Cozy and Serene Primary Bedroom Plan

I’m sharing our cozy and serene master bedroom plan, replacing our stark white, bare space with a beautiful and comfortable haven!

For some reason, the master bedroom always seems to be one of the last rooms in our house to get any attention. It was true in our townhouse, and it has been true in our current house as well.

When we moved in, I decorated the boys’ room first because I wanted them to feel like they had a spot that was permanent– not just temporary or thrown together– in their new house.

Shared Boys' Bedroom

After that, I turned my attention to the downstairs, working on the kitchen and living room because that’s where we spend the most time as a family. (And that’s what people see when they come over!)

Since Donnie and I both work from home, I worked on our offices next (his and mine) so they were optimized for productivity.

And because I hate it when spaces are a complete disaster (and our master bedroom was just boring, not disastrous), the garage and the basement even got some attention!

Organized Garage

In the midst of all of those larger projects, I also found time to knock out some smaller ones like our sunroom, dining room, and mudroom.

Organized Mudroom

Even the guest bedroom got a refresh before the master!

But now here we are, about two and a half years after we moved into our house, and I have finally decided that it has gotten a bit ridiculous. Master bedroom, it’s time!

Cozy and Serene Master Bedroom Plan

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

Master Bedroom Progress So Far

One year into living in our house, our master bedroom looked like this:

Master Bedroom Before Photo

I had taken care of the absolute essentials– we bought a bed and used the dressers we already had. Our house came with almost zero overhead lights, so we installed a chandelier shortly after we moved in.

And after I had surgery and had to spend a bunch of time in bed, I ordered nightstands because I needed somewhere to put my stuff! (Though I have already stolen the ones pictured for the guest bedroom, so our bedroom will be getting a different set!)

Shortly after the one year mark, I got sick of the sunlight waking me up in the morning, so I finally chose some blinds (Ours are the Bali Abaca color.) and put up curtains.

Master Bedroom with Gray Bedding and White Walls

Other than that, though, I haven’t really done much else! But after finishing our basement (which was my biggest house goal for 2019– woohoo!), I set my sights on finally finishing off our master bedroom, and I made a plan…

Cozy and Serene Master Bedroom Plan

Oval Mirror | Light Fixture | White Dresser | Bed | Throw Pillows

Paint Color | Bench | Nightstands | Lamp | Rug | Gray Dresser

Fiddle Leaf Fig | Full Length Mirror | Chair | Side Table | Floor Lamp

Maintaining a Consistent Color Scheme

I’ve learned by this point that my decorating style includes lots and lots of neutrals with occasional pops of color, typically some shade of aqua, and our bedroom will be no exception.

It may not be for everyone, but I really like having a consistent color scheme throughout our house. It makes the house feel cohesive, and it makes it easy to mix and match decor between different rooms any time I get bored (which, let’s be honest, is often ?).

Neutral Living Room with Pops of Aqua
our living room
Neutral, White, and Aqua Dining Room
our dining room
White Kitchen with Marble Backsplash and Pops of Aqua
our kitchen
Neutral and white office with pops of aqua
my office

Having a consistent color scheme throughout the house also means that I don’t have to keep as much decor around because everything pretty much goes with everything– I don’t have to have bunches and bunches of decor items in all different colors.

Choosing a “Lead”

Whenever I go to decorate a room, it’s often helpful if I have a “lead” piece– a fabric or piece of art or a rug or something that sets the tone for the space.

Once I have a “lead,” it’s really easy to select the other elements in the room because I can just pull the colors from there; it narrows my choices and keeps me focused.

For our master bedroom, these cute throw pillows are acting as the “lead” piece.

The Pop of Color

A lot of times I’ll do really neutral walls and bring in a pop of color with the accessories and other pieces in the room. In our bedroom, though, I decided to put the color on the walls!

