Sunday, September 7, 2014

Bedroom Decisions


 Since I first began blogging I've received several requests asking to show photos of our master bedroom.  Well, there's a reason I've never shown any... our bedroom is one of two rooms left in our house that we haven't touched since moving in.  (Well, unless you count the ceiling fan we hung when I was 9 months pregnant in July.)  Not that it wasn't livable, but we knew one day we'd have to tear down not just the ceiling and not just the walls, but both. 


During the past few weeks we've been undergoing a tile project in the bathroom (almost finished, thank goodness), so you'd think I'd leave it at that for now.  But one afternoon I decided I just couldn't stare at the painted wallpaper paneling any longer, and I literally ripped off an entire section to see what I would find underneath.  (Then I sent a text to my husband at work, who must be very used to my antics, since his response was only asking to see a photo - ha!)  Underneath the paneling I found two coats of very old wallpaper which then revealed the original oak tongue and groove seemingly (so far) in great condition. 


 Although it looks a little rustic, I think we can pretty it up, but even revealing just one wall of wood in the room has caused it to be very dark.  I keep debating whether or not to paint the wood (a very subtle light grey).  So far I haven't painted any of the tongue and groove in the house that has been in good condition, but I also crave light and I'm not sure whether I'd like having a dark bedroom.  However, I have to say that the only thing worse than removing wallpaper from 80 year old tongue and groove is painting 80 year old tongue and groove.  The idea of doing both in addition to painting the wood ceiling would definitely not be fun!   


(See fan above that has only been used a handful of times since pregnancy days.)

Although it will be a good long while before we're to the decorating stage, I'm already envisioning an antique chest and desk, neutral bedding with texture thrown in.  (Although my husband allows me free reign with decorating, he has always drawn the line at a girly bedroom!)  I did buy the fabric pictured above and made curtains with it this year. I fell in love with the linen fabric the moment I saw it and knew it would be just perfect for down the road. 

So, please tell me, what are your thoughts?  Should I paint?  Leave the wood in its natural state?  I'm open to all ideas!  :-)

Also, I wanted to say that I so appreciated each and every comment left on my previous post.  They were so encouraging and heart-warming and I was thankful for each one. Have a great week!  I'll be back in a few days with a recipe!



42 comments:

  1. Me? I would sooooo paint it white. It's awesome, but white would be MORE awesome. I think keep the soft light grey to accessories - it will be light bright neutral and easy to work with for years to come.

    What an amazing find beneath all that, you must have been so excited. It's such a GREAT discovery!

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  2. I do so love a Sandinavian farm look and I vote to paint it white for sure!

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  3. I would also vote to paint it white or a very light gray. Now I bet you're sorry you asked! Ha!

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    1. LOL! I have too vivid memories of painting the entire upstairs tongue and groove! :-)

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  4. I would love to see you sand it down and apply a grey stain rub. The knots and natural lines in the wood would be beautiful.

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  5. I'd love to see it painted! White would be my first choice.

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  6. I would wash it with a milk paint...perhaps a light bluish-grey. Amy from NC

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  7. hey there! lovely treasure under that wall paper. If it was my room, I would consider painting it. Good luck with your decision. Whatever you do, will be lovely.

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  8. I have to vote for painting it too. I think it's great that you have left it natural in some of your other rooms so your master is a chance to do something different. I can totally understand your hesitation though, knowing how much work it will be. It will be beautiful whatever you do!

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  9. If you're craving light, then definitely paint it a light color. You will always wish you had when you walk into your room and are suddenly struck with how dark it is. Johanne

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  10. Well, I love natural wood, and it's so hard to bring it back to that state after you've painted. The rest of your house has it, and it seems very light and bright. However, Cane painted our room a medium gray last winter, and I've been feeling that it is just too dark. I also like an airy bedroom. So: I don't know what you should do, but I'm sure that whatever you decide it will be lovely because you always make such great choices.

    Also, you're not the only one who just starts ripping because you can't bear the ugly one minute more. :-)

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  11. I don't know I kind of like the natural wood. You could also just have that one wall with it and paint the other three. I'm sure whatever you and your hubby come up with it will be lovely. And yes a lovely antique dresser will never hurt. Love it!
    xoxo
    Lisa
    Leeshdieaway.blogspot.com

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    1. Something I also thought about, Lisa... that would definitely be a way to lighten the room but still appreciate the natural color of the wood too.

