Tag Archives: Design

Bedroom Design: Best Night Lights for Kids

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Ah, darkness. To the reasonable adult, it is a welcome thing, indicating that sweet sleep might be just around the corner. To a child, it is little more than cover for bone-crunching, blood-sucking monsters, just waiting to pounce on their unsuspecting prey. Thank goodness for night lights! My boy has a couple lights he uses. We have gone through many more during our years-long hunt for the perfect light. Here are a few of the more interesting lights I have seen. Spoiler alert: my favorite is the Ikea “Totoro” light.

This is the Spöka LED night light from Ikea. I love it. My son loves it. It reminds us a bit of Miyazaki’s Totoro. That is what my boy calls it. The best part about it is that is holds a charge which allows your kid to take it to bed if so desired. My kid so desires. It’s even kind of soft! Also, it changes color, from blue to green and everything in between.

I found this turtle light at the Goodwill and it put me back a whole $2.99. I was skeptical whether it would actually project stars on the ceiling but it really does. It’s pretty great. It stays lit for about half an hour and works like a charm.

Spider-Man’s decapitated head on a spring. I thought this would scare the bejeezus out of my son, but he actually likes it. Go figure.

Posted in Bedroom Design | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bedroom Design: Simple Bedroom Shelves

Post by Laura Cheng.

My bedroom is easily cluttered. Items somehow drift from the kitchen and living room into the bedroom. The laundry is never where it should be. Clothes pile up and stray socks are strewn outside the closet hamper. Why is it that adopted dogs can be taught to sit and fetch, but my partner cannot be taught to put work socks into the hamper? Does it really require that much more effort to open a closet door? As a result, my bedroom philosophy never loses focus on any available minimalistic options. Anything to de-clutter the clutter is considered. Nothing is more simplistic than a simple line. Translated into bedroom furniture, a shelf above the bed can be an ideal solution to display art, photos and books without making a large footprint in the bedroom.

A wall to wall shelf above the head of the bed is used in this bedroom to display a collection of photos. One drawback to a shelf is that it is an open storage solution. This means it could easily backfire and actually increase bedroom clutter. The use of the same color frame is essential here. It keeps the look neat and tidy even though the photos may be different sizes and of different mediums. The real estate of the room is increased with the additional overhead space. Furthermore, using a colored shelf adds interest and a fun splash of color to an otherwise drab and grey bedroom.

Source: http://indulgy.com/post/sSJiBr8dZ1/shelf-over-the-bed

There’s nothing wrong with natural shelving though. The right type of wood can be just as aesthical. I really like shiny and sparkling things. hint hint diamonds. All this bedroom shelf is lacking is a nice coat of shellac or lacquer to bring out its true brillant potential. As it, its varying shades of au naturale takes minimalistic design to another meaning.  What’s really great about shelves is that every household probably has the materials they need to put one up and the cost of materials is relatively cheap.

Source: http://remodelista.com/posts/a-wooden-storage-headboard-made-with-walnut-and-love

Open shelves above the head of the bed is a controversial topic, especially if you reside in areas where mother nature just will not allow it. In that case, there is always the possibility of pushing it aside to another wall. I really like this creative bedroom fabric shelf idea. It’s a catch all for everything that may find its way into the bedroom.

Source: http://pinterest.com/pin/120119515032553766/

Posted in Bedroom Design | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Bedroom Design: A Belated Christmas

Post by Laura Cheng.

Is there anyone that is actually glad Christmas is over? Not me. I am still in Christmas mode. It may have something to do with the fact that this year, Christmas was nice and low on the stress-o-meter. I actually had the chance to treasure the time I spent with family instead of stressing about how their time was spent with me. So, in a last ditch effort to keep Christmas alive because I had such a wonderful one, and to wish all my readers a belated Merry Christmas, here’s to maintaining the holiday spirit in your bedroom with Christmas wreaths.

The epitome of Christmas decor, I could celebrate Christmas all year in the bedroom. A holiday message is proclaimed as it rests on a strand of green garland. Flowers in rustic pots provide a warm welcome. Snowflake needle point pillows remind you how cozy the bed really is. If there was a season for wrought iron beds, this is it. With Charles P. exclusive iron & brass sleigh bed, the same look can be achieved by tying a simple velvet bowed Christmas wreath to the foot of their classic detailed iron bed. Hot on every good little boy and girl’s wish list, a pair of sweet puppies cuddle closely. My next blog will be about how to decorate your bedroom with adorable puppies because well, puppies just go with everything.

Source: http://www.homegoods.com/blog/2011/11/30/christmas-in-every-room-plus-a-great-garland-secret/

There’s something that is just so modern, unexpected, and fresh about a square wreath. The square wreath in the bedroom below highlight out the architectural lines in the poster bed. Wreaths are even more appealing when they are zero maintenance. West Elm has just the right faux boxwood square wreath currently for $59. However, with the holidays coming to a close, my financial advisor recommends waiting to score the best deal.

Source: http://pinterest.com/pin/168251736049629634/

There’s no place that I cannot imagine a wreath being hung in my bedroom. I would totally tie one on right over my dresser mirror just like the inspiration below. Metallic decor on a mirrored surface will effortlessly bounce light around the bedroom and is sure generate enough sparkle into the new year. Merry belated Christmas.

Source: http://www.visual-spaces.com/christmas-decorations-with-style

Posted in Bedroom Design | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bedroom Design: Begin Again

Post by Erin Sears.

Here it is, friends- 2013!  Aren’t you excited?  A new year is ahead of us and anything is possible! YAY!

