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A dated primary bedroom tends to share the same tired features: builder-grade ceiling fans, mismatched furniture, flat walls with no architectural detail, and lighting that belongs in a hospital corridor. These rooms function, but they do nothing for a homeowner who cares about how their space reflects on them. The 35 before-and-after bedrooms collected here show what happens when that baseline is rejected outright and replaced with something that signals taste, investment, and intention. The upgrades range from full gut renovations to focused redesigns that swap out key finishes and fixtures. Some homeowners went for upholstered wall panels and custom millwork. Others prioritized a statement bed frame or a layered lighting plan. Every result communicates the same thing: this room belongs to someone who takes their home seriously.
In order to come up with the very specific design ideas, we create most designs with the assistance of state-of-the-art AI interior design software.
Blonde Hardwood and Cove Lighting Brighten the Entire Room

Ivory bouclé fabric on the rounded armchair and textured loop-pile rug anchor a room where the old oak dressers and builder ceiling fan have been replaced by cove-lit tray ceiling detail and wide-plank blonde hardwood flooring, while black-framed sliding glass doors open directly onto a deck lined with modern chaise lounges beneath the tree canopy.
Dark Green Velvet and Warm Wood Turn a Dated Bedroom Into Something Serious

Deep forest green paint covers the walls and ceiling, creating a cocoon-like effect that the before photo’s beige palette couldn’t hint at. Floor-to-ceiling green velvet drapes replace the limp cream curtains, while cove lighting along the ceiling perimeter casts a warm amber wash across the room. The bed features an upholstered green velvet headboard set into a low-profile walnut platform frame, flanked by floating nightstands in a matching wood finish. A brass dome pendant hangs centered above the bed where a builder-grade ceiling fan once sat. Hardwood flooring in a medium walnut stain replaced the carpet, anchored by a geometric diamond-pattern green area rug with fringe edges. A curved green bouclé accent chair occupies the corner near the TV console, which sits on a slim walnut media unit.
Wood Slat Ceiling, Marble Floors, and Recessed Lighting Swap Out Carpet and Drywall
Warm walnut slat paneling covers both the ceiling and headboard wall, anchored by cove lighting that washes the perimeter in amber. Polished marble tile replaced beige carpet entirely.
Emerald Velvet Panel Wall and Tray Ceiling Lighting Replace Carpet and Ceiling Fan

The bed wall is upholstered in channeled emerald velvet that runs floor to ceiling, anchoring a platform bed with a matching velvet frame and crisp white linen. Brass sconces flank the headboard, and a tray ceiling fitted with LED strip lighting replaced the builder-grade fan. Marble tile floors and sheer floor-to-ceiling drapery finish the shift.
Worth Knowing: The tray ceiling detail here does double work, adding architectural depth while concealing the LED strip lighting that replaces overhead fixtures entirely. Rooms with this setup tend to feel quieter at night since the light source stays indirect and out of direct sightlines.
Low Platform Bed and Ivory Rug Ground the Space

Rough-textured plaster or concrete-look surfaces cover the ceiling and much of the room in a uniform greige tone, replacing the brighter builder-grade finish. The old carpet and ceiling fan are gone. A low-profile platform bed in natural oak sits on an ivory flat-weave rug, while a smooth dark floor grounds the space.
Cove lighting runs the perimeter where the ceiling meets the walls, casting a continuous amber wash without visible fixtures. A sculptural pendant hangs centered over the bed, and a bouclé accent chair in the corner adds softness against the room’s harder surfaces.
Why Perimeter Cove Lighting Changes How a Room Feels at Night
Placing LED strip lighting inside a recessed channel at the ceiling edge shifts the entire mood of a room after dark. Rather than casting light downward from a central point, it wraps the perimeter in a diffused glow that reduces harsh shadows and makes the ceiling appear to float. In spaces with textured plaster like this one, that raking light also catches the surface variation in the walls, turning a finish material into a visual feature that flat overhead lighting would never reveal.
Cove Lighting and a Wood-Planked Ceiling Pull This Bedroom Out of the 1990s

