Color-Drenching Room Makeover (Cozy, Moody + Guest Favorite Design)

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Comfort is always my goal when designing a space.

blue color drenched bedroom makeover

I haven’t had the chance to fully try color drenching in my own home yet, but it’s been sitting at the top of my “can’t wait to try this” list… and after this project, I’m completely sold.

color drenched blue bedroom with four poster bed, cozy fireplace and layered blue and green bedding

Check out the full property here: Suite Retreat BnB – bookmark if planning a trip to western PA!

What “Color Drenching” Means

Color drenching is when an entire room is painted in one color tone.

Walls, trim, ceiling, doors. Everything stays within the same color family (or even the exact same shade).

Instead of contrast, the space becomes immersive, cohesive, and intentionally calm.

Why It Works

At first, it might seem like painting everything the same color would hide architectural details.

But interestingly, it often does the opposite.

Without sharp contrast, your eye relaxes… and that allows details to stand out in a softer, more subtle way.

The result:

  • A moody, cozy atmosphere
  • A clean, uncluttered look
  • A space that feels intentional instead of busy

It’s bold, but in a quiet, grounded way.

moody blue bedroom makeover with painted walls, wood floors, bench seating and soft natural light through curtains

How To Try It

If you’re curious but hesitant, here’s how to ease into it:

1. Start small
Try a powder room, bedroom, or office first.

2. Rethink light vs. dark

  • Bright room? Don’t be afraid of lighter tones
  • Low light? Go deeper and moodier (this often works better than fighting it)

3. Use tones if you’re unsure
Same color family, slightly different shades = softer version of the look.

4. Layer in texture
Wood, linens, rugs, metal accents. This keeps the room from feeling flat.

My First Color Drenching Experience

four poster bed styled with layered blue and green pillows and quilt with a wall canopy of green sheet curtains, curtain lights and floral garland

This project was for a short-term rental bedroom.

The space had all the charm of a traditional bed and breakfast.

Traditional before

This is going way back to previous owners and the traditional B&B called “A Step Back in Time”. It was very traditional.

traditional B&B bedroom before

Updated Before

  • Transitional style
  • Worn finishes
  • No headboard
  • Ready for a refresh

The Bantam Bungalow showed a huge improvement, but in person, it felt a little tired and outdated. It was time for an update. Shelby (the owner) was upgrading to a four-poster bed and wanted to create a canopy-style feel.

That decision naturally led to:

  • Fresh paint
  • Updated accessories
  • A more intentional design direction

We wanted something moody, cozy, and memorable.

That’s when we decided to try color drenching.

cream and gray bedroom

After: A Cozy, Immersive Guest Experience

And the result?

Completely transformed.

The room now feels:

  • Comfortable
  • Unique (not your average rental)
  • Immersive in the best way

It’s one of those spaces that feels good the second you walk in.

And based on guest response right away, it quickly became a favorite.

blue painted fireplace with brass surround, floral arrangement and cozy seating in a color drenched moody bedroom

The twinkling lights behind sheer curtains and topped with garland gives this moody space an enchanted forest energy.

carved wood headboard with blue and green pillows and soft string lights in a wall canopy cozy bedroom setting

Is Color Drenching Right for You?

moody cozy layered design ideas for blue color drenched bedroom

If you love a cozy, slightly bold look (but still want calm and simplicity), this is absolutely worth trying.

It works especially well if:

You want your home or rental to stand out

Your room has character you want to enhance

You’re tired of playing it safe with neutral contrast

crowned oval bird art

Paint Color Used

  • Color name: Sherwin Williams Regatta
  • Finish: Eggshell
  • Brand: I believe it was color-matched in Behr. Because in this space, it reads as a rich deep blue with subtle teal undertones depending on the light. So it’s “Regatta” but color match + lighting. Opinion: In this full room application, it reads more like a historic color than a water-inspired color to me.

Get the Look

green glass pendant light glowing against blue color drenched walls and framed forest artwork in moody bedroom

This cozy, color-drenched bedroom came together with layered texture, soft lighting, and a few simple elements that make a big impact.

moody color drenched blue bedroom collage

Bedding & Comfort

  • Oversized Luxury Quilt Set – (it’s not the one shown, it’s in laundry rotation), it’s a rich texture and cozy layering (we’ve even had guests ask to buy it!)
  • Sheet Set – soft, neutral base for contrast

Lighting

Canopy Look (Behind the Headboard)

Helpful Tools

The Confident Room Method

If you’re staring at a space and thinking “I know I want change, I just don’t know where to start…”

That’s exactly why I created this.

