our bedroom makeover part 2: the new bed.

so far our bedroom makeover is sailing right along. i mentioned earlier that we were starting with the new bed and mattress because that was our most pressing need, and im really glad we did. because not only do we now finally have a functional bed that doesnt have us waking up feeling like weve been hit by a bus, but the dramatic transformation has helped to further motivate our efforts in de-cluttering/making a nice, grown up house finally. 

also, i just have to stop here and pat myself on the back and say that the makeover has gone exceptionally well aesthetically, as well as financially. 

see, ive always shied away from even the most benign of home improvements because it usually goes something like this: i want to make this new super simple clothes rack for craft fairs but it turns out that the dowels required are actually $13 EACH and the cheapest drill that will drill through wood dowels is $100 and it doesnt come with drill bits, or i finally get some nice art for the living room and go to joanns for frames and WHY OH WHY IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY IS THREE PICTURE FRAMES $60 AFTER SALES AND COUPONS?!?!?!?!. 

but this project has been basically the opposite. we originally wanted to get this bed and a mattress but we didnt know which one and also sheets and i was like "oh crap well hopefully we can get this all done for about $1000 but you know how things go with house projects so goodbye savings account". then we actually went to ikea and my favorite mattress was actually the very cheapest of all the foam mattresses. then after several weeks of none of the local ikeas getting THAT particular bed frame in stock we decided that rather than paying the extra $100 to order one online, wed just get this (nearly identical) bed frame which we thought would be $100 cheaper than our original choice. well, since the layout of our room makes only one side of the bed accessible for drawers and the drawers are actually sold separately, we were able to get the whole project, including splurging on a mattress pad and a spare set of sheets (after years and years of having a king sized bed and not being able to afford a spare set of sheets, this was a big deal, ok?) for $300 less than my original (low-end) estimate. 

so how are things turning out so far? well, heres the before: 

and heres the after: 

now, aside from the obvious NO MORE GROSS HIDEOUS VISIBLE BOX SPRINGS, theres also the not-obvious multiple empty shelves in the linen closet because we now have functional under the bed storage. also, theres now a totally decently sized area of empty floor available for things like exercising, sorting laundry, and cutting fabric. we still have some smaller things to deal with in this area of the room though, like wrangling the probably-dangerous extension cord/power strip situation caused by the old bed blocking the most accessible outlet (now made totally useable by the new bed), finding a new place for my full-length mirror (actually i have an idea for that), and doing something about our pillow situation (though really that should wait until were done with me being pregnant/having a new baby). 

but all in all, im definitely stoked on our progress so far, and i cant wait to get on to the next phase, new dressers!