Master Bedroom: In the Zone

What is it about the anticipation of the weekend that causes my mind to start wandering toward decorating? Is it a form of nesting?

Almost exactly a year ago, I enrolled in an online decorating course created by my favorite decorating blogger, Myquillin Smith. I adore Myquillin's perspective on making a home cozy and beautiful. Not only do I adore her style, but I also love how she doesn't take it too seriously. Her motto is "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." The final chapter of her book, The Nesting Place, will forever color the way I look at and think about decorating. She tells a story about a letter she received from a child she sponsored through Compassion International and how he was so proud of the fact that his house had one window. He asked her how many windows she had in her house, and she couldn't bring herself to answer the question in her response, because... We. Just. Have. So. Much. Whenever I find myself internally grumbling about the state of our hardwood floors or the fact that our trim isn't painted white, I remember Myquillin's story about the little boy whose house was so beautiful to him because it had a window. You won't believe how quickly that shuts up my whiny internal gremlin!

In her Cozy Minimalist course, Myquillin challenges the participants to choose one room to focus on. I chose our master bedroom, because it's the one room in the house that's (mostly) off-limits to the boys. I can have some degree of control over it, and I don't have to worry (as much) about them destroying things in it. I made some progress. I painted one of the flesh-colored walls a warm gray color (Anew Gray by Sherwin Williams, in case you're wondering). I replaced our bed (the one we were using had been my bed as a teenager) and purchased new bedding. I took down the dated window treatments, hung some fresh white curtains "high and wide" on either side of our bed and stripped down the large arched-window so the architecture could really shine. In spite of all of these changes, I feel as though the room is far from finished. We love the fact that the bedroom is large (Dan paced it off at about 22 feet long), but the long wall opposite our bed is so long, that it's a bit challenging. What do I put against that super-long windowless wall? I decided to break it into zones.

Zone #1: The Awkward Space
From the edge of our bedroom door to the edge of our dresser is approximately 7 feet of awkwardness. It currently has a cheap MDF bookcase from college that houses a a shelf of Dan's books, a shelf of my books, and some randomness. As you can see, I did not get a chance to paint over the flesh-colored paint on this wall. We're kind of paralyzed by not knowing what to do about the in-wall speaker. Some previous owners painted thickly over it, and we're not sure how to deal with it. Any ideas? Pretty please?

Zone #2: The Dresser/TV
The dresser is centered opposite our bed, and I'm pretty happy with the placement. I know many advise against it, but I like having a television in the bedroom. We don't have cable or satellite right now, so the only time we ever use it is if one of us is sick in bed. I had a horrible stomach bug last year, and watching the entire mini-series of Pride and Prejudice (the good BBC one with Colin Firth) from the comfort of our bed was the only thing that brought me some degree of enjoyment.

Zone #3: Reading Nook
1:00 in the afternoon is probably one of my favorite times of the day, because I get some one-on-one snuggle time with each of my boys. Logan picks out a few board books or a picture book and we cram ourselves into the glider in the nursery and read before his naptime. When Logan is down for his nap, I get Conner, and we head to the reading nook in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom. He reads me a couple of stories from his easy-reader, and I read him a picture book. Conner goes down for his quiet time. Then I get Shane, and we spend 20 minutes or so either taking turns reading (he's really into Dan's old Clue logic puzzle books from when he was little), or I read to him from the reading list I made over the summer. Then Shane heads downstairs and reads independently, and... wait for it... I get to lie down!! Oh, precious, precious, wonderful time! Anyhoo, the loveseat in the corner of our bedroom is meant to be a special place to read with the boys or for Dan and I to read, if we ever find the opportunity.

So, clearly, my mission is to work on Zone #1--the awkward space. But what to make it? I have two ideas.

Option #1: A Vanity Table
You probably know by now that I don't feel like myself without a thick coat of mascara, so what about a vanity table? I am thinking of something along the line of this one.

Option #2: A Writing Desk
Especially now that I'm blogging, I'm finding that our big ol' family PC in the communal school room probably isn't going to work for me long-term. I'd love to get a laptop and situate it on a pretty desk in a place that is (usually) free of adorable blonde boys. 🙂 I LOVE this one, but it is currently unavailable:

I like this one too, but it's not real wood, and I'm trying to collect more permanent high-quality pieces.

I'm leaning toward option #2, a writing table, at this point, because it's more practical. Also, if I did go with a vanity table, I'm not sure applying makeup over carpet would be the best idea, and I'm also far from any natural sunlight. What do you think? Option #1 or option #2? Is there an option #3 I'm not thinking of? I'd love to know your thoughts!