The Confident Room Method™ is a guided decorating workbook that walks you step-by-step through creating a space you love, without overthinking every decision.

Think of it like having a design friend sitting beside you.

Get it here: Confident Room Method – Decorating without Doubt

Confident Room Method cover with interior design flatlay

Want More Personalized Help?

I also offer remote design consults through Style Thyme.

If you want:

  • A second set of eyes
  • Clear direction
  • Help pulling everything together

…it’s exactly what I do. Learn more here: Style Thyme Design Consults

Before & After Reveal

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Animal Humane Society Before and After Grand Reveal and Adoption Event

Helloooo, DIY friends! I’ve just returned from an awesome packed few days where I partnered with Purina Cat Chow in assisting with a fun makeover of the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley, MN. Exciting and so rewarding!

#purinacatchow #myrescuestory @purinacatchow @diyshowoff

The Purina Cat Chow “Building Better Lives” program is committed to helping improve the lives of cats across the country by supporting 50 cat-focused shelters nationwide – one in every state! – and donating a generous $275,000 in renovation and adoption support, product and monetary donations as well as a possible $50,000 donation to The Petfinder Foundation, for a total donation of up to $325,000. Wow! Purina Cat Chow identified three of the participating 50 shelters for on-site makeovers of their cat facilities valued at $50,000 each or $150,000 total. The makeovers include custom changes and upgrades to meet the specific needs for each facility. Bri and I were so excited to lend a hand! 

The work in progress and awesome team effort:

painting hexagon cat cubbiesbuilding cat furniturepainting honeycomb cat cubbies assembling cat towersinstalling cat towersassembling cat stairsconfiguring hexagon cat cubbieshexagon cat cubbiesworking on cat walk

Purina Cat Chow, a DIY blogger, a skilled contractor and awesome volunteers…we did it! 

Ready for some before and after shots of the cat colony room designs? Let’s go!

before

cat colony room 3 before

after

glass cat colony room after

 Stairs leading up to a shelf that sits level with the window gives cats a better view. Glass walls give potential pet parents a ‘showcase’ view. cat stair shelf

3D hexagon/honeycomb cubbies are fun and interactive for the cats and a clean modern fit for the adoption center’s new look. cat hexagon furniturecat stairs

before

cat colony room 2 before

after

cat colony room 2 after

Three cat towers reach to the windows for lounging in the sun and bird watching. cat colony room 2 makeover

before

cat colony room 1 before 

after

cat colony room 1 after

Stairs to a cat walk give the cats a better view and showcase the frisky felines in the adoption center. bri - cat colony room 1 makeover

from outside the window

cat walk

I love the cat wall murals, don’t you?

cat wall murals

Easy reach cat toy storage for visitors…

cat toy storage

The cats are loving the new environment…

cat hexagon cubby shelvescat on cat walk

So many sweet cats looking for forever homes. 

adoptable cats

And the entire adoption process has been streamlined so that it will feel less like an interview process and more like a conversation. Those looking to adopt will be in love with the center’s changes too.

animal shelter lobby

The Grand Reveal Party and Adoption Drive started with a ribbon cutting ceremony and provided tours, a vintage photo booth, DJ, giveaways, cupcakes and beverages, balloon animals, face painting, food trucks and TONS of super cute adoptable cats and kittens. So.much.fun!

animal humane society grand reveal partygrand reveal party

Purina Cat Chow believes every cat deserves a forever home. The “Building Better Lives” program helps local cats find new homes at all 50 of the brand’s shelter partners.

How can you help? Purina Cat Chow will donate up to $50,000 to The Petfinder Foundation if from now until Sept. 2,  at least 1,500 stories are shared with the brand’s social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) using the hashtag #myrescuestory. This donation will be used to support 50 Petfinder.com shelters to help support future cat adoption fees. Find out more about the Building Better Lives program at Purina Cat Chow.

