Design Diary: Bedroom Makeover with Serena & Lily

Serena & Lily is one of my favorite design partners. So, when I needed to kickstart my bedroom makeover, Serena & Lily was an obvious source. New Englanders embrace the coastal Cali look, Serena & Lily even opened a  shop in Chestnut Hill, just outside Boston, a couple of years ago.

I love how Serena & Lily’s pieces blend seamlessly with the decor in our more traditional Back Bay condo as well as in our more contemporary Cape Cod house. As you’ll see below in the photographs, it also works well in a midcentury modern setting.

About a year-and-a-half ago, I ordered a green Granada quilt for our preliminary Boston bedroom makeover. I suppose it was more of a refresh at that point. As soon as I spread the quilt on the bed, the room felt brighter and more vibrant. This was exactly the effect I was going for with the bedroom makeover, given our bedroom is located in the basement and lacks abundant natural sunlight.

As much as I love all-white simplicity, the bedroom really benefited from the rich color, rhythmic pattern, and jaunty details of the quilt. The overscale, Indian-inspired botanical pattern is a nice juxtaposition to the geometric wallpaper on the wall behind the bed. The emerald green pops against the upholstered white headboard and plays off the pale green walls. Finally, the quilting, embroidered details, and tassels are fun touches.

The Granada quilt is made from cotton and linen. There’s enough linen that there’s a textural quality to the fabric, but enough cotton to give it some weight and ensure it doesn’t feel scratchy. It’s gone through the washer and dryer a number of times and looks great. It will hold its own through another makeover.

I brought the quilt out to Cape Cod this summer to dress up the sofa bed in my yoga studio / workspace. I may even cozy up with it on our outdoor patio in the evening. I’ll be posting these variations in my Instagram stories soon.

In the meantime, I thought I’d experiment with the Granada quilt by doing an impromptu bedroom makeover in a midcentury modern home in the Cape Cod National Seashore. I thought, if this quilt can transform an urban bedroom and fit perfectly into a contemporary space, how would it work in a midcentury one? Turns out, really well!

Instant midcentury modern bedroom makeover compliments of the Serena & Lily Granada quilt

S&L Bedroom Makeover Green Granada Quilt

A family member kindly let do a bedroom makeover in her midcentury modern home. The house was designed by architect Charlie Zehnder in the 1960s. Have a look at this post on my @StyleCarrot Instagram feed to see the clerestory window and beams above the bed. The furniture has a southwestern flavor that works well with the botanical print.

Serena & Lily Bedroom Makeover With Granada Quilt

I haven’t read this book, have you? I picked it up off the homeowner’s stack of books because the cover looks perfect against the quilt. Always judge a book by its cover. A bed too. Turkey feather found in the wild.

Serena & Lily Bedroom Makeover With Granada Quilt

The pattern is printed on both sides of the cotton/linen quilt which has a clean, knife edge. The pairs of triangles in taupe embroidery thread add to the hand-crafted feel, as do the trio of tassels at each of the four corners. Not only do these details elevate the look, they add texture, and help the palette meld with natural decor elements elsewhere in a room.

Serena & Lily Bedroom Makeover With Granada Quilt

The original wide-plank floor has so much character. I love how the edges of the old, tattered book look against it. The embroidery and tassels accentuate the effect.

Serena & Lily Bedroom Makeover With Granada Quilt

Meet Bella, a new rescue puss. She’s fluffy, sweet, and a little bit shy. She looks grumpy here, but she is even tempered. The shoot had to pause for a few minutes because Ms. Bella takes her meals bedside.

S&L Bedroom Makeover Green Granada QuiltPhotos by Marni Elyse Katz/StyleCarrot

S C H E M I N G 

Create a chic, neutral bedroom makeover with 16 pieces from Serena & Lily.

Our bedroom in Boston has a feature wall with white wallpaper that has a silvery geometric pattern , pale green walls that read as light and bright, neutral wool carpet with pattern and texture, and a glossy white lacquer dresser with polished chrome studs. (You can see a photo of the dresser in my bedroom here.) Yes, it’s about time for a bedroom makeover.

I’d love to do a full bedroom makeover around the Granada quilt. I devised a neutral bedroom makeover scheme using 16 Serena & Lily pieces, including a rattan-wrapped dresser that I adore. What do you think?