Okay, that’s all the enthusiasm I can muster considering I woke up in a disaster of a bedroom this morning and my head hurts.  The truth is that I’ve let things go around here.  A few years ago, I completely redid my bedroom- new linens, bright rugs, awesome art.  I deep cleaned and smudged the room with sage until the past was but a wisp of a memory.  I vowed to keep the space looking tidy and lovely. However, the shine has worn off my once beautiful room and things have gotten messy. My grandmother would say that things are looking a little long in the tooth, so here we go! It’s time to begin again.

The New Year provides us with a fantastic opportunity to assess and evaluate our living spaces. Ask yourself the following questions about each room: Is it functional?  Is it beautiful?  Would I want others to see it?  Do I like being here? Do I LOVE it?


Source: http://wendypolish.bigcartel.com/product/heart-pillow

Take those essential questions and take a good look around. Sprucing up your sleeping space can feel overwhelming at first, so here are four areas to consider when beginning:

  1.     Clean your room!  A little bit of cleaning and purging can go a long way. You’re not in college anymore.  Futons and fiberboard “furniture” do not belong in your bedroom.  Get rid of anything broken or ugly.  Be honest. Let go.

  2.     Color and Pattern:  Adjust the palette of your room with new paint, new bedding or new curtains. Use your wardrobe to initiate color choices. What colors do you naturally gravitate toward in clothing?  What looks good on you?  You want to look gorgeous in your room.  You want to go to bed feeling calm and wake up feeling good.  Use color as your driving force.  Pattern can work in the same way, but be careful not to go overboard.  Just because you like flowers it doesn’t mean you want to sleep in a garden.  With that said, a well-placed stripe or print can really bring your bedroom to life.  Consider saving pattern for curtains, pillows or bedding.

  3.     Furniture:

Bed choice:  Start here.  This should be where you spend the bulk of your money.  Choose a bed that inspires you and invest in a good mattress. It’s worth it.  Do not buy furniture sets.  They’re lazy decorating and rarely a true expression of self.  If you inherit a bedroom set and you love it, select the best piece for the room.  Repurpose, give away, or sell the rest.  Really.

Nightstands:  There are two ways to go with this- matching and not matching.  Matching nightstands can provide a room with balance and symmetry.  These are good things.  If you have more eclectic taste, you can go with two different nightstands.  My nightstands do not match.  One is a round French café table that I fell in love with at garden shop.  It’s large enough to hold a lamp and many books, but still in scale with the room.  My other nightstand is an old telephone table that I bought used.  It has wooden bead accents, a shelf, and two deep pockets on each side for magazines.  I took a pillowcase in a just right color to the paint store and had them match it and then painted the table in that dreamy shade.  LOVE.

Additional pieces: Dressers, vanities and other furniture pieces are space dependent.  We’re all looking for smart storage solutions and these can make wonderful additions to spacious rooms.

4.  Lighting:  Lighting is an essential component of any room.  In the bedroom, overhead lighting can make things look too harsh.  To avoid this, I opt for bedside lamps.  There are lots of ways to go with lighting and I’ll probably highlight them in another post, but like nightstands, your lamps can match or not.  I use two different lamps made of the same material with similar shades.  They coordinate, but are not identical.

Start by changing a few elements of your room and see where the changes take you. Remember, your room does not have to be finished all at once.  Great rooms are designed, developed, and edited over time.  The journey is part of the fun.

Happy New Year!

Posted in Bedroom Design | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bedroom Design: A Sunny Bedroom

Post by Laura Cheng.

The season calls for shorter days, so any light and warmth I can absorb from sun, I covet. On typical weekdays, I am trapped on the 40th floor of an office skyscraper, smack in the middle of the floor away from any windows. I rarely get the chance to see the sun. Lunches are generally a quick shovelling of leftovers to sustain me until I am ready to leave the office. And by that time, the sun’s counterpart, the moon is there to shadow my commute. Woe is me. The only time I get to enjoy the sun is in my bedroom on the weekends. I have 3 generous windows in my bedroom for the sun to shine in. But by time I have finished all the weekend chores and errands, and retreated back into my bedroom, the windows are no more than black reflections. So, even if my dreary life does does not always allow me to pause and enjoy Mother Nature’s source of joyful heat, it doesn’t mean I can’t utilize other methods to brighten my bedroom atomsphere, day or night.

In addition to the perfectly vibrant shades in this bedroom, symmetry just triggers happy endorphins. Matching ottomans and table lamps helps make the room appear orderly. Together with the vertically striped headboard, the furnishings add a dose of sunny colors that will bring forth an even warmer, saturated hue as night falls. When looking to brighten a bedroom, it’s hard to go wrong with crisp, white sheets that will cast a pure illuminating sheen.

Source: http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/beautiful-designer-bedrooms#slide-20

Any reservations that I may have had about painting an entire bedroom’s walls a bright bold color, have vanished after seeing this bedroom’s use of yellow. I don’t consider yellow a soft, calming color. However, this zen like bedroom keeps clutter to a minimum and sunny opulance at a maximum. White linens are again key to intensifying the faux sunlit walls.

Source:http://www.professionalinteriordesign.com/interior-design-styles/bedroom-designs-photos-37/

If my bedroom lacked windows, I would have even more reason to try to convert my bedroom to a sunroom. This bedroom appears to be a typical Manhattan closet sized studio with just enough room to squeeze in a bed. However, accents of the sun found in the geometric linens and book covers help to make it a golden retreat. And with the help of the canary colored overhanging lamp, the shimmering taupe wallpaper will help the bedroom shine on long after the sun has set.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/foohqwah/3836281499/

Posted in Bedroom Design | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment