Bedroom Decorating & DIY Master Bedroom Our House

The Decorating Plan For Our Master Bedroom

Last Updated on December 24, 2015 by Kristi Linauer

Several of you have asked me what will be the first room I decorate in the house. I think I’ve finally decided that I’ll tackle the master bedroom first. It seems to the be room for which I have the most concrete ideas.

Well, I have definite plans for the master bedroom and the hallway bathroom, but after working so long and hard on refinishing the hardwood floors, I’m not sure that I want to jump right into a long and exhausting bathroom remodel just yet. 🙂

So, the bedroom it is!

The main colors in the room will be white, navy blue, and natural linen. I’ll add some wood furniture stained in a medium brown tone, and then I’ll find one colorful fabric that will bring in some accent colors that I can use in the room to keep it from looking too stale. That’s the overall plan. Now some specifics:

Y’all know I’ve been loving me some navy blue for quite some time now, and I think it’s the perfect color for a bedroom. But I don’t what to the room to be too dark, so it’ll be balanced with lots of white, like this.

Navy blue and white entryway by Michael Robert Construction, via Houzz

Entryway by Michael Robert Construction, via Houzz
When it comes to wainscoting, I’m a sucker for just about any style, from a simple board and batten, to the fanciest and most traditional panels all dolled up with fancy trim, and everything in between. But in the house I’d like to keep things very simple — nothing too fancy or intricate. I think I’ll do something similar to this board and batten wall from Life On Virginia Street.

Board and batten wall treatment idea from Life On Virginia Street

Board and batten wall treatment idea, from Life On Virginia Street
As far as the bed goes, I want to make some sort of platform type bed similar to this one. I don’t have a source link for this picture, because I think it’s a bed from Pottery Barn that they no longer carry. If you recognize it from somewhere else, please let me know!

Idea for a bed that I want to make for the master bedroom

I love the stained wood, and the turned legs. I’ll also be adding a headboard, but I haven’t decided on the style just yet. I want to use a combination of stained wood and fabric somehow, but I haven’t really decided on the specific design yet.

If you’ll remember, our bedroom isn’t arranged ideally. The wall directly across from the door into the bedroom has a window right smack dab in the middle of it.

Master bedroom 02 - resized

Sorry! I keep forgetting to take updated pics without the green carpet! But you know it’ll have lovely hardwood floors when this week is over. 🙂

Anyway, putting a bed in front of a window is generally considered bad design, so I had decided to put the bed on the long wall on the left.

Well, to heck with that, and to heck with rules. I’m putting the headboard right in front of the window, and then I’m going to make the whole thing look quite intentional, as if it was part of my design plan all along. 🙂

I imagine a beautiful headboard (again, I haven’t decided on the exact design just yet, but some combo of stained wood and upholstery), and then the window will be surrounded by lots of lovely fabric that will frame the window and the headboard.

The final decision on what fabric I use will be determined by the headboard fabric, but right now, I’m imagining yards and yards of glorious natural-colored linen, similar in color to these linen draperies from Restoration Hardware.

Linen draperies from Restoration Hardware

Linen draperies from Restoration Hardware
Of course, if I end up upholstering the headboard with linen (which I think would be gorgeous), then I’ll have to use something else on the window. That might be where my colorful fabric comes in, but I had really hoped to use it in smaller quantities, like on pillows for the bed.

But anyway, as far as the colorful fabric goes, I’ve found a few that might work, but I think this one is my favorite.

P. Kaufmann Sea Breeze Patriot Fabric

P. Kaufmann Sea Breeze Patriot, via Online Fabric Store
It’s colorful without being too bright and bold. And then I could add an accent fabric like this…

Coral accent fabric for bedroom

So that’s the plan right now. I need to find the perfect navy blue. I’ve seen many people mention that Benjamin Moore Hale Navy is their favorite navy blue paint color, but if you’ve found one that you love, please share! I want it really dark, but not so dark that it looks black in pictures. So dark, but still obviously blue. Any ideas?

You Might Also Like...

38 Comments

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Laura
    September 11, 2013 at 9:57 am

    Kristi,

    We must be thinking the same things! I just bought a house as well and have almost the exact same plans for my bedroom! I’m in progress, but have picked the paint. After much deliberation, the clear winner is Olympic Cavalry. It’s a gorgeous velvety navy without being too dark, or moving towards indigo. I tried BM Hale Navy, but sadly it was simply too dark… even for my room that has lots of light and white elements.