Carpet and a builder-grade ceiling fan gave way to white oak hardwood floors and a planked wood ceiling with recessed cove lighting that runs the full perimeter. The walls are painted a near-black charcoal, which makes the amber glow from the cove strip lights read warmer against the wood grain above.
The bed sits on a platform frame with a brushed brass base and an upholstered linen headboard. Flanking sconces replace the old table lamps, freeing up nightstand surface space. A boucle accent chair anchors the sitting area near the sliding glass door, and a dark wool area rug with a subtle tone-on-tone pattern grounds the entire furniture arrangement.
Designer’s Secret: Replacing table lamps with hardwired wall sconces is one of the more practical moves a bedroom renovation can make. It clears the nightstand surface and keeps cords out of sight entirely. Electricians typically rough in sconce wiring during the same visit as any other lighting work, so the added cost is smaller than most homeowners expect.
Brass Trim, Emerald Velvet, and Dark Marble Floor Revitalize a Bedroom That Had Nothing to Say

Gold-toned brass trim runs the full length of a coffered ceiling grid, replacing a builder-grade ceiling fan that did nothing for the room. Dark green walls, likely a deep forest shade with near-black undertones, absorb light in a way that makes the brass accents read as intentional rather than decorative. The rug pattern mirrors the original Persian-style layout but shifts to an emerald and gold colorway that anchors the new palette.
Floating wood nightstands with underlighting replace the oak dresser-style pieces, and a velvet accent chair in forest green sits where a brown leather chair once held no visual purpose. White hotel-style bedding with a single green throw keeps the bed from disappearing into the dark surround. Floor-to-ceiling velvet drapes frame the window without competing with the architecture.
Did You Know: Dark wall colors in bedrooms can actually reduce perceived noise by making spaces feel more acoustically contained, which is one reason deep-toned rooms are common in high-end hotel design. Paint manufacturers classify shades in this green range as “complex neutrals” because they shift from green to near-black depending on the light source in the room.
Coffered Ceiling with LED Cove Lighting Replaces a Basic Fan and Flat Drywall

Navy plaster walls and a coffered ceiling with recessed LED strips have no business being this good together.
Each coffered bay runs gold-edged trim against the slate-blue ceiling field, with warm strip lighting tucked into every recess. A four-poster canopy bed anchors the center, dressed in white linen against a navy upholstered base. The floor switches from carpet to large-format stone tile, and a brass console with a floating top lines one wall where wood dressers once crowded the room. An oval mirror with a sculptural silver frame hangs opposite a built-in cabinet panel painted to match the walls, which keeps the television from reading as a focal point.
Teal Venetian Plaster Walls and a Gold Ceiling Finish What Carpet and Beige Started

Venetian plaster in a saturated teal covers every wall surface, giving the room a finish that shifts slightly in different light. The ceiling is treated with a gold metallic application and crossed with dark wood beams, replacing what was a flat white expanse with a ceiling fan. Hardwood flooring runs throughout where carpet once sat.
Floating nightstands with brushed gold hardware flank a low-profile platform bed dressed in white and gold bedding. A bouclé lounge chair with a curved silhouette sits near the sliding glass door. The rug repeats the teal and gold palette in a traditional Persian pattern, anchoring the furniture grouping without competing with the walls.
Quick Fix: Venetian plaster is applied in thin, overlapping layers that create natural variation across the surface, which means two rooms painted the same color will never look identical. That built-in irregularity is part of why it reads so differently from standard paint, even at a distance. Homeowners considering it should budget for a skilled plasterer rather than treating it as a DIY project.
Charcoal Plaster and Copper Ceiling Panels Pull the Space Into Focus

Hammered copper panels cover the entire tray ceiling, with LED strip lighting tucked into the recess casting amber light across the surface. The effect reads less like decoration and more like an architectural decision that reorganizes the entire room around a single overhead material.
Dark charcoal plaster coats every wall, letting the warm-toned walnut dresser and platform bed frame hold visual weight without competing finishes. Amber curtain panels, a bouclé lounge chair, and a copper accent floor lamp extend the palette without repeating it.
- Copper ceiling panels patina naturally over time, meaning the finish shifts in character without requiring replacement
- Bouclé upholstery on a rounded chair frame softens a room that could otherwise read as too industrial
- Dark tile flooring replacing carpet removes a major allergen source while adding a surface that reflects the copper glow from above
Mirror Ceiling Panels and Textured Plaster Walls Replace Carpet and a Ceiling Fan

