Post title is for you mom.
And not to get totally off subject but that reminds me of a recent conversation I had with my dearest mother…let’s just say she asked me not to use the words “P” or “Booo…” or “Vag…” on the blog anymore. I’ll let you guess what those all are. To which I replied, when did I ever say vag….?
After a little pause, she said ever so earnestly, honey you said that picture of that baby makes your vag… ache.
MOM! THAT’s MY UTERUS! NOT MY VAGINA!
My mother cracks me up. She gets the best mother award from me every single day.
ANYHOO.
I was looking at this picture of our master bedroom and it was painfully obvious that the only thing that we have hung in the new house is my Pinterest Challenge mirror and a couple frames in the downstairs bathroom. DUH KATIE – just move in already!
So I scoured the basement hoping to muscle out some curtain rods from the old house. Right about then is when I remembered that we didn’t have any hanging brackets. I seriously sounded like Homer Simpson all day when I remembered. We left them because we figured that removing them would tear holes in the walls (and since we technically still own the home, we didn’t want torn up drywall)…plus, we figured that most thin rods are pretty standard so the new folks could just use their own for curtains. I scheduled a trip to ikea – because I figured they sell everything. I swear I saw a new kidney shrinkwrapped on one of their shelves.
No dice. They actually sell the double kits but the single brackets are only sold as a set with the rods…and frankly I didn’t want to spend $9 a pop for new rods and new brackets. Homer DOH!
So luck be the lady, I actually found just the single rod brackets sold separately at Lowes! Levelor makes them (the same folks that make our roller blinds). So I threw a bunch into the cart and headed home. The next day, my boyfriend did the honors of attaching the first rod.
I knew that we needed the rod to extend all the way to the wall – so finials were a no go on the outside…but on the inside I think they look quite nice. The curtains were actually ones we had in the old house (you know us, cheap cheap cheap!) and they were WILJ from Ikea. I don’t think they carry them anymore but they have other similar options.
We decided that we could just take apart one curtain rod and use each half on the brackets – and then came the next big question…do we hang only one set of curtains on the outside?
or two sets of curtains on both sides?
We went with two sets – because it filled up the space a little better and softened things up for us.
Don’t judge me for not laundering or ironing the curtains first…wrinkles are the new smooth. And THANK GOODNESS I was lazy…you know, about hemming them in the old house. We just let the bottoms drag on the floor there and now we have taller ceilings and they just barely graze the carpet. DESTINY I tell ya, DESTINY.
I also pulled in the old bench we got as a gift from Jeremy’s folks. It used to belong to his great Aunt I believe…and yes, it definitely needs a fabric makeover but I like the bit of warm wood tones right now. And the fact that Will can climb up on the bed for family wrestling makes it priceless.
As for the room as a whole – it’s come a long way, huh?
Remember it just six months ago?
And no – sorry folks, I don’t know the paint color – I will color match it one day and blog all about it…
On a very serious note, I never realized how hanging curtains makes such a big impact on my mood. Now I can’t wait to hang more curtains in every other room. If only I wasn’t so busy prepping for my sister’s bridal shower!
What have you guys been doing lately? Hanging anything? Putting curtains up anywhere? Throwing parties or wrestling with your kid? Will has a mean Missle Dropkick off our headboard…he’s like a mini Chris Jericho.
Was carpet really teal when you moved in???
I love what you’ve done with that room!! Very soft and relaxing! 🙂
Yup – each bedroom had carpet that matched the walls. Pink room + purple carpet. Blue room + blue carpet. It was amazingly bad.
xo – kb
I’m pro curtains on both sides. It seems more balanced.
We actually have to buy new curtains for our apartment…and blinds come to think of it. Perhaps this weekend…
Add me to the pro curtains on both sides. You’re right–fills and softens. Love how the room is coming together and I think it’s great that you’re taking your time with the house. Also, I’ve never laundered and ironed curtains before I hung them, either. I’m too impatient for that. 😉
Give your self a little more credit Katie! You made AND hung sticker art… I think that should count for two. Oh and tell your mom that I think your word choice is just fine. They are body parts, so you are just being politically correct and it usually makes me laugh. I’m glad I’m not the only one who talks like that! 🙂
Katie – I LOVE your bedspread. It is exactly what I have been looking for! Can you tell me where you got it?
