Over Our Heads
We started 2008 with a home improvement bang like no other. We were up at 8:20 am and on the road to Ikea by 9. What would motivate two sleep-deprived twenty-somethings to get up that early on our last day off? How about the thought of gaining not one, but two more bedroom closets?! That’s right, we finally decided that one tiny closet in the master bedroom (which forced John to keep all his clothes in the guest bedroom) was not enough. So on New Years Day we (fittingly) resolved to do something about it.
Here’s the New Years Day play by play:
8:20 am- Up and at em’.
9:00 am- Hit the road for Ikea.
11:00 am- Arrive. Hightail it to the closet department.
12:30 pm- Leave $460 poorer with two giant wardrobes to flank the bed (plus tons of interior fittings).
2:00 pm- Arrive home. Rest.
2:05 pm- Enough sitting around. The wardrobes aren’t going to put themselves together.
2:06 pm- Forget to shoot a “before” photo, but here’s an old pic for reference:
2:15 pm- Move out the side tables and get out the dreaded allen wrench.
3:50 pm- One wardrobe frame done, one to go.
4:30 pm- Build second wardrobe frame. Re-hang curtains on back wall in an attempt to enlarge that tiny window
4:35 pm- Enjoy a victory bowl of cereal after shooting this “during” photo.
5:25 pm- Quick trip to Lowe’s to get long screws to anchor the behemoths to the wall, which annoyingly Ikea didn’t provide.
6:15 pm- Install six glorious shelves and a hanging bar in Sherry’s wardrobe.
7:30 pm- Install three drawers and a hanging bar in John’s wardrobe (two shelves were also meant to be added, but we realized we bought the wrong size- d’oh)
8:30 pm- Burger King run. We can’t survive on cereal and home improvement endorphins alone.
9:30 pm- Finally get all of our clothes, shoes, bags, and belts into our two fantastic wonderful beautiful new closets (the guest bedroom closet is now empty- amazing).
10:00 pm- Hang matching white curtains on both wardrobes. Step back and HATE them (we thought it would look soft and elegant- it wound up looking like a cheap Trading Spaces project).
10:05 pm- Realize we both like it infinitely more with the curtains pushed to the side (they look more like fancy built ins, and not like a cheapo bookcase swathed in fabric).
The next few days were full of progress. We ran to Home Depot and grabbed 7 inch molding to add to the tops of the wardrobes so that they appear more flush to the ceiling (bridging that 4″ gap that used to be painfully obvious on top of each wardrobe). Our next stop was Linens N’ Things where we picked up a few heavy curtain panels in rich chocolate brown. Back home we extended the wardrobes to the ceiling with the molding, hung the new brown panels around the window, and rehung the curtains in front of each wardrobe flush with the ceiling. Here’s what it all looks like now that we’ve bridged the gap. The wardrobes were definitely looking better with the gap bridged, but we weren’t so crazy about the dark chocolate curtains.
So we returned ‘em and went on a curtain shopping spree. In fact you wouldn’t believe us if we told you how much money we spent. But we’re going to tell you anyway- close to $500. Yeesh. That’s a lotta loot. But we realized we needed lots of different curtain choices to make a final decision, so we got oodles of options (from Bed Bath & Beyond, Linens N’ Things, and Target) and then took them home for a little curtain fashion show (don’t worry, we returned every pair except for our favorites).
Here’s Burger sniffing out the competition:
Although we had many (many) curtain panels to choose from, there was immediately a clear winner. The gorgeous khaki chenille-esque curtains with the subtle crosshatched pattern for a little added texture from Bed Bath & Beyond. Bellisimo.
As our curtain crisis came to a close, then came the exciting hunt for plug-in swing-arm lamps for above the bed. Ok, maybe “exciting” isn’t the right word, but I tend to get a little thrill when I can check any project off my list.
After striking out at several places including Lowe’s (no swing-arms), Restoration Hardware (too pricey) we had just about given up on Richmond’s lighting stock. Luckily, we ended up visiting my parents in Northern Virginia and stumbled upon a Lamp Factory Outlet.