    I am also using whites/naturals, as well as a lot of fun gold accents. I can’t wait to see how your room turns out!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Genelle McDaniel
    September 11, 2013 at 10:20 am

    After finishing such a huge job as all the hardwood floors, it’s good that you’re next going to tackle a less intense project that will give you immediate results. And I hate that people almost always leave their bedroom until last, and it doesn’t get done for years. The design fabric that you like will go perfectly with navy and natural linen. You’ll need to keep your headboard as low as possible so as not to block out light. Your beautiful bedroom will be a haven while you move on to more individual projects. And perhaps you can make the final preparations to work on your bedroom while you wait for the floor to cure. You could drape that entire window wall and let them open enough for the window to show to give light. All that drapery would sure make a cozy and and peaceful bedroom. In that case, my preference would be the designed fabric for drapes and linen for the headboard and duvet cover. But I won’t be living there and you will. So don’t take someone else’s advice.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Lani
    September 11, 2013 at 10:27 am

    Kristi,
    Wow! I can’t wait to see how this turns out. We bought our home a little over a year ago and I haven’t touched the master bedroom. It’s currently painted a medium blue … not a color to my liking, but not bad enough for me to rush to hurry up and do something with it. I love your ideas with the the board and batten and I especially like the Patriot fabric you chose. There’s enough versatility in it to go lots of different directions in the future.

    Looking forward to what’s to come!

    Hugs & Blessings …
    Lani

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Rhonda
    September 11, 2013 at 10:33 am

    I love your idea of navy…..and I like to use a lemon yellow accent with that color. I can’t wait to see the end results! You inspire me and now if I could capture some of your energy I would be on a roll!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Heather
    September 11, 2013 at 12:07 pm

    I LOVE navy! I am trying to convince my husband to let me put it somewhere in the house and the master is sort of where I want it to go. He is very anti dark paint, but I think using a lot of white to offset it would make a huge difference.

    Since you have to put your bed in front of the window, what if you incorporated the window to somehow be your headboard instead of covering it? I would have to look on pinterest for something, but I am sure you could find some great ideas

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Lisa E
    September 11, 2013 at 12:23 pm

    It’s going to look so pretty, I can’t wait to see it. As Genelle said, it’s nice that you are doing this so early on and not waiting until much later. It will serve as the perfect haven after a long and tiring DIY day! 🙂 I’ve included a link to one of Ana White’s platform bed plans. She has a few. You could always buy those beautiful legs, as in your photo, on-line and incorporate them. http://ana-white.com/2012/03/plans/chestwick-platform-bed-queen-size

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Alta Craig
    September 11, 2013 at 1:21 pm

    I checked out the platform bed on Ana-White’s site, and while it looks beautiful, I would be constantly bruising my shins and calves on the trim at the top of the rail. Ouch! I’m sure it could be adjusted to not protrude so far out…otherwise, your idea of navy and white for the bedroom seems very cozy/sophisticated/classic. Looking forward to seeing it done! Getting your updates is a real treat!

    • Reply To This Comment ↓
      Lisa E
      September 19, 2013 at 8:53 am

      Totally understand but she is all about modifying to fit your own needs so Kristi could just use the plans as a base and modify away. Ana also has other plans as well.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Dee
    September 11, 2013 at 1:30 pm

    I love your color palette! I’m sure you’ll make your master bedroom into a lovely, relaxing retreat. It will be exciting to see your plan unfold as you work your design magic!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Nancy
    September 11, 2013 at 1:40 pm

    Doing the master bedroom next makes sense. The changes you will be making immediately will be cosmetic and better to have that done before you move in. Also you will have a comfy place to fall into bed and relax.

    The navy color is a bit dark for me, I was once frighten by my daughters’ painting by small bathroom hunter green (beautiful color). I sucked all light out of the room, with all high wattage bulbs on in the little space the automatic night light would never turn off….needless to say it got repainted. However with a lot of white it should be okay and I can’t wait to see it. Now that the color has been dealt with – on to the placement of the bed.

    I, too, have put a bed before a window and enjoy it there. The difficult part for me has been in having as nice a look from the window side as from the doorway at the bed. I would consider adding a lower interior shutter to both windows or at least the illusion of them in the window, so I am waiting to see what you come up with.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Brenda
    September 11, 2013 at 1:44 pm

    Beautiful! I love P. Kaufmann fabric.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Lou Ann Cyrus
    September 11, 2013 at 1:59 pm

    Hi there! I am also crushing on navy, white and linen right now, BIG TIME! I am doing our small study in those colors and thinking of painting our linen walls in navy. I agree with you that navy walls need lots of light and white to keep the room from looking too dark, and I think the plans you have for your master will make navy the perfect choice. It strikes me as a grown-up yet cozy color at the same time. When I read your post, I immediately thought of Mary Carol Garrity’s blog post on her Nell Hill’s site about Navy, one of her favorite colors. You have probably seen it, but if not, I am going to try to attach a link here: http://www.nellhillsblog.com/?p=3711. She mentions in this post that her own paint line has a beautiful navy called, “Twilight,” and includes a pic. You might check that out. I’m a first-time commenter but enjoying watching you begin the transformation of your new home. It has great bones, for sure, and will be just gorgeous by the time you’re done! Good luck!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Barbie B
    September 11, 2013 at 2:00 pm

    I love it – out with the rules~!! The colors and your ideas are gorgeous and I know it will look gorgeous.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Barbie B
    September 11, 2013 at 2:10 pm

    You can tell I really like it because I’m throwing the “gorgeous” word all over the place!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Guerrina
    September 11, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    I love the classic navy/white combo! I have no experience with navy, but have also heard/read in abundance great reviews about Hale Navy. I would do all my walls with wainscoting if I thought it wouldn’t be overkill in my small home! You have a great eye for color so I’ve no doubt the end result will be elegant, classic and spectacular!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Trisha
    September 11, 2013 at 2:24 pm

    I’m lovin’ those fabric choices! Perfect with navy paint -and, white board and batten to keep it fresh. Gonna be gorgeous!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    J. Vincent
    September 11, 2013 at 2:39 pm

    Lisa Mende Design Blog (June 22 2013) has post on 8 favorite navy paints

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Karen Jorgenson
    September 11, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    Looks like a yummy plan. I love blues and oranges together. Can’t wait to see your translation.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Barb T.
    September 11, 2013 at 2:50 pm

    I painted my foyer dark blue 16 years ago and never regretted the color for a minute. I have white trim and hardwood floors and the combination has been getting “wow” comments since the day we painted it.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Carmen Escriche
    September 11, 2013 at 3:23 pm

    Hola Kristi. En primer lugar, enhorabuena por su preciosa casa, que será más preciosa cada día. En segundo lugar, me sorprende que diera tantas explicaciones en el post anterior para justificar que empezara por acondicionar los suelos. A mi me parece totalmente lógico y de sentido común hacerlo ahora que no hay muebles que mover, ni cortinas, ni nada que entorpezca o dificulte la tarea. No se empiezan las casas por el tejado.
    Siendo como usted es , una persona con criterio y con los pies en la tierra, encuentro muy buenas todas las ideas que expone hoy. Sólo quiero añadir un pequeño detalle: no le aconsejo cortinas de lino. El lino es precioso para tapizar, para colchas… pero yo tengo unas cortinas de este material y quedaban maravillosas hasta que las lavé en casa. Al lavarlas pierden el apresto y quedan excesivamente blandas y arrugadas. Claro que se pueden llevar a una tintorería, pero yo soy partidaria de decorar con materiales bonitos que te hagan la vida fácil, y no que te hagan la vida más complicada de lo que ya es.
    Saludos.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Sue
    September 11, 2013 at 4:22 pm

    I love the color scheme! If you use a lot of white and not so much navy blue, it won’t make the room look dark at all. (balance?) I think one of the other post responses said something about incorporating the window into the headboard. Not sure how/if that can actually be done but it sounds interesting – maybe as a plantation type shutter/headboard? Anyway, you will come up with a lot of great ideas and I can’t wait to see how it develops. : )

    • Reply To This Comment ↓
      Vicki Northern
      September 11, 2013 at 11:35 pm

      Our bed is in front of a 9 foot window, and we love it. We have a low headboard that doesn’t block the view. At our old house I painted our master bathroom (which was smaller than yours currently is) navy blue, and although it looked classy, it did suck all the light out of the room. It took so many coats of paint and then it took even longer–even with Kilz–to paint over the navy. Those fabrics are beautiful, and I’m sure you will make it gorgeous!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Ginger
    September 11, 2013 at 4:39 pm

    I’m wondering about the window situation myself. I have the same issue. The bed should go so as to walk into the room and face it just like you plan to do, but mine has 2 windows -which would be great if the bed fit in between but it doesn’t. Our bed is huge and the headboard will go a couple inches beyond the windows on each side. What do you think?

