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 😬

Maybe put up some of those hooks to hold back curtains, then you could drape them nicely and make the length of the curtains look intentional for draping purposes?

I’ve just prepped a house for sale and I looked at ads for posh retirement flats to get some ideas. I bought a bedspread from dunelm, semi quilted, and it really improved the room, it’s hard to get duvets to look smart. So I’d look at bedding ads for inspiration. Throw and maybe cushion on the chair, if you have time paint the radiator and maybe skirting board. I’d leave carpet as I’d be quite pleased not to be paying for a new carpet I didn’t like, well I’m hoping our potential buyers see it that way. Good luck!

Lighter curtains might also look nice , maybe if you got floor length you could use them in the new house? Some curtains are cheap or you can get them on eBay gumtree or even free cycle

I don’t like any of the curtains, they feel drab and oppressive. IKEA voiles, I beg of you! Also is that cat food in the room? Along with the cat scratched chair it would give me catty, animal-y whatever the house version of ‘the ick’ is. I love animals, but I can smell and feel them in peoples’ homes and it would put me off buying as I’d be worried about ingrained smells. The floor needs a really good scrub with strong cleaners, don’t be getting eco cleaners when you’re trying to sell. Chuck anything like waste paper basket or literally anything that’s just there other than bed and furniture unless it brings something aesthetically pleasing to the table. Definitely repaint the skirting, from recent experience it can be done in an afternoon and makes a huge difference.

Wm Morris prints are bang on trend just now, and curtains either need to be full length or made to measure like those ones.
You’ve improved the room massively with what you’ve done…the most I’d potentially do is paint the radiator, BUT that may make the rest of the paintwork look tired, which is potentially worse!

Much better but I'd lose that lamp by the armchair, the dark curtains and the cat food.

Fold the duvet at the foot of the bed.

I would replace curtains. They really are awful. Put in some blinds or neutral curtains.
Plain bedding in white
Cable knit or other neutral throw over bed
Bin the chair.

That's such a shame that they hadn't varnished all the way but it still looks better. I've bought large cheap rugs online from a place called Kukoon.

The floor is a big improvement.

I'd put the armchair by the small window and expose the bay window.

The armchair by the bookshelves would suggest a quiet reading area and give the impression of spaciousness. At present, it just obscures the bay window.

I wouldn't worry about the floor not stained sanded all.over,it was quite usual to have a large rug,or even lino square in the centre. You don't have an iron,yet you sew. I know the vast majority of mn do not possess irons. How can you adjust curtains without ironing the hems! I know people claim no ironing doesn't show, what do you do when you wash curtains etc. why do you have cat food bowls in your bedroom! I put white voiles,you can get them cheap as chips on vinted. I got some huge ones recently for a tenner. I had them in my last house (black out roller blinds underneath I worked nights) this was 12 years ago,a lot of people commented it looked old fashioned and shouted gt granny..I'm going to stick my neck out, and say why have you let it get into this state.

Get rid of curtains

Curtains are nice
Get rid of the armchair
Put a throw on the bed and make it up properly with cushions etc to detract from the dirty looking bed.

The room is lovely! I see the potential- easy to replace carpets and paint skirting boards and if you want you can do that before selling.

@Nannyfannybanny bit harsh?!

Re hemming, I fold them firmly and then pin. I’m not a dressmaker but I’ve made curtains several times and can certainly do hems.

re: why did I let it get into this state? Well we moved in 2019 with a baby and two year old, house had been rented out for 30 years so all in v tired state. The bedroom was the most neutrally painted of all the rooms and the carpet was old but a neutral colour. Since then we have done EVERYTHING- kitchen and loft extensions, new kitchen, two new bathrooms, redecorated every other room, redone every other floor, refurbished all the windows, redone heating system etc etc but while the major works were going on, all the furniture from the whole rest of the house was piled up our bedroom (every other room had work done) so it wasn’t possible to redecorate or recarpet. We were going to do it straight afterwards but had run out of steam and gone over budget (and time, thanks partly to covid). However I repainted all the walls, windows and cupboards in our bedroom myself last year. We have young children and two full time jobs so yeah, it’s not perfect, but I’ve had lots of compliments on how nice the house is. And we have a cleaner weekly so it isn’t dirty, but yes it is tired and - as I have freely admitted - depresses me compared to the rest of the house.

my photo is just to show progress, I’m not saying it’s the finished article ready for viewing. I’ve got the kids off school and we’re between holidays so yes there is some stuff around (and yes we do have cats but of course there will be no pet paraphernalia around once it comes to photos and viewings!)

