I’m just kidding. With that title. I did not really set out to make a bird and octopus and dog themed bedroom, but it turns out, I realized, that there are multiple birds, octopuses, and dogs in there, and I needed a title. Before that, I was stuck on “master bedroom tour” for a title, and who would read a post like that? Right?
I’m knocking these room tours out right and left!
This room was almost finished for pretty much forever. Or a year or so anyway. So last weekend we finally made a big push to hang some stuff on the walls, buy baskets for the bedside tables, and, you know….clean and stuff. And then I took a million pictures, which I present to you now.
We’ve had the same main furniture in our master bedroom for over ten years now….we got that headboard and dresser and the bedside tables when we first moved back here from Boston and moved into our old house. So that was the starting point. I remember fretting that I needed to paint the headboard white or gray when I was starting to think about what direction to go in here; I think I was originally envisioning it as more lots of cool whites and blues and grays and not much other color. I’m glad I didn’t go to that trouble since we wound up with a lot more color and vintage stuff and off white and brass and gold and stuff, and the not white headboard doesn’t bother me in the least.
Hey, look: I took one of those pictures looking in through the door, like “welcome to our bedroom!” The wall color here is Benjamin Moore’s Newburg Green. At some point I sort of accidentally put some dark green with it and loved the way it looked, so there’s lots of green in here now.
The headboard is Pottery Barn originally, or so I hear, by way of a garage sale. Those bedside tables used to have fabric covers over them. Said fabric covers had gotten pretty ratty over the years, so I took them off one day, and discovered I really liked the tables without them. Lamps are from Target; duvet cover is from West Elm (I stalked it forever and waited for a sale awhile back). One of those pillows has octopus #1 on it. The curtains are from Ikea…I can’t even remember which ones. Cheap white ones. I picked up the baskets at Target the other day. Birds are printed out from the Botanicus Digital Library and put in Ribba frames. I talk about them here.
Dave’s side of the bed has math books on it. Mine has Delta Wedding.
Most of the things on this side of the room haven’t changed much lately. The dresser vignette is the same as when I first posted about it except that I added a few more things to the gold vase on the end.
Those cuff links in the wooden bowl are some vintage ones that I bought on ebay for Dave to wear to our wedding. Awww!
But the new thing on this side of the room is the octopus my friend, Kristi, painted for me for Christmas:
Isn’t it incredible? And the colors are perfect; it was literally made to go in this room. I was originally planning to hang it in the other part of the room, but I have no idea when we’ll get around to doing anything over there, so I’m happy that it’s here now, watching us sleep with its ever vigilant eye.
The other side of the room (or the other side of the finished part of the room, I should say) is comparatively sparse:
I picked up that mirror at my mom’s shop a couple of weeks ago. And I picked up that trunk at a flea market outside of Boston nearly 15 years ago. It has a picture of a lady in a boat on the inside, and I’ve never been able to resist fancy lady pictures.
And then behind the trunk and mirror is the curtain room divider in front of Abe’s now abandoned nursery. This room is sort of stupidly big (all out of proportion to the rest of the house, in my expert architectural opinion)….it is, as you can see, already plenty big without that big curtained off part. But it’s there, and I do have big plans for that side of the room. I don’t know when said plans will be carried out, but I’ll probably talk about them anyway next week. 
Oh, this is the light fixture, by the way–from Overstock. We’ve had it up for well over a year now, but I’ve never talked about it. Before there was a ceiling fan without a light attached there.
I’m really glad to be able to call this room finished! I felt a little silly about how close it was to being finished for so long. And now WE have a finished bedroom just like the kids do! (although there are some changes coming in Milo and Gus’ room soon. But relatively minor ones).
How about a nice before and after?
Here’s the room shortly after we moved in, with the old paint color and all our furniture just kind of dumped in there:
And now…..
Linking with:
The wall color looks amazing combined with green. And I love the bird prints and the octopus.
Thanks, Julia! I was in denial that the color was actually teal and not straight up blue until I put some green next to it, I think 🙂
love it! i love the painting and your chair! and i love the wall color. and let’s not leave out cats; there is a brass one in there, too.
lol! but only ONE cat does not a theme make. maybe she needs a friend 🙂
as always, I love that wall color. and the trunk is fantastic! 🙂
Thanks, Stephanie!
I love it. That octopus is rad. I love your classic style. Your house reminds me of something you’d see in Little Women… minus the girls of course. Because you know, boys. So Little Men, I guess. Which would make sense… since your house is a school too.
