Laurie Anne’s Bedroom Makeover

About a month ago, I flew to Phoenix for a fun project and I’m excited to finally share it with you! Sherwin-Williams challenged me to find a friend who wanted to transform a space in their home, but was intimidated by color or stalled out due to paint color selection anxiety. Well- oddly enough my incredibly talented friend Laurie Anne, who works with COLOR every single day (she’s an amazing fine artist) was in that exact predicament. She had just finished a home renovation, including this gorgeous guest suite, but was looking to refresh her master bedroom & bath. Her entire house is painted the same shade of white. Although she paints and practices fine art with a colorful & vibrant palette, Laurie Anne has always leaned into an easy white interior. Let me tell you- she and her husband, Taylor, are anything but boring and their warm white existing paint just didn’t do their bedroom justice. Click through to see the transformation, before images, and how I got her to step out of her comfort zone when it comes to interior paint! Spoiler alert- there is also a new, handy curated personality color palette on the market. 

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Let’s jump right in- this is what we were working with. Check out the before…

The space felt kind of bland and cramped due to the furniture layout, but she had plenty of great heirloom pieces to work with. I knew the master bedroom had lots of potential! We kept their bed, the heirloom chest of drawers, a chair, and a mid century dresser that I painted and moved to the closet. I was able to totally switch up the floor plan in addition to paint, which made a huge difference.

I convinced Laurie Anne to use not one, not two, but THREE different colors of blue paint in her bedroom. I was really worried her white paint loving self would resist, but thanks to Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap® Color ID– it was an easier sell than I anticipated.

Laurie Anne took Sherwin-Williams interactive ColorSnap® Color ID quiz online and got the Minimalist Color Palette. This palette has muted blues and grays that makes a space feel like a place to relax. I wasn’t surprised with that result because all of the hues can be found in her beloved painting that now hangs above the bed. It was right up her alley! I think seeing all of the colors grouped together really helped her visualize how they work together in a cohesive, non-busy or overwhelming way. Color doesn’t have to be scary, super saturated, or overly bright. From the 16 colors in the Minimalist palette, we narrowed it down to four colors. We tried to stay within the blue / gray family where she was most comfortable. We selected Snowbound SW 7004 (my favorite white) for the walls, Krypton SW 6247 for the doors, Reflection SW 7661 for the baseboards, and Downing Slate SW 2819 for the mid-century dresser that needed a serious paint job.

Although Laurie Anne is an expert in color when it comes to painting canvas and fine art- interior design is a totally different ballgame. Giving her the ColorSnap® Color ID quiz was an easy way to assure her that all of these colors work well together. As a visual person, seeing them grouped together was helpful for her. It’s a great personalized way to mix and match paint without having to consult with an interior designer.

Isn’t the white so much better? It’s bright, neutral, and doesn’t skew as warm as her previous paint color… making it an ideal backdrop for all of the blue hues. We used Emerald Interior to make sure the paint went on smoothly. In addition to adjusting the paint color, I made some major floor plan changes. Check out the existing and updated floor plans below, to get a better feel for how we shifted the furniture around:

There were a lot of rectangular pieces surrounding the perimeter of the room that made the bedroom feel closed in and boxy. This is how I solved the problem and gave them more bedside storage…

Much better, right? It feels more balanced and the traffic paths are wider and spacious.

The room still feels neutral- but definitely has more personality and color! I love how the palette perfectly pulls hues from Laurie Anne and Taylor’s gorgeous Spanish painting.

In terms of furnishings- I already mentioned we kept the bed, vintage chest, an occasional chair, and the mid century dresser. I got them new matching nightstands, bedside sconces, a beautiful new area rug that was more appropriate in terms of scale, a laundry hamper, new bedding, accessories, a side table, updated window treatments, and a bench for the foot of the bed. We pulled off the entire makeover on a budget of $2K.

The entire room looks super soft, inviting, and intentional now. It also feels SO much larger with the new floor plan.

Above is the view from the hallway looking in. I’m digging the mix of new and vintage items.

Doesn’t it look sophisticated? I’m going to let Laurie Anne and Taylor tell you their thoughts on the newly updated space over on my YouTube channel. I truly had the best time helping them with this space. I’m pretty sure Hazel is a happy gal too!

If you’re wondering about the closet and how we gained so much space, we painted and moved the mid century dresser into the closet for additional storage. It was a piece they didn’t want to part with, but didn’t really have room for, so this ended up being the perfect solution.

