Bedroom is Done!

My bedroom is done! :D

I have to say, it was hard to stay on track with working on just one room. Other project ideas are constantly popping into my head. I'd like to do some sewing... Those tables need to be painted... This closet needs reorganizing...

But I'm glad I forced myself to stay focused. It's wonderful to have one room in the house entirely finished.

To celebrate the completion, I created a Bedroom DIYs and Decor page that lists and links to all the DIY projects and decor in the room.

Crown Molding

Finally! I have installed crown molding in my bedroom. :)

I used polyurethane molding and corner blocks. There were some pros and cons.

• The molding arrives primed to be ready for painting. Unfortunately, the primer had a very rough, uneven texture (from a poor spray job, perhaps?). I had to spend a LOT of time sanding it smooth before I could paint.
• Polyurethane is very lightweight, which made the molding super easy to install, even by myself. I was able to prop the far end of the molding on a small nail while I attached it with my pneumatic nailer.
• No scarf joints are necessary with polyurethane molding. I was able to simply butt adjoining pieces together.
• The corner blocks were a bit of a challenge because none of the corners of my room is a 90-degree angle.
• However, a corner block was ideal for the corner near my chandelier because I was able to use my Dremel to cut notches out and run the chandelier power cord through/behind the block.

no crown molding

with crown molding

Waterfall Valances

I hung my new valances. I like them! :)

I had some trouble photographing them. My camera has an autofocus feature - you point the camera toward a thing, press the autofocus, and when the camera has focused on the thing, it gives a little green light. Unfortunately, it does not always recognize a black thing as a thing.

I pointed my camera at the valances, pressed the autofocus... and got a confused beep and a little yellow question mark.

I tried again and got the same thing. It's like the camera was looking for something, but only saw black and was all "I got nothing for you."

Finally, I had to take a wider shot and focus on the lamp next to the window. So the valances are blurry.

Wizard's Potion and Crown

As mentioned in previous posts, I recently hung two lamps in my bedroom, using plastic channels to cover the cords. I also added new wood trim around a window. I wanted to paint the channels and the wood to match the walls, and I needed to touch up some spots around the shelf I recently installed. So I purchased the same paint as on my walls... but the color was a little off. Not surprising with an intense purple, especially since the walls were painted six years ago.

I decided to go ahead and paint the whole room. I used Behr "Wizard's Potion" in an eggshell sheen. It's very similar to the satin "Wild Elderberry" I previously used - just a bit lighter and with a softer sheen. The change is subtle, but it really freshened up the room. I am very happy with it.

Wild Elderberry on top; Wizard's Potion on bottom
both are more purple (less blue) than my camera would lead you to believe

There are now just two items remaining for the bedroom: crown molding and valances. I have the molding on hand; I hope to get it painted and installed this weekend.

The valances are on order and should arrive Monday. I couldn't find exactly the style I wanted, but maybe these will work.

I am now very close to finishing the bedroom. :) It will be so nice to have one room in the house completely done!

A Heliophobe's Guide to Hanging Curtains

Or How to Maximize the Room Darkening Effect of Curtains

I once read a scathing review of room darkening curtains. The reviewer complained that the "useless" curtains let light in along the top of the window. The reviewer's blame was misplaced. She should have focused not on the curtains, but on the way they were hung. If you hang curtains in the usual way on typical curtain rods, light will come in along the top. But you can hang curtains in a way that eliminates almost all light leakage.

First, hang a curtain panel on a tension rod inside the window frame. Place the tension rod as high as possible in the frame. The curtain header (the fabric above the rod pocket) should fold forward against the top of the window frame.

Pull the curtain fabric snug against the sides of the window frame. The rod should be completely covered.

Next, hang panels on a rod outside the window frame. Keep in mind that the further the rod extends out from the wall, the more light will come in. I like to use a cafe rod (the gold rod in the photo below) because it sits closer to the wall than a typical rod (such as the black rod in the photo).

To reduce light coming in along the sides, install the rod so that it's at least a few inches wider than the window opening.

With a cafe rod, you can usually pull the curtain fabric right over the bracket and the end of the rod, further blocking light.

With two layers of curtains hung in this way, you will have almost no light leaking in.

Simple DIY Window Trim

Thanks to 40 years of various curtain rods and tiebacks, my bedroom window was surrounded by several holes. They were hidden by the curtains, but I knew they were lurking there. ;)

I decided to add some trim around the window to cover all the holes and make the window look a bit more finished. I used pine 1x4s to create a sort of simplified Craftsman style casing and installed it with my pneumatic nailer.

Because the trim will mostly be covered by curtains, I simply painted it the same color as the walls.

The trim isn't really visible, but it was worth doing as it required only a small investment of money and time. It's certainly better than two dozen holes scattered all around the window. :)