Black-gridded mirror ceiling panels in a warm amber tint replace the builder-grade fan entirely, doubling the natural light from the sliding glass door and flanking windows. Ivory bouclé upholsters both the ottoman at the foot of the bed and the low-profile platform frame, while the walls carry a carved geometric relief pattern in matte plaster.
- Mirror ceilings reflect window light back into the room, reducing reliance on artificial lighting during daytime hours
- Bouclé fabric, woven from looped yarn, holds its texture longer than flat weaves under daily contact
- Relief-carved plaster walls add tactile depth without paint, color, or additional wall treatments
Stacked Stone and Dark Ceiling Panels Turn the Room Architectural

Stacked gray stone runs the full length of the headboard wall, giving the room a structural anchor that painted drywall simply cannot replicate. Wide-plank hardwood floors in a medium walnut tone replace what was wall-to-wall carpet, and a tray ceiling finished with dark hexagonal panels holds LED cove lighting along its perimeter. The pendant above the bed uses an industrial black shade with a visible Edison bulb.
Wall-mounted jar sconces flank the upholstered headboard in place of table lamps. A low-profile dark media console sits opposite the bed, styled with pillar candles in varying heights. The floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door opens the back wall entirely, connecting interior stone and wood finishes to a deck visible through the glass.
Fun Fact: Stacked stone veneer panels, rather than full-cut stone, are typically used on interior accent walls because they weigh significantly less and can be applied directly over drywall without structural reinforcement. Most panels interlock along their edges, which reduces visible seams and gives the wall a continuous, quarried appearance despite being modular in construction.
Walnut Slat Walls and a Dark Tray Ceiling Dismantle What Beige and Carpet Built

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Vertical walnut slat paneling runs floor to ceiling across the back wall, flanking an upholstered platform bed with a cream bouclé headboard and a black lacquered frame. The tray ceiling is finished in charcoal plaster, inset with linear LED strips that replace the brass ceiling fan entirely. Marble-effect porcelain tile in a large-format lay replaces wall-to-wall carpet, and a geometric border rug in sand and grey anchors the bed.
A backlit vanity mirror on the left wall sits above a walnut dresser with slab-front drawers, no visible hardware. Black steel casement windows replace the original single-hung frames, pulling the tree line directly into the sightline from the bed. A curved boucle accent chair occupies the far right corner beside a black arc floor lamp.
Black steel casement windows replace the original single-hung frames, pulling the tree line directly into the sightline from the bed.
Skylights and Sage Velvet Replace a Ceiling Fan and Wall-to-Wall Carpet
Sage green upholstered headboard with an arched profile anchors the room, paired with white linen bedding and a low-profile oak dresser with underlighting.
Style Tip: Skylights positioned over the bed zone eliminate the need for overhead fixtures entirely, pulling in natural light without competing with the room’s wall sconces. Brass-armed sconces mounted at head height on a travertine-look accent wall replace the table lamps that previously crowded the nightstands. That shift frees up surface area while keeping the lighting source closer to where it’s actually used.
Not every renovation leans into drama, but this one built it quietly from the ceiling down.
Brass Lighting and an Upholstered Headboard Warm the Entire Room

The original room had all the hallmarks of a bedroom that stopped making decisions: a basic ceiling fan, carpet, honey-toned oak dressers, and walls that offered nothing. The after pulls in a floor-to-ceiling dark walnut accent wall behind the bed, a tray ceiling lined with warm LED strip lighting, and a brass pendant dome that anchors the center of the room without competing with the sconces flanking the upholstered headboard.
White tile flooring replaces the carpet entirely, reflecting enough light to keep the dark paneling from closing the space in. The vintage Persian rug carries over in spirit, reappearing in a faded rose and ivory pattern beneath the bed. A cream wingback chair and low-profile white dresser sit opposite a wall-mounted television, with sliding glass doors now replacing what was a standard window on the left wall.
Fluted Wall Panels and Pendant Globes Replace a Ceiling Fan and Warm Oak Furniture

