It's no secret that a home renovation is quite the undertaking. Combine the actual cost of the work being done with the time, stress and inconvenience that's often included, and you're probably left with a headache. But renovations can be well worth the energy you spend on getting them right – and this bedroom extension offers the perfect example.
Interior designer Emily Henderson took to Instagram to share her bedroom redesign journey, a project that included an 8-foot extension to the space. And though the renovation wasn't exactly cheap, Emily says the bedroom is 'like night and day.' Here's how she took on the project, and what she suggests for similar projects.
Emily says the extension – which involved building foundation, adding roofing and digging out a basement area for a new HVAC unit – cost approximately $75,000, a cost added on to an already high renovation budget.
Completed as an add-on to an extension done to her home in the '60s, this intensive project added eight feet to the room. And though it doesn't sound like much extra space, Emily says it made a huge difference. The space is completely different, and arranged to suit the exact needs of the designer and her family.
'Once we fully realized how much it would be to add eight feet to the existing addition it was too late. With that said, I love being in this room so much and adore all of the light we get with our windows and skylights,' she says.
As she notes in her Instagram post, Emily loves the final product, apart from a few details. Though her 'feelings change daily, no hourly' about the color of the walls – Debonair by Sherwin-Williams – she's decided to stick with it, and paint the fireplace a darker shade, Big Dipper.
The result is a cool, calm room, perfectly suited for relaxation. The fireplace acts as a focal point, surrounded by stunning window views of the great outdoors. Emily says the bedroom colors may change over time, though: 'Will it stick around forever in this exact form? We’ll see!' she told H&G.
'I think my biggest challenge was that I didn’t have a clear design vision for it, decor-wise. We loved our last primary bedroom, so in a way I think I wanted to recreate that, but also design something different. So sure, are there things I want to change, of course. But I also think I needed to go through this process to see what works and what doesn’t,' says Emily.
Now, Emily's bedroom is awash in natural light and soft yet vivid color. The bed's elegant, arched headboard mimics the shape of a large, standing mirror, and a glowy white light fixture hangs above the room. Potted indoor plants are housed in sculptural white planters, and everything down to lit candles and throw blankets screams comfort.
In Emily's final reveal on Instagram, she calls it 'calm, cozy, highly functional, and objectively pretty' and says it works to fit her family's every need. And even if small design choices change over time, it seems she's achieved the perfect combination of aesthetically pleasing and liveable.
If you're looking to embark on a home extension of your own, Emily suggests thinking carefully about what would make your home work better for you on a day-to-day basis.
If an extra bathroom would improve your family's morning routine, or a guest bed would accommodate relatives who visit frequently, weigh the costs and take the leap. Every renovation should have increased efficiency and function at its heart.
'Truly consider how your family lives and what your needs are to maximize the functionality. It’s an expensive endeavor so you want it to not only improve your home but improve how you live in it,' says Emily.
After all the time and money spent, was the bedroom extension worth it? The answer, ultimately, is yes. Though hindsight is 20-20 and she may have made different decisions along the way, Emily says that the newfound space and ease of use makes all the work worth it in the long run.
'We plan to live in this home for many years, if not forever. So while the financial hit was hard to swallow, I am so grateful for the comfort and functionality that it brought to our lives (and my bedroom, of course),' she says.
