Last summer we decided we wanted to give our room a makeover. Not because it wasn’t pretty before, it was! But the paint needed a refresh as it was there for many years before we moved in, and we were ready to make this room truly our own.

While we still have more to do, I thought I would give you an update of where we are now!

We thought of so many different ideas for this room, but in the end our decision came down to a few things:

One, we wanted to use paint to help set a mood. We decided we didn’t want blue or blue striped walls here (even though we love blue!) for two main reasons, and probably a dozen more.

First, we wanted our Facebook marketplace find, our Robin’s Egg Blue Ethan Allen Quincy Bed, to not get lost in the color palette. We wanted it to feel special, like the focal point of the room. Every blue we liked in this room looked exactly like the bed haha, so we couldn’t find another one we loved enough.

And secondly, with the primarily northern light through our doors and windows all day, wanted to set a cozier mood which would let the bed and the expanse of moody blues we see outside every day, stand out.

There were many other considerations in choosing our color palette (by the way, I’ve had SO many questions about paint colors in our home that I’m putting together a paint color round up post (finally!) to answer all of your questions and I’ll create one specifically for this room and about our stripes, too.)

Here were a few other considerations that helped us decide on the direction for this room:

• we didn’t want to invest in wallpaper or paneling just yet, so paint was the most practical and affordable choice
• we have blue walls elsewhere in the house and plan to have blue walls in at least the guest room if not both, so we have plenty of places to make that statement
• we wanted to be creative with our room, to make it feel like a special retreat within our home
• we want each room in our home to have its own personality
• we wanted a warm and inviting mood that would provide contrast to showcase the views better (we see mostly blues and in the winter the view is washed in stormy grays with the darker tree-filled island outside)
• we wanted to compliment the mood of where we live in a unexpected (not necessarily matching or typical) way

We ultimately wanted to make our room feel like a true escape every day, so to help confirm our decisions we imagined what it would feel like if we just arrived at a quaint Cottage by the Sea Bed and Breakfast Inn.

And — this was a huge help–we used my Room Recipe Method to hone in on the right decisions for us. It works every time! Not based on rules or trends, but timeless principles and what would truly make this our own sanctuary.

I teach this intentional, timeless, and uniquely personal, process of making decorating decisions for your home and the life you want to live in my 5 Week Room Recipe Workshop within HomeBody Gathering Place. It’s not about copying a style, but finding your own.

In this workshop I share my tried and true timeless ingredients and formulas to make clear confident decisions, as well as to make a room your own. This method helps you find clarity and confidence to use what you have and get creative with what you love — even if I feel any indecision at all, I return to this method because it gets me back on track and moving forward.

While we DO live in a cottage by the sea now, you might recall (if you’ve followed for a long time) that this Bed and Breakfast by the sea mood has been my long-time dream, no matter where we lived! We didn’t always live so close to the water, but I always dreamed of how it would feel.

In our room we chose our colors and design based on what we felt would make our room feel like it was an inn, and feel as if we’re on vacation here.

It’s so important to think through the mood you want for your home and the room you’re working on before you make changes. It makes such a difference in the choices you’ll make.

For example, to select a mood I determined when we use this room the most. While we sleep here, we are actually drawn to enjoy this room all day long. The view is magical throughout the day, so we always stop in to enjoy a passing boat, sunrise or sunset, and it’s a cozy retreat for me to relax or work during the day.

With that in mind, I wanted this room to feel enchanting and delightful to be in when it’s daytime, but still have a cozy glow that feels relaxing and inviting at night.

So once we were certain of the mood we wanted, we got started!

We still have to paint the trim so there’s still more to do but I’ll address a few things we did and used in this room.

And remember I will do a separate post on the specific paint colors and process of painting the stripes, so stay tuned for that (make sure you’re subscribed to my free newsletter so you don’t miss anything).

We really wanted to use what we had, so the furniture in this room is all “use what you have!”:

The Facebook Marketplace Quincy Bed that started it all and offered us a fun, coastal-feeling statement piece.

The bedding is all from Quince, I loved the color of these linen sheets (ocean) — they work so well with the curtains!

It’s fun to mix and match, so you can get a new look in different seasons by pairing different layers togethers. I try to buy pieces that will go together for that reason, especially now that we know our palette here. I linked all my bedding here.

The vintage rattan shelf we bought at a flea market years ago that has traveled with us from home to home and served many rooms and purposes.

The dresser we bought for our previous home found its way back here after a couple of years in the Snug!

The Ikea chair (and Amazon slipcovers) that came with the house.

A table from my mom.

The blue glass lamp we’ve had for many years got a whimsical new shade that makes it feel quirky and coastal at the same time.

A white HomeGoods lamp with a leaf patterned pleated shade.

The beaded center light fixture we added a couple of years ago.

The secondhand nightstands topped with blue and white lamps I found last year.

Baskets hold linens and throw pillows. (These lidded baskets on my shelves, these larger baskets by the dresser).

We decided we loved the clean look of no rug in here for now, and love the light texture of the wood floors.

But we are using this washable runner on one side for the dogs so they don’t slip trying to hop up or down from the bed.

The clear curtain rods are subtle but feel elevated — and also remind me of a ship with the aged brass accents.

We found a pair of framed bird art and LOVE THEM!

The curtains are new, we decided to move the checkered panels to our guest room (which will also get a paint makeover hopefully this year).

The new curtain panels bring the palette together and give it such a fresh “island” vibe– and they have swans on them!– we just love the whole mood they bring. We’ve chosen to only use one panel on each side, so with the configuration of our windows they read as cohesive pairs without overwhelming the space. They are functional, too!

Someday we’ll find shades we love for the doors, but for now these affordable ones do the trick!

I will return with more…I had so many photos I decided to do a follow up post to show you how it looks at night, too! Plus the paint and stripes post coming soon.

I truly believe creating a “cottage by the sea” is a mindset and a style you can embrace –no matter where you live. And there’s not just one way to do it, it’s really about making your home a reflection of the life you want to live.

For past year I’ve created digital Dreambooks to inspire fellow dreamers and cottage lovers, including a brand new Cottage by the Sea Guide to A Lovely Spring that will be released shortly.

And, I’d love to have you join me in HomeBody Gathering Place so I can help you create the home of YOUR dreams!

Find more sources from my home here (use the search bar to find anything you’re looking for!), and in My Amazon Storefront.