-like storage)~~
Buy and/or DIY a bench for the end of the bed (ideally with storage)
~~Buy a new rug and bedding~~
Install new overhead light
~~Decide between lamps or scones for beside the bed~~, and buy/install
Buy and/or DIY several pieces of art for the walls (PROGRESS!)
Hang window treatments
~~Fix gaping hole in the wall by installing grate~~
Finally paint wood window sashes (PROGRESS!)

We’ve made it pretty clear how much we love craigslist. It was the source of Sage’s mid-century dresser makeover, and, of course, was where we found the extremely tiny house that our new tiny blogger contributors will be making over. (Thanks again for bearing with us through that subterfuge.)

We’ve also made it pretty clear how much we love finding strange things on craigslist and trying to figure out if they are strange in a good way or a bad way. Because, with most strange things, that line is pretty thin:

We’ve invited you into this game twice before (in our cleverly named posts Craigslist Finds: Awesome or Terrible? and (More) Craigslist Finds: Awesome or Terrible?) and we’ve had so much fun seeing what you all think! We’re back for another round. See what we’ve found, and weigh in below!

First up this lamp. It is long at 40″ (so probably would never fit in either of our low-ceiling-ed homes) but is it wrong for us to be a little sad about that?

It’s got a lot of great detail, and a fun vintage/MCM vibe to it. Plus, the current owners have already determined that it’s “very cool,” so who are we to disagree? But we can’t help ask, is the white and blue too “baby?” When hanging, would it just look weird and long?

Please help us decide.

Okay, then, how about this light? At only $25, it is definitely affordable. And it kind of has some cool mid-century vibes.

Or is the brown too sad and 1970s? To be fair, maybe we’re letting the context of the photo bias our impression. Pro tip: don’t photograph items for sale that include exposed live wiring and a really bright light in the foreground that *isn’t* the one you’re trying to sell.

But context aside, we see a lot of lights like this at reasonable prices, and its hard to tell if they’re really cool or really not (it’s so much more convenient when the seller decides for you, as in the first light). Maybe it would take just the perfect room to make it look great?

Moving away from strange glass lighting, let’s talk about coffee tables. Is it just us, or is this pretty and cool?

Besides the fact that we’re not sure “middle eastern” is a single style, it has some great detail and could look amazing in the right space. And the base is unquestionably awesome. (It is probably a good purchase for the base alone.)

But maybe the tray just makes it too haphazard and busy? You tell us!

Lastly, we’re suckers for mid-century legs just like most of the blogosphere, but we can’t quite tell if this living room set is retro in a really good way or a really bad way.

On the one hand, MID-CENTURY. On the other, maybe this is an example of too much of a good thing. Plus, the finish isn’t exactly the most appealing. What say you?

Thanks for playing along! We’ll definitely let you know if any of them make it into our homes.

And, if you come across strange craigslist items in your travels, send us a screenshot and we might put it in the next edition!