Surprise! It's a makeover.

I was recently contacted by a client who wanted to do a surprise makeover for his wife, updating their master bedroom for her birthday.  I had two weeks to plan, 5 hours to install, and pretty much carte blanche.  As in, he didn't need to see anything before it was installed.

Fun, right?

I knew her taste from other work we had done together, and I knew she would be okay with the surprise (not everyone would be!)  I decided to make sure everything was returnable anyway, just in case...

The plan: He wanted to keep the major pieces but update and finish the space through textiles and art.  The bed and matching dresser stayed, along with the neutral rug and an heirloom chair that had been slipcovered.  My job was to bring in curtains, bedding, lamps, art, and overhead lighting.  I suggested night stands, too, since theirs matched the bedroom set and felt a bit too much like a Pottery Barn catalog.  My only restriction (apart from budget) was that the bedding could not be white.

Once we decided on side tables, I went to work on design boards, and let me tell you, it was weird not having to show them to anyone!

I used the boards because time was an issue, and I needed to make decisions quickly to get my mail-order options here in time.  Since I only had 5 hours to put it together on site, I knew I needed options for multiple looks.

Naturally, the final look is sort of a mix of these boards.  The good news is, they both LOVE the results!

We are tweaking one corner (I am off to shop now), but the space looks great and I can't wait to share the before and after!

So tell me: how would you feel about a surprise makeover in your home?