New Reveal: This Organic, Punchy Bedroom Might Be Our New Favorite Makeover

We’ve styled a lot of bedrooms around these parts but this one right here might be our new favorite. I mean…just look at those vintage tree canvases. What?!? They very much set the tone for this master suite’s design aesthetic, which we’re going to walk you through today because it’s GOOD. But first, a little backstory: Emily has been a huge fan of Brooklinen since probably night #1 of sleeping on their sheets. Their percale sheets are her current favorites from any brand she’s tried, so when they reached out to partner with us, it was a very quick “YES” on our part.

Plus, we’d been itching to get our hands on another room in this house and a mostly empty space there to makeover felt like the stars aligning. The bedroom this home is in belongs to one of Emily’s best friends, Corbett—you might remember some of the spaces indoors from here, here and here, as well as the KILLER outdoor space from this post. She already had a modern, organic thing going on so we worked within that for design consistency (but also because it feels perfect for a serene, unfussy bedroom).

Armed with some beautiful bedding from Brooklinen (more on that in a sec), a view of LA so killer it feels almost unreal, and plenty of fun furniture and decor accessories to play with, we “made over” this room that already had very, very good bones (not hard). Here, we’ll walk you through the elements that make up this high-impact yet fresh and organic bedroom so you can recreate it with your own twist in your home (vistas not included, sadly).

But first, a quick aside before moving on: we want to talk a little about the features that make Brooklinen’s bed linens so dang good:

• Their sheets are made with long-staple cotton (lower quality sheets are typically made of short-staple or brushed cotton), which really means your sheets will be longer lasting, softer and just generally feel more luxurious.
• They were so smart in adding “short” and “long” labels to each side of their fitted sheets. Raise your hand if you’ve ever wanted to roll your fitted sheet into a ball and throw it out the window after multiple failed attempts of getting the orientation right. Obviously, you’re not alone.
• For all you pillowtop or plush mattress owners, their fitted sheet fits mattresses up to 15-inches deep, which should prevent that frustrating middle-of-the-night snapback we’ve all no doubt experienced.
• OH, and one of our favorite parts is the envelope closures on the pillowcases. There’s never a need to stuff your pillow back. High five to Brooklinen for taking all the little annoyances of traditional bedding and finding smart, simple solutions. Okay, on to our regularly scheduled programming…

5 Elements You Need to Create a Modern Organic Bedroom

#1: Natural Textures

Striped Duvet Cover | Striped and Olive Green Pillowcases | Sheets | Quilt | Rug | Vintage Nightstands | Pendants | Bed (similar) | Bench

Let’s start with one of the most important parts of a bedroom: what goes on the actual bed that you put your body on every night. Here, we used a mix of Brooklinen’s Classic Core percale sheets (like we mentioned, Emily’s favorites for how crisp and cool they sleep…they really will make your bed feel like an expensive hotel), and the brand’s linen duvet and pillowcases. Now, a few of us have tried the linen from some other companies and have mixed feelings about them. This is not a blanket statement for all, but linen takes a while to break in and until you do, can feel scratchy and uncomfortable—the opposite of what you think you’re getting into based on the internet’s universal rave review of linen bedding. But Brooklinen’s is honestly different. It’s stonewashed so it’s soft from the get go and just really pliable and inviting. In a “modern organic” bedroom style, a subtle, natural texture like the Belgian and French flax linen of this duvet cover works so, so well.

Tray | Green Mug

To keep the bed textural and layered with enough punch, we opted for the striped duvet cover with the solid sheets, then brought in that awesome army/moss green with the back set of shams. That color really helps tie in the verdant elements in the vintage tree artwork as well as the actual trees out the windows. Finishing off the bed is a linen quilt that Emily Bowser couldn’t stop raving about. She said it was the perfect medium weight (not too heavy, not too flimsy) and SO incredibly soft she just wanted to live wrapped up in it.

Another textural element in this vignette is that cushy shag rug on the side of the bed. Who wouldn’t want to sink their toes into that every morning? Keeping that in a neutral color really lets it be all about the texture, while the imperfect shape keeps it squarely in the “organic” part of “modern organic.”

We’ll talk more about these two things next, but the use of rich wood grains in all the furnishings as well as the leather from the pendants varies the tactility. When you’re building the design for a room, you want to be sure you’re tapping a diverse range of textures so everything feels well-rounded and effortlessly pulled together. For instance, in this space, we have the imperfectness of the canvases, the sleekness of the percale sheets, the floppiness of the linen duvet and shams, the lushness of the rugs, the lived-in quilt, the visually rich wood grain and even the roughness of the cotton rope of the end-of-bed bench.

#2: Imperfect Shapes

Organic doesn’t just mean a natural material, but also wonky, imperfect shapes (i.e. not streamlined and straight-edged). Here, we used a 4’x6′ sheepskin rug to break up all the straight lines from the bed, nightstand and console and it really pulls its weight to relax the eye.

