I often like rooms where the lighting makes a bold statement. In some houses with the right architecture and ceiling height, you can have large scale lighting that becomes a feature in the room. The dining room above has always been a favourite of mine, ...
Read More
COMPACT BEDROOMS
There are some great examples of bedrooms with stylish bunk beds to sleep several people in one room. This can work well for kids, who don't mind sharing space. It's still always nice to create a separate bedroom for guests, I thought the picture of the room above was a great way to divide a small space and still create two separate sleeping areas. The rooms are small but each one has a window, they're still stylish and really about the bed, a wall mounted light and some bookcases. Here are some bunks beds that also show just how many beds you can get into a space if you really want to maximize sleeping quarters.
DEB'S TOP THREE: BEDS!
Having the right type of bed can really make the room. A bed frame or headboard really isn’t necessary, but it does certainly add a finished look to any room.
Here are a few of my faves!
1. RH slipcover – this would be the one I’d get today! I love the versatility that a slip cover gives you. You could change the fabric on this and totally change the look of your bedroom décor.
3. A more modern low bed is the Matera from Design Within Reach. The walnut wood looks great and the fact that It has storage on the sides makes it very functional.
B & A: THIS SMALL BEDROOMS POTENTIAL REVEALED!
At DND, we always love a good Before & After. There is something magical about seeing the possibility of what a room could be. When I bought my old 1844 house, there were many rooms that felt a little tired and dated. When I saw this space I wanted to lighten and brighten it up.
BEFORE
AFTER
Hereʼs what happened:
– All new walls and ceilings, although it doesn't show up in the before picture, all of the old plaster in this room was cracked and heaving on the walls and in the ceiling. New drywall and paint really changed the look.
– White paint! One of my favourites, I painted the walls, ceiling, floors and trim in white. This truly transforms a room!
– One way to instantly brighten up a space is to expose more of the windows. Removing the sheers and full length drapery panels and going to custom made linen roman shades in the windows allowed more natural light to flow in.
– Room layout: the furniture placement in the 'after' picture is very different. The bed is placed in front of the window instead of on the wall on the right. Creative space planning had to happen in this room to fit that large antique cabinet you can see in the first picture.
There are terrific water views out both these windows! Iʼm going to be switching around the furniture in this room to see if I can capture more of the view! I'll be sure to share those results on the blog later this summer.
ASK DEB NELSON: CAN I PUT A BED IN FRONT IN FRONT OF THE WINDOW
In some bedrooms you don't have a lot of choice when it comes to the placement of a bed, so you might have to put a bed in front of a window. In my own house I have a room with a bed in front of the window and I'm limited in the lay out options. I have been looking for a low headboard since I think this will help create a focal point in front of the window. Another option is to add drapery panels on either side of the window – this is another common way to deal with a bed in front of the window. Here are some rooms with headboards and drapery when the bed is in front of the window. As you can see this really helps to frame the bed and create a nice focal point in the room.