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  12. What about reversing your usual pattern and painting the walls and leave the ceiling natural?

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    1. A good idea - my husband actually suggested the same last night. Definitely something to think about!

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    2. Andrea, I agree with this idea. I had beadboard ceiling in our master bedroom at our last home and I loved it. It was so cozy and I know you want to keep it cozy! :)

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  13. Awesome find! I vote to paint it white. It would look stunning.

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  14. Such a tough decision! I love the tone of the wood, but I also love white. Drawing ideas out on paper always helps me to see things more clearly, pointing out functionality over beauty (I have a hard time with that :). Also, revealing the rest of the wood in the room may help you decide as well. Whatever you choose, I know it will turn out beautifully!
    Deni

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  15. How exciting. What a wonderful surprise. I would chose to leave them natural or lightly color stain. You could always paint white later on if you grew weary of the first look. Do you feel you have enough white walls, that maybe having the Master bedroom stand out a bit would be more pleasing? Can't wait to see what you choose.

    Debra

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    1. Yes, we do have a lot of white in the house and I do love the look of the wood, especially our living room walls. The guest bedroom also has the wood walls, but both of the rooms receive more sunlight than our bedroom. Such a dilemma! I may have to remove all the wallpaper and leave the room in its natural state for awhile. :-)

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  16. I'm sure what you decide will turn out beautiful. Maybe keep one wall with the wood. A lot of work to be sure. I like your decor plans for your bedroom. Kathleen in Az

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  17. I think whatever you decide will be pretty. What if you give the wood a wash? You'll still see it and it won't be as dark. Just a thought.

    Cindy

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    1. I hadn't thought of a wash - I'll have to research that!

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  18. Great find. We have tongue and groove pine in all our rooms except for the bedrooms. I was tired of the darker bathroom, so last year I painted the walls and ceiling white. Yes, it's a job, but I just LOVE it. I also did the laundry room. The wood painted looks like a old house and I couldn't be happier with it. I can send a picture if you would like. With your clean, simple look, I think you would like it. With neutral bedding and a few antique pieces, it would go with all of your other decorating. Good luck!
    Patty

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  19. Ooh! I think painted "bead board" anything is SO charming! The light grey color sounds peaceful and beautiful. It would especially go pretty with your drapes! That's my two cents worth! ;)

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  20. I vote for painting white or white washing. I think keeping it light would keep the walls cohesive and set you pretty floors off. If I could ask a question - I'm curious about the ceiling tiles in your bedroom, I'm currently looking to purchase a home built back in 1958 & two bedrooms have tiles similar to those and I was concerned they might have asbestos? Have you had yours checked? Thanks so much! Ronda

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    1. Hi Ronda - The tiles in the bedroom are new (we still have the box from the previous owners) and don't contain asbestos. But if the tiles in the home you are looking at are old or if you are not for sure, I would definitely get them checked.

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  21. You're making me think tearing into my kitchen like I was wanting to do just this morning is a very good idea!! It's so so dark and it's just hard for me to deal with life sometimes because of it i'm sure! Trying to be content and appreciate it as is but.... soon I will either be getting the sledgehammer or paintbrush, I haven't decided which!
    I so know the feeling of wavering between painting wood and leaving it natural, we live in an old mill and most of it is wood, which i so appreciate, but what I really love is contrast between wood and white. Wood on wood makes me feel closed in. So I'm casting my vote for painting your bedroom white. Those grooves will make such a beautiful texture and will set off the floors. Plus white just makes me feel good! You've done such a great job preserving so much of the wood in your home already, and have the perfect balance of wood, crisp white and color. Well done! =)

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  22. Dear Andrea,
    First of all, excuse me for my English, coming from Belgium.
    Do you know where Belgium is, by the way ? ;)
    My motherlanguage is French, so ............ ^^
    I'd also vote for white painting. I love painted wood !
    It looks so fresh, so simple and just perfect :)
    But ... are you sure that the wood pannels you found were oak ?
    I's say it's pine, could I be wrong ?
    Anyway, just paint it ... :) It will be perfect.
    Have a nice day !
    Dominique

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  23. How interesting! We have the same ceiling and pretty much the same walls in our old house. The folks who lived here before us put the ceiling in I'm guessing. It's one of the things we've always wanted to get rid of and are hoping that once we take it down we'll find the same tongue and groove wood underneath. Some of our tongue and groove walls were stained a dark reddish brown. Some were sheetrocked and then wallpapered. With the exception of the wood on the wall at the staircase which had been painted a very dark brown, we've left the dark wood as it is. I guess my aversion to painting over real wood comes from being a carpenter's daughter. Dad's thought on painting wood was, "never do it!" Once you paint a surface, you have to do it over and over again. One of his other pet peeves was that he didn't like pictures hung on walls either so Donnie O. had to be taped up instead:-).

