For the last six months I have been boldly waving the banner of good design across your computer monitors as though I were sent down from the very heavens with a design vision gifted by God himself. Turns out that my horse just isn't so high and my ivory tower is a really really dingy shade of beige. Since moving into our new pad in May, our bedroom decor has fallen somewhere on the design scale between squatter chic and dorm room contemporary. We do have heat, but we are missing the sweet black-light posters, so I'd classify our joint as single dude minimalism. The tides are turning and it's time for a revamp. Don't you guys want to give me your advice and opinions? Of course you do. You may want to squint or grab a nearby blanket, this is scarier than freddy kruger wrapped in a poltergeist:
Alright. There it is. Ok, the hardest part is over. Now, let's dissect: Yes, that is my brand new, and oh-so-comfortable, king-sized mattress on the floor. Note the distinguished layer of plastic surrounding it underneath and on all four sides as to keep the mattress clean. How about those sexy ceiling fans? I'll sleep with one eye open because I know you all would just kill to have them for yourself. (yuck!) And, yes, those are freshly painted paint samples on the wall. Let's take a gander at the floor plan so you can get a better grasp of the task at hand:
You can see that the room is HUGE. The longest wall is 20 feet, the width is 18. The ceilings vary from 10 feet to 14 feet. We have a fireplace (with a disastrous tile job), a sliding glass door, and 3 windows. Here are some close-ups. (please don't leave me!!)
view from the bathroom door
view from fireplace, closet door: left; bathroom door: right
a second view from the fireplace, left door is entrance from living room
So. Here's the plan: EVERYTHING in the room is going. Except the mattress, which is getting a-real-live-big-girl bed frame (more on that later). All of the walls are being painted white, with the exception of the fireplace wall, it's going to be black. Sanders helped first hand with the colors, so I'm feeling really solid about my choices:
In my room, the simply white is fresh and crisp, the black jack is a perfect, rich, deep black.
While I have a mental image for my room, I haven't found any others online that portray it perfectly, but here are a couple of inspiration rooms:
I love the mixture of solid black and black pattern in this room with the big pop of color on the bed. I also like how the print on the bedspread mimics the pattern on the wall without matching perfectly. Oh, and I LOVE that this room is virtually empty other than a sleeping spot. I will have night stands and a chair or two but NO DRESSERS.
I also like the feel of this room:
Ok, actually, it's the big disco ball in the right corner that rocks my world. I have designs for a singular gigantic tacky sequined throw pillow that will mimic this sort of trashy-glam look.
Matt is making us a simple white bed frame (sorry, no photo). It is simple. It is white. It is perfect. Oh, and it doesn't have those shin-destroyers running around the edges. And it looks like it is hovering 6 inches above ground.
My headboard will not be this color, but it will be this scale:
Stay tuned for instructions on how to make your own tufted headboard. Matt will be making us night stands not-unlike the ones in the picture above.
Picture the headboard above in this fabric:
YES! That is high-gloss white vinyl. The perfect marriage of tackiness and sophistication.
Do you feel like our room is missing some bling? Me too. Let's try this:
My grandmother's mirror, currently residing in my mother's guest bedroom. le plan is to hang it over the fireplace. Seriously, don't you all just want to die?
What about fabrics? Ok, I picked the world's ugliest fabric for my bedspread and I LOVE IT SO MUCH:
Need a close up? You're the boss:
Awww, it's a sweet little castle scene. Isn't that kinda perfect for me? And look! Hot pink! Lime green! Electric blue! Expect to see those colors popping up in little spots throughout the finished space.
But what about curtains? Don't worry, dudes, I've got that covered:
I'll be using Thanksgiving break to construct myself 3 roman shades out of this lovely striped fabric. While you're chowing down on Turkey and treating the mall like it's the last place to buy water during Armageddon, remember to pour one out for me as I work my little fingers to the nub on my sewing machine. If I manage to avoid carpel tunnel, I'll also be making one gigantic white curtain to hang over the sliding glass doors.
Finally, the room is going to need some finishing touches:
I will continue the 6" high baseboards that currently run throughout the house and will be mounting all of the doors on barn door tracks. (The ones I have look a little different, but you get the picture). Oh, and all the doors will be painted black.
That's the plan so far. I still have a big-fat dead space over by the room entrance, just below the big window as that couch is hitting the road. I want to put a small sitting area near the fireplace, so it seems strange to have a second sitting area there. Any suggestions?
Some other things I'm still wrestling with: bed-side lighting. Hanging lamps or wall mounted? Don't say table!!! I also need to pick out an area rug, but I want to get everything in the room first.
So, that's that. Give the gift of joy and hope this holiday season: I would LOVE some input and ideas before cracking open the first can of paint.
