The Roots Room. Welcome back to the cottage series makeover, where I turn old boring cottage spaces into bright and colourful rooms filled with joy. Join me as I show you how to paint it beautiful and go from this,

to this!

Roots Room

This might just be one of my favourite makeovers to date and here’s how I used paint and decor to pull it off! This room much like the other rooms in this cottage had bland pine wall panels, too much-overstuffed furniture and a dark and out-of-date carpet. 

My vision of a cottage bedroom is a place where your guests can relax & get cozy curling up with a good book! When planning a bedroom it’s important to think of who will be staying there. Since this is our primary guest room, I wanted to create a luxurious getaway with a King size bed, and a soft welcoming pallet of colours. 

When I first walked into this room, I couldn’t believe how much furniture was in it! It felt cramped and not very cozy. There was so much art stuck onto the walls, that it felt cluttered. I emptied the room and started fresh. For a more budget-friendly option, you can keep the same furniture and simply de-clutter and repaint. 

Picking a Theme

I like the idea of a themed room because it makes it very easy to design and pick your colours from 1 theme. Growing up in Canada, spending my summers at camp, I thought why not go with something that’s typical to our Northern Canadian culture. Roots is an iconic Canadian company known for its stylish casual wear for nature lovers. Fitting the vibe of the Cabin lifestyle, this room theme is perfect for a cottage. Also, my first job was working at a Roots store for a year when I was 15 – so there is some history here for me in this selection!

The Roots Theme

The Roots brand theme is grounded in 3 colours: an off-white, a vibrant red and a dark neutral gray. Playing with those colours throughout the room I was able to create a balance that looked classy with just the right amount of colour. 

To keep the space feeling bright and open, the main wall colour in the room is a warm off-white, Victorian Lace. When the sun shines through the window and hits the wall, the room really lights up. This small bedroom now feels spacious and airy. 

The bed is the focal point of any bedroom

Since I had removed the dressers I needed some place for storage so I designed a custom king-size bed frame with matching side tables. There was plenty of room under the bed for six large drawers that hold all the extra bedding, blankets and sheets plus space for clothing.

How to paint a rustic headboard with Milk Paint – The cottage Series -Fusion Mineral Paint

I decided to use Milk Paint on the bed frame because with Milk Paint you can still see the beautiful wood grain.  With bare wood, the milk paint soaks right in, needing no primer, is virtually odourless and dries within 30 minutes. I love that you can still see the wood grain, it’s perfect for the theme of this room. Rustic yet contemporary. To see the full tutorial on how I Milk Painted this bed frame check out the link here. 

Pop of Colour

In my Roots room theme, the boldest colour is the red … Hawaiian Hibiscus from our Milk Paint line is a perfect match! I didn’t want to overwhelm the space with this bold colour, so I decided to use it just on the end tables and a few other decor items in the room such as the star. I tied it all together with a reclaimed wood Canadian Flag. To see the full tutorial on how I painted these side tables click on the link here. 

Have fun with paint and colour! We sure did in this Roots room. Just the right amount of colour dispersed throughout the room’s neutral off-white and gray. Side Tables, art and decor are great ways to add in your pops of colour. 

Red painted nightstands using Milk Paint – The Cottage Series – Fusion Mineral Paint

Flooring

Flooring can make a huge impact on your overall design. I removed the original carpet from this room, to keep the space light and bright I chose White Oak Hardwood. I love how it ties in so beautifully with the walls, contrasts with the bed frame and side tables really making those the room feature, and just really brightens up the whole space.

Lighting & Hardware

Lighting choices are a great way to elevate your decor. I added 2 black wall sconces for ambient evening light while you’re curled up reading a book.

To center the roots room, even though the ceiling is fairly low, I wanted to add a modern yet rustic-looking chandelier. This simple wood light fixture has a cozy cabin feel and connects to the other wood elements in the room. 

I decided to go with Black for the hardware. It’s always a safe bet as it goes with most colours and has a modern feel. The wall sconces, the hardware and even the detailing on the light fixtures and door handle are all matte black.

Layering with texture while keeping spaces light and bright is what I love! I added lots of pillows and throws to make this room extra comfy for our guests. Adding these different fabrics and textures makes it feel cozy. I wanted to keep the room bright, so I chose bedding that matched the walls. This patterned duvet cover and the tassels are a fun touch!

The Extra Details

To have some extra fun with the cottage makeover, I decided to bring a pop of colour to each room door. Every bedroom door in the cottage leads to a different themed room. The colour of the door gives you a hint of what you can expect inside. For our Roots room, Hawaiian Hibiscus certainly sets the mood. I’m so inspired by the transformation of this room, it hardly looks like the same space!

You can watch Jennylyn paint that door in this live video.

Decorating is an Ongoing Process.

Your rooms evolve as you do with time to make changes and additions. In the future, I see other ideas for this space such as stencilled pillows or wall art. And for sure a pile of books that beg for summer reading.  

Combining all of the elements from wall colour to furniture choice to fabrics can be daunting. But, by getting rid of everything that did not appeal to me, the oversized furniture, the dreary carpet and blah walls, I was able to start fresh.

Working around a theme is a great way to spark your imagination. Decorating with paint is always a fun adventure and an easy way to create a mood. I hope this room has inspired you to create your very own Roots Room. Drop a comment below and let me know what you think about this makeover!

The full Roots room makeover

Let us know in the comments which makeover in the cottage series you have liked most.