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Kelly
    September 11, 2013 at 8:00 pm

    Your bed idea reminds me of MY BED! (in my dreams… haven’t bought it yet) Copley Square by Havertys… I loved it for the same exact reasons!! dark wood/legs/headboard

    http://www.havertys.com/Product_23615

    Take a look!!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Ron Harris
    September 11, 2013 at 9:55 pm

    I like a navy blue room with white and off-white accents…so much that I used them in my living room. I like the colorful fabrics you’ve shown. I can’t wait to see the pictures of the finished room.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Kimberly
    September 11, 2013 at 11:12 pm

    Kristi, the color scheme you’ve chosen for your bedroom is just beautiful. Your fabric choices are gorgeous. My favorite colors are beach-tones, anything in aqua/turquoise/beach glass, and white and sand tones with a little sky blue thrown in. My personal preference is to keep things light and bright (I think because I have bad eyesight and I like as much light as possible) and I never thought I would like dark tones like navy and wood, but I must say, I’d live in that bedroom in a heartbeat with NO problems whatsoever! It is going to be beautiful, and restful. Mixing in the white and linen tones will keep it crisp against the navy walls. I’m glad you are planning on doing your master bedroom first, you will need a quiet, restful place to retreat to during the time you are redoing the rest of the house. The master can be your haven.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Julie Loves Home
    September 12, 2013 at 11:03 am

    So happy and excited for you -can’t wait to see the finished room. I love decorating bedrooms, they are a little easier than comming spaces where you have to please and reflect everyone who lives in the home (we are 5).
    All the best!
    P.S. Here is my recently bedroom makeover :
    http://julieloveshome.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/master-bedroom-retreat/
    Julie

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Colleen F
    September 12, 2013 at 11:55 am

    You know, I do think Hale Navy would be perfect for what you want. It

    • Reply To This Comment ↓
      Colleen F
      September 12, 2013 at 11:57 am

      Oops…. anyway, I think it will meet the requirement of being dark, but without appearing black in pictures, and it is a really pretty color. I think the linen, white, navy with pops of color is a great scheme!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Diane Mansil
    September 12, 2013 at 12:27 pm

    Perhaps a U shaped headboard that frames the window, and incorporates the shutter idea someone had above, then curtains from the ceiling down on either side of the headboard/window, perhaps draping from the center out? Then you can pad the parts of the headboard that go up on either side of the window and along the center, have shutters to ‘close off’ the window at night, curtains to soften the room and add your accent colors and have a totally unique look at the same time.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Placing The Bed In Front Of A Window: A Decorating Faux Pas?
    September 13, 2013 at 9:26 am

    […] I shared a couple of days ago, that’s my plan for our master bedroom. I have had it so engrained in my head that placing a bed under a a window is bad design, but […]

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Mrs Mike
    September 14, 2013 at 3:08 pm

    oh, that fabric is lovely!! And I bet the colors are even prettier in person 🙂

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Susan (Between Naps on the Porch)
    September 15, 2013 at 11:36 pm

    I’m not sure what color navy Mary Carol Garrity has in her dining room but it’s gorgeous with the historic beautiful wainscoting underneath. If you google you’ll find pics although none really do it justice. You may want to call her shop, Nell Hill’s and ask to speak to her and ask what color she painted her dining room. It really is beautiful and has made me consider navy…just gorgeous paired with the white trim/wainscoting.

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Olivia
    September 18, 2013 at 12:36 pm

    Rainstorm by Sherwin Williams is my go to navy. Dark yet some how vibrant. I love it!

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Bedside Tables – Two Options For My IKEA Rast Hack (Your Vote Decides!)
    January 21, 2014 at 10:21 am

    […] (If you’ve missed the other elements that will go into our bedroom design, you can click here to get an idea of where this room is headed.) […]

  • Reply To This Comment ↓
    Morgan
    January 21, 2014 at 9:58 pm

    I actually painted my room navy with the SAME exact accents (bright white and natural linen). I was also afraid of the color being too dark or too blue (read: royal) so I got some samples and I can say, I absolutely LOVE the color I chose: Behr – Distance. It’s not too dark, but it’s navy and it’s not close to being royal which made me happy. The swatches in the store literally do nothing in terms of helping you decide but once I got the color on the wall, saw it in the light and the dark, I knew we made the perfect choice! Feel free to message me for pics if you’re interested.