When you get married, you inherit things. You begin to intertwine your life and your possessions with those of your partner. Some things, you try to divest of as fast as you can, like when I told my husband that he could just leave that gold plaid sofa from his college apartment on the truck. But some things that you inherit end up being your own cherished treasures.

I was a wandering gypsy girl from middle Louisiana who wasn’t afraid of anything, but when my future-husband-to-be introduced me to his circle of friends I must tell you that I was nervous. What would they think of me, and would I be in the club? That’s when I met Traci, my closest and best friend (and partner in crime). She’s the one who can make me laugh at just about anything and when the two of us are together, who knows what could happen! Traci’s reassuring smile and her warm brown eyes would make anyone feel right at home! From that moment on, Traci has been a part of my family’s story: weddings, babies, birthdays, vacations, backyard barbecues, New Year’s Eves. She even moved right down the street and we are neighbors! We have raised our boys together, laughed, cried, laughed some more, traded chickens, made a whole village of gingerbread houses and survived a tornado in a storm shelter with three dogs and a mouse. What I’m saying is that we’re tight.

We were sitting on the back porch swing one day and Traci says, “I think I want to re-do my bedroom.” She didn’t have to say it twice. I left her in mid-swing and came back with paint swatches before she even noticed I was gone. She picked out the most soothing shade of blue because it made her feel like she was relaxing on the beach. What’s better than a little mini-vacation every time you walk into your bedroom?

With the wall color selected, we headed to the fabric store. Of course we went back and forth on different patterns and styles until we found the perfect print to go with the new color. We rushed right over to see our seamstress friend at Tracey’s Feathered Nest Custom Sewing Shop to give her the fabric*. She is a genius with the sewing machine and made beautiful handmade curtains for the new look. A friend of ours had an old armchair that had been sitting in her garage for a while, and when she heard about our project she graciously offered it to us. We stripped off the outdated brown tapestry fabric and painted the frame a creamy white and used the same fabric from the curtains for the chair. This pulled together the whole custom look and feel of the new room, it was a breath of fresh air!

The room began to come together and we had a decision to make on the furniture. Traci is very nostalgic and I knew that this was the first furniture that she and her husband Shannon bought when they got married. It was still beautiful and had good bones, but the outdated golden finish just wasn’t going to work with the airy feel of the new room. I suggested giving the bedroom suite a new paint finish. The king-sized bed, two nightstands, and even the old tv cabinet got a fresh face-lift making the room a sea of calming colors. The tv cabinet also changed roles and now holds Traci’s collection of heirloom quilts. There is nothing better than giving new life to furniture that has a story.

With the furniture underway in the workshop for its new finish, we went to work shopping for new bedding, pillows, lamps and a few accessories. After just a few days of mattress-on-the-floor time, the walls were painted and the furniture was ready for its big reveal. We moved everything back in, hung curtains and art and fluffed the pillows with home show-style fanfare. We bought about a dozen lamps and we tried them one-by-one on the nightstands while her husband just shook his head and chuckled. It’s a process Shannon! We have to make sure we get the perfect one! But in just a few days and a few bucks later, Traci and Shannon’s bedroom was transformed into an airy and peaceful oasis of soft blues and whites. This project will always be one of my favorites because I got to create something beautiful with a treasured friend, and watching their faces light up is a bonus. Now, who’s room is next? 

Here's a sneak peak of the room before the makeover, what do you think?