I am going to change the curtains though. I was never totally sold on them but hearing people’s views on me has convinced me something lighter and more neutral would be better.

Thanks for taking the time to comment anyway, sometimes it is hard to see tho bus with enough detachment when you live with them every day.

@mathanxiety thats a nice idea, hadn’t thought of that….

I don’t think you should worry about the curtains. Just take them up and hang them properly. Get plain white duvet and get a throw and accent cushions to match curtains. It will bring everything together.

if you are worried about the floorboards, get a rug the right size and include it in the sale.

agree move chair to make reading nook. Cover damage with another matching throw and cushion.

yes to big plant.

thanks for the updated pics. I love seeing before and afters!

I quite like the Morris curtains too. I would put them up, get a soft green duvet to tie in with the leaves on the curtains, and try to stain the lighter patch darker so it matches better rather than refinishing the lot.

Loving these suggestions. I like the chair- just cover with a nice throw you like do can take with you. Nice blanket across bottom of bed, ditto. If you buy what you like you can take it with you. Love the new curtains and honestly , I'd be getting new anyway if moving and do t think people will be put off.
I'm liking the idea of a rug under the bed too. You can tell people it's a different colour underneath it. They may not care

Haha, sorry you thought I was harsh. But of course,if the rest of the house is done up,that bedroom will stick out like the proverbial sore thumb! Just being nosey now, did you actually do all the renovations yourself, and why are moving. Don't get the wrong idea about me asking this,it is genuine interest, because we've always bought doer uppers,it's the only way we could afford to buy. Our last house had only had one occupant since it was built in 1938, they rented. We moved there in 2000, had the original doors,no central heating, pretty single glazed windows, and 60s op art wallpaper. By the time we had done everything, and I mean we (apart from the new window, and conservatory) we move.

It's such a lovely light room that I would see past everything you have flagged save for the carpet but if everything else was what I was after I would just plan to replace.

@Nannyfannybanny no we didn’t do it all ourselves, mostly builders and pros. We were planning to be here long term so did everything with the idea of living here and having the children grow up to be teenagers here, but then had an unexpected change in our work situation and it has made moving inevitable really (unless we both want to do midlife career changes!). I’m excited about the move now but feel a lot of sadness about leaving this house as we chose it/ have done the work with a lot of love and did think we’d be here long term. Anyway, things move on! A new project awaits!

@Nannyfannybanny and don’t worry, it is genuinely interesting to hear what people think!

@Nannyfannybanny You took out all the original features, then moved?

No,we didn't take out all the original features. The windows were single glazed hanging off. We kept the 1930s paneled doors, the bakelite handles. Original wardrobes, kitchen cupboards, range fireplace and terracotta tiles surround, picture frames. Stairs had been filled in (Barry bucknalled this was called in the 1970s) doors Were acid dipped,floors sanded. We did most of it ourselves... while living in the property, tiny cottage,2 of our kids,3 dogs,a cat. Re wiring was done by qualified electrician, I had no hall floor for several weeks.

Personally, I'd paint the walls to contrast with the wardrobes, maybe a nice sage green, and get white bedding with a patterned throw/cushions. Bin the armchair altogether and put that basket out of the way. Get some different floor length curtains, maybe plain navy. Not keen on that lamp.

La Redoute do a variety of voile and linen panels with tie tops. Easy to hang and hem. You can hem them with magic tape to fit the windows. Always on offer.