How can i make my room look pulled-together? (With pics)

[oxcat1]

Inspired by the earlier bedroom thread, i realise that my room looks quite student-y and a little mismatched. Please can you people with some style help me to work out what's wrong, and how to sort it cheaply?!

I have recently separated and am living in a rented basement flat, so limited light and limited scope for big changes. I have been keeping myself occupied with lots of craft, so there is a handmade quilt on the bed, the pom-poms, plus i upcycled the chest of drawers and the sewing table/desk (aiming at a slightly retro look...). The curtains were from a charity shop, but because of the length of the windows, there is not much choice within my budget.

I am just not sure what sort of colours I should be working with, as i seem to have too many?! And what sort of rug, as the one of the floor has definitely had it!

Any suggestions? I would really like to know how ot make it looks stylish and not just old-fashioned!

[HardToDeal]

You also have some nice furniture - I like the dresser etc but it's lost and the eye is drawn to the cheaper flat pack stuff instead. You want to find a way to foreground your lovely wooden things the most.

For me, in my bedroom, I like to think about the view I get of the room from my bed. It's important to me that it be calm, with clean uncluttered lines and pleasing "stuff" for the eye to rest on. Bookcases etc would not do that for me, so I'd put that maybe to the side of the bed so I couldn't dwell on it,
.

[FlaviaAlbia]

Wow, thats serdindipity in action! I love finds like that

Ah, that's so annoying about your curtains after all that work! Never mind, it'll have still made a bit of a difference until you can face it again and it'll act as more insulation in the mean time...

See the shelves in front of the window? Could you move that stuff or the whole unit somewhere else? I think that might make the room seem less cluttered if both windows had bare floor in front of them?

[LanaorAna1]

The quilt is stunning - I would make that your centrepiece.

As others have suggested, cluster hang all the pix/mirrors/frames into one or two big groups.

Colourwise, pick out colours from the quilt to use elsewhere (eg a tieback for the curtains). If you stick to quilt colours only, your room will look pulled together by default.

I really like those Wm Morris curtains - they must have cost a fortune orig. They are meant to fade, by the way. You could modernise them if you think they need it (I don't) with a sharp colour as a tieback.

[Astro55]

Can the shovels fit the alcove to the side of your bed? If so move them and use sticky Velcro and some of your material to hang a curtain to cover the stuff.

Move the nice unit with mirror into the alcove by the window - natural light

This way your eye is on the nice furniture and window

[oxcat1]

Thanks Birdy. You are quite right about everything having a story, but the trouble is that makes it very difficult to get rid of anything! That is part of the reason everything is such a mishmash, as I have just found things over time, and suddenly finding myself alone means finding new ways to put things together, and new links to be made. I think it is part of the reason that i painted those two items of furniture - I have almost all the stuff after my exDH moved in with the OW, and i don't necessarily feel able to get rid of things with stories, but at least i have slightly changed them....

I totally agree that the updated table doesnt' really match, but i do enjoy sewing/painting/writing etc, but can't lift things on and off, so I need to keep a table with the sewing machine on - or just ask my carers to get it out, but then i still need to find somewhere to keep it.

I think the main clutter is the clothes by the bed - if i had a built-in floor-to-ceiling wardrobe there, that would also take a lot of the other clutter into storage too, as the ceilings are so high. Does anybody have any idea how much something like that might cost? It would have to be flat-packed or built down here, as there is no proper access. I dont have any other proper storage in the flat, so underneath the bed is full of boxes containing bedding, towels, bathroom stuff, shoes etc. Clearing that window bay would certainly help too, yes.

I tried putting a cheap grey rug from Ikea down in front of the curtains - they are definitely not grey! A brown towel matched, but is just so..... brown! Will have to keep thinking!

[JenniferYellowHat1980]

Why do you feel the need to pull it together, OP? I think it's relatively recent and anal that everything has to be themed or matchy-matchy. The bed is lovely, as are the curtains (I think some posters are missing the point there). The only
Thing I would do is find some sort of classic wardrobe and other storage (maybe an ottoman?) to hide the plastic boxes. You have nice taste.

[Danicc]

I really like the room. Feels very warm and cosy.

[ivykaty44]

I think the curtains are great and love the pooling effect.

The rug is fab

I would move the chair and footstool to under the window.

I would try and do something with the shelves - but not sure what

The other suggestions about the pictures are great

Sorry don't like that rug you linked to

[LanaorAna1]

Curtains are meant to puddle. You're chic-er than you think. :)

Centering the garland over the bed and lower down will pull your eye to the middle of the room, not the ceiling corners.

Lighting is always the most important factor in interior decoration, but you're ok for daytime with those fantabulous huge windows. Draw the curtains and play around with lights for after dark - vintage lightbulbs (sort of yellow) will warm the room up no end, and you'll want lights at sitting and shoulder height, not higher.

Please no to grey - you've got one neutral (brown) already. Pick a colour that suits your skin (really) from quilt and get a cheap rug in that. Your makeovers are gorgeous, btw.

Can you store stuff under the bed? Oh, and one more thing - the cheapest bunch of flowers in the market, once a week, does wonders for morale.

[SilenceOfThePrams]

I think it's beautiful.
And it's not studenty at all - it's eclectic, bohemian possibly?

I wouldn't try to neutralise any of it. But I might run with the quilt and go for wall hangings along the same lines maybe.

I wonder if you've seen any of the great interior design challenge series? One of the designers divided up a guest room/sewing room by hanging a curtain across the ceiling. I didn't like the rest of that design, but I did like that idea.

