I am back today with (finally!) some photos of our master bedroom! I know I pulled a bait and switch on you on Monday, promising a big project reveal and then showing you lots of ugly “before” pictures (in case you missed them, you can see them HERE!). My profound apologies…but I think the few extra days were worth the wait (at least, I hope!), because he’s your first few glimpses of the progress I’ve made!

There are lots of things I’ve done in this room over the past few months (and am still doing…there’s a reason you’re only getting shots of half the room ;), and I’m not exactly sure where to dive in. So, I’m going to start where I started: textiles. Yes, today, we’re gonna talk about textiles – and how to buy and use them affordably!

In my opinion, textiles are what really make a bedroom, specifically a Master Bedroom, special. But let’s be honest, textiles, especially nice ones, can be way expensive. Curtains, bedding, sheets, sleeping pillows, decorative pillows, throws, upholstery…you get the idea. If you don’t carefully and conscientiously select, buy and use fabric, a DIY/budget bedroom makeover can wind up over-the-top expensive!

After our orange and pink room and our neutral but boring room, I really wanted to create a space that not only appealed to BOTH my husband and I, but was also calming, serene, and peaceful. Although I love me some color and pattern, this was not where I wanted to use it! When I found this fabric at Hancock Fabrics while browsing one day – it stopped me in my tracks. I knew it was just the blend of feminine, masculine, calm and whimsey for our Master Bedroom.

I get anxious when I see fabric I love but I’m not yet ready to buy it. Is anyone else like that? When something is so perfect and I know it’s “the one,” I get nervous that by the time I get around to buying it, it will be gone. Nonetheless, here’s my first affordable-fabric-tip: Be patient and don’t EVER buy home decor fabric full price (at least from the big retail stores!). If your fabric isn’t on sale this week (and I mean 40-60% off), then it will likely be on sale soon. Wait if you can. Oh, and don’t just wait for it to go on sale, but wait for big holiday sales (Memorial Day, for example) where you can almost always get at least 25% off your entire purchase (including sale items) with a coupon. Store sales plus a holiday coupon made this $29.99/yard fabric $10/yard – score. This savings is huge, especially since bedroom projects (headboard, curtains, shams) tend to use a lot of fabric. I’ve used the fabric to cover our headboard and make some shams…I will have all the details for those two projects up for you on Friday!

However, another few tips are to shop wisely and frequently, know your color scheme and keep your eyes open for great bargains! Here’s what I mean: the fabric I bought on sale was used to make custom shams and a custom headboard. I had plans to use it on throw pillows and curtains as well. But as time went on, I found some deals too good to pass up! Because I keep my fabric and paint swatches with me at all times, when I found these sheets and throw pillows at HomeGoods, I knew immediately they were perfect matches. Sure, I had other plans for throw pillows, but the solid color, the texture and the $20/pair price tag made them the perfect addition!

Another tip: keep big ticket items neutral. Both the queen quilted coverlet (on sale at the Crate & Barrel outlet) and duvet (Target) were relatively expensive items (I think about $100 each, but we bought them ages ago so I don’t really know!). Here’s the thing, because they are white, we’ve been able to use them in every bedroom/color scheme we’ve had so far. Colored and patterned comforters and duvets are fun, but I’ve come to appreciate the power of white – especially in the bedroom – so buy them nice and buy them to last!

The last textile I want to talk about today are my two-toned curtains because these were The Find for this room. Here’s my last two affordable-fabric-tips: Shop your “usual” stores frequently and be willing to change your design plan when you find an amazing deal! If you look at my mood board for this room, you will notice I planned on doing roman shades for the two small windows flanking the bed. I’ve been intimidated by them for ages and I was finally going to tackle them.

However, while strolling through Hancock’s one day for something completely unrelated, I found these solid curtains that “just so happened” to match my flowered and stripe fabrics already in use in the room. (Remember, same store = same line of fabrics). And even better, on sale and with a coupon, these 96″ grommet topped panels were $16 each. And did you catch that they matched perfectly? Ummm…forget the roman shades, these were coming home with me! One problem, they had two of the Seaglass panels but only one grey panel – shucks. No problem! I cut that one panel down the center, hemmed up the side and hung it on the outside of each blue panel. I didn’t even bother sewing them together, but thanks to their grommet tops, they look like one curtain! I am IN.LOVE. with these window treatments. For $48 = score!

This room is really coming together better than I ever hoped it would. For so long it was sad and neglected, and now (thanks to the infusion of some amazing textiles) we have a hotel glam feeling going and we love it! You can probably see lots of little projects here and there, and don’t you worry, I’ll tell you about each and every one in sweet time!

Hope you’re week is going along great. On Friday, I’ll tell you a little more about how I did that headboard and those pillow shams!

See You Soon!
Megan