There, amongst endless rows of table lamps and chandeliers, we found the perfect option: two brushed nickel, plug-in, swing-arm lamps for only $40 a piece. About $200 dollars cheaper than most of the other options we saw. We snagged ‘em (the last two in stock!) and as of last night they’re officially swinging from our bedroom wall. We couldn’t be happier with the dramatic result:
The room definitely looks more finished and hotel-ish, so we can’t wait to curl up with a good book and order some room service. Ok, wishful thinking.
Here’s a close-up. You can see how we tucked the base behind the curtain and angled the lamp arm around the edge for a more polished look.
But alas, this project wasn’t quite finished. Instead of having two refrigerator sized boxes on either side of the bed, we wanted them to look more finished. So we decided to mount a wide piece of wood to the ceiling that would hang in front of both wardrobes and serve as a header (to make the bed feel like it’s tucked into a built-in nook). I know that sounds confusing, so I’ll just let a few pictures do the talking.
Here’s a photo of the wardrobes before the header:
And here’s a during shot:
Now I’ll ask for a drum roll. After painting the header and re-hanging the curtains, the eight inch plank of wood makes a major difference. And the crown molding is the icing on the cake. Here’s a detail shot so you can get up close and personal with our new master bedroom built-in:
And here’s a shot of the full monty:
Now laying in bed truly feels like you’re tucked into a cozy little nook instead of squeezed between two large, unrelated pieces of furniture. The whole layout looks a lot more deliberate, which is exactly what we were going for.
So that’s the story of two people trying to turn a 12 by 13 foot room into something special. Fifty year old houses don’t have giant master suites with monster closets and attached bathrooms, so you gotta do what you can to make a tiny room (that looks just like the other bedrooms) appear special. So what do you think? Mission accomplished?
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Comments
Hey Mandy,
We think if you added decorative molding to the top of your “built-ins” they would look like cabinetry in a vaulted room often does- polished and lovely. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hi Sherry,
I must say– you two are incredible! I just found your blog and have spent the last two days figuring out what we can do to our 28 year old townhouse in Northern VA that has simliar dilemmas to your home (before you made it look AMAZING that is).
My question is about this added storage and the curtains you hung from it. I know you hated the white curtains when you initially put them up, but what did you do? Did you add more panels or what?
My husband and I are sooo motivated to do this in our room, so please let me know when you can. Thanks a TON!
Paige
Yup we added more panels so they were more billowy but the real thing that helped was adding the wooden header so everything looked deliberate and built in. And the tan curtains above the bed paired with the swing arm lamps really added dimension and upgraded the whole look. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Dear J&S,
When we moved into our new NYC apartment two months ago, we did a lot of cosmetic updates with the guidance of your awesome blog. We replace all of the outdated light fixtures, and I just had to have your beautiful capiz chandelier in our bedroom as well. We found it at West Elm, as indicated. And after a hell of a time getting it hooked up (they sold us the wrong mounting kit and we had to strip the wires because it was sold with a standard plug-in cord!!!) we stood back and enjoyed the beautiful effect in our bedroom… until a few minutes later when our upstairs neighbor walked across the room and our new light fixture became a musical instrument. Now, our lovely bedroom chandelier turns into a powerful windchime when our upstairs neighbors decide to engage in some vigorous Sunday night sex. Luckily it only lasts 30 seconds.
So John and Sherry, where was that disclaimer for us apartment dwellers?
I kid, I kid. We still love the chandelier despite the occasional musical concerts.
Best,
Val
Wow Val! That’s definitely nothing we could have ever anticipated. Too funny. At least it sounds nice in the “wind”, right? We love when we’re making the bed and a gust of air sets it chiming!
xo,
s
I really love this idea! I also have a 50’s home with a small bedroom and would love to have these built in closets. I do have two questions for you that I was wondering….1) where do you have your alarm clocks and cellphones or water without bedside tables?
2)It looks like you cant close your curtains, do you just leave the window open?
Great blog/website…I recently found it and have been telling family to check it out!
