You might have to click the video twice to get it to work properly. Technology is not perfect (but it’s fun).

As promised, today I’m showing off the 2nd floor of a recent whole-house renovation project. You’re going to find more ideas to use in your own home, I promise.

Above, from the left - the Master Bedroom had furniture lining the walls. Center - One boy’s bedroom had a bunk bed and just too much stuff. Right - the other boy’s bedroom had too much furniture and didn’t reflect his personality. I think all kids’ bedrooms look like these at some point! I’m showing the Before photos in black and white because I think it gives a layer of privacy.

Here’s the After in the Master Bedroom:

Yes, I could have asked Lulu the dog to get down so I could straighten up the bed, but she was so comfy and happy up there, so I didn’t!

The walls are now a warm, soothing gray (Sherwin’s Intellectual Gray). There’s a top-down/bottom-up room darkening shade on the window, flanked by gorgeous linen drapery panels. The sparkly light fixture on the ceiling? That’s also a ceiling fan! And take a look at the door over in the left corner. That’s a closet that we stole from another bedroom.

Oh yes, it’s pink!

There’s Lulu again. I think she likes having her picture taken. Pets have to handle a LOT of stress during home renovations and this girl was a trooper!

The point of the photo is to mention the gorgeous vintage Scandinavian rugs that we used to flank the bed and also in the new Master Bathroom. They’re so soft and make a terrific accent in an otherwise print-free room. We found all of them at Scandinavian Made. The owner, Susan Serra, is a pleasure to work with and has a beautiful website to shop on.

Here’s the other rug in the bedroom. I’m hooked on these beauties now. The mirrored nightstands double the pop of color and pattern.

And the next photo shows the third rug from Scandinavian Made in the new Master Bathroom. This bathroom didn’t exist prior to this project.

The homeowner suffers from migraine headaches. I wanted to keep her bedroom and bathroom calm and neutral - and a bit on the dark side. Hence the dark wall color on the bedroom walls and the dark floor in the bathroom. But she loves seeing her Scandinavian heritage represented with the vintage rugs.

The new bathroom is loaded with beautiful finishes, but it was a tight squeeze to get good photos. Sometimes grabbing images off the Mattaport video, like this one, was better than standing in the shower and trying to get the whole vanity wall in the frame. You can see the special camera in the left mirror. As a reminder, you can see the awesome Mattaport virtual walkthrough of this entire house here.

These cabinets are a very pale gray with a stunning Carrera marble counter. The floating upper cabinet gives a ton of storage, which was a big priority. The light fixtures look very icy and Nordic.

The shower in the Master Bathroom turned out so well and there are LOTS of ideas here. The oversized subway tile is a very pale blue, the accent tile was installed vertically from floor to ceiling and then used again in the shower niche. The niche has a metallic schluter tile edging (instead of traditional bullnose tile). The 3rd tile in this space is on the floor. They all play together very well.

Instead of a footrest in the shower, we added a shelf, made out of the same Carrera marble that’s on the vanity counter. This shelf is a great height for shaving legs and it serves the dual purpose of being another spot to perch shower jams and jellies. Since they’re somewhat out of sight, it’s a neater appearance in the room.

AND we added the Carrera marble to the top of the half-wall. By installing the shower glass in the middle of that pieces, we created an additional shelf for perching things. You might think this is shelf-overkill, but I’ve got the same configuration in our master shower and I love it!

This shower isn’t huge, but it’s deep. On the other side of the half-wall sits the toilet. The depth gives the toilet some extra privacy.

On to the oldest boy’s new bedroom:

This bedroom lost its closet because we gave it to the Master Bedroom. Not to worry - we created 2 custom closets, using Ikea’s Pax closet system. The contractor attached them to the wall and added crown molding at the top. Inside each has custom accessories tailored to what this young man needs. You can barely see it, but a blue velvet bench fits in perfectly between the closets. He can tuck shoes under it or add baskets for whatever he wants.

We added a new queen-sized bed in the mid-century modern style. His mom found the awesome hangers for all his Cross-Country running medals (he’s a record-setter!).

One of the things this talented guy told me he wanted for his new room was a mural of mountains across one wall. Using a terrific Etsy source, and installed by the project painter, here it is:

Isn’t that a terrific wall for a teenager’s room? Peaceful. Young people have so much going on. They need their headquarters to have a peaceful foundation. That’s my philosophy and I’m sticking to it.

The younger boy in the house is also a teenager. He loves color and asked for cyan walls:

We gave him cyan walls! His mom was afraid it would be scary-bright, but we all loved it once the furniture was back in. And how about those awesome shelves? They were always there. What an awesome display space for a creative kid.

This room already had a customized closet. All we had to do was replaced the louvred doors and paint the interior. It’s a great closet for this guy. Boys often need drawers more than hangers.

And finally, the boy’s bathroom:

A navy vanity, big mirror, slightly industrial light fixture and more of our gorgeous Carrera marble on the counters. It’s now a handsome room that’s easy to keep clean

The rules are clearly posted.

A Luxury Vinyl Tile (aka LVT) floor in a silvery gray goes well with the navy and white in the room. Think of a handsome man in a navy blazer, gray flannel trousers and a crisp white shirt. I’m definitely showing my age. When I was growing up, that was the uniform of a well-dressed man. Now it’s a good look in a bathroom. My, how times have changed!

The walls are a super soft blue and the shiplap is white.

Above shows slightly different views of the tub/shower. White subway tile is always budget-friendly, it’s got a soft gray grout, handsome bath fixtures and poppin’ cobalt blue penny tile in the niches. “Handsome” is obviously my favorite word to describe this bathroom.

Phew! Between today’s post and this earlier post, we’ve made it through the whole house! And don’t forget about this post, which lets you walk through every room virtually.

This project took the better part of a year, during a pandemic, to complete. There are only about a hundred ideas throughout the rooms that you can use in. your projects. Let me know if you adapt any of them - it would be fun to see what you did! And if you have any questions, please ask. Obviously, I love talking about this house.

With sparkle and texture,

Anne