Kit Davey, Interior Designer
18 Years in business - Over 2,600 homes transformed!
Tips From Kit 2002
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Making Your Bedroom a Restful Retreat
By Kit Davey
For many of us, the bedroom is not only a place of rest, but also a place to read, write, receive phone calls, watch television or sip a cup of coffee. It makes sense to make it a soothing and comfortable retreat, as we spend at least a third of our lives in this important room
Furniture Placement
In most master bedrooms, the architecture constrains the number and placement of furnishings. Because of these limits, it's necessary to creatively arrange and efficiently use the space.
As the largest piece, the bed is often placed in the center of the longest wall. If space allows, try angling the bed from a corner and placing a large plant or a folding screen behind it. Or, place the bed off-center and use the larger area to one side for an armoire or oversized dresser.
Bedside tables tend to look untidy and overcrowded. To increase usable surface area and to create more storage, nix the traditional night stand and substitute:
- A small-scale antique desk or secretary
- A three-drawer dresser
- A writing table or small farm table with a stack of old leather suitcases or baskets underneath
- A table skirted with an antique quilt, piano shawl or Mexican blanket under which you stash magazines, writing tools, etc.
- A leftover end table from your living room.
Further increase storage by:
- Using roll-out, under-bed units (available from the Hold Everything and Lilian Vernon catalogs),
- Storing winter clothing in another area in your home
- Placing an antique chest at the foot of the bed
- Adding a corner bookshelf, wall-mounted shelves, or a small bookshelf nestled against the side of a dresser
- Regularly purging closets and drawers
- Storing the clothes hamper in the closet or bathroom.
Other furnishings:
- If there is space for a small chair in the corner, take an extra dining chair and skirt or slipcover it with a sheet that matches your bedspread.
- A TV sitting on a dresser is not as appealing as one hidden in an armoire or installed on shelving in the closet.
Special Touches
Assess your view as you sit in your bed. As this is the first and last sight you have every day, it should be a peaceful and pleasing scene. Improve this natural focal point by:
- Hanging a soothing landscape
- Using a bookshelf to display a prized collection, or installing a series of shelves adorned with colorful plates, antique books, dolls, family heirlooms, or anything else which makes you feel good.
- If your bed is aimed at the closet door, adorn it with a fabric hanging, a ribbon-festooned straw hat or a lacy antique dress.
- If your bed faces a dresser, create an "altar of beauty": display meaningful photos, place a vase of fresh flowers, a pair of scented candlesticks, a bowl of potpourri, seashells, a miniature bird cage, a sculpture piece, doilies, a dried flower swag over a gilt mirror. Use a velvet pillow on which to attach your brooches. Hang tassels or a small bundle of dried flowers from a dresser knob or, add one fun knob, such as a flower, frog or teapot.
- Spice up a boring window treatment with a simple contrasting fabric swag, or drape silk ivy, roses or wisteria from your existing curtains.
- Paint a trail of ivy or flowers over the doorway and windows.
- Mount bird houses, masks, kites or musical instruments on your wall.
To improve the appearance of your bedside table:
- Use a neatly folded stack of antique hankies instead of a box of tissues.
- Clear off medicines, lotions and store in the bathroom. If you must have them close by, place them in a fabric-lined basket.
- Purchase a phone in the color or style of the room. Add a special pen and pad to match.
- Remove all books and magazines, except the one you're currently reading, and store them in the top drawer of your dresser. Make a special bookmark for your current read.
- Invest in a small, simple, color-coordinated radio/alarm clock.
- Replace scraggly, misshapen house plants.
- For those with a larger budget: replace your table lamps with wall sconces or recessed lights with separate controls. Get rid of the table or floor fan and install a ceiling fan adorned with a fancy tassel.
Recharge your mind and spirit in a bedroom arranged for your comfort and filled with things you love---pleasant dreams!
(c) 2002
Kit Davey is a Redwood City-based interior designer specializing in redecorating using what you already have. You can reach her by calling (650)367-7370 or by writing her at KitDavey@aol.com. Visit her website at www.AFreshLook.net.
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