Redecorating the Bedroom: Romantic Roses and Remembering "Our Story"

We've been slowly redecorating our (rented) house for the past couple of years now and we're finally at the point of thinking about our bedroom. We've been putting it off for so long and, quite frankly, I'm still not looking forward to the actual decorating part of it. But the other day I came across a wall plaque that really caught me eye and made my heart leap because I knew, there and then, that this was the inspiration for our bedroom.

Everything about this sign is just perfect - the soft pink roses, the sweet reminder of how "our story" is the most important one for us. I saw it and suddenly had the urge to replace all our bedding and put photos on the wall and create a room full of love.

It's quite a change from the bright and bold theme I chose just last year as my entry to the Debenhams Dream Bedroom Competition isn't it? I still love the bold and beautiful decor, but suddenly I feel like I want my home to reflect the softer, more understated part of our life for a while. After a couple of years of working so hard on the HG book and getting back into the workplace, I'm ready for a slightly slower pace of life for a while, and this reflects that perfectly. 

So I decided to take to Pinterest (with a little bit of guidance from the wonderful Jen from Love Chic Living) and began building up an idea of how I could interpret this plaque into an entire room. And it turns out, it's not that easy to find exactly what I have in my mind. A lot of the rose prints I found just weren't quite right somehow, I want them to include big flowery blooms like the peonies above, not just tight rose buds.

So my inspiration phase is still ongoing. But I had a lot of fun starting it and it really helped me get a clearer idea of what it is I truly want from this room. It is still very much in the early stages, but here's what I have so far (I'll be adding more over the weekend)...

 

Follow Amanda Fisher's board Romantic Rose Bedroom Inspiration on Pinterest.

Of course, we don't have lots of money to spend on redecorating. It's a rented house and so we do not want to put lots of money into somewhere that isn't ours, not because it isn't worth it but because when you're in rented housing you never know when you may have to move. That being said, we've been here for several years now and I do feel we have put down some pretty firm roots for the time being so it is definitely worth investing a certain amount.

We decided to paint all the walls white, so that the decor could be changed by means of furnishings and little additions like pictures and trinkets. Our house is definitely lacking in photos, so this is something I shall be working on in this room... once I actually get around to getting photos printed, that is. Unbelievably I have not had a single photo printed since the very end of 2011!

We do, however, already have a couple of framed photos to start the room off with...

This one used to sit above the fireplace in our bedroom... it was taken down late last year by TJ and I've just discovered that it has somehow been splashed with liquid and some of our friends' messages have been smudged *sniff*. It's made me quite sad, but I think we can save it! So many memories in those messages, especially the one from my cousin who sadly passed away the following year when I was expecting Little Man.

I feel like perhaps it should become the central photo from which to create a photo wall of our "story" ever since. Luckily I scoured the charity shops for gold-coloured picture frames prior to our wedding, so we have quite a few of them hanging around which will complement this well. The gold will also pick up on the detail of this mirror which I also found in a charity shop and which we now fondly call our "Darling Buds of May" mirror, having seen one that looked identical on one of the episodes. 

It's really not the most practical of mirrors, being a fisheye and all that, but it is lovely. This does remind me that we really need to buy a full sized mirror at some point too as we currently only have this one and two smallish ones downstairs so I can never check how any of my clothes look when getting dressed. Perhaps a white framed freestanding mirror would work well? What do you think?

Finally, I've also discovered a few other bits around the house which may work well in the room, such as this Home sign which used to hang in our hallway. I currently keep all my necklaces in a drawer and they get ever so tangled up, so this could be the perfect jewellery hanger to rest near my head.

So that's where we're at! I need to really pull these ideas together and put a proper plan of action together so we can actually decorate the room and start enjoying it. But for now I am going to enjoy looking for further inspiration and dreaming of a room that makes me feel happy and content as I reflect on our "story" so far.

If you fancy following along with me, why not join me on Pinterest - I'd love to see you there.

I've joined in Jen's #LoveYourHome linky over on Love Chic Living... why not have a wander over and see what other bloggers have been doing in their homes?

Comments

[Molly @MollyandthePrincess]

I love your mirror!
Best of luck with the rest of the decorating, I think it's going to look fab :) #loveyourhome

[Abzi]

I love when you find one item that inspires you and suddenly everything seems to fall in to place. Love the quote and completely understand why it caused such a burst of inspiration. The elements look fab!

[Penny A Residence]

I see what you meant in your comment, we are both working in similar ways, starting with one object for inspiration! I think if a room is about love then gathering the items slowly is perfect - I love what you have so far, I find planning a whole makeover in one go too daunting. I also agree, sometimes I find the style I want surprises me, it can be the opposite of whatI think I want if that makes sense?

[Stephanie]

That is the way to do it, find something that creates a spark in your to be creative and get your ideas flowing. It will look great and I look forward to seeing the finished room

[Shobha]

I think it'll look beautiful! it's nice that you have a calmer aspect of your life reflected in your bedroom. After all it should be a sanctuary and a place to nest and feel loved. The wedding photo is lovely and with two dried petals on it surrounded by greetings.