We’ve been living in our Virginia house for almost a full year now. It’s wild how time flies isn’t it? I have to admit that as I’m writing this post I am giggling a bit thinking about how it took us nearly an entire year to finish this room. It really wasn’t a super labor intensive, project heavy makeover but it’s just the reality of the season we’re in with bunch of God’s blessings running around us deserving our attention above house projects, for example. That’s alright! Things just take us a bit longer than they used to. 😉

To get you up to speed on this makeover, I’d first read this post in which I share about the wallpaper removal process, how we prepped the walls to paint, and the paint color we decided on. I nearly always go into a makeover with a plan but I will admit that with this room, things just kind of happened organically with the exception of the two things I knew I wanted in here – the Nelson Blue walls and the American flag from the original owners of the home. We loved the freshly painted color of the walls so much but the room still felt a bit boring to us and I knew that just hanging the flag on the wall wouldn’t do the trick. It lacked the interest and character that we have evolved to love in our home.

Then I had this thought… What if we wallpaper the ceiling? I thought a floral pattern would be a fun contrast to the American flag. Then I came across these absolutely stunning pictures of the wedding of a friend from our last base and it felt like my idea had come to life. CAN YOU GET ENOUGH OF THESE WEDDING PHOTOS?

Immediately I loved the American flags, of course, but I also loved the way Megan incorporated the light blues (almost identical to BM Nelson Blue!) with navy florals in her bridesmaids dresses, the pop of white from her beautiful wedding gown, and the greenery surrounding. MY LANTA! Everything about her wedding. YOU ABSOLUTELY CRUSHED IT, MEGAN! So so stunning. Okay now that I’m done swooning for the time being…

Wait I just have to share this one because it made me teary. What a gift the sacrament of marriage is. 😭 I pray your marriage is overflowing with blessings, Megan. I miss you and our time together digging into our love of Jesus and His word together!

We had such an amazing experience using wallpaper from Livette’s Wallpaper in the dining room makeover that I figured I’d go on their site and see if they had anything that was fitting the vision I had come up with in my mind. Sure enough, I found this floral and knew immediately we should use it on the ceiling. Here’s the amazing thing about Livette’s Wallpaper – even though the wallpaper I found initially on their site was green, I knew I could have it made in one of the dozens of colors they offer or even have it made in a custom color. Which I did!

I soon ordered samples in green, navy, harbor, and they custom made one in BM Nelson Blue. All were made in the traditional wallpaper. Not only did we love using that medium in the dining room but since we were applying it to the ceiling we wanted to make sure it was secure with wallpaper glue. The samples arrived quickly and just as quickly we were able to decide that we loved the contrast of the navy and harbor samples. I love the slight green undertones in harbor with the Nelson Blue on the walls so that is what we landed on.

Application went WAY faster than we planned for. It took us one afternoon and just a bit of shoulder soreness. Every person that sees the room for the first time either says something to the effect of, “Wow!!” or gasps. It’s really such a fun surprise.

I think we could’ve gone in a more “formal” or “put together” direction with this room to really align with the inspiration from the wedding photos but the more I design the more I tend to lean into cozy, slightly eclectic, lived-in spaces. We already owned this bed (which reminded me of the black iron chairs at Megan’s reception! as you can see in our primary bedroom here in Mississippi which we ended up topping with this quilt. Initially I had our old bedding on there which was tan and white. It did the job but the room still didn’t feel like it was coming together. Then I realized it was missing the addition of the green that I loved in the wedding photos so much! I painted a nightstand that we had thrifted years ago in the beautiful dark green, BM Vintage Vogue (leftover from our Mississippi bedroom) to tie in with the quilt.

Instead of a dresser, we opted to put a desk in here. We figured a dresser wouldn’t get utilized all that much and knew that until we’re done updating our office space, I’ll most likely camp out here to work. I found this desk on marketplace but I didn’t love the orange undertones of the wood so I stripped it using the oven cleaner method. Then I sanded it, used some wood glue to fix up the chipping pieces and filled in chunks that were missing with wood filler. I stained it in Minwax ______ and then I topped it with multiple coats of Minwax water based polycrylic. We had this mirror in the living room of our Mississippi home (it’s a Target favorite that I used Rub n’ Buff on years ago!). The height works perfect in here to make the room feel larger and it’s helpful that the desk can double as an area for guests to get ready.

Throughout the year I thrifted pieces of art to hang in here. I was in awe when I came across these tiny vintage paintings from the early 1800’s. I love how the black frames pull in the black iron bed and they seemed fitting considering we live in colonial Virginia. I’m sure that I’ll find more artwork over time to add in here. Like I said, it is just happening very organically!

A floral rug I think could also be really fun but I love the classic Americana feel of this one that I ended up getting. It is hand woven using wool and cotton. The natural materials are not only arguably healthier to have in the home (especially if barefoot a lot!) but they make the rug more timeless. Hence the Americana feel! I’m also a sucker for a good stripe. I was surprised to find it was budget-friendly considering the materials and the fact that it’s hand woven and I knew that it could be really versatile in case we do move again.

Lastly the lighting! A new fan/light fixture immediately makes a space feel refreshed, doesn’t it? Stephen had to do quite a bit of work to get that sucker up there. We realized when we took the old one down that the previous owners made a medallion out of plywood to cover a giant hole in the ceiling. So he patched all of the drywall to make the ceiling nearly perfect again. I will admit I won’t be surprised if I eventually go back and paint the medallion. The white is too white for the wallpaper but I haven’t yet because it also matches the fan. I might do the navy to match the wallpaper? The same goes for the vent in the ceiling. What would you do?

To add more coziness and functionality to the room I added this cute lamp on the desk that Stephen and I both LOVE. It’s cordless and so cozy to have on while working. The lamp on the nightstand also adds another fun pop of pattern and green to tie in the green nightstand and bed quilt. You see the pink quilt on the desk chair? That was gifted to me at our wedding from my Aunt Donna. I think the story goes that my great great grandmother, made it. It’s literally signed by her, “Made with love by Emma Johns Connolly (1871-1944)”. My aunt I think acquired it somehow and either finished it/cleaned it up a bit to what it is today. It’s so special and I just adore all of the stars and elements of red, white, and blue in it so it felt so necessary to include it in here.

As always, Stephen and I enjoyed doing this makeover. It’s a bit different and unexpected than anything we’ve ever done before. But it was fun to push “the boundaries” with design and learn some new skills along the way. It’s always a good thing to grow, right? We’re excited to continue hosting so many of our favorite people in here! I hope it feels like a cozy home away from home for them.

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