Warm taupe Venetian plaster coats the walls and tray ceiling here, with LED strip lighting tucked into the cove recess replacing the brass ceiling fan entirely. Globe pendants in an aged gold finish hang in a cluster above the bed, which sits against a floor-to-ceiling fluted panel wall in a greige linen tone. White oak hardwood replaces the original carpet underfoot.
Color Story: Taupe and greige work together in this room because they share the same undertone base, which keeps multiple surfaces from competing visually. When a wall finish, headboard panel, and area rug all pull from the same warm-neutral family, the room reads as intentional rather than bland. Choosing one accent finish, here the aged gold on the pendants and sconces, gives the eye a single point of contrast to follow.
Skylights and LED Cove Lighting Brighten This Bedroom Beautifully

Three flush skylights now cut across a dropped tray ceiling finished with recessed LED cove lighting, replacing a builder-grade fan that did nothing for the room architecturally. The bed wall is anchored by a upholstered linen headboard panel in warm ivory, flanked by floating nightstands with integrated lamp bases.
Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors open onto a wooded deck, pulling the tree line directly into the sightline. Every surface runs in the same bleached tone, from the large-format tile floor to the boucle armchair and ottoman near the entry.
Pro Tip: Cove lighting installed at the junction of a tray ceiling and upper wall diffuses light across the ceiling plane rather than directing it downward, which produces a softer, more even glow than any ceiling-mounted fixture can achieve. That indirect bounce also makes ceiling height read as greater than it measures. For rooms under ten feet, it is one of the more effective ways to counter a compressed overhead feel.
Dark Walnut Wall Panels and Tray Ceiling Cove Lighting Bury a Beige Fan Room

Flat white drywall and oak veneer furniture gave way to floor-to-ceiling walnut-toned wood paneling that runs vertically across every wall, anchoring the room in a palette of deep brown and amber. Indirect LED cove lighting traces the perimeter of a tray ceiling finished in a bronze-toned plaster, while a single dome pendant in brushed brass drops over the bed zone. An Eames lounge chair and ottoman in cognac leather sit opposite a low-profile platform bed with an upholstered walnut headboard. Dark hardwood flooring and a chunky jute area rug replace the original carpet entirely.
Ask Yourself: Before committing to dark wood paneling on all four walls, consider how much natural light the room receives after sunset, since the effect shifts dramatically between daytime and evening. If the windows face north or are partially blocked by trees, cove lighting becomes less optional and more structural to the design.
Marble Slab Headboard Wall and Tray Ceiling Cove Lighting Displace Oak and Carpet

Cove lighting runs the full perimeter of a coffered tray ceiling, washing the upper plane in warm white without a single surface fixture in sight. Below it, a floor-to-ceiling marble slab panel anchors the navy upholstered platform bed, while a white lacquer credenza with matching marble inlay sits opposite on the gray plaster wall.
Editor’s Note: Marble slab panels used as headboard backdrops are typically porcelain or sintered stone rather than natural marble, which makes them significantly lighter and more resistant to humidity fluctuations in climate-controlled bedrooms. The material is cut in large-format sheets, often 120 by 60 inches or larger, so the veining reads as one continuous surface rather than a tiled pattern.
Skylights and White Oak Flooring Brighten This Bedroom

Three skylights cut into a vaulted ceiling do the work the old fan fixture never could, flooding the bed zone with diffused daylight while keeping the ceiling plane clean. Bleached oak cabinetry on both the dresser and the platform bed frame reads lighter than the honey-toned wood it replaced, and the arched headboard panel in the same finish anchors the bed without requiring a separate upholstered piece.
Creamy boucle fabric on the low lounge chair pulls the room’s palette into softer territory. White oak flooring replaced the wall-to-wall carpet, and a large ivory wool rug defines the sleeping zone beneath it. Brass hardware on the dresser and wall-mounted sconces keeps the metal language consistent throughout.
In The Details: Replacing carpet with hardwood and layering a large area rug on top actually gives designers more control over the visual boundary of the sleeping zone than carpet alone does, because the rug edge can be positioned precisely to frame furniture placement. Skylights installed in multiples, as seen here with four units across the ceiling plane, distribute light more evenly than a single unit and reduce the stark contrast between lit and shadowed areas that one skylight typically creates.
Tray Ceiling Cove Lighting and Terracotta Plaster Walls Retire Oak Furniture and Carpet

