bedrooms are usually the room in a house where i spend the most time, probably because there is a bed there, where the best thing in the world happens. i’m talking about sleep, of course (get your head out of the gutter). as natalie can attest, i go to bed earlier than an 80 year old woman. i love sleep.

so, when i was faced with the challenge of decorating my new room, i knew it was time to bring out the a-game.

i’d always dreamed of having light grey walls, so first on the to-do list was painting over the blase tan color. i learned a lot that day: people who have a natural affinity to spill everything (read: me) should not be around paint, you need to paint alllll the way down to the electrical socket, and if you’re going to “touch up” the ceiling, you need to paint the whole thing. as a result, i now have grey-ish walls, a spotted ceiling and electrical plugs that look like this:

my dad is so proud…

 once i’d spent way too much money on a new dresser (this apartment has a laughably small amount of storage space… or i have a laughably large wardrobe. i tend to choose the former since it makes me feel better), put up new curtains, and added some of my favorite photographs…

… it still felt like something was missing.

solution: a headboard.

following a serious pinterest/hgtv binge, i decided to be all crafty and do a DIY headboard. and by DIY, i mean i was going to buy something that wouldn’t normally be a headboard and hang it up behind my bed and call it a day (so creative, no?)

i’d toyed with hanging a door or shutters vertically, but the thought of figuring out how to logistically do that both intimidated and exhausted me. thankfully, a visit to one of the greatest markets i’ve ever been to solved my problems, and i snagged these beauties:

they’re recycled tin roof tiles. helping the planet and getting a new headboard? #winning. i went with three to make sure that i covered the width of a queen bed.

i’d show you what i did to hang them, but the pictures don’t do justice to me getting a hammer, hitting some nails into the wood backing and then “measuring” where each tile should go.

twenty minutes, some curse words, and a bruised thumb later… voila!

some things i would have done differently: i’d have put hooks on each corner of the tiles to stabilize the tiles, and i probably should have measured to make the spacing more precise, but who has time to do that?!

all in all, i think the property brothers would be proud.

now, if you’ll excuse me, i really do need to go back to admiring my handiwork from the comfort of my bed.

– j.