Before + After: Rustic-Industrial NYC Bedroom Makeover
Your bedroom is the first thing you see when you open your eyes in the morning, and the last thing you see before you go to sleep. It’s arguably the most personal space in your home. If there’s any place that should make you happy and reflect who you are, it’s this room. At NousDecor, we are all about helping people bring personality to their favorite spaces. So when Tim came to us looking for help redesigning the bedroom in his new apartment in the Bronx, we were super excited. A first-time homeowner, he was anxious to make his bedroom feel more grown up, while staying true to his Brooklyn roots and modern aesthetic. He also wanted to create space to work there, without turning the room into an office. Obviously, we were up to the challenge.
Before
What prompted you to embark on this project?
I really needed some help with my space. I just bought the apartment; it was pretty much a blank slate. I was having trouble making any decisions about anything, so I really kind of needed someone to force me to make decisions about things, and to do it in a way that made me feel confident that everything was going to fit together.
And why NousDecor?
So with the idea of hiring someone, I had no idea how to even begin finding a single person to do it, and it seemed like a lot of time and a lot of money. But NousDecor had such an amazing value proposition of getting to work with a team, and it was really reasonably priced. It was going to basically help me get from nothing to something, so my expectations going in were that it would be a way to get me to the next level of completeness of my apartment. I was so amazed by how high quality the service was, and by what amazing stuff the team found. It really exceeded my expectations.
What was your goal for the space?
I think I really needed a grown-up bedroom. I, like most New Yorkers, was accustomed to moving every two or three years, so I never had a desire to invest in high-quality furniture. Now that I’ve bought the apartment and hopefully won’t be moving anytime soon (unless for really good reasons!), it felt like it was time to start investing in pieces that were reflective of a degree of maturity — so at least I could pretend I had some — and were going to echo this theme of settling down into a place for awhile. Getting rid of all the temporary IKEA furniture and putting in grown-up furniture was the goal, but I wanted to do it in a way that felt like it reflected me and didn’t involve just randomly picking things out of a catalogue.
What about your style? Did you have a strong vision for what you wanted the space to look like?
I didn’t have a strong sense going in. I knew that I generally like a sort of simpler, cleaner, more modern kind of look. That much I knew, but really no preconceptions — I’ve never even bought accessories for a room. I think so much of what the team did was in those details. It would never occur to me to buy a vase and it would never occur to me to buy wall shelves, but those are the details that give the space some character. So I think it was very eye-opening to see that process in action, and certainly a big win from my perspective to be introduced to stuff I never would have picked out.
Tim’s Digital Design Mockup
After
What’s your favorite piece in the space?
There’s just so much I love. The painting was a big win. I LOVE the wood planks on the wall. That is absolutely something that never would have occurred to me to do. They’re actually pretty simple to install, and they’re just so distinctive. One of the nice things about my apartment is that the floors are very nice, and so to kind of evoke the floor on the wall was super trippy, but gave a nice natural contrast to some of the more metallic or modern-looking things. I just absolutely love the wall. That, and the painting. Plus the desk is just gorgeous. Everything in there I just love, but those are the stand-outs for me.
Was the mission accomplished to make the bedroom also work as a workspace?
The team accomplished it so seamlessly that I hadn’t even remembered that was one of the goals. But having what feels like a distinct enough working area in the room that’s not the main focus of the room is great. It will be a good way to encourage me to get some work done, but also a good way to encourage myself to stop work sometimes. You know, I feel like it’s not the time of my life where I should be in bed with my laptop at all hours, haha. Put the laptop on the desk and shut off every once in awhile.
Were you happy with the way the room turned out?
The decor team did a fantastic job. I couldn’t be happier with the results and with the process. It’s funny; I can’t even say it exceeded my expectations because I didn’t know what to expect. But it was just so wonderful and I’m so happy with the room, and I just want to say thank you to the team.
Are you looking to redesign a room in your home? NousDecor is here to help. Take our design quiz to tell us more about what you like, and we’ll take care of the rest. Get ready to love the space you’re in.
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