Tag Archives: Design
Bedroom Design: 6 Practical Feng Shui Tips for a Bedroom
Post by Tracy Kaler.
Is your bedroom harmonious? Does it encourage positive energy? If where you sleep doesn’t attract, calm, and thrill you at the same time, you might need to rethink some of the design details. From the floor plan to your furnishings as well the way in which you use the space, each element contributes to the overall feel and panache.
Feng shui –– an ancient art developed several thousand years ago in China –– may be what your bedroom needs to balance energy and keep you happy, relaxed, and sleeping soundly night after night. Read on for six practical feng shui tips that come in handy for your bedroom.
1. Allow fresh air into your sleep space.
Open windows if possible, and if you can’t, consider an air purifier to eliminate pollutants and cleanse the air you breathe.
2. Keep electronics out.
Save the television and computer for other areas of your home, leaving the bedroom for sleeping only.
3. Exercise elsewhere.
With the same idea in mind as electronics, keep exercise equipment and exercising limited to another room. Use a guest room, garage, or join a gym instead of exercising at home.
4. Place the bed correctly in the room.
You should have access to both sides of the bed, and the bed shouldn’t be placed directly in front of the door unless there’s no other option. Go with two bedside tables or nightstands –– one on either side of the bed.
5. Keep lights on a dimmer.
Control the level of light in your space. You should have the option of bright light as needed, but otherwise, keep the light on the dimmer side for a feeling of intimacy. Use candles to create soft, mood lighting.
6. Keep artwork pleasant.
Choose photos and art pieces that represent positive occurrences and happenings you dream about for your own life. Uplifting artwork will nourish and help maintain positive energy.
Bedroom Design: Bedrooms with a Parisian Feel
Post by Tracy Kaler.
If I can’t be in Paris, I can dream about it, can’t I? If you have any romantic notions and you’re any kind of dreamer, you’ve probably caught yourself wishing for a trip to Paris at some point or another. Have you never been before? I was in the ‘City of Light’ for a brief weekend more than 20 years ago, and I’ve planned to return but haven’t yet.
Wishes can come true, and if that statement is a fact, I’ll be in Paris very soon! Until then, I enjoy perusing Parisian-inspired interiors like these five beautiful bedrooms.
This French farmhouse bedroom uses chartreuse green in a bold way. Notice the old tile and the floor-to-ceiling casement window. What a stunning space!
Although this shabby chic bedroom is located in the US, it certainly oozes Parisian charm. From the ornate moldings to the chandelier and French bed, I feel as if I’ve been transported to Paris when I look at this photo.
More modern than the typical Paris home, this all-white minimalist attic bedroom still has a very French feel.
Miles away from Paris, this Vancouver bedroom borrows a few elements from the French style.
Paris or the US? Believe it or not, this fabulous country retreat by Frank de Biasi Interiors is in Upstate New York. The wall covering was custom colored and imported from France while the canopy bed, tall ceilings, and clever mix of pattern add a dash of Parisian charm.
Bedroom Design: 4 Brilliant Bed Walls
Post by Tracy Kaler.
What components make up a typical bed well? A stylish headboard. A pair of bedside tables. Art above the bed. Window treatments. Accoutrements. But what about those bed walls that push the envelope, those that lack the obvious choices for a headboard but boast a custom backdrop instead? Some bed walls come adorned with built-in nightstands rather than the usual freestanding tables. Some designers think outside the box when they create a space for sIeep. I searched high and low for the most innovative bed walls I could find. Enjoy!
Industrial in design and feel, this Santa Barbara loft bedroom is like no other I’ve ever seen. A driftwood backdrop and platform feel primitive yet sophisticated. Matching nightstands blend in, and the art above the bed keeps the color palette neutral. A skateboard and guitar add a smidge of playfulness to the space.
Busy to some and inventive to others, this colorful, patterned bedside corner sets the tone for this unusual guest bedroom in Newport Beach. Notice the simplicity of the other elements in the room –– although the shag rug and ornamental dresser introduce texture and make up for the bedroom’s lack of accessories. A pouf acts as a bedside table.
No headboard is visible in this photo, so we have to assume that there isn’t one. The decorator of this Florida bedroom uses a crisp, Moroccan pattern on the pillow shams. Decorative molding creates architectural interest on the bed wall while the artwork resembles branches or coral and provides just the right amount of interest above the bed. This room is fantastic in many ways.
The feature wall in this charming East London bedroom dons black, and the headboard sports a zig-zag pattern. The silly sign as artwork somehow fits the mood, as do the light fixtures suspended by red cords.
Bedroom Design: Unique Cottage Bedrooms
Traditional Landscape by San Jose Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Elemental Design Group
Cottages can be rustic or posh, charming or roomy. They can be decorated in crisp, colorful chintz or draped in sumptuous white linen. Most have hardwood floors, and some come with board and batten walls. Cottages can overlook a sandy coastline or be nestled deep in the woods.
I’ve stayed in several beach cottages over the years, some practically primitive in design and amenities, and others offered every imaginable modern convenience. I adore them all.
Although I live in a small city apartment, if I’m dreaming of a home in my future, it’s a cottage. When I did a search for unique cottage bedrooms, I found too many to count, but these are a handful of the most interesting rooms I’ve found.
This all-white 1940s bayside cottage in Tampa once donned brown carpeting and pink walls. Thank goodness for paint! The bold chandelier makes a design statement.
Shabby Chic Bedroom by Tampa Photographers Mina Brinkey
Cleverly designed, this simple bedroom introduces four colors through the bedding. Clearly, this room is for sleeping only.
Farmhouse Bedroom by Sonoma Architects & Building Designers Marcus & Willers Architects
What’s not to love in this modern Philadelphia cottage? From the color combination to the use of pattern and beautiful, natural light, this room wins all around.
Shabby Chic Bedroom by Philadelphia Architects & Building Designers Moger Mehrhof Architects
Maine might be considered the quintessential cottage state. This quaint Portland bedroom is rustic in every sense, and the open storage alcove adds to the room’s charm.
Renovated to look and feel old, this cozy cottage uses black throughout –– often an unlikely color choice in smaller spaces, but it works nicely in this home.
Farmhouse Bedroom by South West Interior Designers & Decorators Inspired Design Ltd
Bedroom Design: The Best of Traditional Bedrooms
Post by Tracy Kaler.
The traditional style includes myriad looks. From French Country to Chippendale, to Neoclassic and an eclectic mix of periods, traditional bedrooms can be soothing and comfortable, or fancy and posh. Wing chairs, silk draperies, canopy beds, and dust ruffles all come to mind when we think about the traditional interior. But in today’s design world, the term ‘traditional’ can mean so much more.
Since decorating styles within the traditional genre run the gamut, today we’ll take a look at some lovely yet very different traditional sleep spaces, each well designed with its own unique character.
Clean and simple, this casual guest room leans toward the traditional but boasts an up-to-date look. The linear elements in the walls, windows, and bedding are essential in the design theme.
This Charleston Bedroom is brimming with bold color, yet has a relaxed feel. The designer successfully mixed pattern, but I have a feeling that she intentionally chose solid walls and bedding.
One can’t help but feel romantic in this chic Atlanta master bedroom with its serene color scheme, generous space, and perfect scale. Its classic layout, tall windows, and dark hardwoods add to the ambiance.
Charming and sweet, this shabby-chic farmhouse bedroom invites and calms. This space would make a wonderful guest room.
A San Francisco-area retreat, this bedroom remains neutral for the most part but adds interest with birds-eye maple bedside lamps and tone-on-tone patterns. Fresh flowers breathe life and add a pop of color to the space.