[oxcat1]

So many brilliant ideas, thank you, thank you.

Two posters have suggested mustard, and a green is also coming through. I have several green accessories in the other room (large table lamp, cushions that I made, etc etc), so green can be done quite easily without a big spend. There is also green in the picture above the drawers, and in most of my cat pics, so maybe i should give that a go fir a low-cost start?

I am so grateful for the ideas. Tomorrow I will certainly move my pom-poms over (ooh-ever Missus...), and I'll see if the carer can be persuaded to swap the shelves and the dressing table.

The bookshelves will then be immediately opposite the clothes rail - it would be nice to curtain that over too to hide that mess as well. Is there any non-Studenty way I could just hang something from the [very high] ceiling to cover the clothes?

Thank you so, so much for all the good ideas. I have rather lost track of myself in the marriage split, hence no idea where to go with anything. To hear that I may already be vaguely along the right lines is really encouraging.... Thank you.

[Astro55]

You can't buy a spring shower curtain holder and use a curtain

Or buy a wardrobe hanger rod thingy!! Same idea but screwed in

[ggirl]

I love the room
some things I would do

declutter under the left hand window
and to the left of the shelves
centre the pom poms
and I think the wall hanging adjacent to the bed is too dark , sucks in the light.

A big mirror there would bounce the light around the room .

I don't think it needs a rug and I think the curtains are fab.great find !!

[NC1nightstand]

Hi OP, I read your thread yesterday and for a few reasons it's really stayed with me.
Although you came on to ask about interior design the thing that that screamed out to me from your posts is that you've recently been through a massive life change with ending things with your exdh and have had to move out of the home you shared. I just wanted to send you flowers and love for that alone! To congratulate you on this new phases of your life. I know that these times can be unbearable and change can be very painful but like your room your life is ready for you to redesign it now and decorate it exactly as you choose.
I hope I haven't spoken out of turn it's just that you seemed to be second guessing your choices regarding your room and I know from personal experience that you can feel lost and unsure of everything when you go through separations.
Anyway you have a lovely "Room of My Own" and some wonderful pieces in it. Although basements can be dark you have those gorgeous windows and more light that you iften find. The curtains are my idea of curtain heaven! Not only is WM my ultimate design hero, they are timeless and the extra length makes them look stylish and extravagant - in my opinion, anyway.
The quilt you made is lovely but I would either hang it on a wall or find a large throw in the boarder colour and then place your quilt on top of it. Just because I like long curtains and long quilts/bedspread. The other things I wanted to say is that every choice you make only has to please you and I imagine your room will evolve as you do, every choice you make is right for you right now. Even though you have a story behind each item, picture, piece of furniture you also say that it then makes it harder to not keep it. I think you could borrow a line from Marie Kondo and simply ask yourself if each item brings you joy and if it doesn't don't feel bad about removing it from your room/life. In fact if you haven't already read her book I really recommend it. The other thing is, thank you for that link to the rug you like. There are some lovely rugs on there and in my price range too!
Sorry to waffle on!

[mineallmine]

Ooh, that was a lovely post nightstand and I wish I had written it. You've been on my mind too, OP, and I hope your life going forward is stress free and happy.

[oxcat1]

Thank you, thank you.

I can hardly see to type through my teary eyes, but I am so grateful for your kindness. I have struggled enormously since my world fell apart - discovering the person you love is not who you think they are, and that the life you led was not as real as you believed it to be, is so hard. I feel as though I don't know anything anymore, and my fear makes me anxious to trust anyone ever again, myself included.

I posted on here about a year ago, when my life was in absolute tatters, and the kindness I received was overwhelming. Since then I have made lots of big changes, including moving away to a town where I know nobody, but I still feel (hope?) that the biggest changes are yet to come. Those will he when I start to see a future alone as exciting and worthwhile, and not as a poor substitute for what I thought I had. I have so much to be grateful for - I have quite literally been given a new lease of life after a terminal diagnosis turned out to be an error - but it is hard to know how and what to do with it now my 'destination' has changed.

I am overwhelmed. Thank you.

[mineallmine]

You sound like a strong and brave woman. I'm sorry you've had such trouble in your life but you sound like you have what it takes to keep putting one step in front of the other until suddenly the world is bright again. It's great that you're crafty- there's nothing like it to absorb you when times are tough. I look at some of the things I've made and I can date them to times in my life when I've had struggles and I'm proud of my crafts and proud of me for keeping on going when I just wanted to stay in my bed and pull the covers over my head. This too shall pass and you'll be a better stronger person for it.

And I hope he always has an itchy bum!

[AdaColeman]

Well, I popped back last night with a couple of ideas, but ended up having a good cry instead. Like you oxcat I know how hard it is to keep going when your whole life has been torn to shreds. You are so full of courage.

But back to the room....
When you can afford it, I'd get a different light shade, every student room has one just like yours. In the meantime, perhaps you could decorate it with a watercolour pattern around the top, maybe terracotta and mustard to fit with the curtains?

Your bedstead is quite utilitarian, possibly it's a hospital bed. Anyway, you could take the quilt theme from your beautiful quilt and make a button on quilted head rest for the headboard, maybe just in the centre, using similar colours/fabrics and a tab button style (I'm sure you've seen those tab curtains?).

While I'm not keen on the rug that you linked to, because I think it's too loud and busy, for a similar price they have some traditional Indian/Persian style rugs (not wool but hard wearing). One of those in terracotta/ cream pale colours might go well, it would pick up the colours in the curtains and go with the retro funiture.

Kindest thoughts.

[forfucksakenet]

Love this room and get lovely vibes from it!