Winthrop Waterloo: Bedroom “After” Edition

Let me start out by saying: this project was a doozie.

Naw, actually it wasn’t so bad. HausWitch loves a challenge.

The challenge in this case was combining the styles of Suzanne and Alan, a lovely couple whose tastes in design and decor conflict in pretty major ways. (Example: When asked “What physical materials or textures do you like?” Suzanne answered: “Wood and flowers.” While Alan’s answer was: “Stone, Glass and Metal”) Bokay?

So that’s pretty much where we left off with Winthrop Waterloo. Now, without further ado, is the Before & After on their bedroom makeover:

I’ll admit, I was pretty lost at the beginning of this project. BUT! The Furies were smiling upon me and after a desperate search for something (anything!) to marry a future-space-machine aesthetic to a country floral motif, I just about turned a cartwheel when I wandered into Black Ink one night and found this little gem:

Snow and Graham 2013 Botanical Calendar

This little $28 miracle solved all of my problems.

See- where I come from, if it’s flat and pretty, frame it. I mean, I’ve been HausWitching since the days before Etsy and 20X200 and the proliferation of cool, cheap art everywhere, all the time. So I learned to make due with what I could. In this case, the prints on this calendar were pretty and floral, but they were also stark and black. AKA pretty much perfect for this project. I (painstakingly) chose the Magnolia, Dogwood, and Alyssum prints, cut off the calendar parts and slapped some IKEA Ribba frames on em’. I think they came out pretty darn sweet. INSTANT ART!

So after I found the inspiration, everything kinda just fell into place.

1. West Elm “Favorite” Throw in Dune $19

2. LED Alarm Clock $28 (ebay)

3. “Jardin” Pillow from One Kings Lane ($50) and the Ektorp Lumbar Cushion (IKEA) ($20)

A little styling made a world of difference on the dresser. I replaced the original lamp with a one that had a clear glass base and simple white shade. The vase was another winner from the SOCKER collection from IKEA. (It’s not on the website so I can’t post a link. Sorry!) The old “catch all” box was replaced with a taupe wicker (don’t cringe, it’s cool wicker!) basket that brought a little more of that cozy, country feel in without having to put a wagon wheel in the room or something. (haha, what if I put a wagon wheel in this room? crazy!)

Another major addition (which you can’t see in these photos URGH!) is the Gislev Rug at the foot of the bed. A rug in a bedroom is always nice when you have hardwood floors, but here’s the thing: RUGS ARE REALLY EXPENSIVE. So obviously the fact that this rug is $19.99 made it pretty hard to resist, but honestly, I don’t know that I would’ve gone with anything else even if I could have.

The grey and white provide a perfect mid-tone neutral amongst the black of the furniture, the purple of the bedding and the brown of the wood floors and the clean, floral pattern joins the two styles nicely. Plus, lezbi honest, most rugs cost more than the budget for this entire room so I think it was a good choice.

ALL HAIL GISLEV!

Finally, I put some Mercury Glass candleholders ($3 each) on the nightstand because… well because they’re really pretty!

So there you have it. The final total for everything landed well within the established $200-$300 budget, coming in at $265.63. Here’s a couple more pictures:

So how do YOU think the HausWitch did? What would you have done with this kind of challenge? Have you ever had to combine styles with a roommate, friend or significant other? I WANNA KNOW!!!!!!

Happy Winter Solstice everyone! Catch you back here some time around the WOLF MOON. (Arguably my favorite moon)