What a weekend! T and I kicked off our weekend with martinis at home, followed by binge watching some of the shows we’d missed this last week. He’s into magic so we of course caught up on the Carbonaro Effect on TruTV, followed by him indulging me in reality television faves like Love & Hip Hop New York and Married to Medicine. We were supposed to be hanging some artwork on our living room wall but got side tracked with dinner and planning outfits for the Black Panther premiere the next day. Side note: the movie is so good. All last week, I dedicated my time to tackling decor dilemmas, specifically our nightstands.
You see, we have very limited space in our Brooklyn apartment. We’re fortunate to have a fairly large space but frankly we have too many things (cue spring purge) and I find myself constantly organizing. Our bedroom is our sanctuary so we try to keep it as clean and clutter free as possible. One of T’s pet peeves is an unmade bed so I’ve been making sure to tidy up the bedroom since I work from home and usually lounge in bed for a few minutes to check social media and answer texts etc. Our bedroom isn’t very functional in its layout because the building is pretty old and our landlord is in no rush to renovate. With that in mind, we’ve gotten pretty crafty in the beautification of the bedroom process.
Our headboard is against two large floor-to-ceiling windows and is flanked by an old radiator and French doors to the walk-in closet. We have space for just one nightstand, which is on T’s side of the bed. I bought an extra shelf for my Billy Bookshelf to re-purpose as a nightstand for my side of the bed. I bought some marble contact paper for $10 on Amazon and covered the Billy shelf with it and placed it on top of the radiator. The wood has stayed in tact for two winters now. On to the nightstand design.
When it comes to styling nightstands for a couple’s bedroom, the challenge comes with making sure not to over feminize the space. I have a pretty large surface area on my makeshift nightstand so I was able to add some pretty things that make me feel tranquil and ready to hit the hay. There are five main elements to creating a pretty nightstand: a lamp, flowers, candles, book and art.
- Lamps: We bought two mismatched lamps from Ikea because I don’t like the bedroom looking too perfect. But you can opt for matching lamps for the sake of congruence. I love Joss & Main and Target for their lamp selections. I am actually looking for new lamps for our bedroom.
- Art: For my side of the bed, I printed a serene beach picture from Unsplash, which I framed in an Ikea Ribba frame. I like supporting artists but you have to get scrappy when you’re on a budget. I typically go to Unsplash, a website with a huge catalog of photos donated by artists and photographers to be used free of charge. Most of the art are high resolution so you can print big posters for your home or office.
- Candles: I added my favorite Diptyque candle to the vignette as well as a large candle I picked up at Marshall’s at the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. I actually pick up a lot of candles from there or Target since I can often snag them for under $12. I normally use my Diptyque candles in the bedroom and my study or on special occasions. We burn so many candles in the house since we cook almost every night so it’s not financially sound for us to be splurging on boutique candles for every day use.
- Fresh flowers: The bodega near our apartment carries gorgeous flowers under $15 so I usually pick up one or two bouquets to make a few arrangements to spruce up our space. I made three bouquets with the Valentine’s Day roses T got me. We have a lot of vases we’ve picked up over the years but for the nightstands, I prefer to use slimmer vases like the Torre & Tagus branch vase that won’t take up to much space. I also upcycle my fancy candle jars and use them as flower vases.
- Books: I added three of the current books I’m reading to the nightstand because it’s convenient for me to reach over and grab my Michelle Obama biography to read before bedtime. You can also add some of your favorite fashion and coffee table books if you prefer.
You can also add a little plate to keep jewelry in once place, especially rings and watches.
T’s design aesthetic is minimalist. I kept his nightstand pretty simple with another arrangement of flowers, a candle we’ve been burning for the past month and the current books he’s reading. He’s a huge Stephen King fan so Finders Keepers is his poison of choice. I also updated his Ikea Hemnes nightstand with the same contact paper I used for my side of the bed. Frankly the nightstand had seen better days so it was either toss it or upgrade and I chose the latter.
This coming week is all about that gallery wall we’ve been meaning to complete. All the photos have been framed and sitting in front of the television. I’ll be sharing my progress report on Instagram stories so make sure you’re following me.
