Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using these links.

My Beloved Rag-Rolled Walls

Years ago, I painted our bedroom walls a buttery yellow, and over that I applied an amberish-colored rag-rolled finish.

The walls are the original textured plaster from the 1920s. The rag-rolled finish gave them an aged patina – almost like the inside of an ancient adobe house. I was thrilled.

Master Bedroom Refresh: Before refresh with rag rolled walls — Before: Rag rolled walls

I thought I would never want to change it.

Still, it bothered me a little that the walls didn’t really look right with the ceiling or moldings. So we repainted the ceiling. And the walls still didn’t look quite right. The room didn’t look terrible, it was just that nothing was working well together.

But I was busy with other things, and I still loved those walls.

A New Color Crush

Along came Downton Abbey. Eventually I fell in love with the serene blue walls in Cora Crawley’s bedroom. Sometimes they looked blue, and other times more green – almost blue but not quite.

And that is what I wanted – that “almost blue.” Which meant the rag rolling had to go.

The right “almost blue” was not easy to find. After much searching and deliberation, I decided on Benjamin Moore’s “Galt Blue” (CW-560).

I love the soft color. Like in Cora’s bedroom, the color does seem to morph from a seaglass green to a blue depending on the light.

Photographing this color accurately was tricky, but I finally found a camera setting that got it almost right.

Below the walls look almost green in contrast with the blue in our master bath (Valspar’s Amercian Traditions “Sky Blue”).

New Bedding

The quilt, which I’d also had for years, didn’t work with the new wall color so I found something more neutral.

New Window Coverings

I brought in these lace curtains from another room.

The white aluminum mini blinds were dust collectors. I wanted something with more contrast, so I replaced them with matchstick bamboo roll-up blinds.

These surprisingly inexpensive blinds add a bit of natural texture but still give the windows a light and airy look.

The blinds are very sheer. They don’t completely block out the light or the view. But since it would take a hover craft for anyone to actually see into these windows, I am not too worried about that.

A Few Little Tweaks

The cheval mirror looked out of place near the window and blocked the little print hanging behind it.

A cute antique floor lamp sat in a forgotten corner of the bedroom, so I moved it to where the mirror had been and grouped it with a small table and a chair to create a little sitting area.

Master Bedroom Refresh: After refresh with new sitting area. — After

The mirror makes more sense next to my husband’s tallboy dresser. I have a separate little dressing room, so I rarely use that mirror anyway.

Striking a Balance

I feel there is a balance between masculine and feminine decor in this room. Sure, I fantasized about making the room very girly, maybe painting the dressers and the headboard – not that my husband would stand by for that.

But in the end, the masculine-feminine balance is what grounds a room and keeps it interesting.

One Thing Left to Do

I would like to replace the bedside lamps with something more substantial,

similar to the ones below.

A Master Bedroom Refresh