Recently I redecorated my master bedroom with a new duvet cover, some pillow cases and a blanket. To find out the reason, please keep reading. The first photo above is an after photo and the one below is a before photo with my old duvet cover. The room went through a makeover just with small changes like that.
My duvet cover started to fall apart with some tears. The light grey linen duvet cover from H&M has been my favorite duvet cover. We have used it for the last 4 years since our previous home in the U.S.
The photo below is our master bedroom in our home in Virginia.
BEFORE
You can see a slight evolution of our master bedroom from April to November this year. It changed little by little over time just like all other rooms that have undergone changes.
April 2020
August 2020
November 2020
AFTER
Since I loved the linen duvet cover from H&M so much, I went for the same duvet cover. Unfortunately, the same color of grey in the size I needed wasn’t available at H&M in Manila. Thus, I settled with the dark grey for a change.
BEFORE
AFTER
Styling Dilemma
At first I tried to style the dark grey duvet cover with silver pillows (photo below), but I felt that they didn’t go well with the bohemian design cream color pillow.
Then, I removed the silver pillows. Yet, it still looked like something was missing and didn’t feel quite complete.
At the beginning of November, I switched the bohemian style pillow cases in our living room with more wintery fake fur pillow cases. As they became available, I replaced the silver pillow cases with the bohemian design ones.
The bohemian design pillow cases to the rescue!
The big bohemian design pillows with accent dark grey tied the cream color pillow with tassels and the dark grey duvet cover.
A new rectangular pillow case from “Not A Daydream” is a cherry on top to complete this look.
Finally I’m pleased with the final look of the bed.
Not A Daydream Pillow Case
A new addition to my home is this beautiful pillow case from a C A S A collection of Not A Daydream. This one I have is 30×45 cm cushion cover.
Not A Daydream is a social enterprise in Manila that supports the creation and sales of unique items such as bags and home decorative items made with beautiful, handwoven textiles from the Philippines. They hire ambitious mothers in Manila who are fighting for a better life. They work together with NGO livelihood programs in the Philippines, and train mothers to become bag-makers so that they can earn an income and send their kids to school. If you would like to learn more about Not A Daydream, please click here. A new line of pillow cases has a touch of the Philippines with gold or silver labels made with pineapple leather called pinatex. It is adorable!
Not A Daydream
Abel Philippines Blankets
I purchased Abel Philippines pompom blankets at Katutubo Pop-up Market in BGC, Manila last month in November. (There will be another one during the first week of December.) This blanket goes well with the round pompom pillow from H&M.
I purchased this white blanket below from Abel Philippines one year ago. The cotton feels so soft on the skin. A cotton blanket is a type of blanket you’d like to own in a hot climate like in the Philippines. My husband loves to curl up and snuggle in this blanket for a weekend beauty nap.
Afterthought
One thing that I realized after redecorating was that the dark grey duvet cover surprisingly darkened the room. Our master bedroom doesn’t get much natural light depending on the time of day. The room felt quite a bit dark when it’s overcast outside. I do love this dark grey duvet cover, but it felt a bit too dark for this bedroom. There’s so much to think about when you decorate a space!
Bedroom Facing The West
In Japan people often say that a room facing the west is to be avoided. The harsh sunlight that comes into the room in the late afternoon can do a lot of damage to furniture and textiles. If you would like to know more about it, here is a good article.
Even though I have grown up hearing about it, I had never really experienced it first hand. Until recently. Our master bedroom is facing the west. The warm afternoon light that streams in and brightens the bedroom is actually quite pretty.
The downside of it is that the strong afternoon sunlight bleaches. After 2 years, the color of our old light grey duvet cover has faded quite a bit. You can see the differences in the photos below. It brought me to think that my new dark grey duvet cover will be bleached as well.
Closing the curtains in the afternoon wasn’t my preferred solution. The view from the windows and the warm sunlight streaming into our bedroom is the favorite part of the room. Moreover, I don’t wish my room to be dark in the afternoon.
Therefore, I ended up buying a white linen duvet cover from H&M only a week after I had bought the dark grey one. It felt like an unnecessary expenditure. On the other hand, I would have not had the clarity of what I wanted unless I saw the actual duvet cover in my room. I learned valuable lessons through my mistake. My justification is that I go in and out of my bedroom frequently throughout a day and buying an extra duvet cover would be a worthwhile investment for my happiness. I can’t regret it. It’s a done deal.
Hopefully, I will be able to introduce you to the new look of my bedroom with my new white duvet cover in the future.
Love the makeover. <3
I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for your comment!!