Room of the Day: White Paint and Gold Polka Dots Save a Rental Bedroom

A bedroom, of all places, should be calm and comfortable. Kristen Hettich’s second-floor attic-like space in the small Los Angeles bungalow that she rents was anything but. She had decorated the lower level but could not come up with a clever way to make this tiny, critical, cramped space comfortable. “For a place I go to relax, unwind and sleep, it should feel inviting,” Hettich says. To overcome the darkness and dullness, she hired designer Lindye Galloway to create a spot-on bright and sunny California interior.

Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Twentysomething Kristen Hettich along with her Boston terrier and Burmese cat
What happens here: Relaxing, unwinding and sleeping
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 110 square feet (10.2 square meters)

BEFORE: The biggest challenge, Galloway says, was dealing with the short walls, the angled ceilings and very little storage. To start, she got rid of everything except one single design book and started from scratch. “My main focus was to give her style and maximize space in a really small setting,” Galloway says. “Also, the ceiling had such an unnatural shape, I knew there was an opportunity there to give it some pizzazz.”


AFTER: Starting with a fresh coat of bright white paint, Galloway lightened every wall. She also chose white for the linens and bed tables to make things as bright as possible. For that “pizzazz” element, she placed gold polka dot removable decals on all three angles of the ceiling. “Being a renter, the white walls are easy for move-in/move-out, and when she leaves, she can just remove the dots,” Galloway says.

Paint: White, Benjamin Moore; decals: Urban Walls; bedside tables: Z Gallerie; lamps: Rose Bowl Flea Market; duvet: Pottery Barn


Galloway replaced the iron bed frame with a teal upholstered headboard for a designer look at a low cost. Fresh linens and faux-fur pillows pile on texture.


A new long, low vintage dresser adds style and storage while working with the dropped ceiling. A nearby closet and a storage system under the bed accommodate the rest of the wardrobe staples.

Dresser: Sunbeam Vintage


Overhead a brilliant gold chandelier creates a glamorous focal point. “The room glows now,” Hettich says. “Before, it felt dull and I never wanted to spend much time in there. Now it’s so bright, inviting and pretty that I really enjoy being in my room.”

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