-allison
Hey Allison,
All of our cell phones and alarm clocks (and other bedside table stuff) are tucked into a shelf that’s behind each curtain (we can easily stick our hands back there from bed and grab whatever we need). As for the windows, we have a pull-down roller blind on the bigger one (where the sun comes up) so we close that at night, but as for the tiny window above the bed, we just leave it uncovered since it’s on the side of our house (which is private so no one can peek in) and the sun doesn’t come up over there so it’s not too bright even when it’s uncovered. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Beautiful job! Living in an 100 year old home, I too find myself in a very similar predicament. Imagine your size room with radiators to contend with also :) However, you have inspired me! Your room is gorgeous! Any suggestions if there was a full size, long window where your small one currently is?
Hey Virginia,
Good question! I think we’d treat the window the same way. We’d still flank it with the built-ins and bring the bed in front of it (with a headboard so it wouldn’t matter if the window is lower than the height of the bed). We’d also still bring those floor length curtains in along with the swing arm lamps for ambiance and a bit of polish. We probably just wouldn’t have room for the art above the bed but otherwise it would be great. And if you need privacy you can also hang bamboo blinds with the curtains and use them to block light (or even tuck a roller shade behind the bamboo shades- for easy privacy that doesn’t show when it’s rolled up). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
The lamps you chose to mount on the wall above the headboard look great from the side… but when lying in bed, don’t you find yourselves looking up into the light bulbs of the lamps? Do you sometimes wish you had used some sort of uplit lights such as wall mount sconces? Or would that have looked more like a hotel room?
Hey Robin,
Good question! We actually find ourselves staring at the chandelier from our pillows since our pillows are stacked slightly so we’re not staring straight up (we stare up and out). Does that make sense? Plus our pillows are about 20″ from the wall and the swing arm lights are about 8″ from the wall so we literally would have to crane our necks back towards the lights while laying down to get them in the eye. It’s actually a great set up! They cast enough light for nightly reading but they’re not glaring or anything. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
We just moved to an older house with small bedrooms and closets in northern VA. Using your bedroom as my inspiration, I bought a wardrobe and all it’s fun insides from Ikea with the intention of flanking one window with two wardrobes and placing a small “window seat” chest below it.
I assembled the first wardrobe last night, and took it apart tonight. Apparently our room is much smaller than yours and while it does fit, just the single wardrobe dwarfs the entire room. Such a disappointment (and a really heavy pain in the neck return)! I have to admit, however, my main concern is with the particle board construction. Do you find that it has held up well over the past few years? I’d like to buy something else to use in its place, but I’m hesitant to buy anything but Ikea’s solid wood furniture.
We love our wardrobes! After two full years of heavy-duty everyday use they still look as good as the day we installed them. We even anchored them to the back wall so they’re super sturdy. We definitely recommend them for their durability and functionality. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Without a bedside table, where do you put your alarm clock? Glass of water? Book to read before falling asleep?
Hey Heather,
Scroll back through the comments for the answer to that often asked question. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
We are looking to add more storage to our small “master” bedroom as well. I love this idea and am hoping I can talk my husband into a little DIY :) Which wardrobe did you use from Ikea? I’m assuming you just did not assemble the doors?? Thanks for all of your ideas and tips!!
Hey Amy,
It’s the Pax wardrobe from Ikea without doors. The doors are actually sold separately so we didn’t even have to pay for them (the armoires were much cheaper without them). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hey guys! LOVE the blog :) Anyways… I recently moved back home with my parents and had to move into the “den” because my brothers and sister took over the 3 rooms upstairs when I left 3 years ago. This “den” (now known as my bedroom…) has no closet. Such a bummer! I have a temporary, cheap, freestanding cloth covered wardrobe from Target, but it is slowly falling apart. I’m not sure I want something that will be permanent (forever), but want something that is sturdy for the time I am here. Can the Ikea wardrobes be easily taken out as well do you know? And how did you guys hang the curtain over it… I looked over the pictures several times but could not figure it out! Thanks so much! :)
-Emilee
Hey Emilee,
As for how we hung the curtains, we used cheap metal curtain rods (sort of shaped like a long “U” and attached them to the sides of the baseboard that we used to extend the top of the wardrobes to ceiling height). In essence, they protrude outside the top of the wardrobes and the curtains drape down to the floor in front of both of them. They really didn’t look finished until we hung the wooden header from the ceiling to obscure the bunched curtains over the tops of the rods. Once that was up everything looked built-in and seamless. Hope it helps!
