How To Make A Panelled Wall

I've had a few folks ask how we made the panelled wall in our master bedroom so here's a video tutorial for you all! This is one project I highly recommend... it was fairly easy to do, required only a few tools, and really made a huge impact.

We learned a few things while doing this project:

Show your space who's boss!

Before we started, we had a bit of an obstacleto deal with. The bump-out on the wall limited placement of the bed. The easy solution would have been to put the bed on the opposite wall but I really wanted to see the bed when you came in the room; it just visually would look better. So we decided to frame out the wall and make it flat. To avoid having to deal with matching the seams of the existing wall and the new walls to either side, we built the new wall in front of the old bump-out. That meant we lost 4 inches from the room but it was a much easier way to go about it. Lesson learned: don't be limited by the layout. Think creatively and find a way around it!

Sleep on it.

Just like we did when we were deciding on the size of the new laundry room, we wanted to visualize the design before we committed to it. So we drew our pattern on the wall and 'lived with it' for a few days. This gave us a chance to see if we liked the pattern, if we wanted to make it more of a regular grid pattern, if we wanted more or fewer strips. We did make some changes (like adding the platforms on which the bedside swing arm lamps sit) so sleeping on it for a bit helped us come up with a better design.

If any of you decide to make a panelled wall of your own, do send me pics. I'd love to see your handiwork!

Master Bedroom: The Reveal

Would you like to see the master bedroom... finally? I am really embarrassed to say this is what the room looked like when we started tearing it apart in December (December!!). *shudder* We barely touched the room for the last three years, choosing instead to live with the previous owner's choice of floral border and bland curtains. Its a wonder we ever got a good night's sleep.



But now that's what we get. Blissful nights of sleep.


We started out by building out the wall around the bump out. The bump out really limited placement of the bed so we flushed out the wall and created some interest by panelling it in MDF strips and trim.

We had some potlights installed to highlight the shadows and texture of the wall. Other sources of light include the fab Pottery Barn sconces and my vintage chandelier. At night, the chandelier is like a glowing moon. Chloe loves to look up at it.



The floral motif is repeated throughout the room...on the bedding, the drapery, and the wallpaper top on my vanity. Small touches but they really bring the room together!



Because the little one runs around the room, we've had to keep the rest of the decor fairly sparse and child-friendly. Accessories are mostly functional and there aren't too many things she can get into (unless you count the cordless phone and the iPhone charger... what is it with kids and electronics??)



This is the first white room we've ever had and I must admit we love it. But not as much as we love having the room actually done, finito, finished, decorated. Done!

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I'm linking this post to Design Refuge's October challenge!

Bits and Pieces

Yes, I know, I've kept you waiting far too long - where is that master bedroom reveal anyway? Still not here. Soon, very soon. HandyMan and I just have to muster up the energy to dismantle the crib, install the other side table and swing arm lamp. We're on vacation next week so I'm sure we can do it then!

In the meantime, a few more bits and pieces of the room...

I dressed up my Ikea makeup vanity with some new paper under the glass. A subtle change but it adds a little more pattern to the room.

I used to have a black and white wallpaper underneath but this Japanese paper leftover from the nursery closet makeover goes much better with the new curtains and the rest of the room.

And this is the little nook behind the bedroom door.





I reused Chloe's silhouette from her birthday invitation and made some of me and HandyMan. The frame is from Ikea and I had the oval mat from a frame I bought at Goodwill. The vintagey silhouettes go well with the architectural print I bought on ebay years ago. The print has been sitting rolled up in a tube for a while because I never found the right place to hang it - until now :)

Master Bedroom: Rad Cover and Sconces

A few more bits and pieces of the master bedroom to show you...

Here's the radiator cover HandyMan made. This is the third one he's made and I think its the best one yet. He tried to complement the style of the paneling we have in the bedroom by using similar trims. I especially like the look of the feet... the cutouts near the base make the cover look a little less heavy and massive in the space.

And a few photos of the one bedside sconce (Wyatt sconce from Pottery Barn) we have installed. My American cousin finally came for a visit and dropped it off. It was worth the wait :)

Luckily the scale and size of the sconce was just as I hoped. It looks good on the little platform thingy we added in the paneling. I really like the warm dark metal against the creamy wall. Its nice and sturdy too. On some sconces I've seen, the arms feel flimsy and the dials lose their tension and don't hold the adjustable arms in place. These ones lock nice and tight and don't seem to sag at all.

We haven't installed the second sconce yet because Chloe's crib is still in our room...and we have to dismantle it to get it out of the room... and then we can install the sconce... and then we can hang up some art... and then we can take some pictures... and then we can finally reveal the room to you all. Just in case you were wondering.

Tonic Living Custom Drapery!

I've kept you waiting on progress on the master bedroom renovation, haven't I? I don't mean to, but we're still waiting on the swing arm lamps and deciding on some art and other small projects so I'd hate to reveal the room before its all done. But hopefully, this will tide you over for a bit...

The window coverings are up! And boy, do they add some personality and colour to the room. At first, I had wanted to have a single wooden blind across the three windows like I've seen in so many decorating photos but we went to RONA and the draperies lady highly recommended we don't go that route. She said that wood blinds will warp and distort over time because of sun exposure and moisture changes and given the large size we wanted, it would be very evident. Oh - and the custom size would cost us in the neighbourhood of $700!! Yeah, scratch that idea. We ended up getting three wood roman blind shades in a standard size for about $75!

And then there's the curtains... how I love them. I'd debated getting custom drapes or getting something off the shelf like this or this or this. But the colours and patterns were boring and I would have to get some of the drapes black-out lined as well. I decided to ask my seamstress who did the curtains and upholstery for the nursery and the deck but her quote was too much to swallow.

