What design elements take a room from simply furnished to beyond decorated? I thought it might be fun and hopefully inspirational, to look at some bedrooms that have a singular element, maybe even a surprising one, that lifts the design to a unique level. Designers and homeowners are often quite creative in their thinking. How can you take a room from ordinary to special? Let’s look at some ways as to how one might achieve this. Let’s face it, we all spend a lot of time in our bedrooms, and not always asleep. Even the simple act of passing through the bedroom should leave you thinking……this is a wonderful space and I am happy to have simply passed through. I love my own bedroom, and especially in the late afternoon when the winter light sets it aglow, it draws me in. I will often grab a book or simply slip onto the bed and spend a few minutes watching the wind blow through the trees, or the birds feeding. My one bedroom wall is all glass and is it allows for beautiful and maximum views. Today those views are of the winter snow that fell yesterday, and will remain longer than usual because the temperatures, like much of the east coast, will remain well below freezing during the day, and plunging to single digits at night. So onto some rooms that also have an element that adds to not just good design, but also asks you to come in and enjoy.
I have broken this into a two part post, one today, one tomorrow. I thought we could go through today’s photo’s where I point out what I believe makes these rooms work, while naming the single feature I think is the exclamation mark at the end of the sentence. Then tomorrow, we can go through different photo’s, and you can evaluate them for what you think is the feature that makes a difference in the overall effect, and then I will share again my ideas. The purpose is to help you develop an eye for details. It should be fun, so even if we disagree, you will be training your eye and further developing your own sense of style. Here we go……remember, even if the style of the room isn’t your cup of tea, there are certain elements…..layering, color combinations, texture etc., that work for any design style, and the point is to discover what it is. Some might be a little tricky or surprising even, but let’s have some fun!
I hope this was a fun post for you to read. It really is in the tiniest of details that we move a painted and furnished room to a decorated room that reflects who we are, what we like, and also offers, particularly in a bedroom, a respite from hectic lives. Tomorrow we will look at bedroom details again, but be ready to say to yourself……”I know the answer to this one!”
Thanks for coming by. Laters, charisse
The first picture is ridiculous! Books are meant to be read and you can’t find the one you want if the spine is turned to the wall. This is pure affectation, not sophistication. Anything that is forced (and that goes for too many of these rooms) is the opposite of good design.
Your comment brings to light a lot of different questions. Ridiculous? From your perspective, yes. To the person who lives in the room, probably not. When I first entered the world of design, I also felt a sense of betrayal when people bought stacks of books to fill a bookcase with no intention of ever reading them. But using books as presented in the first room that you commented on, has for me become an evolved acceptance. I now look at it as a piece of large wall art, with more texture than a piece of framed art. Design is personal, incredibly varied, and emotional. If it follows good established design principles, while it may not be your cup of tea, it may still be considered well designed.One’s person’s forced is another person’s whimsy. Thank you for inspiring a future blog post and for taking the time to read and comment. charisse
I agreed with you, I love books even just for decoration and many times when you don’t even read them, they may have a sentimental value to you. Good job! Love your decore ideas.
Ana Casorso
Sorry for the delay in responding to your comment. I have many books that are sentimental and can’t imagine parting with them, and can’t imagine my home with books. Thanks for taking the time to comment and reading the post. I hope you will come back. laters. charisse
One of the most fun posts I’ve ever read—from alll the blogs I read! Thanks so much!
Thanks Sally! I am working on more similarly planned posts. I appreciate the feedback a lot, and thanks for stopping by! charisse
This was so much fun and very informative, Charisse!
So many items I would have missed without your
comments. Many beautifully appointed rooms.
Looking forward to Part II
Glad you enjoyed. It was a fun post to put together as well. charisse
Fabulous post. I both enjoyed and honed my eye. Thanks so much!!
Hi Allyson…..I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the post! Tomorrow’s post will be along the same vein and hopefully fun as well. Thank you for visiting WH&G. Hope it is warmer your way than here – 5 degrees at the moment. Laters, charisse