As for the wardrobes, they can easily be taken out. We did anchor ours to the wall in the back as recommended (so they didn’t come crashing down on us with everyday use) but removal would be as simple as unscrewing one screw on each one that holds them to the back wall. Good luck with your den!
xo,
s
Just found your blog. You guys are just to cute and so is your bedroom ideas. You are right the plank of wood and molding tied it all togeather. Great luck with any more projects.
Kath
I keep coming back to this project again and again, I love it so much! I can’t use the idea myself right now, but once we get a house I’d like to try and do something similar for a craft area (a desk where the bed is). I always have such a hard time finding storage for all my fabric and yarn, but a bookcase on each side of my workspace would be perfect!
I am on the search for white curtains (not tab curtains) and am having a really hard time finding simple white curtains that I love. Bed, Bath & Beyond will soon be flagging me for so many returns. Where did you get yours? Any help you have would be wonderful!
Thanks!
Katie
I am totally inspired by your entire website! My husband and I moved into our home alittle over a year ago now and I have wracking my brain over how to spruce up it’s decor and your website has been a huge help.
Hey Heba,
We got our chandelier at West Elm for around $80 (on sale) but they no longer sell the exact same model. You might want to try ebay (search for “capiz chanelier”) or even places like World Market (they have something similar for under $80 as well). Oh and West Elm has something that’s pretty close too, but it’s square or round but really long. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
HI….fabulous what you did to your master bedroom…I live in about the same vintage of house and my master is remarkably similiar to your. I love what you did with the wardrobes and the board you put across the entire room right in front of them…I have a question though…did the room have an existing closet?? My room does, unfortunately on the wall where you have placed the full length mirror and the leather chair…do you have any suggestions for me? As well..in your Ikea wardrobes, do you have space to hang LONG clothing like dresses, etc., because I could just make my closet a nook or something I suppose if I had a place for my coats, capes, etc.
Our room does have a closet (a teeny one that only fit my clothes so poor John had to keep his in the guest bedroom) but it’s on the side of the room across from the window (it now comes in handy for housing all our long clothes like dresses and suits, etc). The only reason we placed the mirror and the leather chair across from the bed was because that wall was blank and there wasn’t a closet there- so if there was we would just have put them on the wall across from the window. Nothing about our floor plan can’t be adapted so we’d just suggest playing with things until you find a configuration you like (you can even use blue painter’s tape to mark things off on the floor to see how much space they’ll take up). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Beautiful! I love it! First possible solution to our tiny master and tiny closet I’ve seen. Baby #3 is coming and so having husband’s clothes in the will be nursery room is becoming a problem. We have plantation shutters on the wall that I would have to use- and they would go down past a headboard. Should we not use a headboard and have the pillows propped up against the shutters? What would you recommend?
We would just see what looks best. Definitely before buying a headboard check out how things look with the pillows propped up against the shutters. It might be charming and perfect. If it looks a little too raw (or is uncomfortable) you can always get a bed like ours and set it about a foot away from the wall (so the headboard goes up in front of the shutters to create a nice clean backdrop for pillows). It might not matter that it overlaps the shutters somewhat. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
i love the rm. i’m trying to do something similar in my apartment and i just have a few questions.
1) was the plank wood/ baseboard 2 pieces of wood attached at the center with glue or wood filler or 1 long piece
2)how did you attach the plank wood/ baseboard to your walls
3)what size was the crown molding you used on the baseboard? was it molding or trim? and if you don’t mind would you send me a link of what kind it was?
thanks so much for the great ideas. i love your home
-casey
Hey Casey,
1. The header was two long pieces of wood that we installed flush against each other (and used wood filler and glue) so it looks like it’s one long piece. We actually had a handyman friend come over and help us with our header because we had a hard time finding studs in our plaster ceiling as well. He was able to go up into the attic and look at the way the beams ran and knock on the ceiling until he found one. Then of course to make sure we were right on it we drilled a screw in and it held like crazy. If you hit a stud you won’t need plastic screws or crazy anchors since good old long metal screws will hold your wooden header into the wooden beam overhead like a charm. Hope it helps! And don’t be afraid to ask for help from a handy friend or even hire a handyman for the day to get that header up and keep yourself safe from falling lumber in the middle of the night. Trust me, it’s totally worth it!
