Announcing a new sponsored project…
Our bedroom has gone through many changes over the last three years. We started with wall-to-wall (disgusting) carpet, broken louvered doors on the closet, and mismatched woodwork. We got to work soon after we moved in and we replaced the carpet with dark bamboo flooring, swapped out the closet doors for a sliding paneled set, and added new crisp white trim. We even added a second freestanding closet to the room, and sprung for a new bed and nightstands.
After all that, we didn’t have much money left for decorating. You know… the fun part! We already had some cute sheets, and I made changes by adding inexpensive bedding. We even had a rug that fit, leftover from the dining room of our old apartment. The jute was a bit scratchy, but that rug really tied the room together.
The latest version of the room has been looking pretty good with its all-white bedding and soft white rug, thanks to a strong nesting urge when I was pregnant with Eleanor. Now though? I want color. Pattern. Texture. I miss the fun, the zip, and the zing.
That’s why I’m happy to announce that I will be working with Membership Rewards points from American Express to revamp the bedroom! I’ve always been a big fan of their Membership Rewards program; I use my card for business expenses all the time to rack up points. They can be redeemed for different items, but I usually like to go for the gift cards. With stores to choose from like west elm, Pottery Barn, and Crate & Barrel, I know I’ll be able to find some great items.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing the process of transforming my bedroom with you. Since we already know what a big difference bedding can make, I’ll be starting there. And at the end of the project, I’ll have a little something (or maybe a big something) for you too!
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Yay, can’t wait to see how your bedroom will look like, pattern+color+textures sounds fabulously exciting!!!
“that rug really tied the room together.” haha! :) Love that movie!
I can’t wait to see what you do! We splurged on an eastern king Hoffman bed from R&B and a nice latex foam mattress with our tax refund money this year and now the rest of our room just doesn’t measure up! Mismatched nightstands, mismatched lamps, bedding that didn’t match the new upholstery, curtains that now don’t match, etc. I did get the Amy Butler Modena (I think) comforter set and I love it, but I need more!!
I’m glad the Big Lebowski reference wasn’t lost! Brandon will be so pleased. ;)
I love your space! I am all about the splurge on a nice rug, because you’re right, they totally make the room. I can’t wait to see more!
I love the bright orange bedding, but can’t wait to see what changes you make.
Oh, I’m excited about this project! My bedroom is looking pretty sad right now and I’ve been mulling over what I should do. I’m sure your posts will provide some inspiration.
LOVE to see all the different photos of your bedroom! And can’t wait to see what you come up with- your house is so darn CUTE!
xoxox Holly
Exciting! Maybe you’ll inspire me to do the same (actually, I know you will inspire me, I just don’t know if I will act on it).
Oh how fun!
I have been looking everywhere for inexpensive bedding and while I find things I like, it’s not the color I want. It might be time for me to learn to sew.
I love the look of your room but change is always good. Hope you have fun creating the new look!
I’m excited to see what you come up with!
I love seeing room transformations, so I’m excited about this one! If you don’t want that rug anymore, feel free to send it my way :-)
love it when those rewards come in handy! can’t wait to see what you get…
I have so many different design styles that my rooms look like a garage sale than an eclectic-pulled-together style. I can’t wait to see what the new room looks like. (If you need to do something with the old stuff, I’ll forward my address! LOL)
I love your lamps, where did you find them???
Those were from Pottery Barn.
this scares me. Is this a sponsored post? It doesn’t sound like your “voice” at all.
Agreed with comment left by Diana, did they make you write it that way? It doesn’t sound like your usual fun sweet voice! I’m a little scurred….
So funny… I was thinking the same thing as Diana & Grace. Looking forward to the next look in any event.
Diana, Grace, and Patti,
Yes, I’m working with a sponsor (I wouldn’t be able to redo the bedroom if I weren’t), but the voice is 100% mine! If I came across differently, it’s only because I wanted to do a recap of the room’s past looks since many readers haven’t been around since the beginning.
Nicole,
I think it’s great. No judgement from this gal, I just thought this post sounded more like a commercial for Amex Rewards (& said stores) than the usual “down to earth” tone of your previous posts. I loves me some Amex Rewards Points! LOL I use my Amex card for business as well so I totally get it… Good luck! And Congrats on the sponsorship. Can’t wait to see what your creativity brings us!
