The man nook

Hello there and how are you this lovely Wednesday? So, I’ve gotten SO much done in the powder room but it’s practically all I’ve focused on for the past few weeks. It was time to take a little break and work on a little something different. I needed the distraction!

Remember that one time when Target asked if I wanted to show you all some of their new Threshold items and I squealed like a little girl and screamed said YES?! Well it’s been a few fun months, and I’m finishing up today by showing you a little comfy spot in the bedroom. 

This spot has been deemed the “man nook.” I mean, what man doesn’t want a little cozy nook all to himself? Well, kinda to himself? With a wife, kiddo, two cats and a dog hanging around?

Well, my man actually loves it – way more than I thought he would. He sits in this spot ever night and decompresses from the day a little bit. It makes me happy. :)

It started out as a kind of black hole in our bedroom. All I have is an awful cell phone pic and our bed isn’t made (it never is) so just ignore that part:

That black armoire was from Kohl's years and years ago when they sold furniture in the store. It was just SO big and bulky, and we really didn’t need it anymore, so it went to live with a friend.

I decided to make this a little spot for the hubs when I moved things around a few months ago. The chair that used to be by the fireplace was moved over next to his side of the bed in the corner:

That lamp? I know. I ADORE it. It looks all Restoration Hardware, eh?

Here’s the thing – I saw this lamp while Christmas shopping at Target months ago. I quite literally stood in front of it for 15 minutes, trying to decide if I should get it. I didn’t really NEED it, but I LOVED it. But it was Christmas, and I figured it wasn’t the time to spend on a lamp we didn’t need, so I walked away.

It hurt, it did. So since then I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and every time I went in to a Target I looked for it. I even kept checking on my app to see if it was anywhere nearby and no luck. EVERYONE loved it, obviously.

Finally in March I checked again on a random trip and there was one lamp left. I frantically loaded it in my cart and got that sucker home ASAP. It was meant to be! (Here it is online.)

This wall in our bedroom is a BIG one – it goes up to a pitched ceiling so it’s always stumped me. I already have a big art piece in the bedroom and a gallery wall, so what do you do? It’s the one room in our house with a lot of wall space and I am challenged to fill the walls in there.

So I decided to do something a little different – go small. I wanted it to stay intimate and cozy, so I went on a search at Tarjay. I eye this piece every time I’m in there:

I am really drawn to it for some reason. It works GREAT with the colors in the room as they are right now, but the whole space is getting a redo soon (sooner than I planned!) so I wanted to think ahead.

I loved both of these mirrors:

But we already have plenty of big mirrors in here, so I passed on those.

I also have loved this big clock for months:

But do I really want a big clock in the bedroom? I’m thinking no.

So I actually took a trip down the actual art aisle, which I never do – I haven’t bought wall art from a store in a really long time. (I’m always DIYing stuff instead.) But this floral print was really lovely:

I kept going back to it over and over – it was the right size, the right price and the colors will work great when the room changes. You can see I couldn't resist a few mirrors too – they are small so I gave myself a mirror pass. ;)

Those of you who have been with me for awhile may remember the story of that black table. I’ve had it for years, it was actually a road kill rescue. I LOVE it but haven’t found a great spot for it for awhile.

It looked great next to the chair but it was wayyy too high, so I cut down the legs. This isn’t the first time I’ve done some trimming of legs and I have the process down to a science now.

I taped them off with Frogtape where I want to cut (to keep the cut clean on the saw – it helps keep the jagged edges away) and then mark where I want to cut with a marker:

I hauled it out the garage and used my saw to cut them down and it was perfect!:

I still love this little table so much! Now I’ll be able to use it pretty much anywhere – the taller height made it hard to use next to a chair or sofa.

I didn’t do much to accessorize the table, just added a frame with a photo of us from long ago:

Babies. :)

The roses are from my garden. LOVE.

I broke the art hanging rules and hung everything much lower than usual – it looked odd otherwise and I wanted it to stay cozy:

I know art is supposed to be at eye level, blahbity blah blah…but sometimes you just get to do what you want to do. Cause it’s your house.       

That plant next to the sewing table is a palm variety and it does great in here – no direct sun but it loves it. You just have to watch it cause it will cut. you. For real. It’s palms can be viscous if you grab them wrong. So I just don’t grab them anymore. :)

Here’s a view of the before and after again, my favorite! The totally crappy before picture:

My son hated that dark hutch – he’s not afraid of much but it totally freaked him out. I think at night especially it just looked like a black hole in there.

My style in our bedroom has always been a little eclectic. It doesn’t always make a lot of sense but it’s that one room I like to try to mix metals and textures and I love it:

OK, so it’s not totally manly for a “man nook,” but totally manly decor isn’t going to happen in the bedroom anyway. It’s a great spot for the hubs to relax and it’s all for HIM, which he loves. He especially appreciates the roses, I’m sure.

BIG changes are coming in here soon! I’m so stinking excited but it’s going to keep me busy this summer.

Have you seen the Threshold items at Target? I get giddy when the aisles change up every few months…it’s like a toy store for a decor lover. It’s been a blast showing you some of their awesomeness. To see past posts, go here for the foyer, here for the basement family room updates and here for the bathroom.

Have a BEAUTIFUL day!!