2. We used a few finish nails and some Liquid Nails to attach the baseboard to the tops of our armoires.
3. Our crown molding is 3.5″ thick. We don’t have a link but it’s just the basic design from Home Depot (crown molding, not trim) and it came pre-primed which was nice.
xo,
s
xo,
s
This is so fabulous! I’ve been reading your archives a little every day. This is one of my favorite posts. Thank you! I’ve got a million ideas spinning in my head now.
Thank you again for the time you put into this blog for your readers, fans, and people like me- the domestically challenged. I’ve also appreciated your dillegence in responding. Quick question (i’m sure more will come as I comb through your blog) were you able to put your bed and closets on the 12ft wall or did you have to use the 13ft side? Could I squeezeand make it worth while into 12 ft? I got Gentle Tide but my room is so small and lit so weird I had to get it at 25%! But I love it now! The first coat at least :)
Congrats on the baby!!!!
Good news! Our built-ins are actually on the 12″ wall, so you can definitely make it work!
xo,
s
Gentle Tide by Glidden (a close match is Benjamin Moore’s Quiet Moments).
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Oh I love the look you guys achieved here! We’re gearing up for a move to Germany where – we’re told – you don’t typically find closets in flats. This will be a great starting point for us when we have to think about storage!
We like CFLs for their energy saving benefits (plus they leave you more money to spend on decor!) and we find that the ones labeled “soft white” are our favorites. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I have a question about lighting. I need to purchase ceiling lights for my bathroom and for a bedroom in our basement. My husband is super tall and won’t go for anything that hangs from the ceiling. Do you have any ideas about where to buy non awful looking flush mount lights? HELP!
I LOVE your room!!! We just switched rooms with our kiddos (three in one bedroom so we took the smaller room). Our bed is the only thing that fits in the room (we actually have the same bed but we have the end tables). I’m just curious…where do you store books that you read at night? I have to have a book and my alarm clock by my bed but I don’t see anything like that in your photo. I would love to do something similar as our room now is very institutional. Please share! :o)
Hey Brittney,
We usually slip any book or magazine that we’re reading into the wardrobe on the shelf right under our hanging clothes. That is, of course, if we don’t fall asleep reading and the book just ends up on the floor. :)
-John
We’d try lampsplus.com, overstock.com and even just dropping by Home Depot and Lowe’s. You can also look up a lighting outlet (via google or the yellow pages) since there are usually at least one or two of them in almost every city- then you can slide through there and see what they have. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I’m am new to this website, and I am so glad someone shared it with me!! We face a similar problem with the size of our master bedroom and the lack of storage space. Love the ideas, love the final outcome- I cannot wait to get to Ikea, I think I am going to install these in our tiny space :) Thanks for the great ideas!
-Alex
This room has really motivated me to re-do our bedroom. I just have a few questions about the built in closets…did you guys completely customer size them to your spacial needs, or did you happen to get lucky with a closet system that happened to be a perfect size?? I am planning an Ikea trip in the next few weeks, and I just dont want to drive all the way there and then find challanges with measurements that I wasnt prepared for. Thanks for all the great ideas and money savers!
Alex
We just measured the space on either side of our bed over to the wall and looked up the sizes offered online before we headed over there so we knew they would work (there are many many different options of size for the Pax wardrobes that we went with). We ended up with one flush against the right wall and the bed (my wardrobe) and one that is flush against the bed with about three extra inches of space between the wardrobe and the wall on the left side, but once we hung the curtains we obscured that sliver of space so everything looks built in. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I really like the look of your wardrobes and would love to do this in my room. The thing is, I have vaulted ceilings that angle up from the head of my bed. Any suggestions on how I could pull this off? Thanks!!