This is what the dresser looked like before (see below). It was really scuffed up, the legs were very wobbly, and it needed some serious TLC…

We removed the legs (which added more hanging space above), sanded it, and gave it a fresh coat of paint. It was the perfect size for their spacious master closet. Laurie Anne and Taylor both practice capsule wardrobes and actually have a TON of closet space leftover. It inspired me to pare down my own closet when I got home.

Aren’t the mid century lines on the dresser fun? It’s really a cool shape! I also love the tone-on-tone blue colors on this side of the room that perfectly balance out the bed vignette on the opposing side. Not to mention- their closet is a lot more functional now with the added storage.

The door colors are super gorgeous! It’s really a great muted and desaturated tone that feels eclectic- yet sophisticated. It also worked well with their black door hardware.

The additional colors within the furnishings came from the painting that hangs above the bed. I pulled out green for the bench, the cognac colored leather bed pillow, and some warm brown & beige hues for the textiles. It helped to pull everything together really nicely!

Taylor asked for only one thing in the bedroom makeover… sconces. After visiting Emmett and I at our previous home, he stayed in our guest room and fell in love with the function of our bedside sconces. They had been on his wishlist for a while, so I definitely wanted to make that happen! I love the way these arched sconces mimic the shapes found within the wrought iron bed. Everything gently curves inward, drawing your eye to the center of the room and to that stunning work of art.

Sentimental art can be found sprinkled throughout their room… including Laurie Anne’s own work. It’s no surprise that as an artist, she has an amazing collection!

This wood block print was one of my favorites. I took Laurie Anne on her first HomeGoods shopping trip (shocking, I know!!) and we scored this cute little modern table lamp. It was initially bright pink, so I spray painted it the same blue hue as the mid century dresser in an effort to make it feel more cohesive.

Layering was the name of the game in this bedroom makeover. I wanted to soften the space and make it look more inviting. A master bedroom should feel like a cozy retreat!

The area rug, super soft bench, quilted coverlet, and striped throw really helped add some much needed texture to this room.

When in doubt about how to make a bedroom feel more inviting or hotel-like… layer textiles and upholstery! It’s the easiest way to soften a space! We used everything from jute and linen to cotton and wool.

Of course we also joked that I design every room around a dog. I mean… that statement is actually pretty accurate. Hazel has taken up residence on the bench and her coat perfectly matches the color palette. No surprise there!

I also addressed a tiny hall vignette that can be viewed out the bedroom door. The sconce felt so lonely on its own, so I added a couple block prints to make it feel more intentional. When something feels lonely or out of place- three tends to be the magic number in design! It just needed a couple friends.

If you’re wondering how Laurie Anne and I became besties, I’ll give you the quick version of the story. We met on Instagram, bonded over our dogs (we both have wire fox terriers), quickly discovered we have a LOT in common, and I invited her on a blogging trip to New York with me. We met for the first time in person at the airport, like a blind friend date, and the rest is history. Our husbands also became friends, we talk multiple times each day, and I can’t believe I had the opportunity to visit and make over her bedroom. It really is a dream to be able to give back to people who mean so much to me! I feel really thankful. Yes… we unintentionally dressed alike (at least we match the room, hah).

Want to see one more before and after? I do!! It’s just too good…

And the after… ahhhhh! So bright and beautiful. This orientation just feels right. No more tight traffic paths or cramped spaces.

If you’re interested in sources, I’m going to drop a “Get the Look” collage below.

01: drapery panels // 02: Snowbound SW 7004 // 03: Reflection SW 7661 // 04: Downing Slate SW 2819 // 05: Krypton SW 6247 // 06: bed (similar) // 07: wall sconce // 08: leather lumbar pillow // 09: nightstand // 10: black cabinet knobs // 11: upholstered bench // 12: area rug // 13: table lamp // 14: linen duvet // 15: door hardware // 16: dresser // 17: rubber tree // 18: sheet set // 19: bedspread // 20: striped throw // 21: botanical print // 22: portrait art // 23: ceramic bowl // 24: leather tote // 25: glass candle // 26: laundry hamper

Laurie Anne and I would both love to hear your thoughts on the makeover in the comment section below! If you’re interested in taking the Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap® Color ID personality quiz, click here. It’s actually really fun! Stay tuned for the master bathroom makeover, coming to the blog tomorrow.