After testing out a bunch of different options, I ultimately picked Sherwin Williams Sea Salt for the paint color, which in our space looks like a soft sagey green color. (Sea Salt is a chameleon– it can look bluer or grayer or brighter green in different spaces, so if you’re thinking of using it, be sure to check a sample first!)

Master Bedroom Painted Sherwin Williams Sea Salt

Choosing Furniture and Accessories

After I had a plan in place and my color scheme all worked out, I set out to choose the other main pieces in the space.

Dressers

I already had the bed and had gotten the IKEA HEMNES dresser for my clothes a few months ago.

I really love Donnie’s dresser, which was a $40 Craigslist find and currently looks like this:

Blue Dresser in a Master Bedroom

Obviously, it doesn’t match the room I’m picturing, so I’m planning to paint it, probably a medium to dark-ish gray.

Reading Corner

I have a really cool tufted wingback chair that was my great grandfather’s that I’ve been trying to find a spot for, and I think it will work perfectly in the corner of our bedroom to help create a little reading spot.

Brown Tufted Wingback Chair
photo from 2014 in our previous house

Yes, it is currently covered in a more old fashioned brown fabric, but a friend of mine is in the process of reupholstering it for me, so it will end up fitting right in!

To complete the reading nook, I plan to add a small side table, a floor lamp, and a full length mirror.

Nightstands

Nightstands for this room have pretty much been my nemesis! When I decided to use our round nightstands in the guest room instead, I began looking for replacements for our room… that was about six months ago!

The problem I was running into was that I needed something fairly large because the nightstands will sit in front of the windows, which would make small ones look odd. But everything I found that was the right size was costing WAY more than I wanted to pay!

After ordering a set of nightstands that arrived damaged and sending them back, I found these beauties on sale at Pottery Barn, and I was sold! They are backordered, so I will have to wait a bit for them, but I think they will end up being perfect in our room.

Accessories

Once I had all of the main pieces in place, I just had accessories left!

I plan to layer a neutral area rug over our carpet to add a little more pattern and interest. Right now I have my eye on this one.

Since our bedside lamps moved into the guest room as well, I plan to bring in a new set– I’m thinking these. I’m a fan of mixing metals, so I’m trying to bring in some brassy/gold tones along with the oil rubbed bronze that’s already in the space, and these lamps should help!

I’ll also bring in some greenery (probably faux, due to my black thumb!), simple artwork, and smaller decorative pieces, and our bedroom will finally be done!

It’s going to be a work in progress over the next few weeks, but I’m excited to see it come together!

I will link all of our master bedroom-related posts here as I complete them, so be sure to check back to follow along!

Cozy and Serene Master Bedroom Plan (You’re here!)

10 Best Aqua Paint Colors

Organized Master Closet

Master Bathroom Refresh and Organization

Sources

You can shop any of the pieces in our master bedroom plan by clicking on any of the images below.

Are you working on any fun decorating projects right now? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

Have a great day!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

8 Comments

  1. Holly @ Life on Southpointe Drive says:

    It’s going to look so pretty Abby! I feel the same way. I think I have about 5 different projects around my house I meant to start working on last year!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Aw, thanks so much, Holly! I am excited to see how it turns out. Hope you’re having a great week! <3

      ~Abby =)

  2. Kristin Wright says:

    I just adore your sense of style, Abby!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      You are too sweet. Thanks so much, Kristin! Hope you’re having an awesome week! <3

      ~Abby =)

  3. Hope McIver-Wearing says:

    Great Ideas! I am going to tackle my Master bedroom soon. Such helpful tips.

    1. Abby Lawson says:

      So glad it was helpful for you, Hope! Hope you have a great week! <3

      ~Abby =)

  4. I accidentally stumbled onto your blog and I am OBSESSED! I’m starting to collect pieces to redo my master bedroom and I’m using some of your fabulous ideas because I have no sense of style.
    Thanks for the motivation.

    1. Abby Lawson says:

      Aw, you’re too sweet! Thanks so much for stopping by, Sarah! Hope you have an awesome week! <3

      ~Abby =)

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