My approach to decor is like my approach to food. I don't have a love of cooking, but I do have a love of eating, so I cook. Knowing very little can be freeing because the expectation, mine and that of those around me is so low. For example, last night at dinner my husband asked what was that 'mushy stuff' (zucchini a la creme than you very much) and the night before my son pondered over what he called a plate of 'cartilage'. (It was indeed cartilage.)
Same thing with decorating. I don't know designers and I don't know brands and I would be hard pressed to define my style in coherent words.
So here is her question, here is her room, followed by my ideas. Please share your ideas too. Maybe you have an already written post that you could send me the link to, or maybe you have some brilliant new ideas, and I'd love to show them off here.
So here is Catherine:
"I really need help with my daughter's small bedroom (only 10 x 12). She is 19 and at college but comes home regularly and is here in the summer. Now it is also going to be the guest bedroom and gone is all the teenage junk and posters etc. This room was packed to the gills with storage items etc and I finally got it cleared out, painted white and the new daybed in.
I bought this beautiful blue metallic/black Designers Guild wallpaper for a steal and showed it to her when she was home last weekend. SHE LOVES IT (as do I). The flowers are cobalt blue metallic and it is stunning. BUT I never thought of putting it in this small bedroom.
I had no particular designs plans other then replacing the window, putting in mirrored doors on the closet (which you cannot see but I am a HUGE fan of mirrors since it makes rooms bigger and lighter), adding color, some design stencil and hanging fabric from a bed crown high on the wall which would drape over the ends of the daybed. The room does get a lot of light.
So here are my questions:
1.) Where do you like the bed? Under the window or against the wall? (I have purchased a lovely smallish white vintage dresser (which can be painted!) with curved front drawers so ignore that big hutch). That is the wallpaper on the bed in the one pic where the bed is against the wall.
2.) If I use the wallpaper, where would you put it in the room. I was thinking on the two walls next to the window wall or on those two walls but only down 2/3 of the wall and then trim it out like a chair rail. Or one wall?
3.) What color of paint would you suggest with this wallpaper: I really fear it needs cream or pale, pale blue or the whole room will get too dark.
4.) What color/type of fabric for the bedding and windows? I am really nuts for cotton velvet right now and wanted to use some of that.
5.) Forget this wallpaper and do something else! AND WHAT WOULD YOU DO????
Thanks for your suggestions!"
Okay Catherine. Here are my suggestions:
Since you are going all British on us with your Designers Guild wallpaper, (Which I love) I will suggest following that trend with ideas from the gorgeous line of Graham and Green. It's a one stop shop for wonders. Too bad the line doesn't sell here, oops.
I think I read somewhere that dark wallpapers should be put on the brightest wall. Unless, of course, it was the darkest wall. Can't remember, bugger! I'd do two walls with it, and the other two walls metallic gray, or silver. Or like you did in your bathroom, white wall with stenciled silver leaves. Is that a terrible idea? I love terrible ideas. I also love the oversized flowers. They are girly but in a bold way. I think that is also a fitting definition for a lot of 19 year olds. I would go with clean modern furniture, lots of white and a little mirrored piece here and there.
By the way: Don't you live a bit to near the San Andrea Fault to place a bed near a window? My thought is,if you are going to replace the window anyway, maybe you should consider a window that doesn't come down so low, so you could fit something underneath like this dressing table.
Or this desk:
I love the dresser below, maybe because the Marie Antoinette feel of the picture reminds me of your style, and because black will add backbone to the mix.
I could not find any good day bed ideas, so maybe skip the bed and put in a chair that can transform into a bed. The chair below achieve two more things: No need for bedding ideas and you can upholster your chair in the cotton Velvet you love. I love raspberry pink with black, dark blue or purple, like this chair still from Graham and Green.
Voila. Did this help? Ideas anyone? I don't know about window treatment. I say go without.
