Our First Home: The Master Bedroom

A while back when I shared the exciting news that the boy and I had purchased a condo, I shared what I had in mind for the design our bathrooms (master bathroom will be straying from that initial plan - no Martinique wallpaper for me; tear).

I know I mentioned here that though I've been having issues (major understatement) in deciding on paint colors for the new place, but the one color I was confident about from day one was doing navy in the master bedroom. This was for two reasons: one, because the boor boy has been stuck with my very girly linens for the past year and two, the room has FOUR windows, so I knew the dark walls could hold up to it.

I have a very strong vision of what kind of feel I want the room to have; navy & white bedding, white furniture with accents of gold, and either apple green or coral - decidedly prep, erring on nautical but not too strongly. 

That said, aside from having decided on Benjamin Moore's Hale Navy for the walls, this room is a blank slate. We are upgrading to a king-sized bed (the boy is 6'4" so we need all the space we can get) and my existing bureau was $175 and breaks a little more every time I open  a drawer. We are going to push everything from our current bedroom into the guest bed and so, I am left with all the freedom in the world with this room, from the furniture to the bedding, lighting, wall art, and accents. Great? Maybe. Overwhelmed? Definitely.

Here are two options I've played around with for the room (so far):

Green accents (obviously).

And coral.

I am super, super undecided about which I like better; I'm tempted to go with the orangey-coral to make it a little more chinoiserie flair-friendly, but the pop of lime is so fresh and happy, and of course, a bit more manly. 

I haven't fully-decided on the bedding yet. I know part of the color pop will be in the sheets, so I am holding off on that search, but we'll need at least a duvet to start, and I am set on white with navy trim.

Top contenders:

{Pottery Barn}

Super clean looking, definitely would need some spice with patterned shams/throw pillows.

{Land's End}

Much more interesting, but I'm not sure I love it - maybe without those shams the print would be less overwhelming?

{Land's End}

I love the greek key-esque detail but it might be a little too white...

{West Elm}

Super cost-effective, very nautical, and less likely that we will stain it within 6 months.

{Peacock Alley}

Pricey, but we could go basic with the duvet cover and focus on the awesome herringbone texture of the coverlet (and protect staining).

{Williams Sonoma}

The colors are more limiting here but I die over how crisp this look is, and I will love it even more once we can monogram it (obviously).

{Anne Tatum}

Thicker border, which I love, but much less visual interest.

Or...

My tried-and-true Serena & Lily?

Yes, I fully realize that these are all almost exactly the same and that I might be losing my mind.

Moving on...

The other huge issue I'm struggling with is deciding what to do with that extra popped-out window space. You can't tell from the picture, but it is really oversized - we thought about doing a built-in window seat but it is honestly too big; it would be like a mini twin bed in our window, which is just awkward and unnecessary, not to mention permanent.

I have thought about dong a chaise or a nice armchair (like room #1), but it seems pretty impractical (we don't hang out in our room very often) and of course, expensive and not super versatile for future moves. A desk would fit nicely there (like in room #2), but I prefer to keep work out of the bedroom and we have the space for one in the guest bed, so it's unnecessary. We have the space for a dresser on the wall opposite the bed so it wouldn't go there either. 

What else is there to do? A vanity (OBSESSED with this one)? I'd love it, but I doubt the boy wants me flipping lights and opening the curtains to do my makeup before he's even awake. 

A bench? We could use a good amount of extra storage, but no bench would be large enough to fill that space, and it would just feel wasted.

OKAY, finally out of things to say (aren't you glad?). If you took the time to read all of that, #1, THANK YOU. #2, HELP?! But really, if you have any comments, thoughts, opinions - anything at all - I am clearly desperate for direction, so point me somewhere!