Can you help me make our master bedroom look less tired for house sale??

[OneDayIWillLearn]

we are due to list our house in 4 weeks time but I am feeling despairing about our master bedroom. To be honest it’s the room which sold us the house (it has a bay window and a second window so it is really light) and I think it looks ok in the agents’ photo (first pic attached)……but while we have complete redone every other room, this one kind of got left of the list and now it just depresses me and I think it looks bad. I don’t have much time or budget to improve it now alas but I feel like I need it to be much nicer before we let people in!!

what would you do (any ideas for colours/ patterns etc welcome!)?

• threadbare carpet with underlay near the door worn through
• cat scratched armchair
• bedframe which is meant to be intentionally ‘distressed’ but since we painted the room white just looks dirty
• curtains I bought in a hurry from Dunelm but now I just think are too dark for the room and not sure about the pattern
• Paint peeling off radiator

I’m lacking vision 😬

I would put white bedding on the bed, change the curtains for white floaty ones (even just some cheap ones from Shein or Primark) and get a couple of nice cushions for the chair. Also, big houseplants In terracotta pots would look nice, but they are expensive, even when purchased second hand.

Get rid of any extraneous furniture or clutter.

Radiator cover is a great shout.

I’m tempted to say paint the bed frame if you have time and surplus paint knocking around, but at the end of the day viewers aren’t buying your bed!

If you want/need to keep the chair (and I think it’s nice in that bay window) chuck a throw over it.

I’d get plain navy bedding and dress it up with cushions that match the curtains and some in an accent colour. I’d pick out the orange tone from the curtains.

But it is the master?

@DragonFly98 The language has changed in the States and it's now referred to as the principle bedroom rather than the master bedroom. I think it's because master has connotations with slavery / plantations etc. There's also a sexist association, why does it have to be a masculine term when women usually pay for half the house?

Design wise, I agree with the previous suggestions; neutral duvet cover, rehang the curtains or replace with cheap neutral coloured ones (H&M home have great ones and lots of sales), big houseplant from IKEA or homebase, remove the chair. It's a lovely room. Good luck!

Thanks for all the comments!
I have actually moved the little chest of drawers since that photo (I agree it is stupidly). Laundry basket could do with replacing and relocating yes indeed.

re curtains, the single window does have a matching curtain I think it’s just out of sight in the agents photo. But they are all a stupid length yes!! I can’t bear full length ones as I find them too annoying to draw but I could potentially take them up or if I can find some off the shelf ones I like that are a better length then maybe buy some new ones.

plain duvet covers and pillows I can do (though maybe not white - I know what will happen!)

I will try a plain throw on the chair I think to see how it looks (it’s actually a really sweet 1920s original and very comfortable - but I bought it needing re-upholstering and have not done it in 3 years….). if that looks rubbish I might give up on the chair altogether.

we had a massive cheese plant in our kitchen which I could relocate to the bedroom too.

torn on whether to try a rug on the carpet or if that will just make it worse. I actually bought a fairly decent carpet cleaner earlier in the year anyway so I can definitely give it a few goings over!!

@DragonFly98 @MariaDingbat I agree it’s a stupid term which I don’t think I’ve ever used outside the context of house particulars. Fair point.

I think it looks nice, homey and lived in! No one is buying your furniture and nothing at all takes away from how lovely the room is.

I'd put a plain duvet on the bed that goes with the curtains in some way, then buy two matching cheap throws and put one over the chair and the other folded on the foot of the bed such that it drapes over the top of the frame slightly (enough to hide the scuffs).

Hopefully as well as changing the name, they will also spell it properly.

What's under the carpet? If it's floorboards, I'd think of exposing them even if they aren't sanded. A good wash can do a lot. At least the buyers would then know they had the choice of sanding them or carpeting again.

Definitely white bed linen with some cushions and a throw.

I'd sand the radiator well and paint with eggshell or satinwood. The same on the skirting.

Definitely lose the chair.

Does Dunelm do fabric or cushions or anything in the curtain fabric? I’d buy that and make cushion covers (staple them in place of you need). Put them over a white duvet cover.
Throw the chair away or at least cover with a throw and another of those cushions. Paint the skirting board.
Ideally add a picture with a bit of the teal in it.

It’s a lovely room though, you don’t need much doing.

White duvet cover
White curtains
Move the drawers and basket out of shot
Throw over the chair

Quick question…..I’ve just remembered that I still have the curtains which came with the house when we bought it which are a William Morris print (albeit not a very colourful one) - they are the right length to sit on the sill as I think they were made for the window. I’ve just fished them out for a look.

what do we think, are they better than the Dunelm ones?? If so, what colours would you use to go with them to keep the room bright?

The answer is floorboards! Looks like they were possibly previously finished (they are smooth/ varnished not with the black sticky stuff on). I wouldn’t usually go for such a dark finish but maybe we could introduce a big lighter colour rug??

I'd definitely swap to the Morris curtains, they're a classic. White bed sheets, remove all clutter and chair. If the rest of your house us done, I would do this room too. People either want a doer upper. Or a fully renovated house, not an 'almost done, that'll do' house in my experience.

Pull up carpet, clean floor, see how that looks. I think it will give the room an airy, vintage vibe.

The Morris curtains suit the period of the house better. Definitely get rid of the blue ones.

I'd still consider long voile ones in white or off-white; don't IKEA have them fairly cheap? To give the room more of a spa look.

Bin the chair, put the 3 drawer drawers in the garage/loft and rehang the curtains properly. Touch up the paintwork and I think it would be a lovely room.

If the floor is fairly evenly coloured, I'd take up the carpet. At least they would know it's an option if they want to refinish it. I think it would look better.

yes to the morris curtains! And maybe pick out the pale warm beige colour in them for duvet, then two shades darker for a throw.

I think a lot of the advice will depend on how you are marketing the property/what price you hope to achieve.

Are you pricing it up as a doer upper? As the top price on your street? What did comparable properties in your price range/street look like?

It's a lovely neutral room and the wardrobes look great.

Send the chair off to be reupholstered. Gets it out of your hair and gets it done for your new home.

Morris curtains back up. Small drawers gone, leave wicker basket between both windows assuming you need to carry on with your life. Easy to remove for EA pics.

Carpet is a bit manky [sorry] so cleaned or ripped out. Skirting boards and radiators is the work of a few hours. I've repainted a hall stairs and landing and a Iiving room in a weekend before EA photos. It can be done albeit much easier in just white which also appeals to buyers.

Most of this stuff won't appear in pictures but will impact viewings especially if the rest of the house is nice.

You don't say where you live but it's usually worth spending some money to tart up the place for a quick sale so even new carpet may be worth it.

The curtains are the wrong length,. Floor length would show off the window better.

All of the above are good suggestions, but if money is an issue, a good clean, general tidying (including hanging that drooping curtain properly) and vacuuming under the bed should suffice. Open the windows to let in plenty of fresh air; sellers often under-estimate the impact of smell on prospective purchasers.

Good presentation is a plus, but remember a serious buyer will be able to see past the cosmetic issues.