This is probably a really really dumb question… but how do you keep your curtains from falling off the end (wall side) without a finial?
ps – i like the two sided curtains… whenever i see one sided curtains on a rod like that, i always think… hmmm, were they too cheap to buy the other set? (just kidding, sorta)
I agree that the two sided curtains are nice. And isn’t it amazing how much of a difference they make in a room?!
Funny story for you… we finally got around to hanging curtains around the sliding glass door leading outside from our walk-up basement. Roughly 6 months after we bought them. Come to find out that one of the 4 panels we ordered we got in a size smaller than we ordered. So…we hung them a little lower than anticipated and now I will be hemming the other 3 because they don’t have them in stock anymore! Bad procrastination. Bad. But even in their funky uneven lengths, the new splash of color is just what the room needed.
I looked in your Source List, but couldn’t find where you got your bedframe? I love it! Or if that was a DIY project, can you point me in the right direction for the blog post? Thanks!
Not a dumb question..I was wondering the same thing!
Your bedroom looks so nice!! Is the wood trim (crown mold and base) the same color as it was in the original picture, or has it been repainted?
I’m a avid stalker of your blog, and I just adore your writing style… so Q: Do you just have the perfect personality and writing happens naturally or is this something you’ve had to work at?
AND more importantly, now do you get home improvement projects done with a little one? 🙂
Fifty points for mentioning Chris Jericho – Hubster has a major mancrush on him and apparently those things are contagious… I still don’t like wrestling but I do lurve him now! 😉
I agree with the two-siders. Softer is better.
I recently hung curtains in my daughter’s bedroom that I’d had for months and months and I was soooo afraid I’d have some kind of crazy length-problem and not be able to return them. I have that evil procrastination habit and sometimes it bites me in the b…. I got lucky, and it all worked out fine.
Do you have blinds on those windows as well? The room is so lovely and bright, but the light coming in would wake me at 5 AM each day.
Looks nice and soft. Obviously this is not my house (I wish!) or my bedroom, so why does it bug me so much that you only have finials on the insides? Our master windows are close to the wall on one side like yours, which made it more challenging to choose curtain rods (the finial issue), and I wasn’t able to put the rods out as wide as I would’ve liked since they had to extend the same length on each side of the window. Annoying.
Caught up on a super old (from wintertime) Nate Berkus Show on DVR last night and there was a quick clip of you on there! I yelled, “There’s Katie” and my husband just kept quiet… 😉
Feces Bosom Ladybits
xo
Get to hanging those curtains, woman! Your house will feel more like home in no time!
I couldn’t believe how cozy and warm curtains made our living room feel! Unfortunately, I’m going to have to sew/buy all new curtains for the Little House because our old apartment had four windows. Total. Good thing my mom (who is also on me to “watch my language, what will I do when I have kids?”) got me a sewing machine for a housewarming present!
Been there. Yeesh.
See…and I saw both pictures and glanced back and forth and I’m like, hmm…i think I like the looks of the one-sided curtains!! It just looks like its enveloping your bed or something…guarding it…haha..im a weird visual-scenario type person I guess!! But the other way looks nice too:)
Loved the opening sequence. I bet your poor mom has her head in her hands, but at least you aren’t using “those words” in a naughty way….now that would be a problem. 🙂 Love the blog so far…found you through YHL, and have been reading since….
I love how will is just chillin in one picture and then i found myself looking for him like the mouse in goodnight moon. is he behind the pillows? the pillows keep moving…he must be there…. 🙂
@Stephanie – I definitely looked for Will too. (He’s by the nightstand in the picture under the one where he’s on the bed). But I couldn’t find him in the last picture – I like to think that he’s behind the pillows too.
As for the curtains, at first I liked the one one side only look, but the more I look at the photos, the more I like them curtains on both sides – just makes it soft and calming, ya know? Nice progress – can’t wait to see what’s next!
Girl! You make me laugh. Every day! Your bed is AH-mazing!!! I was wondering around your blog and saw that you and your boyf made it yourselves!? Are you kidding me!? That is so beautiful and now I need to make one too!!!
Love the progress of the room! Also think it’s great to mix the old and the new – old bench – newer night tables! (Vern Yip also thinks it’s cool – he said so on Designer Star this week!)