Oh goodie! Looking forward to it!
Can’t wait to see you add color! I already love the window treatments.
I think the other commenters were referring to the abundance of exclamation points in the last two paragraphs. The beginning of the post was all you and then … whoa!
“…abundance of exclamation points…”
All two of them? Percentage-wise you used more. Whoa.
Oh very nice! I’ve been updating a room at a time in our house and have made several trips to CB2 & Pottery Barn lately!
Steph
I can’t wait to see what you do!
I feel in the same boat – but opposite. We have a bright orange bedroom, and while orange is my favorite color under the sun, sometimes I just feel a bit..well, panicked. In my own bedroom.
But if I dress it all down, will it be just-so-not-fun? I’m feeling very torn.
So cute!!
I love the closet doors. Where did you get them?
The Home Depot. The brand started with an ‘N’, but I don’t remember what it was exactly.
I’m so torn by this post. I’m very excited to hear you’re tackling another decorating project and taking us along for the ride. You have such a great eye! However, I’m a little nervous about advertising creeping into your posts; it sounded a bit like a commercial when you introduced your sponsor. I hope you’ll find a great way to balance the lovely decorating you do with your obligations to the sponsor.
In the last picture is your white bedding by any chance a Ikea duvet cover? If it is then WE HAVE THE SAME ONE! :)
I understand your need for colour (trust me I LOVE COLOUR) but I like to make my bedroom very calming. Mine is alot like your current one, chocolate browns and whites. Very zen. I’m moving into a new apartment this summer and I’ll be painting walls and ceiling white and the trim a dark glossy brown, paired with my all white bed I’ll be sleeping in heaven. I did however buy a second duvet cover that’s blue and white so that I can switch it up a bit.
So excited to see your new room makeover!!!!
Your bedroom already looks fabulous, and you’re updating it! I can’t even get the energy to fix up my bedroom for the first time. That’s the problem of moving into a house that needs a lot of work, you don’t know where to start. We’re working, slowly, on my daughter’s room. Peachy pink walls, white trim, old-fashioned white curtains with ball fringe, and I can’t find a flush light fixture for a little girl’s room that goes with that color scheme. :( The ceiling is low because of the dormers so there’s no room for anything that isn’t flush.
I don’t see what the big deal is about being sponsored by someone you already love. If you are already using it, why not share it with us and get paid at the same time. Personally, I love Amex. I charge everything on my card to get Delta SkyMiles. It’s all about using credit responsibly. I think it’s smart. I look forward to hearing all about how you are spending your points. :-)
how exciting! i really look forward to seeing more :0)
Thanks for clearing that up. Of course this is first and foremost your blog, your (lovely) home and your business, but I am nostalgic for the days when reading blogs was entirely no strings attached and before big companies smartened up and started using it as a means to get customers.
Of course, Amex simply knows a good thing when they see it – and recognize this great blog for what it is.
i agree with torry, i’m torn, i’d prefer not to see sponsored posts like this (i also had mixed feelings about the dyson post) but i also understand why you’d agree to do it, and i know i’ll enjoy the transformation :)
If you don’t want to see sponsored posts, maybe you shouldn’t read popular blogs.
Sooo jealous! I love AmEX rewards. I can look at various parts of my home using our points. I got our Crate and Barrel Troy sofa with chaise and a Pottery Barn teak picnic table using gift cards from points.
Of course it took awhile to accumulate, but still it was free. We have always used our card for travel, and the holidays…paid it off when we received the bill. I am eyeing the Tate bed right now, but it seems too low to the ground for my taste.
Sounds like a lot of fun!!
I’d be golden if AmEx would add Room and Board to it’s vendor list!
Love the white, but excited to see the new!
I’ve always loved the bed frame you chose. Were the paneled closet doors difficult to hang? They look so clean and modern.
Love your house!
We just laid a nice whitewash wood floor over some ghetto ass plastic floor that had dirt caked in from 1978. god it feels good to walk barefoot in the room now!
What fun! I too cannot wait to see and read about the progress.
jbhat
I am really excited to see the changes. Knowing you I would not be disappointed. :)
yes!!! color, pattern!! can’t wait to see it!!!
