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Friday, July 6

The Stand-In

I did a little switch-around upstairs in our bedroom the other day. I've been using the same $5 yard sale nightstand for the last 4 1/2 years and never really liked it. I even sanded it down and refinished it. And it worked well enough to get by. But it still wasn't pretty and it wasn't nearly as functional as I wanted it to be. You can see it a little in this picture from our bedroom painting post. If you can take your eyes off the sleeping cutie.


(Are these pictures looking terribly pixilated, or is it just my computer? They look awful from here, sorry if they are bad on your end too!)

Then I read this post by Young House Love. And that's when I realized I had the perfect thing sitting not 5 feet from the bed.


 So, while Baby B was distracted emptying my sock drawer, I switched out the old nightstand for the antique dresser I refinished for Baby B's room (before we swapped it for a more space efficient dresser). First impression? I love it!


For the last 14 months Baby B's crib has lived here, but we've scooted him to the other end of the room as a first step toward sleeping in his own room which left us a whole new world of space options. Maybe I can use that as part of my excuse for not finding this solution earlier? :)


My old little nightstand was just piled with books and lotions and kleenex and extra diapers, but no more! I think I'll still put the books on top, but standing along the back of the dresser all tidy-like. Everything else can be hidden in the top drawers while the bigger bottom drawer still holds extra blankets.


There are a couple things that still need tweaking. One is the lamps. I got them for $9 at Ikea a couple years ago and as much as I still like them they aren't working anymore. Mostly because I apparently painted the walls the exact color of the lampshades. Oops. Ha ha, you can barely see them in the picture above! I would rather have something that makes more of a statement and adds interest instead of blending in so much. Plus these guys are a little tall for our slanted ceilings. The other problem is that things are kind of off balance now.


 But I think I've already got a good start fixing one of those problems! Remember the lamps I found at a thrift store last weekend? I think they will be a perfect solution for the bedroom. They already fill up the space much better. Once they get a new coat of paint and some fun shades I think they will add some fun and interest to the room. And they are short enough that even with shades they won't bump the ceiling. Hopefully I'll get a final plan in place for these soon, and find a solution for problem #2....


 .... balance. There isn't any. It's nice finally having lamps at an even height because that looks more balanced, but having a super skinny nightstand on one side and a whole dresser on the other is just a little wonky. I don't want to take up a ton of space on the left side of the bed, but I am hoping to find something a little wider with more visual weight to even things out. I don't have any kind of specific plan yet. :)


 So for now I'll just work on getting my lamps finished. I'll probably end up painting them (I'm not a big fan of blue. I don't know why. And one of them has a good sized scuff on it anyway) but I'm trying not to rush into anything. Any suggestions on color? I want something fun, maybe bright. I'm thinking about a bright green or teal, or maybe even oil rubbed bronze? Or would a nice, crisp white be better? I'll have to see what I can find. :)


 I also don't feel like blue really works with anything else in the room. So, yeah, I'll probably end up painting. :)


What's that? You're wondering where the old nightstand went? Well, at the moment it's filling in where the dresser used to be across from the foot of the bed. Having a smaller table here actually created a much more cozy little seating area than the dresser did. So I will definitely call this a win-win! I don't know if I'll keep it for the long haul, but I'm at least giving it a chance in its new home. Now let's all give a big round of applause to Baby B for modeling the new arrangement. And for his speedy-fast pillow-drumming skillz.


And for his wonderful, wispy, fluffy hair!


Have you found a wonderful new home for anything lately? Do you have an unusual nightstand or an suggestion for one for the left side of the bed? What color should I paint my lamps???

9 comments:

  1. I like the idea of the bronze color. I think the white would blend in with the walls too much. The first picture was a little pixilated on my computer but the rest were fine.

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    1. You're probably right about the white. I think I will start with the bronze! I can always repaint if I don't like it. :) Thanks for the picture feedback. I'm glad it was just the one, but wish I could figure out how to fix it. Ahhhhh, technology. ;)

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  2. When I had a room large enough on one side of my bed I had a dresser, similar to what you've done, and the other side I had a simple ikea sofa table with 3 hampers underneath it for quick clothes sorting. Looks like you've got a fair amount of space on the other side of the bed you could take advantage of!

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    1. Love the hamper idea! And it's no secret that Ikea is the happiest place on earth. ;) We do have quite a bit of room to use, so lots of possibilities!

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  3. One option is paint the bases of both lamps terra cotta as well as the night stand between the two chairs. The stand to the left of the bed could be refinished to match the colors of the dresser on the right. I was originally thinking of adding a terra cotta "vase" on the floor next to the stand on the left that would have tall greener and brown grasses. However, I like Sharayah's idea of having something for dirty clothes. For years we kept our dirty laundry in the dining room, because it was in an interesting antique coffee bin with a "roll-top" lid. No one guessed what we had inside. If you found a piece of furniture such as that, it could be refinished to match the dresser and used in place of the stand. The top should still hold the lamp, but it would probably be bulky enough to balance out the room as well. Something moss colored, like a basket, would be a nice accent as well.

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    1. That should be "greenery," not greener.

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    2. I like the idea of painting the nightstand! And laundry storage. :)

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  4. Hi there, I just saw this post... I love your room. I don't have much to add, I like the idea of painting the little table to match the large one. And I like the idea of bronze lamps too! I look forward to seeing what you do. I'm in need of sorting out my bedroom so all the ideas are helpful!

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    1. Thank you! I still haven't decided what to do, ha ha. ;) Hopefully I'll have something helpful soon!

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