Keep up the good work Katie – and for goodness sake – hang some more curtains if they make you so happy! 🙂
She posted about it a while back. JC Penney
Yay for pulling things together, it looks great! Alas, those missing finnials would drive me crazy!
love your blog 🙂
Looks great! And yes, hanging things around our place too – new blinds for the main floor are on the agenda for this long weekend (not sure if it’s a long weekend for you but us Canucks have one coming up this weekend).
Love the curtains!! You’ve made some big improvements to that space!
I have a question.. probably dumb but Im baffled! How do you get your curtains to slide on top of the brackets that hold up the rod?? I always have to edge the brackets all the way to the end of the rods so that the curtains canslide that far over. Not sure if this makes sense.. but it seems like your curtains would stop at the bracket..?
Sorry! Just figured out my own answer! I realize the rods ended up being shortened before the curtains went up.
I love this room so much! Probably; my favourite room in your house. It’s homey and ever-so slightly country with the elegantly coloured quilt, but contemporary with the lack of clutter and simple shapes… and even though you’ve picked blues and dark tones, it feels cozy. You could snuggle up on that bed with a book and a cup of tea and drift away feeling warm and safe… and you could wake up feeling zen and refreshed!
Pretty much like you, I have been making sure everyone (scratch that) everywindow is well hung this week. LOVE.
Yup – it was a DIY project. The post was called Bed Building – so just type that into the search box on the sidebar and it should lead you there!
xo – kb
The bar is just up against the wall – so it runs into the wall before it can fall off. And too, since the brackets keep the majority of curtains on the rod, the fabric is pretty stable (as in it doesn’t slide easily anyway).
xo – kb
haha…actually I don’t talk like I write…but I do think that way. My style is sortof like a brainwave….you guys get a sneak peek directly into my brain. And home improvement projects ONLY get done with Will either locked into the room with us or while he’s napping 🙂
xo – kb
Hey Katie.
Where did you get your bed? We are upgrading to a king in the master and I LOVE your bed. It’s perfect! I live in the west so hopefully it wasn’t a local thing 🙁 We’ve been looking everywhere. Thanks a million!
You’re not gonna believe just how local it was…
Your post title reminds me of the episode of the office where Todd Packer has a license plate that says WLHUNG, and Ryan says to Todd, “You a big William Hung fan?” And Todd says, “Why do people keep asking me that…”
I was hoping you’d mention in your post 🙂
*mention it in
LOVE the way the curtains seem to just “complete” the room. Looks awesome!
Katie,
I noticed this in Will’s room too, but the new carpet you guys installed really changes the way the color reads. Like, the wall color in your room definitely reads more blue now than teal. Some kind of terrible light reflection was happening with that carpet. Looks awesome!
Alison
Beautiful! Love it.
I love the bench – the wood tone complements the mirror and adds warmth to the room!
I also just want to say that I love reading your blog. I love how you work to make your house a home but you aren’t stressing over decorating and styling (does that make sense?). I love seeing the projects you are doing but also love reading about your life with your boyfriend and Will. Its refreshing in this world of decorating blogs. Thankyou for taking your time to write and post.
saw this on pinterest and thought of the underside of your deck…why? i dont know. maybe we were bff’s in another life. idk…but here’s the link: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/outdoor/holy-amazing-outdoor-patio-transformation-092324?image_id=634083
You are so hilarious, Katie Bower! The curtains look ah-mazing and the bench is delightful.
They made it. Search for “bed making” and you’ll find it.
In my old house I have wondows that are jutted up close to the wall, closer than yours and even one in the living room is right up into the adjoining wall! I wondered what the best way to hang curtains in that situation was. I guess I can remove the finial on one end in my son’s room, but would it look weird without it when the other window has both finials? They are on opposite walls and the other window isnt right up on the adjoining wall.
Can you just use a rod that has no finials? I mean, finials aren’t a law or something like those darn pillow case tags 🙂
xo – kb
Amazing quote. Simply slipped my mind darnit.
xo – kb
Yup – the trim and walls are all the same color. It was just that horrid carpet that cast funky reflections (and my inability to take pictures and jump up and down in excitement at the same time!).
xo – kb
We have roller blinds. I posted about them a while ago…maybe search box it?
xo – kb
“Wrinkles are the new smooth”. You’re hilarious. No judgement, here. : )
Or, if you want to use finials, get some small unobtrusive ones perhaps? Our Ikea & some Target rods have these little disk shaped finials, so it didn’t look odd not to have them everywhere because they’re not that noticeable (when we had a similar situation).
