Sleep On It

There are several difficulties I faced with the bedroom in my new apartment:

1. It is tiny-approximately 11 ft. x 9 ft.

2. The walls are painted a yellow gold color that I very much dislike. I prefer cool colors in bedrooms. The yellow would look fine in a kitchen or dining room, but it is a poor choice in a bedroom.

3. There are three (!) windows with insufficient mini-blinds. I know that "too much light" seems to be a ridiculous complaint, but I don't want my bedroom to be so bright.

4. Although I live in a small town, it is a surprisingly busy area. Right outside my bedroom window is a gas station, a busy traffic intersection, a pizza parlor, and a little shopping complex. The noise level is more than someone who is used to country life is accustomed to.

I don't care how old I get, teddy is staying.

In order to solve the paint, noise, and light problems, I decided to install floor to ceiling curtains along two walls. I bought the KVARTAL track system at Ikea, which includes the track rails, wall-fasteners, little hook curtain things, and a corner piece (all of these must be purchased separately).

Unfortunately, I can't hide the drop-ceiling.

I also bought the curtains at Ikea. At just $14.99 for two panels, these curtains were a way better price than anything I would find elsewhere, even at Target. With the track system and four sets of curtains, the whole project set me back less than $100, which is pretty good when you consider how expensive window treatments can be.

Installing the system wasn't a horribly difficult undertaking either. I had some a lot of help from my dear dad and the whole process took about two hours. You definitely need two sets of hands for this project and the pieces can be a little fussy. All in all, however, I am pleased with the quality of the system and the ease of installation.

Though I was originally going to go with white curtains, I am so happy that I chose the gray. The gray goes surprisingly well with the yellow walls and cools the whole room, giving it a more tranquil, spa-like quality. Additionally, the curtains make the room look larger and taller. I stole a decorating tip from a House Beautiful magazine and installed the curtains as high as I could to make the ceilings look taller. Finally, the curtains, as well as a fan, have made the room quieter and I am sleeping quite well.

Lamp from Ikea, plate from Kate Spade (from HomeGoods)

For accent colors, I went with black, white, and a limited amount of turquoise and pink.

I picked this up at HomeGoods several years ago and
have been surprised at how versatile it has been.

A peek of turquoise. The top pillow has light pink polka-dots.

Many homes featured in design magazines seem to be studies in beige. Ugh-all over beige rooms with "accents" of acid yellow, tangerine tango orange, or some other trendy color are just the worst. Maybe this room isn't that great by interior decorator standards (no beige!), but I love how it turned out.

My next move for the room will be to hang my pictures and find a narrow piece of furniture for the wall opposite the bed. I would love to find a padded bench and will be stalking HomeGoods.

Need to hang these and find some others.

Also, the DIY projects did not happen this weekend. I ended up spending more time with family and watching movies than anticipated. Ah, well. This week, hopefully!