Purina Building Better Lives

Thanks SO much to Purina Cat Chow for sponsoring/inviting me to participate in this amazing opportunity to help sweet cats find forever homes and for all of the friendly volunteers and staff from the Animal Humane Society for their assistance and guidance, my daughter and assistant, Bri, for all of her help and support, along with one super skilled contractor, Tim Pond and his assistant, for his brainstorming and building genius. 

Animal Humane Society Makeover #myrescuestory #purinacatchow @purinacatchow @diyshowoff

Pantry Organization Ideas: DIY Shelving, Storage & Styling Tips

Organizing a pantry doesn’t have to mean a full renovation. With a few DIY projects and thoughtful storage solutions, you can create a space that’s both functional and beautiful. Here’s how we transformed ours step-by-step.DIYShowOff Open Pantry before and after makeover

Did that space actually grow larger and taller with the addition of shelves or is it just me?

Planning & Inspiration

When we removed a pantry closet in our kitchen to move the refrigerator (more on that here), it decreased valuable storage space. What were we thinking?! What to do? Well, after much thought, the solution was to utilize an odd room/hallway to create more storage space. Lucky for us, that space exists in our home right behind the kitchen. Jackpot! Kismet. Fate. Whatever – it was finally time to make it happen!

The space is bigger than a hallway but six (6!) doorways make it too awkward to be a room. There are doorways opening to the kitchen, dining room, living room, old cellar stairwell, enclosed porch (original front door) and half bathroom. We walk through that room a gazillion times a day.

It’s approximately 6 ft. wide and 9 ft. long with 9 ft. ceilings. Ever since previous owners enclosed the front porch and re-routed the front door, this poor former entryway has been feeling forgotten. Perfect for some custom DIY industrial pipe shelving and a new job description as ‘open pantry’. 

Where is all started: The idea to one day call this area a pantry formed three years ago after drooling over this awesome pantry by Emerson Made on Design Sponge.Emerson Made open pantry

And then falling in love with this cool pipe shelving I spied at the Brick House…pipe shelving at the Brick House

inspired the transformation of this space…

Before: Pantry Space

before – boring, useless, a lamp for lightopen pantry before

Pantry Organization Projects

DIY Shelving

We built custom industrial pipe shelving to maximize storage and fit the space perfectly.

DIY industrial pipe shelving unit in pantry with wood shelves and black pipe frame for storage and decor

Storage Solutions

  • baskets

  • jars

  • containers

Labeling + Organization

  • chalk labels

  • grouping items

Styling + Finishing Touches

Pantry Organization Tips

  • keep frequently used items accessible

  • use vertical space

  • mix storage + style

  • don’t overfill

Shop Pantry Organization Essentials

(affiliate links included)

Final Result

Now: a functional beautiful open pantry area…DIYShowOff Open Pantry

with new paint, new lighting and DIY industrial pipe shelving. It’s a small space…no room to get a photo straight on of the monstrous pipe shelves but plenty of walking room even with 20 inch deep shelving. I love storing dried goods in glass jars too. 

Before from another angle…pantry area before

After…isn’t the industrial pipe shelving unit awesome?!DIYShowOff Industrial Pipe Shelving

It’s super convenient with it’s location right off the kitchen.industrial farmhouse pantry makeover

The shelves were designed to fit the wall to ceiling and floor space perfectly and to accommodate our microwave as well as dried goods and baskets. I’m still messing with getting it all organized but I loooove how this once awkward unused space is now functional and pretty! Hurray!

More photos: Notice all of the doorways?DIYShowOff Pantryfarmhouse pantryfarmhouse pantry decor

Custom design was also handy when working around the heat vent…Kitchen Pantry

Why yes, that’s still a little Christmas hanging around for another week or so. Thanks for noticing!Industrial Pipe Shelving

farmhouse industrial pantry lighting

  • Paint – inexpensive way to brighten up a room lacking natural lighting. (accent wall tutorial) Base wall color: Valspar Cool Grey. 
  • Lighting – The Allen + Roth fixtures from Lowe’s were super affordable at around $57/ea. but electrical wound up costing more than I anticipated due to labor charges because there was no lighting whatsoever in the space from the get go and an outdated electrical outlet. (We did attempt DIY but it was over our heads and I’m not referring to just literally!) The exterior track/wiring adds to the industrial charm.
  • Pipe shelving – DIY means custom to fit our space and needs. Not a cheap DIY but still more affordable than purchasing two manufactured floor to ceiling shelving units. I’ll share how we did in in a couple of days! Check back!
  • West Elm Fiesta Tile Printed Jute Rug
  • Flea Market Distressed Galvanized Metal Clock
  • IKEA Burken jars with lids
  • Large Seagrass Basket 
  • Petite Cow & Bull Cameo Plaques, set of 2
  • Grocery Sign 
  • Galvanized letter B – Hobby Lobby

