5 Ways to Refresh Your Bedroom

April 27, 2016

Earlier this year I decided I wanted to hit “reset” on my bedroom. I recently re-signed my lease to go in on year three of my East Village apartment and was itching to make my room feel a bit more sleek and less cluttered. Overall, just less “same old.” While I couldn’t take on a full makeover, I did change up 5 things that gave the space a refresh that I am loving spending time in.

Here are a few before photos:

Bedroom Refresh: The Before

wit & whimsy bedroom refresh

wit & whimsy bedroom

Next up I want to tackle getting new furniture as I’ve had the same set since I graduated college and it’s definitely not my style anymore (remember when shabby chic was everrrrrything?!). It is also not the most space efficient but we’ll get to that furniture swap some day…

In the meantime, since many of us can’t take on major makeover projects, I thought I’d share the 5 steps I took to refresh my bedroom and make it a space I absolutely love and can feel both productive and rested in! (Many of you also asked for more home-inspired posts so hoping you enjoy today’s!)

So onto the after photos & what I did…

Windowpane Bedding I wit & whimsy

1. Change up your bedding

Hands down the easiest way to refresh your bedroom is by changing up your bedding. I knew I wanted to go from something rather feminine with lots of decorative pillows to something more streamlined and less busy looking. I had heard great things about Brooklinen and believe me when I say, I have since decided that I think there is magic woven into their sheets. Made from 100% long-staple Egyptian cotton, these sheets are crisp, airy and cool and I literally want to spend all my time in bed certain days because they are that comfortable. So soft, so cozy and the most perfect weight that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced with sheets before. Seriously they are heaven and I can’t recommend them enough. Brooklinen has other styles too and if you’re interested in purchasing, get in touch with me and I’ll send you a $15 off coupon code for your order! I ended up putting my old bedding into space bags (a god send for anyone short on space) under my bed should I ever want to unearth it but for now I am loving having a simpler bed arrangement that has actually involved me making it more often on mornings – WIN/WIN! 

Pier 1 Gold Rush Mirror2. Add a statement piece

This is a tried and true decorating trick for any room but when it comes to your bedroom having a focal point in your room besides your bed can be hard. I have always had a mirror atop my dresser because I get ready in the room (vs. my bathroom) and don’t have a proper vanity setup. I wanted to swap out the mirror I had had since graduating college and I settled on the Pier 1 Gold Rush Mosaic Mirror as the design is timeless and will easily be able to be repurposed whenever I move in the future. I’ll admit it is bigger than I anticipated it being but as soon as I put it up in its place I realized it actually makes my New York City-sized room look bigger given the reflection.

wit & whimsy bedroom refresh3. Declutter

You’ll notice in the “before” photos I had a lot more out on my dressers. After I made like Marie Kondo and tidied my room I had extra drawers where I organized some of the items that had previously been out in plain sight. It’s so much better to hide items you don’t use regularly so that your space looks more clean (and hey, several less items to dust!) I put lucite organizers into my top dresser drawers and now try to keep less out in the open. I also re-organized my storage for purses and other portions of my room to tuck other clutter away.

SONOS Play 1 Speaker4. Set the mood

(“Set the mood” sounds hilarious but I couldn’t figure out another way to put it :)) I’m big on having the right music playing for my moods. If I need to get a lot done, I want some acoustic cover jams on in the back. When I’m tidying, I like to blare country music (yeehaw). But I was doing so from my phone or laptop previously and wanted to have a proper speaker in my room for my music (and my current obsession: podcasts!) Enter: ENJOY. This newer service offers tech products you purchase through them and then one of their experts comes by and they give you a complimentary setup (up to 1 hour) to take out the hassle of figuring out manuals solo!

Two of the nicest reps came to my apartment to set up the SONOS Play:1 speaker I picked out and took me through the setup process oh so seamlessly. They helped me set up tuning the advice for the room, showing me how to sync my favorite music players to the SONOS app and we even chatted about and exchanged favorite podcasts! If you’re interested in ENJOY you can use this link to get $50 off your purchase/service. (They have loads of cool product options to choose from!)

As someone who does a lot of working from home, being able to play podcasts and music from a proper speaker has been so nice.

Jonathan Adler Finishing Touches I wit & whimsy5. Add new finishing touches

Aside from changing your bedding, one of the other quickest and easiest ways to freshen up your space is by swapping out some of the smaller objects in your room for newer finishing touches.

In my case, I added a vase for my nightstand that is appropriately sized for that particular surface since having fresh flowers in my room is something I always love to do. I also added a new throw that contrasted my bedding and would be able to add an extra layer of warmth for nights that require it (also comes in a myriad of other beautiful colors!) And, I always recommend adding a candle that is chic rather than distracting. I always burn candles when I’m having my nightly cup of tea and this bourbon one smells as good as it looks. (I also have the grapefruit one in my living room. It’s the scent that Soulcycle uses in their studios & is so calming.) Last but not least, I swapped out my bedside lamp. I had come to despise the one I had so went for one that was a little more stylish in shape and more compact for my nightstand. (I also loved this one but wanted something a bit smaller.)

Brooklinen Bedding

There you have it…5 simple ways to freshen up your bedroom! What’s your favorite update I made?

Shop the Post:

Brooklinen Windowpane Bedding (c/o) // SONOS Speaker (c/o ENJOY) // Mosaic Mirror (c/o Pier 1 Imports) // Bourbon Candle (c/o Jonathan Adler) // Mini Scoop Vase (comes in 7 colors! c/o Jonathan Adler) // Alpaca Throw (c/o Jonathan Adler) // Bedside Lamp

(And in case you’re interested, my headboard is from Cost Plus World Market /

Side note: for those of you who have asked about my closet and how I organize it – that post is coming in May 🙂

P.S. My apartment reveal and 10 chic home buys from Target.

[Bekka Palmer Photography]

Thanks to Brooklinen, ENJOY, Jonathan Adler & Pier 1 Imports for partnering on this post to make my vision come to life!

comments +

  1. Merritt Beck says:

    Switching up the bedding makes such a difference! It completely switches up the overall tone of the room! Love the set you chose!
    xx, Merritt
    The Style Scribe

  2. Donna says:

    When we moved, we bought our king sized bed and all new linens. New bedding makes a huge difference, so that’s my pick! I find some great deals at Wayfair, too (tho I’m a die-hard Macy’s maven!)
    Love your mirror!!!

  3. Luci says:

    Beautiful photos! I love what you’ve done with the decor!

  4. Colleen says:

    The brick wall! Wow! I had trouble getting beyond that beautiful brick wall. I’ve always wanted one like that.
    I did mange though and have to say that your changes are lovely. Great ideas!

    • Meghan says:

      Thanks so much, Colleen! I love how much character the brick wall brings to my apartment – you’re so right about how great it is 🙂

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