Simple touches to give your bedroom a fresh feel....

For the past couple of weeks I've been using some of my spare time giving my home a fresh feel for Fall. I just love to change things up for the seasons....sometimes with seasonal specific decorations but often times just by adding a few new accessories and by rearranging items I already have, around my home, to give each room a new look.

Here's how I took my Master Bedroom from summer cool and fresh to Autumn cozy and serene.....

Before:The Spring/Summer look...

After: Cozier for Fall and Winter

Duvet covers...

One of my favourite bedding options is a duvet. I just love how you can easily change out the cover to create a new look without taking up much closet space. I also love that when I travel and see a great deal on a  new duvet cover set, it doesn't take up much space in my suitcase either ;) This brown paisley duvet set is one I've had for 4 or 5 years now. I still love it as much as the day I found it (on clearance of course!)

The bird prints are replaced with a round mirror I found at Walmart for $39. It was black when I bought it but a quick coat of brushed silver spray paint and it gives it the much lighter look I was going for and coordinates with the silver lamp bases....

Accessories....

On top of the dresser is a great place to group favourite photos, candles, flowers, etc. Don't be afraid to layer the look and add a variety of heights and texture for interest. The runner here is actually 2 placemats just laid together.  I came across a set of 4 on clearance at Homesense for $11 and just had to have them.....I love the print and texture that coordinates perfectly with my duvet set. I used the other 2 placemats on each of my nightstands...

On my chest of drawers I used one of my existing seagrass trays and pics and accessories I already had...

If you look close at the corner of the above pic you can see I added a ribbon band around my lampshade to bring in another pop of the warm bronzy brown colour....

Mirrors....

My spray painted mirror....:)

Lampshades.....

I changed out the turquoise lampshades with these warm caramel colour ones.....I shopped my own house for these....."borrowed" them from the downstairs office and replaced the office ones with some taupe shades I already had. When I'm shopping I always try to find a neutral lampbase I love , because it's then sooo easy to change out the shades :)

Pillows...

I also like to switch the pillows from room to room in my home. This brown and gold one used to be on my foyer bench but now looks wonderful on the bedroom chair...

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 I adore this filigree patterned pillow....another Homesense find from earlier this summer....

This bedroom is now all cozied up for Autumn and all it took was some repurposing of items I already had and $50 for a new mirror and placemats.....not bad for a new look! :)


Do you like to change things up for the season? I'd love to hear how! Please leave a comment below :)




                                                   ~Katrina

              

A work in Progress.....Basement Rec Room updates

While going through some old pictures the other day, I came across some pics of our basement Rec Room from first when we moved into our house, about 7 years ago. At that time the space had horrible industrial brown carpet and exposed ductwork. It became a makeshift playroom and dumping ground for our old "hand me down" furniture from the first years we were married.

Here are a couple of "before" shots...

            
Boy....this space has come a long way! Below are some shots of how it currently looks....

Come along and I'll show you some of the updates we've completed on a small budget.....

When we replaced our upstairs family room sofas, we new that the old leather set would be right at home in our rec room area. I'd call this the "man cave" of our home, so we wanted it to have a warm masculine feel. The dark brown leather is a perfect fit here. A few new throw pillows in a golden hue complement the rich brown tones perfectly. A couple of years ago we did update the old industrial carpet with this diamond patterned loop carpet. It really helped to brighten up the space!

                 I used a large apothecary jar as a perfect place to showcase my husbands golf ball collection.

                     This large ceramic bowl was one of my Homesense clearance finds. At $5, I couldn't go wrong :)  I found these mini globes at Walmart...they add interest to the coffee table and really go great with the feel of the space.

This leather box that I already had, is the PERFECT size to store all those pesky remote controls...

The window treatments here are actually the old panels I made and used to have in my family room upstairs. I simply folded them and hung them on clips with the stripes showing horizontally to give them a whole new look! I added some inexpensive bamboo blinds to add texture and warmth to the window...

We replaced the old, ugly light fixtures with these beauties from Home Depot. We love how they have a slightly nautical feel (they remind me of a porthole) and love the warm amber glow they add to the space...

I put some woven placemats under the glass top of the desk. I just LOVE the texture they add and the fact that they hide fingerprints on the glass is an extra perk ;)

We decided to position the office area in the corner ...it defines the area while still flowing well with the rest of the room....

Of course, there are still some changes we would like to make down the road....wall mount the TV, get a new entertainment console and maybe some hardwood flooring......but  I think we are definitely headed in the right direction  :)

~Katrina