We finally gave Ed a little haircut. For more than a year and a half we tried to make the tall posts on our bed work, but the truth is our ceiling and floor plan never really supported that dramatic vertical look. Just because Ed arrived with long posts didn’t mean we had to keep them forever. So we decided a trim would make the room feel more balanced and open.

… during the process …

… and after the cut.

The whole project was free, took about an hour, and we love the more open result. The original posts added too much vertical emphasis, especially with the bed beside a window and long floor-length curtains. Ed now looks ready for a large fabric headboard, which will let us raise the mirror above the bed by a foot or two. Someday we’d also like to darken the floors and perhaps stain the dresser to better coordinate, but those are future tweaks.

We had some fun mockups of different headboard options while planning, and even though those were playful experiments, they helped us envision the next steps. For now, the simple haircut was the right move.

We like to use what we already have, and Ed is a keeper for many reasons: height, comfort, and the slim, airy legs that keep the space feeling light. We didn’t want to sell him and buy new; instead we devised a reversible plan to shorten the posts while keeping the option to restore them later.

The posts are solid wood, so although they don’t simply unscrew, we could reattach the originals in the future by using long metal screws into the center of each post to secure them to the frame. We don’t expect to put them back on any time soon, but it’s nice to know the change isn’t permanent in case we move to a home with taller ceilings.

Here’s how the project went: we used a Dremel-style rotary tool with a wood-cutting attachment and carefully cut each post near the base. To protect the mattress, we slipped a piece of cardboard between it and the post so we wouldn’t nick the mattress while cutting. Our mattress is heavy and unwieldy, so protecting it was a priority.

Each post took roughly five minutes of patient cutting. We started with the lower posts that are mostly hidden by the comforter, which gave us practice and helped us make cleaner cuts when we moved to the top posts that are more visible.

We got better as we went along. By the time we reached the top posts, the trimmed ends looked intentionally designed. One pair ended up with a subtle circular detail that made the posts appear decorative rather than simply cut down — a happy accident that made the finished bed look natural.

After cutting, we sanded the tops smooth and then painted them with a white that matches the rest of the bed. I used leftover Ikea-white paint from another project to blend the posts in with the frame. Painting helped the trimmed posts read as finished details rather than raw cuts.

Once the paint dried and the bed was made, it looked like Ed had always been this way. The change feels subtle but makes the whole room feel more balanced and cohesive.

We also took a few celebratory photos — including one silly shot of John mid-step — and examined the room from different angles. There’s still work to do: we want a large upholstered headboard to raise the visual focal point above the bed and better tie the mirror and chandelier together. We’ll likely rehang some botanical prints over a chair in another corner and consider how to coordinate the dresser and the little white nightstand.

We really like the hand-me-down dresser tucked into the nook — it fits perfectly — and while it doesn’t match the wood dresser on the opposite side of the room, the matching bedside lamps help connect the two pieces visually. We might paint or stain furniture eventually, but we’re not rushing.

From the hallway the bed looks warmer and more intentional than it did when it was placed near the door. Walking into this view is much nicer than stumbling into the bed within three steps of the entry.

We’re still a ways from finishing the room — tweaks like a fabric headboard, moving the mirror, and filling the blank wall across from the bed are on the list — but the haircut was a big, satisfying step forward. We’ll share updates as we tackle the next projects.

A small, charming detail: every morning around 10am sunlight pours through the window above the sink and casts a long shape that reflects onto the rug. Coincidentally, the rug’s printed shape matches the reflected silhouette almost exactly. It was a happy coincidence we didn’t notice when we bought the rug — a pleasant alignment between the mirror above the sink and the rug’s pattern.

What are you working on in your bedroom? Have you altered a bed to better fit your space or built a headboard from scratch? We’re excited to go fabric shopping for our headboard and can’t wait to share the results when we get to that step.