Free Stylin'

K, so I promised to show you my side of the bed today. Both The Hubs and I have new nightstands, and I’m really excited about turning something I already owned into a new piece of furniture for my room.

 

But before I show you the new one, here’s what I was using before. This has been my nightstand for the last million years. It is a family piece that I found in my grandparents’ garage. I kept it “as is” for years because of the shabby chic look that was so in, and then I just kept waiting for inspiration to strike a makeover. Yeah, that never happened.

Now I’ve moved on, and the nightstand has a new home in my niece Gracie’s room. My sister already has some cute ideas for it, too. Add that to the fact that the nightstand was too small and short for my bed, and I am happy to see it go.

 

So when it came time to replacing the nightstand, I found some great inspiration from the following two pictures:

Our Fifth House

 

Romantic Homes

 

I love the idea of a desk as a nightstand, and the fact that I had just the one in the other room didn’t hurt either! Remember this?

The Hubs no longer needed it since I built his new desk last year. So this one was just waiting it’s turn for it’s next life in the Free Stylin’ house. I love seeing a picture of something similar to a piece I already own! Both the desk and chair just needed a couple of coats of paint, and they would be perfect for my side of the bed.

 

Even my cute J got in on DIY the action.

Instagram

I chose Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee (mixed for me at Lowe’s). The color is just right – white, but not blinding white. It’s subtle and calm.

 

Here’s my “new” nightstand and chair:

 

I love the size – it is the perfect height, and it is so much wider than my little nightstand from before. The chair is great for some extra seating. If I want to work from my computer here, I can. If I need to put baby things on here soon, there is lots of space.

 

There is a little tray for my phone, too. I wanted to share a little tip: I used a binder clip and clipped it to the edge of the tray. My phone charger is threaded through the loop so it doesn’t fall out and get lost. Now I can just plug in my phone without having to crawl under the desk to find the charger.

A little bowl collects the jewelry I might forget to take off before I get into bed. And, you may notice that The Hubs and I are both using our Pottery Barn inspired lamps on our nightstands. The silver brings some more glam to the room, while the burlap adds texture. I really love the look.

 

Here are a few more “desk-as-a-nightstand” inspiration pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Ballard Designs

 

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HGTV

 

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Do you happen to have a desk you aren’t using right now that could have a new life as a nightstand? I highly recommend it!

 

Next up for the room are pictures that will hang above the nightstands, as well as something to go over the bed. Curtains are also in the works. Plus a few more DIY projects.

 

But first: a baby!!

 

Yep! We check in to the hospital tonight  - I’m being induced tomorrow. Wow! I can’t believe it’s already time. Crossing my fingers for a good delivery and healthy baby. I’ll be sure to post a few pics, so check back soon!

 

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K, so I’m excited to report a few more updates in the master bedroom! Things are really coming along (which is great because this little baby will be here ANY day now!!!). It feels good to have a comfortable and pretty place to bring him home to.

 

Today’s topic: nightstands. The Hubs and I each desperately needed new tables on either side of our bed. Ours weren’t working out so well because they were short, tiny, and needed new paint. The last one I could do. But changing the height and size meant we needed to ditch the ones we have for the right ones….nightstands that would actually work for us.

 

This was his:

 

The Hubs had to lean over pretty far to get anything from his nightstand, and he’d practically fall out of the bed in the process. I’ve mentioned we’ve been working with Autumn on our room makeover, and she was able to help us figure out exactly what size nightstands would work for us. We actually measured. With a measuring tape. It was awesome.

 

I already had a nightstand in mind for my side of the bed (I’ll show you in my next post because I LOVE it!!!!), so we only needed to purchase one for The Hubs. But you know me, I didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg on this piece because I am cheap resourceful like that. Luckily Autumn was on my wavelength and helped me find lots of options that worked in our price range.

 

Here are a few affordable options I looked at:

 

This two-shelf book case from Target runs about $72. I like the dual purpose of a nightstand and bookshelf, so I seriously considered buying one in white.

 

Target

One of the most popular pieces of furniture to makeover (it seems) is the Ikea Rast three drawer chest. At 34.99 it’s a great deal, and you can totally tailor it to your taste, color, and style.

Ikea

I love using this metallic table from World Market next to the bed because it is so glamorous! Although not online, you can find it in stores.

Sarah M. Dorsey Designs 

How’s this for super inexpensive? I really like the idea of using a floating shelf for a nightstand, especially in a small space. Shelves and brackets can easily be purchased at Ikea for a couple of dollars (like the ones in my hall closet) or at a home improvement store.

Anyone know the source for this one? I can’t seem to find it anywhere!

In the end, we bought an Expedit four cube shelf from Ikea for $39.99. The baskets were about $17 a piece, and they add texture, and storage, to the space.

The height is perfect, and The Hubs doesn’t fall out of bed trying to reach for his phone or glasses.

What did I take from this nightstand lesson? A few things: I kept thinking our nightstands were working for us because we weren’t spending any money on them (we got both of them for free). But, they DON’T have to be expensive. They CAN be affordable. Nightstands don’t need to be “matchy-matchy” either, but they do need to be the right size!

If you already have nightstands that work for you, but they need a little makeover, a coat of paint, or just changing out the knobs on the drawer, can give you a whole new look, too. I used this idea for my side of the bed. I’ll show you which piece of furniture we already owned got a little makeover and now has a new purpose as my nightstand in my next post.

Have a great day friends!

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