No one has ever told me my house is like something out of Little Women before! Confessions of an English major: I’ve never read it. Maybe I’ll have to do that now!
I am a lover of saturated wall colors! Your room looks fantastic!
Wow your bedroom is fantastic Gretchen. I love your styling of the bedside tables. Of course the whole green chair and dresser vignette is tdf as well. The green lamps with the patterned shades are just perfect with that wall color. I love your brass pear and other brass touches in there. Such a beautiful room you have created!!!
Thanks, Katja! Even though it’s not a whole lot different than it was last week, I’m really appreciating how blogging about it forced me to get it all the way clean 😉
I love the colors in here! And so much art, i love it.
So good! Love the color of your walls and the dresser and how it is styled. Pretty much loving it all!
Angela @ Number Fifty-Three
Thanks, Angela! I’d paint every room in the house that color if I could get away with it, I think 🙂
I love your bedroom. That colour on the walls is amazing. That chair is making me drool and I love all of your art. Beautiful space!
Thanks so much, Kathryn!
Very pretty! It looks all cozy. Also, I need that green chair. I’m going to steal it after Haven.
ha! you’ll never get it on the plane! 😉
That’s a pretty dramatic before and after! I love the wall color…and the octopus!
Every room needs an octopus, I always say 😉
I just love the mix of dark walls with white woodwork and curtains. It’s a great space.
Thanks, Kim!
I have always liked you dresser vignette and that octopus painting is just perfect in that spot. The room looks great!
– Lora
First I love all the art in here. It’s seriously incredible. So beautiful especially against such a gorgeous wall color!
Thanks, Amber! It took me so long to get the last things hung up in here, that I kept buying more without stopping to plan out where it would go. I have like 3 or 4 more prints that I really wanted in here. Fortunately, our house has more walls 😉
I think all of your aviary, bird, octopus, dog, etc prints are just so so pretty! And I LOVE that wall color!
Great job Gretchen. Love all of the beautiful artwork, especially all of the birds. It really pulls the room together. Lovely color on the walls too Kathy
Thanks so much, Kathy! You can never have too many birds, right? Or at least that’s the assumption I seem to have been working with 😉
No one in the world would expect a “bird and octopus and dog themed” master bedroom would have any hope of looking decent, so way to set expectations low and then blow ’em out of the water! 🙂 I love your master! That wall color is EPIC. I want to paint everything with it now. And the octopus print? Gorgeous!
Thanks, Kelly! I think this is the first time I’ve accurately captured in photos how mesmerizingly lovely the Newburg Green is. I could stare at it all day.
It is awesome friend! The wall color rocks and the art is superb!!! And that painting from your friend is just stunning! What an amazing before and after! Happy weekend to you!!! Nicole xoxo
Love it! Everything looks gorgeous. Love the wall color too.
Late to chime in here (spring break last week!), but wanted to say how much I love all your vintage details–the art and that chair! Don’t know that I’d ever be brave enough to go with such a dark wall color, but I love it. Looks like a cozy retreat.
Wow, Gretchen!! There’s so much to love in here I don’t know where to begin! LOVE the wall color and all of your interesting artwork, the birds look great, I’ve used a similar source before. Your cane chair looks perfect in the mix, too! Glad you’re enjoying your finished room! 🙂 Thanks for sharing at Best of the Nest!
Thanks so much, Pam, and thanks to you for hosting!
Ahhh, I love looking at pretty bedrooms, mine needs so much work! Love the color and everything you’ve done! Thanks for linking up with us at Best of the Nest!
Congrats on the AT feature!
Thanks, Rita!
VERY Pretty!! Love the dark walls – just pretty all around! You have inspired me to do the board and batten on one of my bedroom walls now!! lol!! Glad to have found you and your blog!! Hugs & Smiles, Theresa @http://www.junk2jewels-diy.blogspot.com/
Thanks so much, Theresa! The board and batten is relatively easy and super cheap–lots of bang for the buck–I’m really glad we did it 🙂
Gretchen I’m just now finding you, but so glad I did! I’m crazy about the colors in your Master ~ & like everyone, love the teal! I’ve just used it to “change” dark green chairs in a room by putting teal throws on them ~ a trick learned from a daughter’s clever friend! Hunter green LOOKS teal!
And now ~ that wonderful OCTOPUS! Maybe your talented friend would paint another & have prints done, so we can have/buy one, too!?
Thanks so much, Kathleen!!! I keep telling her she needs to be selling her paintings (and blogging!) 🙂