Okay, it’s time to touch on these pendant lights. UGH SO GOOD, right? They get their slightly wonky shape from being wet-formed, which means each one is just slightly different from the next. Also, take note of the cable. It lets you put these up as high or as low down as you want, plus all excess length can be coiled right up and is built into the design of the light fixture. Here, we went with just about the height of the headboard for visual cohesion but they could have also been easily lowered to avoid being blasted in the eyes at night from the bulb.

Art | Rug | Side Table | Mug | Chairs (vintage)

Possibly less subtle but still impactful is the imperfect edge of the blockprint piece above the fireplace. Having that float mounted to leave the rawness exposed works really well against the very crisp frame of the gas fireplace insert. This visual tension is integral to creating rooms that feel cohesive but also not too overthought (even though a lot of thought goes into it…).

#3: Vintage Furniture & Decor for Character

We’ll preface this point by saying no, not everything in this room is vintage. If it were, it might have been too much “old world” and not enough “modern” but the pieces that are here fit in in a way that adds both character and warmth. Let’s start with that bureau. The movement in the burlwood is so special, and the arched shape really stands out amongst boxier pieces in here. How do we find a way to, um, “borrow” that from her?

The Robsjohn-Gibbings nightstands, found via Pop Up Home here in LA, add a nice mid-century touch (because what Emily Henderson room doesn’t have a little mid-century in it?). They’re clean in silhouette with an interesting leg, so don’t come off feeling too heavy or overwhelming but still special. The bed, which was a custom commission (though this one is similar), is new, so flanking it with two vintage tables keeps the scene from looking too catalog-y.

And of course, that vintage tree quadtych mural, which like we mentioned, was our jumping off point for the look and feel of this room. When you have something like that, you really don’t need much else to make a statement. That’s your visual “moment” and boy is this one special. The imperfections and wear-and-tear on the panels give them a presence you just can’t replicate with newness. It has a history (even if you don’t know what it is) that emanates warmth, character and, frankly, a cool factor.

#4: A Neutral Palette (With Natural Color Punches)

We touched on this in the first portion about the texture and bedding, but the key to “modern organic” is keeping the palette mostly neutral while layering in an edgy pop of color; here, for instance, we went with army/mossy green. Whether the tree mural was there or not, it would have still provided a nice balance and shot of warmth between the cool palette of the blue and white bedding, and all the warm, rich wood tones. Not to mention, olive green is very much in style right now but doesn’t scream “trendy” when kept at a minimum.

#5: Pepper in Modern Touches

Overall, this room is minimal yet warm, and doesn’t come off too rustic even with all the wood pieces and tree art, but part of that is because of the other more modern touches sprinkled throughout the room, like these vintage chairs for instance.

Quick back story: When we first got our hands on this room, these chairs were facing the bed, and we decided to flip them around because…the tree-top view. If you have a panoramic vista like Corbett does (or even just any view worth looking at, i.e. not the brick wall of the building next door), you’ll want to make sure that your seating area, should you have one, faces out. Now, a few notes, take note of the seating you choose. You don’t necessarily want something big and bulky with a less-than-attractive back because they’ll be very visible. These chairs are low-profile (hence, don’t block any of the view), and the frame is interesting from every angle.

Alright, back to the “modern” touches. To balance the warmer woods, we opted for a matte black and brass frame on the chair, which is also just visually lighter than something more solid. The legs of the nightstands also bring in another hit of brass, as does the polished shade of the arch floor lamp.

Leather Ottoman | Arch Floor Lamp | Concrete Tree Planter

Of course, a room with windows like those with a view like that would look crazy good empty, but even if your room doesn’t look like this (because, uh, whose does?!?), there are plenty of lessons to pull from its design and styling to get something similar in your own bedroom. This high-impact yet organic vibe would easily translate and we think it’s such a nice look for a room that’s interesting but calm. Is this a place we’d love to tuck ourselves in for the night in? Yup.

Speaking of tucking ourselves in, Brooklinen is offering all readers $20 off an order over $100 with code EMILYH20. If you’re on the market for new bedding, definitely check them out and take advantage of the discount because this stuff is honestly good. Also, they offers free exchanges and returns for a full 365 days should you be unsatisfied in any way, and free replacements FOREVER with their lifetime guarantee.

Thanks for hanging out today, folks. Let us know what you think of this look, and if you are a proud owner of Brooklinen products, let us know what your favorites are because sharing is caring.

RESOURCES

Bedding

Striped Duvet Cover | Striped and Olive Green Pillowcases | Sheets | Quilt

Furniture

Bed (similar) | Vintage Nightstands | Bench | Wood Side Table | Leather Ottoman

Rugs & Decor

Sheepskin Rug | Pendants | Art | Knit Rug |  Black Mug | Arch Floor Lamp | Concrete Tree Planter | Wood & Brass Tray | Green Mug

*This post is in partnership with Brooklinen but all words, designs and selections are our own. Thanks for supporting the brands we love that support the blog.

**photography by Sara Ligorria-Tramp, creative direction by Emily Henderson, design and styling by Emily Bowser