Before and After: Redesigning a Small Bedroom in Maritime Style

Julie Carlson has a small guest bedroom in her vacation home in Wellesley (USA, Massachusetts). No one had lived in it for a long time, and the room was not comfortable — it needed urgent updates to the finishing and new furniture.

How did the bedroom look before the renovation? What changed?

Julie was helped by her colleague Justin Hend, who knows how to work with color. The walls were painted in a soft bluish-green shade called "River Mist." People say it resembles the color of water in Cape Cod Bay nearby.

The ceiling and doors were painted white to make the interior look lighter and more airy. The floor planks were left unchanged — they were in good condition. In such cases, it's enough to restore the floor and apply a coat of varnish.

To make the interior even more reminiscent of the sea and relaxation, it was filled with bright sunny details: a jute rug was laid on the floor (Julie's cat Yo-Yo loves to sleep here), and yellow pillows were thrown on the bed.

Another small detail reminding of the sea is a seashell hung above the bed. It's great when you have the opportunity to go to the beach and get a decorative element for your interior completely free of charge.

Since the room is very small, a headboardless bed was chosen so it wouldn’t look too bulky. Instead, framed paintings were hung above the bed — with these, the interior immediately became cozier.

The niche with a mini-wardrobe was painted yellow to add a bit of warmth to the cool color palette.

Julie decided not to buy new items for decorating the bedroom. The rocking chair was found at a flea market, and the vintage dresser came with the house. Julie herself repainted the dresser white.

Photo source: remodelista.com/