It occurred to me that one of the greatest gifts doing these bedroom makeovers has given me is the gift of perspective. So many of the recipients often comment on how things could be worse, even though the journey they’ve already been on has been very hard. For the last two plus years, Amy has been receiving daily dialysis treatments, as well as IV infusions of potassium. This required her to be in the hospital for 6-8 hours a day, every day. While visiting with Amy and her husband, Jim, they commented on how a couple weeks prior they had been so excited because Amy’s potassium levels were normal that day and they could finally eat lunch together for the first time in two years.
That story hit me. Something as simple and routine as lunch was such a blessing to them that day.
Perspective.
We met Amy on a Saturday, and then the following Tuesday she went in for a kidney transplant from her brother. She would then spend the next few weeks at Mayo Hospitals recovering, so the bedroom reveal date was always a little fluid depending on how her recovery went. With a tentative reveal date of November 10th, I set to work planning, designing, ordering, and lining up everyone and everything I needed to get the room done.
The week of October 28th came and Jim called to tell me exciting news: Amy may be able to come home the end of the following week! By Halloween, the date was set: the reveal would happen the following Saturday, November 9th – aka the original install date!
I like to consider myself a pretty calm person, but once I got off the phone, I was in a full frenzy contacting all the people helping me with the room to bump everything up in our schedule.
The first call was to our photographer and with a little adjusting, he was in. Next I called our painter,
Eileen, who graciously spent her Saturday painting nine days before schedule. Then came my phone call to Leon Christianson who donates and lays all the carpet, and he said he’d be there Monday morning. My next call was to Bryce Dorenkamp of Dorenkamp Construction, and he let me know he could be there Wednesday for whatever help I needed. I then called Furniture Mattress Outlet to see if we could bump up our furniture delivery date, and they said no problem.
I was blown away. So many people completely rearranging their schedules to make this room come together.
While the room was being painted and carpet was being laid, I set to work on refinishing the furniture I had been given/bought for the room. Amy had requested the color purple in her room, and I found a beautiful deep plum color from Diamond Vogel called Eleanor Ann.
While I was ordering the paint I didn’t even look at the name of the paint, but as I left and saw what the top of the lid said, I smiled because it was like God had given me a little sign I was on the right track as Eleanor is my grandma’s name and Ann is my middle name.
While I spent the day Tuesday before the reveal restoring furniture, Wednesday was the big install day with Bryce and Joe. They hung blinds for me from Select Blinds, curtain rods, a tv mount and tv, the large picture above the bed, wall mirror, ceiling fans, wall shelf, and a hope chest Jim nicknamed Amy’s Chest of Sorrows.
On Thursday I decided to add a third coat of paint to the furniture and ran errands for any last-minute items I might need.
Friday I installed the two side tables and vanity, and then added all the fun stuff to the room as I made the bed and decorated all the shelves. By 5:30pm, it was dark outside and the room was complete!
Here is the initial mood board I created as I designed the room, and links to items you see above. Please reach out if you have any questions!
Paint color: Swirling Smoke by PPG (this is a color match to London Fog by Benjamin Moore)
Furniture paint: Eleanor Ann by Diamond Vogel
Wall shelf, florals, tree basket, tray
Triangle wall sconces: donated by Firth Ellis
Original artwork donated by Becky Rose
Vase and stems: Nash and Ivy sale
Nightstands and pink rock: donated by Timeless Treasure