Empty nest or second honeymoon? Redecorating Your Master Bedroom When The Kids Leave For College

May 22, 2023 0 Comments

I’m at the stage in life where many of my friends (who married young!) are sending their kids off to college and feeling the myriad of empty nester emotions. I admit that I have not gone through this stage of life because I do not have children, but as a writer, I am an observer of life and my opinion is this: like everything in life, we have a choice. . You can choose to feel that you are now old and no longer useful, or you can choose to see this as a time to rejuvenate previous dreams and personal goals, and a time to rekindle that special romantic spark with your long-time partner. . I can’t think of a better way to do that than to redecorate your master bedroom as a place of peaceful rejuvenation and restoration, creating a “second honeymoon” getaway, if you will. If big college bills are looming, you can do it on a dollar budget.

That is how:

1. Decide and order. Clutter robs you of your peace of mind and a good night’s sleep. Go through your clothing closets and get rid of anything that no longer suits your current taste or doesn’t look good on you. Leave room for new outfits.

2. Gray dressers. Get rid of old sideboards that are no longer your current decorating taste. Donate them or use them to store tools in your garage or camping supplies in your basement.

3. Clever art. Remove any art and get rid of any decorative accessories that you no longer love. Set aside the things that you would still like to keep to integrate them into the new decoration.

4. Beautiful bed. Is your mattress still in good condition? If not, replace it and make sure it’s sumptuously comfortable. Choose a headboard you love or forgo one entirely and hang a beautiful large painting in its place.

5. Wonder of the window. Old and drab curtains? Take them down, fill in the curtain rod holes in the walls, and wash those windows to a sparkling shine!

6. Delicacy of the soil. Outdated and worn carpet? Scratched hardwood floors? Replace and restore. It’s not that expensive to make either.

7. Beauty of the quilt. Choose a bedding set that will absolutely make you smile. Buy matching sheets, duvets or bedspreads, pillowcases, and curtains all at once to match. Make sure your sheets have a high thread count. The bedding will set the tone for the style of your “second honeymoon” suite.

8. Comforting color. Take your bedding to the paint store and choose one color for your walls and one for your ceiling. They can match exactly.

9. Paint party. Have your empty nesters over for a pizza and painting party. You can help them later in return. Be sure to use healthier, VOC-free paint.

10. Fine Furniture. You don’t have to break the bank to buy nightstands and dressers that are reasonably priced but look expensive. Consult furniture catalogs, online and in-store sales. Choose a style that complements your bedding.

11. Love of illumination. Forget the glare of overhead lights—you want the ambiance of your “second honeymoon” suite to be romantic, so choose nightstand lamps in a style and color you love, and make sure the bulbs emit a soft pink or yellow sheen.

12. Amazing art. Now is the time to choose an art that will make you swoon. Discount stores often have beautiful art reproductions for a small price, or frame those photos of your sweet family in matching frames and create a “happy wall” family photo collage. Choose vases and other accessories in colors that complement your bedding.

13. Happiness in the bathroom. If you can’t afford to replace the tub and sinks or don’t like their color, have them resurfaced or just replace the fixtures. Paint the walls or choose wallpaper that matches the color of the bathtub and sinks. Fresh fluffy towels and beautiful art and bath accessories that match the color scheme and style of your bedroom will enhance the “suite” look.

14. Movie magic. Place your TV in a hidden cabinet or mount it on the wall so that when Friday night rolls around you can tune out the world by picking out a movie you’ll both enjoy as a way to recover from a busy work week. My husband and I do this and it’s bliss. You might even consider stocking a mini fridge with treats.

15. Final style. It’s time to put it all together. Arrange your furniture in a nice arrangement, make the bed nice, hang the curtains, place the art and accessories, and turn on the soft light of the night lamps. Put some fresh flowers in a vase, turn down your favorite music, light a candle and open the sparkling cider!

While giving these “second honeymoon” redecorating tips to my empty-nest friend, she quipped, “Second honeymoon, hmmm…can you get a headache from that? ” I laughed and said, “No way, honey!… So get out that brush, dress your best, and get moving!”

Copyright 2009 Kathryn Bechen and Kathryn Bechen Ink. All rights reserved.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *