Tag Archives: bedroom

Bedroom Design: Breakfast in Bed

Post by Erin Sears.

Fall is officially upon us.  As the leaves change and the air grows crisp, I am sleeping more.  The long days of summer have passed me by and I want to curl up and be cozy.  When I read the Charles P. Rogers Bed Blog, I am frequently left drooling by Alison Hein’s delectable Breakfast in Bed blog posts.  They make me believe that I can actually cook and have inspired me to go for it!  However, if I’m going to actually eat in bed I need a way to do it that is stylish, affordable, and won’t ruin my sheets.  This brings me to breakfast trays.  It turns out that there is a breakfast tray available for every décor.  Here are some of my favorites along with my personal fantasies to accompany them:

The I-want-to-pretend-that-I-live-in-a-cottage-by-the-sea tray.

Source:  www.alsohome.com

The I-live-in-the-French-countryside tray.  Handsome Frenchman not included.

  Source:  www.thekitchn.com

The My-life-at-the-spa-Southern-California-I-can-hardly-be-bothered-to-take-off-my-terry-cloth-robe tray.


Source:  www.dwr.com/product/fiona-teak-tray.do?sortby=ourPicks

The I’m-having-a-bed-party-and-you’re-invited-heirloom tray.


Source:  http://www.cupcakesforparty.com/2010/03/no-cook-breakfast-in-bed-for-two.html

The I-will-buy-this-immediately-as-soon-as-I-learn-Italian tray. Ti amo!


Source:  http://www.mrless-mrsmore.com/project/products/vassoio_battista.html

I hope that you find the breakfast tray of your dreams too.  Enjoy fall, enjoy food, and let the nesting begin!

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Movies in Bed: The Vampire Diaries

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Listen, I know what you’re thinking: this show is on the CW. I know. I KNOW. But seriously, if you haven’t already squandered three years of your life watching this show, it’s never too late to start! Plus, Netflix just added the third season so if you hurry, you can catch up before the new season begins on October 11.

Here’s where I usually write the summary but where to begin?? Oh, there is so much that happens in this teenage monster drama! So, Elena Gilbert lives with her really annoying brother in Mystic Falls, Virginia. The new boy is mysterious, brooding. Guess what? He’s a vampire! He’s got a bad-boy brother too. Their names are Stefan and Damon Salvatore. They don’t eat her annoying brother, but I wish they would. This town is rife with monsters! Witches and werewolves! Doppelgängers and douchebags!

It’s got all the high school drama and beautiful people of a CW show the supernatural witchiness of the other CW shows. But somehow, once one gets past the sensitive music overlaying melodramatic moments, it’s very difficult to stop watching. Even if Stefan is a little too self-righteous, and Bonnie and Jeremy both stubbornly refuse to be killed off, and the kids seem to often forget to go to school, The Vampire Diaries is fun for all! After all, we are approaching Halloween, so what better time to immerse oneself in monsters!

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Things We Like: Silk Pillowcases!


Post by Kyle St. Romain.

My girlfriend came back from her hairdresser a couple weeks ago with a new mission: silk pillowcases. She had just gotten some fancy hair treatment and was told that silk pillowcases are not only the pinnacle of luxury, but they will also help her treatment last longer. I was skeptical, and was sure that if you talked to the right person they’d also tell you silk pillowcases will do the dishes, mow the yard, and file your taxes… In any event, she was sold on the idea and the pillowcases arrived in the mail a couple days later. Let’s discuss.

Silk Pillowcase Benefits

In my research, I actually discovered that many people tout the benefits of silk pillowcases for hair. Apparently, the amino acids that are naturally found in silk help promote hair growth. The smooth texture of silk doesn’t pull on your hair like cotton pillowcases might, which helps keep more of your hair where it belongs: on your head.

One of the other popular benefits associated with silk pillowcases is for wrinkles. Evidently, dermatologists and plastic surgeons can tell what side you sleep on because your face gets creased and wrinkled from lying against a cotton pillow for one-third of your life. Silk is supposed to help reduce these creases. *Food for thought – most people will have slept for 20 years by the time they reach 60.

Silk pillowcases are also good for your skin for other reasons. Silk is hypoallergenic, doesn’t retain moisture, and contains some of the same amino acids that you’ll find in skin moisturizers. Silk pillowcases are also considered cleaner than cotton pillowcases, and are more resistant to mites. I guess I was overly skeptical of silk.

Drawbacks of Silk Pillowcases

If you like everything to match, you may have a problem with silk pillowcases if you’re just buying the pillowcase separately. An easy fix would be to buy the entire set of silk bedding, but not everyone likes to sleep in silk sheets because they can feel slippery. Silk bedding can also get expensive, but I guess that’s a potential drawback of any quality sheet set.


The Verdict: Silk Pillowcases Feel Great! Regardless of their health benefits.

The jury is still out as to whether face wrinkles are the result of the “harshness” of cotton. I think there are other factors at play like the type of pillow you sleep on, and it may just be that wrinkles are an unavoidable fact of life. However, I like to think that something as simple (and comfortable) as switching to silk pillowcases will help keep me looking sharp in my old age. Silk pillowcases put a whole new meaning to beauty sleep.

In any case, in the aftermath of the recent heat waves in California (it got to 100 degrees on the coast, with no A/C), I’ve been thinking silk is the way to go next summer. Silk is better at regulating temperature than other fabrics like cotton, and it gives us an excuse to try something new.

What do you think? Have you tried silk pillowcases before? Are they for you? Let us know in the comments below.

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Bedroom Design: A Global Room

Post by Laura Cheng.

In my blog a few weeks ago, I chatted about geometry. In the flurry of the back to school season and as our presidential candidates debate about how to best revamp our nation’s great education system, I continue my educational discussion this week on another elementary subject:  geography.  There is no better way to learn about geography than through the use of visual tools, such as a globe. Despite their educational value, globes are not just limited to classroom use. A globe in the bedroom can be the perfect accompaniment to achieve an A+ room.

Source: http://www.houzz.com/photos/bedroom/Globe

Before there was Rand McNally, there was Nendo, a Japanese design company that created this black and white “CORONA” globe.  Whether you are looking to outfit your bedroom floor or bedroom desk, their 3 fast food sizes – small, medium, and extra large has it covered. In addition to the absence of color, there is something very feminine and subtle about the supporting sphere and base. They are the elements that transform this classic school supply to modern artwork. I am a minimalist, so when I found these globes, I was instantly attracted. My bedroom is easily cluttered so a defining black and white globe that can express itself behind all the clutter is exactly what I need.

Source: http://bloesem.blogs.com/bloesem/2010/04/a-one-color-globe-by-nendo.html

Globes can be rested on nightstands or used as paperweights in your bedroom office. Some globes even illuminate so they would add the perfect layer of light to any existing bedroom lighting. Or if your bedroom is lacking light, turn a vintage globe into a full light source. A pendant light fashioned out of a globe is such a unique idea. Your “golden” globes can be brighter than all of Meryl Streep’s combined. Kristi Linauer of Addicted2Deocrating.com explains how here. Just please ask your grandfather first before you take his vintage one to experiment with.

Source: http://h2hblog.com/its-a-map#more-1859

A globe provides visual interest. There is always something interesting to look at and dream about and relate to. This themed picture exactly illustrates the point that I have been trying to make these past few weeks. Overkill? Just a bit. Realistic? Fat chance. Lesson learned? Definitely.

Source: http://www.twiningdesign.com/photos/Res_05_BoysRoom.jpg

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Things We Like: Country Living Magazine Chose Our Bed!

Post by Kyle St. Romain.

Earlier this year, Country Living Magazine took a different approach with its House of the Year Project. Instead of designing one single home, its designers set out to create three unique spaces: an outdoor kitchen, a guestroom, and an entrepreneur’s studio. The event sets out to show the world an “idealized version of country living”, and who wouldn’t want an escape from the city. It’s a great way to remind New Yorkers that there’s life outside the city, and that it’s available in high fashion too.

The rooms were on display earlier this year from May 17 to 23 at the base of the World Financial Center in Lower Manhattan.

What we liked most about this event is the choice of bed. Country Living designer Thomas Paul chose our special single “X” Campaign Canopy bed to be the focal point for his vision of the ideal bedroom cottage, and we couldn’t be happier.

As a way to add to the room’s camp-like feel, Mr. Paul draped the bed’s iron frame with simple white curtains. His philosophy is that “A lot of fabric around a canopy bed can seem old fashioned,” but that using very plain curtains is a perfect way to bring the tent indoors without feeling too stuffy. Curtains also look great on canopy beds in more traditional bedrooms, as the flowing fabric makes the room more visually interesting and accentuates the canopy frame’s clean lines.

If you’d like to read more about the event, be sure to pick up a copy of the September issue of Country Living Magazine.

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