Master Bedroom Makeover: Window Coverings

Master Bedroom Makeover

Day 6: Window Coverings

** Note: This post is part of a 12-step series in my master bedroom makeover. Links to the other (previous) steps are listed at the end of this post.

(By the way, in case you're wondering, I'm not doing each of these things one day at a time in real life. In real life I'm eating cake and voting and playing and exercising and making meals and dreaming. This "12-day" business is happening over the course of more days than that on my end. Just being, y'know, honest.)

(And "cake" might be code for "many sugary and/or fattening things." Stinking honesty.)

Roman shades are awesome window coverings. I made these polka dotted numbers a few years ago, custom fitted to our windows and lined with blackout fabric (bonus!), and they've been great.

 

But. They're so dark! Had to go.

 

 

Initially I wanted roll-up bamboo blinds. I know, I know...they're not sexy or hip. But they're so earthy and textural, and with such a variety of hues available, I thought this would be a great option. However, having custom ones made just wasn't in the budget. I thought I could DIY some that *almost* fit into being custom and had them in my cart ready to purchase. Several times.

 

But...several times...I couldn't do it. Not when I had perfectly functioning roman shades at home. What a waste! Rats. Instead, I brainstormed ways I could make my existing shades work.

 

Enter (after a lot of failed ideas): Burlap. I've sung its praises before, and I'll do it again. If I just cut out the polka dottiness and replaced it with burlap, I'd have my earthy texture AND be recycling... at a fraction of the cost. B to the INGO!

 

So. $15 and an hour or two later, I had my "new" rustic burlap shades, and they're still blackout-lined. They do the job.

 

 

Now. Originally, I had planned on adding two panels of white ceiling-to-floor ringed curtains to add some vertical lines in the space. It would've looked exactly like this: (Yep. Exactly. My future as a graphic designer is super bright. Exhibit A.)

 

 

However, then I got to thinking (uh-oh), what with the headboard and nightstands in front of one window and a bench seat at the other, maybe I should think of a subtle way to keep the drapes off the floor. Our baseboard heating sits directly under our windows, and to block the heat with a bunch of excess fabric just didn't seem practical. Or warm. 

 

But I still wanted to raise the eye upward, and I found this drapery fabric (Premier Prints Chelsea Printed Cotton Drapery Fabric in Storm) on closeout for a ridonculously low price.

 

So I ordered some and did this:

 

I'm going to be a rogue blogger here and be brutally honest: I'm not sure I like it. The swathed look, I mean. It's not what I'd originally envisioned. Love the knobs and how they tie the burlap and drapes print together. But this one's not a sure-fire W. Good thing about drapes: they're modifiable, and I cut and sewed these specifically with that in mind. Maybe I'll change them in a bit. Who knows.

Once again, a Before & After shot of the same window:

 



Thoughts? Thumbs-up? Or tomatoes to throw?

 

Regardless, come back tomorrow for Day 7: Vanity. I have a cute, easy DIY tray to share with you!

Check out previous steps during the 12 Days of Master Bedroom Makeover:

Day 1: Inspiration Board

Day 2: Paint Walls
Day 3: Floor
Day 4: Headboard
Day 5: Furniture Arrangement

{shared Adorned from Above, Coastal Charm, DIY by Design, Fireflies & Jellybeans, House of Hepworths, Not Just a Housewife}