Rules of Decorating; Bedroom Transformation
Rules of Decorating! I’m so glad we have rules and laws. As a former 1st grade teacher, rules were crucial! Laws keep our society functioning and most of us in check! Did you know there are also rules of decorating? Some of you are saying yes, while others are hearing this for the first time. If you are either one of those, this post is for you!
There are also different rules for different decorators and seasons and even years. Some, though, are the same throughout time. For example, never use furniture to hide/block your fireplace. Yes, I’ve seen this. I could feel my inner decorator screaming and my body involuntarily trying to push the couch out of the way. The couch was literally hiding the fireplace. There are very important rules about furniture arrangement and flow of a room that I support 100%. However, some decorating rules are meant to be bent and maybe even broken, (except furniture hiding a fireplace) if it’s for the sake of a better set up.
This held true for my bedroom. We started off with your standard wedding gift bedroom set. Sleigh bed, 2 matching night stands, dresser w/larger than life mirror and a tall dresser. It was cherry finish and solid wood. I could see the stars in my husband’s eyes looking at all that solid wood. He was proud. He pictured himself surrounded by that furniture for the rest of his life and possibly request to be buried with it. It was like this for 7 years. Then something happened to his happy bubble. The same thing that happens to all of his happy bubbles (mostly those that include solid wood), I decided I didn’t like it anymore. After 11 years of marriage (it was a late wedding gift), I decided I had a new vision for our bedroom and it was so much better than the current set-up!
Over the years I’ve learned to come up with a plan of action before presenting my ideas to him and he’s learned to say yes…no matter the plan. He’s quite awesome that way. My plan of action was to sell our current furniture and use the money made to pay for the new set up. Although still dreaming of his affair with solid wood in the bedroom, he caved.
Next, I had to decide what exactly my new look would be. My whole goal for our home is to make it unique to us. It’s not perfect. It’s perfectly imperfect. It reflects our goals as a family and my ambitions as a homemaker. We all have a desire to create beauty for our family and the best way to accomplish that is to plan and make it happen. For my bedroom, I wanted it to function in 3 ways. I wanted a luxurious sleeping area, a sitting area and a place for a dresser. It needed to be relaxing, tranquil and most importantly, intimate. Our bedroom isn’t massive, so I knew I would have to do some unique maneuvering and possibly break a decorating rule or two.
Once a fresh coat of paint was applied, it was time to have some fun.
When I finally realized, I could let go of some of my preconceived notions about a furniture set up in a bedroom, that’s when the creativity took over. The focal point is obviously the bed and I went the exact opposite of a solid wood sleigh bed. I went for a metal farm bed. I let go of the uniform furniture look and searched a massive antique warehouse until I found whitewashed, antiqued night stands. They are solid wood. The husband was pleased. Large drum shade lamps accented the night stands, a beautiful round mirror perched above the bed and it was all sitting against the same wall the old bed was. It was definitely transformed but still didn’t hit the mark of what I wanted.
We found a solid wood (more hubby approval) dresser and nixed the idea of a mirror above it. Instead, my dear built a picture frame rail and we hung our babies blessing outfits in a shadow box along with our small TV, all in place of a mirror. It’s beautiful, intimate and unique. Two of my 3 goals were fulfilled. A luxurious place to sleep and a place for my dresser. Creating a sitting area was turning out to be difficult.
Then I broke the rule. The rule says to not put a bed in front of a window. And the rule is exactly right. But this is my bedroom. My home will probably never be in a “decorator rule book” and I’ve come to terms with that. I convinced my husband to move the bed so I could at least see what it would look like. Once he moved it in front of the window, I knew that rules were made to be broken. It was perfect. The only reason it works is because the bed has metal rails and allows light through from the windows. Any other headboard would not work. Moving the bed opened up a space for a sitting area.
If you’ve read the book, If you give a Pig a Pancake, then you are getting a glimpse into my head. I needed to find the cherry on top for my sitting area. I quickly realized I wanted a full mantel against the wall, even if it isn’t functioning! It would be unique! I was lucky enough to find the perfect one at an antique warehouse. I completed the look by using antique book pages to act as bricks for the inside.
With a couple of rules broken, I could create exactly what I wanted. I made a fully functioning and intimate retreat for us when we need to escape from the outside, mostly the kids.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box if it allows you to accomplish your goals for your home. Be creative and don’t stress over just doing the “known”. Try new things. Break a rule. If your efforts are a bust, go back to the drawing board and try again. Trust me, it’s so worth it!
Audrey Whiteley, CSE®
works for Balance & Harmony 360², as a Certified Staging Expert in the HOME division. The home environment affects your health, productivity, and happiness. She works with individuals who need to freshen-up outdated décor, “show” a room’s potential, or help homeowners create a lifestyle. Audrey makes the most of your surroundings whether you are staging for a quick sale, building a home, or want to elicit a more productive and peaceful setting in which to live.
Audrey Can Help Create:
Ideas or Design Boards
Room Layouts and Arrangements
Organization Solutions
Home Staging DIY Reports
Pre-Move Prep Strategies and Moving Plans
Purchasing and Hands-On Staging
Project Management from Start to Finish
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