Also, if the curtain goes right up to the wall, you won’t see the end of the curtain rod, so you won’t notice if there’s a finial there or not!
Ooooooh
Thanks!
Your bedroom looks so fresh and relaxing! That king-size bed looks like a dream….
My question is how do you sleep without blackout curtains? There’s so much light in that room! I’d love it during the day, but I’d be angry at 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday when the light came streaming in! (Then again, maybe you’re up at 6 with Will!)
I still love love your farmhouse bed. I’m going to have to visit Ana White and beg my husband to attempt this for me. It looks better than any I’ve seen at PB!
WOW! For such a beautiful house, someone made some bad decorating decisions. Your house is so lucky to have you. . . you make it feel pretty! 🙂
You nailed it. My little alarm clock, I mean, son doesn’t let us sleep anyway 🙂
xo – kb
Wow, Katie! I’m still snickering at your blog title. Best title ever.
Oh, and the curtains and rods look great.
I’m also in the one panel on each rod camp, Nicole! The other way is nice too, but sometimes I like a little asymmetry. Or symmetrical asymmetry. Or something.
And I’m totally not biased by the fact that we have one curtain per rod in our bedroom. 😉 (And yes, we were partially too cheap to make another set, Liz. $12 a yard is expensive. haha)
What a transformation! Your house looks stunning now! It will be a beautiful wedding!
@lori, hehehe. :o)
Is it creepy that I got all giddy at the mention of your sister’s bridal shower!? I can’t wait to see what you put together for it – your past showers have been so fun to read about!
Aww, your Mom is so cute… your description of her reminds me of my Mom (great with kids, cooks tons of food, gently continues to give suggestions/requests/advice even though you are an adult). She’s just looking out for you, as a good Mom will always do! 🙂
We haven’t hung ANY curtains in our “new” house and we’ve lived there a year! I did put up cafe curtains in the nusery but that’s it. I’m DYING to and my husband is dead set against it. He says that “curtains are for hiding ugly trim and ours isn’t ugly.” Can you believe that?!?! I may have to just go ahead with it when he’s not home!
I love the two sets of curtains compared to the one set because it adds more to the walls, and puts a frame around that pretty mirror of yours.
Curtains do add a lot to a room eh? It’s like eyeliner and eyeshadow to your face. Or … just brushing your hair — it changes your look! Hahah.
By the way! I love the ceiling in your bedroom! So. Much. Detail. It’s gorgeous, gorgeous I tell ya! But I’m sure you already knew that ..
Are we voting on the curtains? I vote one side only. Definitely one side. Two sides looks all billowy an kind of messy, IMHO. Less is more!
I think it depends on your drapes. If you have the grommet tops, or tab top, it may be more obvious. But back tabs or rod pockets would, I think, really hide the finials anyway.
Love the title! =)
It is amazing what a different curtians make. We lived out them in our bedrooms for years and now I wonder how we lived with things looking so bare! Looks great!
Hi! I saw the wall you did for your little guy out of wood pallets. I am going to make a coffee table out of them and am wondering how you treated them? I have looked online but havent had any luck! Any tips would be great!! Thanks!
Emily
We sanded them down and cleaned them with water. Then we let them sit in our open garage for a week before putting them inside to acclimate. Once the wait period was over (a couple days) and we nailed them up, we applied spray poly in satin finish to seal them nice and tight.
Hope this helps!
xo – kb
Love the curtains on both sides and the finials on the inside, it just seems to work! The bedrooms looks great, now I just want to see what you’ve done with the bedroom sitting room! I don’t know how I just noticed that part of your room, but I love it!! If that was my room I think most of our dates nights would happen in the bedroom in front of the fireplace. Bow-chick-a-bow-wow 😉 Ha ha! Looks great Katie, good job!
LOL @ you and your mom 🙂 My mom called me out on Facebook because I said “motherlovin.” But I let her know I was only talking about Shaft, so I guess she dug it.
Beautiful bedroom! I need tons of inspiration to work on my own bedroom, which still has wallpaper backing on the walls that I started removing nearly two years ago when we moved into our house….