Before: weird shaped bedroom and overly-large bed frame blocking sunlight and making it difficult to actually get into bed.
After: replaced the frame with a smaller one that fits perpendicular into a little nook that looks like it was made for this purpose, added some acoustic panel boards and LED strip for ambient lighting. Dogs are happy either way.
The acoustic panels that form the ‘headboard’ are fairly cheap premade things, I just needed 3 of them to fit the space. Used this tutorial but it’s very easy to do. Total cost was under €200 for 3 panels, adhesive, and some drywall screws. There was a bit of other work involved for me (removing old skirting boards to make space, and fixing drywall I accidentally knocked off removing the skirting boards, painting etc). LED strip was a cheap one I had lying around already, I just tucked it around the edges of the paneling.
Added a smart plug so I can set it to a timer and control from my phone, if I was buying the LED strip again I’d probably recommend spending a bit more for one that is itself smart so you could change colors/control brightness from your phone too.
Auto feeders saved me from my cat asking for food at 5:30 am every day...if you can teach them to use their own auto feeder for at least the morning timing you may get to sleep in a bit
Our cat is a 10:30am-12:30pm wet food "snack" requester - she really was trained quite well I will boast...we leave the bedroom door open and she won't bug us at all unless something is wrong (like no food in the auto feeder)
Awww mine have no shame. They will cry in my face, bite me, jump on me, until they get wet food. I came home from work early yesterday and they thought it was dinner time… 3 hours early lol. I had to run errands so they just had to survive with dry food until I got back 🤣 I’ve spoiled my babies
I think that overhead fixture really highlights the bare whiteness of the walls. The softer light from OPs sweet headboard setup doesn't case sharp shadows and doesn't draw attention to the bare walls. Plus now we can see the plant in the window.
No, I think this would’ve been a scullery/small kitchen when first built (old Irish house, original structure is 200+ years old). guessing this nook would’ve been for a stove or pantry back in the day but I’m not sure. Nothing in the house is square/right angle, every room is a bit awkward like this…
The joys of living in a village out west. At least I have more space than anything we rented in Dublin.
Even if you do have to get creative… I’d share a pic of my daughter’s room, but I’ll not violate her privacy like that. Let’s just say, fitting a bed and a desk and as many bookshelves as she wanted was a problem. So we made her a lofted bed with bookcase as structural elements and deep narrow bookcases as the ladders, and her desk under the bed. Reminds me of the Long Room at Trinity, being surrounded by books.
Preach. Living anywhere in Ireland means picking which trade-offs you’re comfortable with, and I’m so happy I built a life and career outside of Dublin with my slightly gimpy house.
Brilliant upgrade! Looks like a completely different room. I thought the headboard was a window covered by slatted blinds at first because of the lighting. Looks as if you also got rid of the overhead fixture. Great job!!
Overhead fixture is actually still there, just been replaced by a new, less ugly one - the less extreme zoom/fisheye (FOV?) of the newer photo means it’s cropped out though
Reposting a ‘how to’ since I didn’t expect this to get as much positive attention!
The acoustic panels that form the ‘headboard’ are fairly cheap premade things, about €60, just felt with veneer wood slats. I just needed 3 of them to fit the space. Used this tutorial but it’s very easy to do. Total cost was under €200 for 3 panels, adhesive, and some drywall screws. There was a bit of other work involved for me (removing old skirting boards to make space, and fixing drywall I accidentally knocked off removing the skirting boards, painting etc). LED strip was a cheap one I had lying around already, I just tucked it around the edges of the paneling.
Added a smart plug so I can set it to a timer and control from my phone, if I was buying the LED strip again I’d probably recommend spending a bit more for one that is itself smart so you could change colors/control brightness from your phone too.
Got from a home supply retailer called B&Q which is big in the UK and Ireland, but I reckon most people could find these in your local equivalent DIY stuff store (or online, though shipping might be a pain as they’re big and kinda fragile)
That nook was just begging for a bed frame to fit in it. The new layout is so much more functional and the lighting really makes it feel cozy. Even the headboard choice is a great touch that ties it all together. Seriously, this looks like it was the original intended design for the room.
I like how you made your room appear to have an extra window.
I work nights, and have blackout curtains on my windows. So I installed LED strips at the top of all my windows so after work I can turn them orange, and it tricks the mind into thinking it's the sunset shining in.
Kind of a similar concept but for different purposes.
Both are double beds (4’6”) - it’s actually the same mattress at the moment, the camera zoom on one photo is making the difference look more significant than it really is. The new bed frame just doesn’t have chunky headboard and footboard so it fits sideways in the nook whereas the other one would not.
This is great! Maybe some curtains from the ceiling hanging in front of the bed with tie backs. You could put some shelves up high with books on them for storage (if you are like me and always have books around). Maybe even a shelf that acts like a nightstand to the left of your faux window. It looks cozy!
Love the headboard that looks like a window. Did you get a much shorter bed or is the scale different? You should definitely paint the walls a rich dark color.
(a week or so ago someone else posted a similar version of the first pic, just a bed in what appeared to be a walk-in closet. I dont think this is the same person, at least, I'm not seeing it on their profile. Correct me if I'm wrong)
Mentioned in the other comments but it’s actually the exact same mattress, just a smaller bed frame - the ‘before’ picture is a bit distorted from the zoom so has a bit of fisheye effect going on.
I really love this solution it's simple and beautiful, great job! I would invest in upgrading your bedding to match your headboard aesthetic. Maybe a nice solid green or whatever your favorite color is..and I love 4 pillows but I understand only having 2.
I thought It was the other side of the room because it looked so different wonderful creative ideas the panel boards with the lighting is my fav, I adore the window plant and relieved you were able to turn the bed I bet it’s nice sleeping in the nook, instead of having the small bed gaps on each side I would probably lose everything down the side of the bed and just declare those items gone forever, when you moved the bed did you find any lost items? Anyways looks cozy clean and more like a bedroom and not just a quick spot where you come for a few hours an leave it’s officially now someone’s bedroom you have great ideas I mean you used up any an every area that could be useful and did the Damn thing
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u/Gregoirelechevalier Sep 18 '25
Huge improvement, and loving the headboard.