Burnt sienna plaster walls set the dominant tone in the after, pulling every other material into a warm, earthen palette that the beige-and-oak original never attempted. A coffered tray ceiling runs the full width of the room, with LED strip lighting tucked along its upper perimeter to wash the ceiling plane in amber rather than cast light downward. The pendant fixture drops a spherical clay globe at center, replacing the brass ceiling fan entirely.
Hardwood planks in a pale, wire-brushed finish run underfoot, anchored by a low-pile terracotta grid rug that defines the bed zone. The floating white lacquer dresser reads almost architectural against the plaster wall behind it. Rust-orange linen bedding, rounded boucle armchairs, and sheer salmon drapery panels carry the color story without repeating the same material twice.
Birch Plywood Paneling and a Skylight Replace Oak Dressers and a Ceiling Fan

Sage-painted drywall covers three walls while a single birch plywood panel runs floor to ceiling behind the bed, creating a two-material system that keeps the palette from feeling monotonous. Floating nightstands in the same light wood finish as the panel replace the mismatched oak case goods. A rectangular skylight centered over the sleeping zone pulls daylight directly onto the linen bedding below. The upholstered bed frame picks up the sage wall color in a matte fabric that reads closer to velvet than bouclé.
Black steel slider doors open to a wood deck, expanding the visual floor plan without structural additions. A round bouclé chair in warm camel anchors the sitting area beside a drum side table. Woven jute replaces the Persian rug, stripping the room of its last trace of the previous scheme.
Crimson Lacquer Walls and a Brass Dome Pendant Erase Oak Dressers and Carpet

Oxblood lacquer covers every wall and the ceiling in high-gloss finish, while dark hardwood planks replace the original carpet and a brass dome pendant replaces the ceiling fan overhead.
Fluted Oak Panels and a Tray Ceiling with Cove Lighting Displace Carpet and a Ceiling Fan

Vertical fluted oak panels rise behind the upholstered linen headboard, giving the wall architectural weight that the original beige paint and framed prints never had. Wide-plank hardwood floors replace carpet throughout, and a tray ceiling runs the perimeter with recessed LED cove lighting that washes the upper walls in amber. Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors open to a deck with lounge chairs, pulling the tree line directly into the room’s sightline.
Navy Venetian Plaster and Brass Domes Elevate The Space

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Navy Venetian plaster covers all four walls floor to ceiling, anchoring a room where brass dome pendant light, gold-framed mirror, and brass-front dresser pull the metallic register upward. Shiplap planks on the coffered ceiling carry warm-white LED strips along each recess. Hardwood flooring replaces carpet, and a navy velvet headboard panel runs full-height behind the bed.
Leather Wall Panels and Recessed Ceiling Lights Bury Carpet and Oak Dressers

Full-height leather wall panels with brass nailhead trim dominate three walls of the after bedroom, finished in a cognac brown that reads almost amber under the recessed lighting grid above. The ceiling shifts to near-black matte, which pulls the warm tones of the panels forward rather than competing with them. Hardwood planks in a medium walnut stain replace the original carpet, and under-bed LED strips add a low strip of light at floor level.
A leather upholstered headboard anchors the bed wall between a pair of hardwired brass sconces, while a dome pendant in aged brass hangs centered over the foot of the bed. The rug beneath is an animal-print pattern in sand and brown. A leather chaise and lounge chair near the sliding glass door replace the dated oak accent furniture, pulling the seating area away from the wall to define its own zone.
Coffered Ceiling with Dark Wood Beams Replaces Carpet and a Builder-Grade Fan

Painted cream panels divide the coffered ceiling into a grid anchored by dark walnut-stained beams, pulling architectural weight upward while the room below shifts to large-format tile, a woven area rug, and a linen upholstered bed with a sculptural headboard.
Tray Ceiling Cove Lighting and Dark Hardwood Floor Retire Oak Dressers and Beige Carpet

Warm LED strips recessed into a tray ceiling replace the builder-grade fan entirely, casting indirect light across the upper wall plane. The upholstered headboard in charcoal fabric rises nearly to ceiling height, anchored against a concrete-finish plaster wall in cool gray.
Dark hardwood planks run the full length of the room, grounding a cream patterned area rug that defines the bed zone. Gray-washed nightstands and a six-drawer dresser in the same finish replace the honey-toned oak pieces. Black wall sconces and matte black window frames pull the hardware palette together across both sides of the room.
Coffered Ceiling in Sage Green and a Stone Fireplace Surround Displace Oak Dressers and Carpet