DIY Pantry Makeover before and after

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Grape Arbor Gazebo Makeover

The grape arbor gazebo has been a work in progress for years. DIY takes patience sometimes, my friends. Especially when you’re working as time and money allow. I can’t tell you how GOOD it feels to have it complete!Grape Arbor Gazebo Makeover

Let’s start at the beginning. When we purchased our home, we loved the grape arbor’s size and maturity.

 grape arbor before

See those poles? Very, very rustic and home to some critters even…hello!chipmunk

As much as I love rustic and as cute as it looks in the picture below, it felt like a tetanus shot just waiting to happen not to mention, 6’2″ Mr. DIY had to duck to walk beneath it. 

So the rebuilding process took place. Most of the roots to the vines are on the one side. We sort of ‘peeled’ those back one section at a time while a gazebo was installed in the center and more study wooden frame was built on each side. 
 
Mr. DIY and family {thanks, Butch!} built up the new wood structure around the old rusty iron skeleton, lifting and shifting the grapes in the process before removing the old iron poles. 
 
Rebuilding can be stressful but the grapes survived! Maybe they were even a little grapeful (haha!) for the home makeover. 
 
 
Beautiful! But then all that gorgeous-ness didn’t go with the overgrown messy underneath. 
grape arbor gazebo
And that’s where this summer’s DIY project of installing a recycled brick patio and path came into play. 
grape arbor path before
 
See the recycled brick patio and walkway tutorial for more details about the transformation and steps Mr. DIY took to install it with his own two hands. Great job, honey! xoxo
DIY brick patio
 
Once he finished the brick patio and walkways, it was time for some landscaping. I didn’t know where to start. I was so overwhelmed with the size, the work that it would involve. Plants intimidate me. So, the decision was made to hire professionals for weed clean up, planting, edging and mulching. 
 
The view from our kitchen French doors: 
recycled brick walkway
Worth every penny. 
recycled brick walkway
Wow! It was a treat to watch what a team of 5-6 landscaping professionals with the right tools can accomplish in 3 hours. Yes. I said ‘three hours’. This would have taken me months of backbreaking labor. My back hurts just thinking about it. 
recycled brick walkway
Now I feel like I can maintain this area, plant more, decorate. And just enjoy every square inch. 
recycled brick patio
Isn’t it pretty? So romantic. So quiet and peaceful. 
recycled brick walkway and patio
 
I’ve been window-shopping for furniture and ideas but will likely wait until spring. I’ve had the sheer drapes for years but this year, they look the best they ever have. 
DIYShowOff gazebo
 
grape arbor gazebo reveal
And scary… {ghost tutorial}
DIY ghost tutorial
haha!
 
The back yard before…
backyard before
The back yard now…
backyard after
Grape arbor now.  
grape arbor
I can’t wait for the plants to fill in. I’ll be adding a few here and there this week too. Maybe something that will come up in the spring.
 
Now when you visit, we have a place to talk and catch up. Weather permitting. DIY brick patio
 
Do you have a special outdoor area at your home?
 

Before and After Contest Voting Begins!

All summer long, the Before & After Contest supporting Habitat for Humanity has been going on, organized by OPC’s The Better Half: Jocie. Not only is she super sweet and talented but she’s one heck of a party planner! 

I hosted the contest one of the weeks and loved looking through the entries {here}. It was a tough choice…

Before & After DIY highlights

but I chose the awesome DIY bathroom makeover at Design Dreams by Anne

Bathroom Reno @ DesignDreams by Anne

Now it’s time for Anne and the other weekly winners to compete! Head over to the Before & After at One Project Closer to see all 13 winners and to vote for your favorite starting 9/26 at 10 p.m.! 

H4Hbutton2013

Mission: It’s our hope that you will be inspired to get involved with Habitat for Humanity. You don’t have to be a professional or give weeks of your time or have lots of money. Every little bit counts! Find out more about volunteering or providing financial support with Habitat for Humanity.