Serena & Lily Green Neutral Bedroom Scheme With Granada Quilt

S H O P P I N G
1 Bone Inlay Mirror / 2 Table Lamp / 3 Raffia Wrapped Dresser / 4 Rattan Bed / 5 Textural Rug / 6 Striped Pillow / 7 Granada Quilt / 8 Granada Shams / 9 Concrete Pendant Light / 10 Hurricanes / 11 Tree Stump Table / 12 Botanical Print Pillow  / 13 White Sheets  /  14 Bobbin Chair / 15 X-Base Table /  16 Natural Wallpaper

•                •                •

Create your own bedroom makeover
Click here to shop Serena & Lily >

 

Just In: It’s the Last Day of the Serena & Lily Bedroom Sale

Is your bedroom a haven? It should be, especially if your kids will be homebound this fall.  StyleCarrot partner Serena & Lily is having a sale on pretty much everything you would want for a serene bedroom makeover.

All bedding, beds, headboards, nightstands, and dressers are on sale at Serena & Lily through the end of Tuesday, August 18, 2020. They’ve also jintroduced 150+ new arrivals across multiple categories, including bedding, sofas, outdoor furniture, wallpaper, and accessories.

Serena & Lily’s coastal Cali vibe meshes well with New England coastal sensibilities and can freshen up tired, traditional decor too.

Blue & White Bedroom With Coastal California Vibe By Serena & Lily

The above bedroom features Serena & Lily’s new Gardenside grasscloth wallcovering in Vintage Indigo and the Sunwashed Riviera backless bench in Pacific. 

Blue & White Bedroom With Canopy Bed By Serena & Lily

This dreamy bedroom features Serena & Lily’s Driftway one-drawer nightstand hand-wrapped in pretty powder blue linen, which is on sale, Pesaro wallpaper, and Avondale martini table in hand-hammered antique brass, and the Whitaker Four Poster bed in salt-washed oak, also on sale.

Here are some other favorite bedroom furniture and blue & white bedding picks from the Serena & Lily Bedroom Boutique sale:

Serena & Lily Beds Nightstands Dressers Chests

1. Balboa Bed  / 2. Tall Broderick Bed  / 3. Harbour Cane Bed /  4. Hunter Side Table / 5. Blake Raffia One-Drawer Nightstand   / 6. St. Germain Stone Side Table  / 7. Balboa Wide Dresser  / 8. Blake Wide Dresser  / 9. Pierson Tall Dresser

Serena & Lily Blue & White Bedding

1. Gingham Shams / 2. Positano Linen Shams / 3. Soho Shams / 4. Beach Club Sheet Set / 5. Positano Linen Sheet Set / 6. Soho Sheet Set / 7. Almonte Quilt / 8. Montauk Coverlet / 9. Sandpiper Quilt

•                  •                 •

Get your garden in gear with StyleCarrot partner Terrain >

Giveaway: Win $200 at BeddingStyle

CONGRATULATIONS TO MELISSA R.  
THANKS  TO EVERYONE FOR ENTERING!

Early last year, bedding website BeddingStyle.com was in touch about partnering on a bedding giveaway. But first, they wanted me to try out a set of bedding for myself. Since we didn’t need (nor could we store) more bedding in Boston, I chose a white quilted coverlet by Vera Wang for the bedroom in Florida. (Photos of the Florida beach bedroom makeover here.)

 Now it’s your turn to pick out new bedding and give your bed (and maybe your entire bedroom) a makeover. BeddingStyle is offering one StyleCarrot reader, chosen at random, to win $200 worth of bedding at BeddingStyle. Read below for the two requirements of this $200 bedding giveaway. (And don’t forget to include your email address so I can get in touch if you win!)

E N T E R  to  W I N  
$200  at B E D D I N G  S T Y L E*

1. Tell me in the comment section of this post:
What color is your bedroom?

2. Sign up for the BeddingStyle.com newsletter.
(Use the widget below!)

Enter by Friday, January 16, 2015 at noon EST.
One winner will be chosen using random.org.
You MUST include your email address!

*  Excludes Marimekko and White Goods.

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Vera Wang Puckered Diamond Matelasse Coverlet
compliments of BeddingStyle, on our bed in Florida.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

B E D D I N G  S T Y L E  
C O M F O R T E R S  +  D U V E T S

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Clockwise: City Scene Wisteria; City Scene Ink Wash; Vera Wang Shibori; City Scene Amelia.

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Clockwise: City Scene Treetop; Grove Hill Silhouette; Candice Olson Cross My Heart; City Loft Good Vibes.

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Clockwise: Not Neutral Pom Pom; City Scene Radius; Teen Vogue Something Blue; Candice Olson Rise and Shine.

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Clockwise: Perry Ellis Asian Lily; City Scene Arlo; Not Neutral Half Moon; City Loft Honeycomb.

Shopping Trip: Serena & Lily East Hampton

Serena & Lily invited me to it “Sign, Sip and See” party at its new “Beach Market” boutique in East Hampton. Domino co-hosted and their were lots of top interior designers on hand to sign their design books. Since I’m no longer a Hamptons-ite, having given it up for the Cape, I sent my friend and colleague, freelance writer/editor Meredith Barnett, her mom, news correspondent Rita Braver, and Meredith’s best friend Cristina Miller, head of North American Dealer Relations at 1st Dibs. (I met Meredith & Cristina through Craigslist when I applied to work for their previous business, Store Adore.)

