I am at the nitty gritty part of my room makeover- the demo on my master bedroom is done, rebuilding has begun, but the progress is slow and the to do list is long. I like the fun part of decorating at the end. But until we get there, I’m going to celebrate every movement forward! In case you’ve missed any of the past weeks, you can catch up here:

week 1 / week 2 / week 3 / week 4 / week 5 / week 6- Reveal

master bedroom progress

Drywall is up on the short wall- the bed will go on this wall. Once the wall is mudded, I’ll give it a coat of paint and then I can wallpaper it!

The most exciting progress this week is that the new closet has been framed and drywalled! This wall will get wallpapered soon too. The door is a $20 vintage find from Habitat for Humanity. I love adding in older pieces to keep the soul of this 1905 building intact.

More cosmetic work is needed on these walls- see what I mean by the nitty gritty?! The trim on the floor is begging to go up! I can’t wait for these finishing touches- it’ll get much prettier soon!

diy german smear

When we exposed the brick on the original fireplace, we found some badly damaged brick. Big cracks, huge holes in the motar. The chimney is crazy crooked. But still, I want to make it work. When I shared it on Instagram stories and asked if I should keep it, my favorite response is that “crooked is character, not cookie cutter.” Most people voted to keep it.

But how to make it work? And then I remembered the German smear technique! I’d seen it on Fixer Upper and love the idea because basically, you add white motar to the top of your brick. You can leave some of the brick exposed or fully cover it. I thought I could kill two birds with one stone with this method by making the brick prettier while fixing the flaws.

Yield: 1 Fireplace

DIY German Smear

Print

Cover your brick with motar or grout to add age and character to your brick.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Active Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cleanup Time 15 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Difficulty Medium

Estimated Cost $35

Materials

• White Grout

Tools

• Trowel
• Gloves
• Bucket

Instructions

1. Begin by mixing a bucket of grout. You want the consistency to be thinner than peanut butter but thicker than honey
2. Apply the grout to the brick by using a trowel. Make sure to wear gloves as this is a messy project! Because I had so much to cover and didn't like the color of the bricks, I thickly covered the brick.
3. If you'd like to see the original brick, scrape the grout off while it is still wet.
4. When the grout dries, sand off any jagged edges.

Notes

Note, I covered the bottom of the chimney more thinly than the rest because it will be covered with a fireplace. I used one box of grout, but I'd guess that most fireplaces are bigger so you'll probably need 2 boxes of grout.

fireplace after

On the top of the chimney, we found a square of galvanized tin. I wanted to cover it, but didn’t want to hang something so high on the chimney (I’d prefer to hang it lower, at a normal point). So I decided to buy a center onlay and make a decoration out of it. I might paint it a creamier color to match the chimney.

On either side of the fireplace, I’m planning on a built in bookcase. From last week, you might remember my plans for a rainbow bookcase. Items are starting to arrive for it, so I gathered a few of them and set them out. Guys, this is the part I am excited for!

pink door art / poodle / you are my sunshine art / yellow pot / green leaf art / green and yellow pot / mint pineapple / Charleston map art / purple doll art / mural / shelves

The art is from Minted and accessories are from Overstock. This is a small sampling of what I’ll be doing, but I hope you’re as excited for the master bedroom shelves as I am!

As a reminder, here is the mood board for the room:moon art / rug / bed / floor / planters / ottoman / lamps / night stand / chair / table / art / shiplap / wallpaper

Next week I’m hoping to have some of the wallpaper up, so definitely check back for that! Until then, make sure to see what the other One Room Challenge designers have been up to!

At Home with Ashley | Brepurposed | Dabito | The English Room | Erin Kestenbaum

Harlow & Thistle | House of Brinson | J & J Design | Kelly Golightly | Linda Holt

Megan Bachmann | Michelle Gage | Mimosa Lane | Murphy Deesign | Vestige Home

Old Home Love | SG Style | Shay Geyer | Sita Montgomery | SMP Living

Media Partner Better Homes & Gardens | TM by ORC

Want to catch up on all of the master bedroom progress and reveal?

week 1 / week 2 / week 3 / week 4 / week 5 / week 6- Reveal