    You're welcome to stop by the house/shop and see what staining the walls would look like. It does make for a darker home, but then again, it also makes for a warmer looking room when you use lamps for lighting. Since it's said that one sleeps better in a darkened room, making it all bright and white might be counter productive. You can always hang panels covered in fabric on one wall, or more than one for that matter, that are easier to change out when the mood strikes instead of painting the wood. Other than possibly painting the trim around the doors, I will probably leave these walls as they are and have been for many many years.

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  24. So happy you posted a picture of your bedroom- I have been waiting patiently! Look the little snapshot- look forward to seeing more. I think painting the wood a white or bluish-gray would be lovely. And an antique dresser and desk would be awesome. Love you curtains and the pillow on your bed.

    Looking forward to a recipe post. Your meals are a favorite in my home!

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  25. Since I am of the mind to never paint over wood, I agree with Cindy A. I believe she's right about sleeping better in a darkened room. That being said, just do what you want, you always seem to make the right choices! Kathy L from Colorado

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  26. If it were me I wouldn't think twice about painting it. I love the look of painted tongue and groove. Maybe you could keep the ceiling in it's original state and just paint the walls. That way you could have both.

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  27. Ever seen Fixer Upper on HGTV, Joanna Gains loves the "ship lap" on walls and when she paints them white; they just are so striking! Go on their website, magnoliahomes.net and see some of the pictures of their "shiplap" painted white, it'll help you make your decision!

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  28. I too love the look of the old wood but agree that having a dark bedroom isn't what I would want either. I would paint it in a heartbeat! Go for it....I'm sure that in the end you will still appreciate the imperfections and beauty of the wood that can't be hidden with paint....:)
    Cindy from CT

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  29. HI! Our house is 110 year old Victorian farmhouse. We have lots of original never been painted wood in our home, Lots of molding, tongue and groove walls and ceilings, as well as beautiful pocket doors with transoms, staircase and judges paneling. While I absolutely love and appreciate all of the original never been painted wood, it does sometimes feel very dark and closed in. I just had to draw the line in our master bedroom and bathroom. I told my husband that there was no way I could live with all the dark trim, doors, transoms and windows in our "sanctuary!" I just felt like I needed one room that was bright and white. So we are in the process of painting all the original wood work in those 2 rooms only. However, the bead board ceiling in what is now our sun room(used to be a screened in back porch) is on my list of woodwork to be painted next. Why? Because a sun room should be light and airy in my opinion and wood does seem to darken any room. How about tacking up some white or light gray fabric or sheets and seeing how you would like the color versus the walls. Keep them up for a few days to get a real good feel for the lighting through out the day and evening. That could help you come to a conclusion. Just my thoughts. Share the outcome!

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  30. I would paint the wood wall, but that's just me. It's pretty the way it is, but like you, I prefer a lighter room. I had to laugh at you saying you rarely use the ceiling fan...just wait until you hit peri-menopause and have constant night sweats, lol! I sleep with a floor fan pointed on me and my poor husband freezes. ;-)

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  31. Definitely white :) I love painted wood. Can`t wait to see the final outcome.
    Upholstery cleaning Clapham

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  32. Good grief, you have painted enough in your young life there, ha ha. Leave that lovely natural wood and find some large wall treatments...big light airy paintings, print some of your light and airy photos and frame them...your mom is an excellent seamstress....you guys could make some simple but striking quilt that is mostly a light background....you could get a big piece of smooth white wood and paint a quilt design on it and hang it ,....anyway it would look nice painted of course but there are other options! :)

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  33. I think you answered your own question when you said that you love the light and bright...I had some beautiful wood ceilings in a former home...my hubby did not want me to paint it...so we compromised and I had them "whitewashed" ... it truly gave us the lighter look with the ability to see the grain of the wood...a win,win...Beautiful room!!!

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