I can’t wait to see what you do this time around and am thrilled you are being compensated for all the work you put into the blog.
I can’t wait to see what you do with your bedroom revamp!! :)
The door brand is mostly likely Nuporte. I looked at them to replace our sliding doors and then decided to just put up curtains. I’ve only seen them on the Home Depot website, never in person.
Doh – just checked the website and they renamed the company TRUporte. Weird…
http://www.homedepot.com/Doors-Windows-Doors-Interior-Doors-Bypass-Sliding-Doors/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xhcZapwf/h_d2/Navigation?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&omni=c_Bypass/Sliding%20Doors
I wasn’t going to say anything, but I have to put it out there, the blatant ad copy is really off-putting. Obviously it’s your blog/your business, but this kind of thing loses my interest quickly.
You should have followed your instincts and held your tongue.
Nicole already stated the voice was hers at the beginning of this thread. To then say it’s “blatant ad copy” is akin to calling her dishonest, which is a bold statement for a stranger to make.
Bloggers deserve to be compensated for the value they deliver to their readers several times per week for free. The only off-putting thing I have read on this post are condescending statements like “this kind of thing loses my interest quickly,” which implies blog authors are shiny toys meant simply for one’s amusement.
A great deal of personal time, effort and money goes into authoring design and home improvement blogs, and Making it Lovely is no different. Nicole has always acted ethically and with integrity, something that can’t be said about everyone–blogger or not.
Love me some Jules. xoxo
We will miss you Cara! Blog on, Nicole!
i love jules!!! ha! i feel the same exact way! design on nicole…im looking forward to what you come up with along with what new ads or ideas cross your path…companies are smart..and savvy..like someone else said..WHHHY wouldn’t they reach out to nicole?! she is seriously one of the best home improvement/design blogs in the universe! ooooh can’t wait to see! loooove you nicole! :) oh yeah happy mother’s day :)
To all the people who are “upset” my the fact that she’s being sponsored… Get over it.
She gets to redo her entire bedroom and all she has to do is give us some info. Don’t read it and look at the pretty pictures instead if it upsets you so much.
I used to rack up the points on my Amex for Pottery Barn cards too. However, I was beyond irritated to find out that they had drastically cut my limit without even notifying me. I always pay on time and my credit score is in the 800s. So now I use my Visa. Amex doesn’t deserve my business.
Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but I just had to throw that out there.
I had that same thing happen. Weird. I always pay my bills and have been a loyal customer since 2000. Amex can suck it. LOL
Go Nicole. Can’t wait to see the new bedroom.
Have been using American Express points for years and am always telling my friends about them. Good for you for finding a partnership that will help to introduce others to this great perk. I am currently 15K points away from saving 50% on a Pottery Barn leather sofa that I have been eying for years. Every purchase I make using it, I know that I am one day closer to the sofa of my dreams for a price that is affordable for my family.
I just recently discovered the wonderful world of blogging. I don’t blog – I am a fan. Reading design blogs is my new guilty pleasure. And why is it a guilty pleasure, you might ask? Because I have not earned or paid for the right to be a voyeur into the lives of these wonderful women who provide me with so much entertainment, insight, instruction and aesthetic beauty. I would have to pay a designer for the advice and resources that these women so freely give away for nothing. So, Nicole, I am happy (and relieved) to read that you are being compensated in some way to keep your wonderful blog going. I marvel every day at your creativity, frugality, resourcefulness and your strong work ethic. You are a role model to many.
I’m with you! Do you know how much I used to spend on magazines each month? Enough to never admit it to my boyfriend and only pay for them with cash (yeah, I know, I’m ashamed). Now I just browse the web for no extra money than normal and get even more out of it.
Jules said everything so perfectly…love you Girls!
I really like what you did to your bedroom – particularly your wardrobe. I am new to your blog and will enjoy reading what you have done. And those people are silly to criticise about blog advertising. There is always the little x in the corner if it is so unpalatable. regards Anita
I think it’s great. I see no problem with getting reimbursed by a sponsor as long as you are able to do whatever you want. However, I also think it should be okay for people to be able to voice their opinion. I’m sure you would agree.