Going grey: My bedroom makeover

Decorating our bedroom was never top of the priority list when we moved in three years ago. The walls and floorboards (mostly original) were painted an inoffensive cream (with a purple feature wall that was our reference point for the place when house-hunting). Anyway, we plumped for the 'purple wall' property. Temporary wardrobes took residence and two years ago we bought an antique mantle to compliment the original insert. But that was it.

The installation of our new wardrobes, along with the wall lamps purchased many moons ago, last month prompted me to try and *finish* the room. With Himself away on a work trip for a week, I brought in the team at Painter Dublin to help me out. Tomas and Michael did an excellent job and I am really happy with the results. A new wall shelf from Ikea and a bit of tidying has also helped to transform the room.

I've tried to support local and city centre businesses when decorating the house. The paint was bought at MRCB Paints, 12-13 Cornmarket, Dublin 8 (one of the friendliest paint shops in Dublin). The wardrobes are from Bedroom Elegance, 55-56 Upper Dorset Street, Dublin 1. The wall lamps are from Hicken Lighting, 17 Lower Bridge Street, Dublin 8. The ceiling lamp shade was bought for just €8 in the very lively (and Christmassy) Liberties Market, Meath Street, Dublin 8. The rug is from The Carpet Mills, 42-26 Thomas Street, Dublin 8. The antique mantle surround is from the very knowledgeable Brian at Súgán Antiques, Rathmines, Dublin 6. The leaning wall shelves are from The Conran Shop at Arnotts, Henry Street, Dublin 2. The large mirror is from Clery's, O'Connell Street, Dublin 1. The blinds are from Apollo Blinds, Capel Street, Dublin 1, and the bed came from Diamond Living, which unfortunately went into liquidation earlier this year.

P.S. I hate when design magazines say that things were 'sourced' at particular stores. This implies a level of intrepid adventure that doesn't quite match the experience.

Wall paint: Dulux Easycare Washable Matt in Modernism
Floor: Ronseal Diamond Floor Paint in White
Ceiling: Dulux Matt in Brilliant White 
Woodwork and radiator: Dulux Easy Care Satinwood in Brilliant White


Here are the before and after photos. The before photos were taken on a particularly untidy day so as to illustrate the transformation at its best.

BEFORE: The temporary wardrobes resembled a disaster zone.

AFTER: Floor-to-ceiling custom wardrobes from Bedroom Elegance, Dublin 1, make the most of the high (and sloping) ceiling.

BEFORE: Boring cream on the walls and wall lamps which were accidentally installed upside down.  The previous owners had ugly wall lamps installed which we removed upon moving in. However, it took us a long time to get around to replacing them.

AFTER: Grey walls compliment the wall lamps (now hanging the right way up) and shades from  Hicken Lighting, Dublin 8. 

BEFORE: The purple feature wall was painted by the previous owners. I hated it! We added a Victorian mantle to the original inset two years ago but never got round to painting the white inset to match.

AFTER: The grey helps the (much tidier) leaning wall shelves from The Conran Shop stand out. Also gives me a place to store/display design magazines, two Etsy artworks, a jewellery box I got in my teens and tea lights from Meadows and Byrne. The lime green of the tea lights provides a nice punch of colour.

AFTER: Fireplace mantle from Súgán Antiques, Dublin 6.  Mirror had been hanging in the living room and looks a lot better here as the ceiling is higher. I got it for €50 in a Clery's sale. The candlestick holder was my first home decor purchase, I think I was 13 when I got this at a store in Stillorgan.

BEFORE: This lovely Buddha picture from Thailand was let down by its surroundings

AFTER: The grey helps to highlight the picture on the wall. A black Lack shelf from Ikea creates storage for books.

AFTER: This lampshade was just €8 from the Liberty Market on Meath Street, Dublin 8.

AFTER: Mustard rug from The Carpet Mills, Dublin 8, and Eileen Gray-inspired table from a now defunct store in Belfast

AFTER: Three coats of brilliant white floor paint has made the room much brighter