If you follow along, you might have seen that Carly moved! I asked her to document the process for us and her bedroom reveal is finally ready (along with her practical tips for starting from scratch!). Read on for photos and how she did it.
Refreshing a bedroom—let alone furnishing one almost entirely from scratch—can feel like an overwhelming undertaking. Ahead of my move into a new apartment, I found myself doing exactly that for the first time. Rather than trying to solve the room all at once, I broke it down into a series of layers: first the bed frame, then the mattress and pillows, followed by the bedding, and finally the art and finishing details that brought the space to life.
The process itself wasn’t particularly groundbreaking, but it completely changed the way I thought about designing a room. Instead of piecing things together as I found them, I was able to build the space with intention, choosing foundational pieces first and allowing everything else to respond to them. It transformed what could have been an overwhelming project into one that unfolded gradually, with each decision informing the next.
I have no doubt this room will continue to evolve over time—that’s part of the joy of living in it—but the pieces I’ve highlighted below feel less like temporary purchases and more like the beginning of a home I’ll continue building for years to come.
Frame the Space
Bed frames are surprisingly difficult to commit to, especially when you live in a rental. I’ve moved apartments throughout Charleston more times than I care to admit, and each one has arrived with an entirely different backdrop. Original hardwood floors, terrible laminate, cool gray walls, warm beige ones—I’ve lived with just about every combination imaginable. Because of that, I’ve always gravitated toward a platform frame without a headboard: something understated enough to disappear beneath an oversized duvet, yet versatile enough to adapt to whatever apartment comes next. It also doesn’t hurt that living with a Great Pyrenees has made accessibility a design priority. His seasonal shedding turns vacuuming beneath the bed into a weekly ritual, so anything with unnecessary nooks and crannies was immediately off the table.
After what felt like an endless amount of research, I kept finding myself pulled back to the Thuma Essential Frame. It checked every practical box I had—sitting flush with the floor, assembling without the need for a second set of hands—but what ultimately sold me was its quiet simplicity. The Japanese joinery feels beautifully considered, allowing the bed to function less as the focal point of the room and more as its foundation. It gives everything around it—bedding, side tables, lighting, and the inevitable stack of books on the floor—the space to shine without ever competing for attention.
I’ve never been particularly sentimental about a bed frame before, but this one has become one of my favorite pieces in the apartment. Maybe that’s because, for the first time in a long time, it feels like I’ve found something I’m not already imagining replacing. Instead, I’m excited to watch it settle in alongside me, carrying it from one home to the next as the spaces around it continue to change.
Lay the Foundation
A good night’s sleep hinges on two things: your mattress and your pillows. I’ve never subscribed to the idea that any old mattress will do. What was once an afternoon spent wandering a Sleepy’s showroom—lying on every model in sight—has evolved into something far more personalized. Shopping for a mattress now feels less like choosing furniture and more like understanding the way your body moves through the world.
I’ll admit, I never quite understood the rise of the online sleep quiz. The idea of answering a series of questions to determine the right mattress always felt a bit gimmicky. But after working with Helix, I’ve become a full-fledged sleep quiz convert. It turns out the right level of firmness has far more to do with your sleeping position, body type, and habits than simple preference.
As a side sleeper, I’ve spent years waking up with inexplicable tension across my shoulders and upper back. Since bringing the Helix Midnight Luxe into my bedroom, I’ve noticed deeper sleep, fewer aches, and significantly fewer text messages to my friends about desperately needing a massage. What I appreciate most is its balance. The mattress offers enough support to keep you lifted while still providing the kind of cushioning that makes climbing into bed at the end of the day feel like a genuine reward. Paired with my low-profile platform bed, the proportions feel just right, creating the kind of bedroom that makes lingering in bed with a cup of coffee feel entirely justified.
Naturally, the mattress wasn’t where the shopping ended. I also picked up two pillows from Leesa—the Natural Latex Pillow and the Ultra Cool Reversible Pillow—and have found myself rotating between them throughout the night depending on the temperature. As someone who once chose pillows based almost entirely on appearance, it’s been a surprisingly meaningful upgrade. Sleep has quietly become one of the few places where I’ve stopped settling, and I’m not entirely sure I could go back.
Dress the Mattress
I think about making my bed the same way I think about getting dressed each morning. Both are small rituals that set the tone for the day, and both begin with a strong foundation. Just as I wouldn’t build an outfit without considering fabric, silhouette, or color, I approach bedding with the same level of intention.
I’m an incredibly particular bedding shopper. Linen has always felt a bit too textured for my liking, while sateen leans a little too reminiscent of a luxury hotel. A few years ago, I discovered percale and haven’t looked back. It’s crisp without feeling stiff, cool enough for hot sleepers, and somehow improves with every wash. I’ve also learned to stop fighting my instinct toward neutral bedding. Every attempt to introduce more color has ultimately led me back to my tried-and-true off-white sheets.
The more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve realized I approach my bed the same way I approach my wardrobe. A neutral foundation creates space for everything else to shine. Most days you’ll find me wearing some variation of a white T-shirt, allowing shoes, jewelry, or a jacket to carry the visual interest. My bed works much the same way. Starting with a simple base gives me the freedom to layer in color and texture through quilts, lumbar pillows, and coverlets without ever feeling visually cluttered.
That’s exactly what I found with Boll & Branch’s Vintage Washed Percale collection. The duvet and sheet sets arrived with the kind of softness that usually takes years to achieve, and have only become better with time. More than anything, I love the way it elevates everything layered on top of it. The bedding never demands attention, but quietly allows the rest of the room to come into focus. It’s the kind of foundation that makes the bedroom feel less like a place reserved for sleep and more like a room you naturally want to spend time in.
Accessorize the Walls
Curating art is one of the slowest parts of making a house feel like home. I used to be the kind of person who’d move into an apartment and immediately feel compelled to fill every empty wall, mistaking fullness for completion. As I’ve gotten older—and my taste has become more defined—I’ve grown far more comfortable sitting with blank space. Sometimes for weeks, sometimes for months. I spend that time imagining all the different ways a wall could come together, turning over questions that probably matter to no one else. Should the piece live in a metal frame or a wooden one? Does it need a companion? Would a picture light make it feel more intentional? I’ve learned that the right piece is almost always worth waiting for.
I approached my bedroom much the same way I approached my bedding: by thinking about the room as a whole rather than obsessing over any one individual piece. My biggest design challenge was the window positioned directly above the bed. I’ve never loved placing a bed beneath a window—and while I realize it might be a feng shui offense—I ultimately decided to embrace it by covering the window altogether.
That decision became the turning point for the room. I stumbled across an incredible menswear checked quilt from Super Saturday and immediately knew I wanted it to become the visual anchor of the space. I’d never really allowed a single piece to dictate the direction of a room before, but doing so encouraged me to lean into a richer, more layered palette. Suddenly there was an opportunity to play with warm and cool wood tones across the bed frame, side tables, art frames, and armoire, all while pulling subtle colors from the quilt itself. Instead of competing with one another, each piece began to feel like it was quietly participating in the same conversation.
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