A Three-Hour Makeover Transforms a Juvenile Bedroom Into a Jewel
What to do when you’re grown up, but your bedroom is a throwback to childhood? That’s the decorating conundrum faced by Cassandre, a young New York entrepreneur. Interior designer Courtney McLeod, founder and lead of Right Meets Left Interior Design, in New York, stepped in to transform the uninspired abode into a space reflective of Cassandre’s professional success. The latest episode of Room Refresh, live now on Architectural Digest’s YouTube channel, shows how easy it is to swap juvenile furnishings for sophisticated, feminine decorating elements in just three hours.
For immediate impact, McLeod starts by creating an accent wall to draw focus to the room. Using wallpaper—in this case, a pale blue floral pattern against a red background—is the best way to go. For a temporary wallpaper installation, McLeod uses painter’s tape to frame the accent wall section, then applies double-sided tape to the painter’s tape. This way, when Cassandre is ready to move or wants to replace the pattern, she can peel off the painter’s tape and the wall will remain damage free.
The current room put too much emphasis on the white headboard. McLeod replaced the too-tall bed frame with a lower height platform model upholstered in rich, jewel-tone blue velvet. Now, instead of having a hunk of furniture that overpowers a room, the smaller alternative worked better with the scale of the bedroom and added a cozy softness. The toile cotton duvet set is a feminine touch that juxtaposes the more serious decorative tack border on the headboard.
Adding the scalloped shade, semiflush ceiling light allows McLeod to play up the softness further. The fixture also references the curved motif of the wallpaper.
To give the illusion of more square footage, the designer installed a semisheer Roman shade and layered it with a cream curtain that reaches all the way to the ceiling. When Cassandre saw the reveal, she immediately noticed that the room looked bigger.
Fun and whimsical touches further enhanced the makeover. McLeod incorporated a sculptural statement mirror with a blue trim to pop against the the wallpaper. Adding a curved table lamp and a mod tufted stool to the vanity nook in a corner created an intimate space. On the opposite side of the room, a blue-hued rug in a color palette inspired by Cassandre’s existing art piece set the stage for relaxation with a meditation pouf.
Inexpensive artwork vis-à-vis framed wallpaper was the decorative finish to Cassandre’s updated chamber. Buy samples online or ask for leftover samples in a showroom. You can even occasionally score a snippet of a gorgeous print absolutely free.
The takeaway of Cassandre’s bedroom redo: Look for a unifying theme when it comes to furniture silhouettes and colors.
