It’s Time to Decorate My House {take one}
My clients hold me accountable to a timeline when we start a new project. For this one, I’m the client and I’ve been very generous with my designer about getting things moving. That designer, of course, is me! 2026 is the year for decorating Bentley Grove.
Today starts the countdown to May 2, when my son graduates from Florida State. We’re hosting a big celebration and welcoming a lot of family into our home, which suddenly makes the to do list feel very real. It’s the perfect deadline to finally get a few rooms finished that I’ve been working on the past 10 months. Although, if we’re being honest, are we ever really done with a house?
Priority One - Upstairs Guest Suite
Our third bedroom and bath are upstairs. At the moment, there’s a king headboard, a television, some bedding and a roll of fabric up there. Getting an actual bed set up is the highest priority. After a year, we don’t love our current mattress anymore, so it’s moving upstairs. I’ve been looking for vintage nightstands without much luck and I’m giving it a few more months before I decide to source something new. Eventually we’ll need a dresser, but that’s not on my graduation party list. I need to get the windows covered and I’ve decided to do woven wood shades like in all the other bedrooms. I really love the look of them and will be adding blackout lining so my guests can sleep in.
I ordered the fabric that matches my wallpaper to make a custom shower curtain. I originally planned to use a ceiling mounted track to hang the curtain and liner together for a seamless look. I soon realized it would block the light for anyone taking a shower, so the fabric curtain will stay on the track and the liner will have its own rod so they can be used independently. Details like this are important!
To recap the goals for this room are king bed set up with bedding, woven wood shades installed and bathroom shower curtain. I will also need a few finishing touches such as lamps and wall decor.
Priority Two - Dining Room Windows
My dining room is in desperate need of window treatments. We have four large windows and if I don’t do something soon, the sun is going to fade the wood floors and furniture. My original plan was full draperies, but I’ve decided to switch to London shade valances with working shades underneath. The valances will be fixed so I won’t have to fuss with the fabric every time they’re opened or closed and the functional shades will stay hidden unless we actually pull them down. I’ve had the fabric selected for over a year, so it’s time to get it ordered before it gets discontinued. Here’s an inspiration photo (which is a little more fussy than what I have planned) and the fabric I have picked out. It’s almost a perfect match to my chairs.
Priority Three - Downstairs Guest Bath
Finally, my downstairs guest bathroom is the closest room to being finished. I just need a rug! That sounds simple, but I don’t want an ordinary bath mat. I love a vintage rug, but finding one that is the right size and complements my wallpaper has been tough. Here are a few I saved on Etsy to give you an idea of what I was looking for. One ended up being a winner!
As with most of my personal projects, I want to share costs so my readers understand how much it takes to decorate the rooms you see around here. For the upstairs guest suite, I’m definitely mixing high and low. The headboard was an Amazon find that I purchased last year for about $400. The bedding is mostly from Target and cost about $200. I’ll add custom pillows which will probably be about the same price. The woven woods will be about $1000 for all three windows. I have a budget for the night stands of $800, but I may have to adjust if I purchase new ones. With the new mattress, a few lamps, wall decor and accessories we’re looking at about $4500 for the bedroom to start. My overall budget will be closer to $7500 once I factor in all the costs to get it “done”. This doesn’t include the bathroom. The shower curtain will be the biggest splurge and I don’t need much to finish it off.
Once I’ve completed this list, I’ll move onto the next three rooms. I’ve given myself six weeks for this phase and then my wallet will need time to recover!