The Serena & Lily Hamptons boutique, on Montauk Highway in Wainscott, is the company’s second retail store. The other is in San Francisco, and they are planning to open more stores soon. Meredith reports: “It was absolutely beautiful—very beachy and whimsical, but also very sophisticated.”  Lobster-printed beach towels were stacked amidst hand-painted trays, and colorful artwork on the walls. She (half) jokes, “They should have hosted it with a real estate company because being in that store made you want to buy a house in the Hamptons, just so you could fill it with their stuff!”

I’m jealous that they got to go and sip yummy fresh peach vodka cocktails, and thankful they took time out to snap these photos. Let’s take the tour >

serena-&-lily-blue-bed

I’ve had my eye on the swirly rattan woven mirrors for a while, not to mention the rattan South Seas bar cart being used here as a side table. Serena & Lily has a ton of aqua bedding, which goes great with that coral Brahams Mount herringbone throw.

serena-&-lily-rattan-swing

Scandinavian inspired hanging rattan chair works indoors and out on the patio. Handcrafted basketweave wood Bamileke side table from India is modeled after ceremonial stools used by Bamileke tribal chieftains. Peek through the window to see the Riviera bench, made of sustainable rattan and woven plastic.

serena-&-lily-kids-room

Bamboo and nylon Sailing Ship kites are handmade by Balinese artisans. I love the powdercoated steel cobalt blue Avery bed for a boy’s room, and have been coveting those studio task lamps made from oak, with red cords.

serena-&-lily-curtains

Get creative with fabric by the yard. The store also has items by other designers. Look at the bottom of the photo—Tina Frey resin ice bucket and Champagne bucket with leather handles. J’adore.

serena-&-lily-pink-girls-bedding

Harbour cane bed has clean lines reminiscent of French antiques. The cheeky sun pillow by Christopher David Ryan  says, “Lovely To See Your Again My Friend.”  The pattern on the dotty pink quilt and shams are made from tiny hearts.

serena-&-lily-pillows

Throw pillows galore—great for adding a personal touch to a summer rental. The screenprinted cotton canvas leaf pillow covers in coral are my favorite. The coral and blue botanical print pillows up top are Serena & Lily’s palm leaf pillow covers and the neutral geometric print on the bottom right is the diamond pillow cover.

serena-&-lily-cutting-boards

Cutting boards and trays with colored edges make great hostess gifts.

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As you know, I’m a huge fan of the original artwork curated and sold by Serena & Lily. They’ve got the best dreamy landscapes and cheerful abstracts.

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More abstract artwork.
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Serena & Lily, East Hampton

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Big thanks to Meredith Barnett & Cristina Miller for stopping by!

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S H O P the P O S T
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Design Diary: Kids Room Spruce Up

It’s spring break again (I get three), so I’m in Florida. I’ve had little luck finding a contractor (we want to swap the wall-to-wall carpet for a plywood floor, paint everything white, and a few other fixes), so yesterday I decided to do some freshening up to tide us over, at least in the boys’ room. Between the blah walls and carpet, it was getting a tad depressing.

Spending a lot of money wasn’t an option, so I ran into Marshalls and T.J. Maxx (luckily they both happen to be in the same complex). I found great on-trend, brightly, patterned bedding. The aqua and turquoise cotton quilt looks like John Robshaw, with its Indienne pattern. Plus, its really soft. Considering the very reasonable price, I was thrilled with the high quality.  The charcoal grey and white trellis pattern sheets are amazing smooth; they’re all cotton but really satin-y. The “smile” pillow is done in an almost nautical canvas, very cheerful and preppy.

I also found a durable little area rug with a Moroccan-inspired pattern. For a toy storage solution, I got a cute charcoal gray nylon fiber basket that’s large enough for the balls, books, and other random toys that seem to magically materialize. (I may steal it to hold towels in the entry though.)  Lastly, I got him a glass water bottle with a silicone cap and grip to leave by the bedside.

Plucking from other parts of the condo, I finally framed and hung the artwork. All three are prints by Cathy McMurray that I had purchased last year. I also moved in a better lamp and a stalk of bamboo. HUGE improvement, I think.

I might not keep the bed dressed like this ultimately, (I’m thinking it would also be perfect out on the Cape), but I love the look right now. What do you think? Scroll down for the “before” photos too.

full-bed

smile

rug

bamboo

B E F O R E 

before-2

 

before

 

Thanks to Marshalls & T.J. Maxx for the $150 gift card!