Sage-green coffered ceiling panels with wood-toned insets pull the eye upward immediately, while large-format sandstone wall cladding behind the platform bed replaces what was bare drywall flanked by mismatched oak case pieces.
Copper-Framed Oak Shiplap Ceiling and Navy Walls Bury Beige Carpet and a Ceiling Fan

Bleached oak shiplap runs the full length of the vaulted ceiling, with warm-white LED strip lighting tucked into a perimeter cove where the ceiling plane meets the navy walls, replacing the dated brass ceiling fan entirely. The bed sits on a copper-finish platform frame, anchored by a navy-and-rust medallion rug that echoes the wall color without matching it. A domed copper pendant drops from the ceiling ridge, and paired wall sconces with amber glass flank a walnut dresser topped with a rectangular mirror in a copper surround. Midnight blue velvet drapes and a matching lounge chair with an ottoman complete the palette.
Sunburst Ceiling Medallion and Rose Gold Four-Poster Displace Oak Dressers and Carpet

Radiating plaster ribs extend from a rose gold ceiling medallion across the full ceiling plane, replacing what was a standard ceiling fan with something closer to architectural sculpture. The four-poster canopy bed carries the same metallic finish, with sheer blush fabric panels drawn from each post rather than a fixed canopy structure. Flooring shifts from beige carpet to large-format marble tile in a soft white with faint grey veining.
The dresser gets a complete overhaul: flat-front cabinetry in matte blush with what appears to be brushed rose gold hardware replaces the oak originals. A globe pendant light with a copper ring frame hangs from the medallion, and wall-mounted swing-arm sconces flank the bed in matching metal. Every surface reads the same pale pink register, which removes visual competition between furniture and walls entirely.
Tray Ceiling with Cove Lighting and Wide-Plank Oak Floor Retire Beige Carpet and a Ceiling Fan

Limewash plaster walls in a muted sand tone replace the flat builder-grade paint, while a tray ceiling fitted with warm amber LED cove lighting draws the eye upward where a brass fan once dominated. The upholstered platform bed in dusty blush bouclé anchors the room alongside a low white lacquer dresser with brushed rose gold pulls.
Gold Trim on a Geometric Coffered Ceiling Displaces Oak Dressers and Beige Carpet

Dark navy Venetian plaster carries from all four walls up into a geometric tray ceiling sectioned by brass inlay trim, with recessed downlights set into each panel. The bed sits on a floating gold-finish platform, flanked by brass cube nightstands, with white hotel-weight bedding providing the only real contrast in the room. Wide-plank blonde hardwood runs underfoot beneath a deep navy area rug.
Coffered Walnut Ceiling and Terracotta Plaster Walls Retire Beige Carpet and a Ceiling Fan

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Rough-textured terracotta plaster covers all four walls, and a coffered ceiling built from what reads as stained walnut adds grid structure overhead where a builder-grade fan once sat. Wide-plank hardwood flooring runs beneath a low-profile platform bed upholstered in cream linen, flanked by walnut nightstands and wall-mounted sconces with arched brass arms.
A bouclé lounge chair anchors the foreground corner beside a cylindrical side table in burnt sienna lacquer. The dresser shifts to a two-tone credenza with cream drawer fronts and a warm wood carcass, topped by a frameless rectangular mirror. Every surface reads from the same red-brown and cream palette, which keeps the room coherent without feeling monotonous.
Walnut Shiplap Ceiling with Cove Lighting Buries Beige Carpet and a Brass Fan

Walnut shiplap runs across the entire ceiling plane, angled at a tray pitch that allows warm-toned LED strip lighting to wash the wood from below rather than from above. The effect pulls the eye upward in a room that previously had nothing worth looking at overhead. Windows got swapped for steel-frame casements with black mullions, which reads as architectural rather than decorative.
The bed sits low on a platform frame in a wood tone that matches the accent wall paneling behind it. Wall-mounted brass sconces flank the headboard at reading height. A bouclé lounge chair occupies the foreground corner, and large-format porcelain tile in an off-white replaces the original carpet throughout.