Then I remembered Tonic Living. I'd ordered fabric samples from them before and I remembered they also did custom work. So I asked for a quote:
- curtain panels for 11' wide window, 1.5x fullness
- top pinch pleat
- using their yummy Sweet William in Teal fabric
- blackout lined
- custom length of 90.5" (from the bottom of the curtain rings to just grazing the floor)

They came out perfectly.

And the quote? Less than $390 Canadian including tax and shipping :) I fell off my chair, I tell you! It would cost me much more to get an off the shelf product customized with blackout lining and shortened.

I can tell you I was a little nervous ordering something custom sight unseen (though I did order a fabric sample beforehand - only $1 per sample!) but I need not have worried. Tonic Living was an absolute pleasure to deal; their customer service is top notch and the quality of the end product is great. They're based out of Toronto so I was glad to patronize a local company to boot.

Since I was so happy with the product, I thought I'd do a little mention of Tonic Living here on the old blog. If you are in the market for fabric or custom sewing, definitely check them out!

And lucky you - Tonic Living is offering you a 10% discount off any order (no minimum)! To get the discount:
- enter the coupon code RAMBLING on the first page of the check out process in the coupon code box
- plus, Canadian customers with postal codes starting with L, M or N get free shipping on orders of $50 or more (pre-tax)

What are you waiting for? Get fabric shopping! And I'll get back to slowly putting my room together ;)

Baby Steps

Wondering where the master bedroom renovation is at? I know, I know, I owe you an update. Last we left it, the panelling was up and the lighting was in. Since then, the carpeting has been installed, HandyMan has put in the baseboards and all the furniture has been put back in the room. But we're still waiting on draperies, my American cousin won't arrive with the bedside lamps until next month and there isn't any art up on the walls... which all goes to say there won't be a reveal for a few more weeks. (Booooo!) But if you stick around until then, I promise it will be worth the wait ;)

In the meantime, I've been using the room for impromptu photo sessions with the little one (and discovering our gaps in baby-proofing in the process!).

Master Bedroom: Sneak Peek

The master bedroom reno is moving very very sloooooooooowly but I thought I'd share with you a sneak peek.


The panelled wall is all done and I love love love it! This room is quickly turning into my favourite room in the house. The panels were done with mdf strips and we added some trim from Central Fairbank Lumber. I followed a tip from Tracery Interiors (love their work!) and painted everything - walls, trim, doors, ceiling - in the same paint colour, Benjamin Moore Seapearl OC-19 to really expand the space. The colour is perfect... warm white in the day, and a soft grey-oyster shade at night. It doesn't feel too cold or modern, and really brings out the details in the panels. We went all out and splurged for the Benjamin Moore zero-VOC Natura paint which had absolutely no odor and went on like a dream. Wish I could use that paint for all my projects!

We also installed my dreamy vintage flower capiz chandelier. I bought it on ebay years ago for a steal and was waiting for the perfect spot to install it in this house. I think we found the spot!! If you like the light, I've seen modern reproductions of it here and here.

So that's it for now. More peeks to come!

Master Bedroom: Deciding on Drapery

The snow is melting, the sun is shining bright, and the smell of Spring is in the air. What is it about all that sunshine that casts everything in a flattering light, making the world seem happier, fresher, and so alive? I've been enjoying the sunlight streaming into our master bedroom lately. Most of the time we have the blackout curtains drawn to keep the cold gloomy days out of view but now with the bedroom renovation underway, what will we replace the curtains with?

I'm drawn to a few looks. I like these photos below, with drapes layered over matchstick blinds. The blinds add warmth and texture, and lend a casual summery vibe to the room.

Images: Canadian House & Home, House Beautiful, Coastal Living.

Or we could do roman shades in each of the three windows, like below.

Images: Coastal Living, unknown, via DecorPad.

I like the ribbon banding detail on the roman blinds. Its a cleaner, simpler look. And blinds definitely would use less fabric - but maybe they would cost more than curtains to get made by my seamstress?? Decisions, decisions. I'll have to mull this one over for a while.

Master Bedroom: Fabric Hunt, Part I

Thank you all for your comments to my last post. And for those new commenters who came out of the woodwork, it was so nice to hear from you. I appreciate all the support from you my virtual friends.

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A cute picture...just because.
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Its easier to decorate a room when you have some inspiration, be it a piece of furniture, a paint colour, a swatch of fabric. With the master bedroom, I knew I wanted white walls and we already had the dark furniture to work with but beyond that I was stumped. That's the problem with a white room - you can go in any direction, decorating-wise!

To help narrow down the rest of the "look", I went in search of fabric. My first stop was my favourite haunt, Designer Fabrics. Let me tell you, when you don't know what you want, the fabric store is not the place you want to be. I ended up taking home 8 samples, each completely different. I ordered some samples from Tonic Living too and became even more confused. There was no rhyme or reason to the fabrics I chose. Have a look. I picked out patterns in all different sizes:

Some retro prints:

A few colourful trellis-y things:

A bit of glam and some stripes:

And some bold florals.


A schizophrenic fabric frenzy I tell you! But putting all the samples together, I was able to at least narrow down some sort of fabric direction for the room. I wanted a mix of tradition with a hint of modern. Something with a nice weight to it and not on a pure white background. I liked florals too, especially oversized ones. And colour! Ohh, I'm craving hits of colour in the bedroom.

So which fabrics made the cut????
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Well, here is my first draft of the bedroom fabric palette:


Not too bad... but I still wasn't entirely satisfied! So back to Designer Fabrics I went to pick even more fabric samples. The search continues...