Design Diversion: Janice's Bedroom

Despite my bedroom being seriously lacking in drama, I swoon for the kind of bedrooms that conjures up harlequin romance scenes. You know the kind - the handsome Victorian doctor rushes in to confront his headstrong female nemesis only to realize he can't stand a minute more without having her, kisses her lustily and rips off his shirt to reveal . . .

Er, I'm getting carried away with myself here. Lets talk about the issue at hand: Janice's bedroom.

She already had a great room with wonderful light, moldings, hardwood floors, etc. So the bones were there. Then she mentioned that she wants to paint the room charcoal gray. Clearly, a woman after my own heart and not afraid of a little bit of drama!

When I first saw these photos, the asymetry of this room was really bothering me. But then I realized embracing it is the only way to go to here. Take a peak:

JanicesBedroomBoard copy
Click here to see it larger.

If you'll notice a theme between this board and the last, scale is very important. Nothing drives me crazier than furniture that is out of porportion with each other or the room. And this room is no exception.

So what am I thinking here? Well, first off - take advantage of that little alcove and make it the spotlight of the room with some fabric that frames the bed. Then get a dramatic headboard (is anyone surprised Im suggested a tufted one? Doubtful.) really add the knock out punch. Instead of tiny off kilter nightstands on each side, reinforce the asymetry with one large bachelor's chest for a nightstand.

Now that we have a more tradional base, adding a twist with a more modern sputnik chandelier adds some personality. Using finishes like polished nickel and mercury glass will add a good deal of sparkle and play up the wall color too.

Finally, the area near the smaller window can be treated like a seperate vignette. Every bedroom needs a chair for wriggling into stockings and putting on shoes, but this sort of bergere chair is perfect for cozying up with that harlequin book whenever you don't have your romantic lead around.

At least that is my take on it. What do you think?

37 comments:

  1. love what you have worked up! the head board is a must, to break up all the right angles. I just painted my kitchen a wonderful shape of gray and love it. So great color choice. Is there a closet door??

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  2. I love this! And again, how you are illustrating the changes to the room is brilliant. So easy for any client, design minded or not to comprehend. Great work!

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  3. I love it! The color scheme is fantastic. I can't wait to see the finished room.

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  4. Looks beautiful!! Love it! I think you should consider a change in profession... :)

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  5. Anonymous11:37 AM

    Mrs. L - I love this! Lovelovelove how you made that awkward nook a focal point, and love the gray and silvery goodness! Can't wait to see what she comes up with. What do you suggest for the fabric hiding the nook? - and the same or different from the drapes? Can't wait to see the final!

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  6. I love the color scheme and the chair! It is going to be a fabulous room....can I move in?

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  7. Thanks everyone! Im really loving this one - I can't wait to see how it turns out in reality.

    inthetweeds - I'd definitely want the draperies to match in color and in texture. Just from a cost perspective, its probably cheaper to use raw material stapled to a cornice box behind the bed rather than springing for expensive draperies where the function isn't needed.

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  8. I love it. I can't wait to see the IRL version. Nice Job!

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  9. Loving this new series!! And the look and feel of your inspiration boards:) I love gray and the new combo of traditional and contemporary will be really cool. Awesome job!!!

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  10. very nice! i like you how illustrated the design too. i am a big fan of gray walls but have had a hard time in the past getting paint that looks truly gray once it's up. it usually takes me 2 or 3 samples before i can get a good one.

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  11. Really love it. I am also wanting to paint my bedroom a dark grey color. Any suggestions?

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  12. Anonymous12:58 PM

    Lovely - the fabric in the nook behind the bed is a great idea, and makes that space much less awkward. Can't wait to see what she comes up with in real life!

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  13. Anonymous1:23 PM

    Love it. I would add a matching curtain over the open closet. I hate seeing closet clutter!
    Cris

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  14. I've been craving a dark grey room with a canopy bed and big fluffy white bedding all day. I think this room is fantastic and dreamy. I can also imagine a few stacks of books on the floor...

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  15. Love the transformation! Scaling is so important :)

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  16. It looks great. What about the closet though?

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  17. I think I am in love!
    You have the midas touch!
    pve

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  18. For those that are wondering about the closet - Janice mentioned she is changing that so I just left it alone. But it looks like there is a pocket door in there to me so either way, I think she is set.

    As for shades of gray - as with any color, you really must paint large swatches on the wall before selecting. If there is any color that changes with the light and surrounding colors, its gray. A color that looks like the perfect gray in my room might look much more blue or green or purple in your room. The few dollars it takes to do a sample is very well worth it!

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  19. Looks so comfortable and lovely! Makes me want to go home and redo our bedroom. :)

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  20. mmmmmmmmm...charcoal walls...I can't wait to experiment with these colors! When we were having our LR painted and came home to the first primer coat (which was a dark grey) I almost completely changed my decor around the color! I lost my nerve but I think I have it back and will be doing that one in the next powder room I do. So glad that you suggested making the most out of that alcove Janice is lucky enough to have! Perfect place to recess the bed and add the drama! Excellent work, Mrs. L!

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  21. Superb design and the little reading nook is my favorite, especially the chair!

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  22. What a great job! Can't wait to see the final finished room!

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  23. Classic and edgy at the same time. I am so impressed!

    Please do more of these kinds of postings! They're great!

    I'm curious: When you work on rooms in your own home, do you draw on photos like this in order to get a sense of the proper scale? Or are you just able to look at the room with the naked eye and tell if something will work?

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  24. You have a great eye for design! I love how you balanced out the proportion of the room with the bed, the curtained back wall and the large headboard. Lovely!

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  25. Love the valance and headboard. Very nice!

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  26. So elegant! I wish I had sent you pictures of my bedroom instead of my living room! Beautiful room.

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  27. clafo - No, I don't do this for my own rooms. I can do it in my head I guess. I probably SHOULD do it in my own rooms just to keep me on track but Im a lot more disorganized with my own projects :)

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  28. How did I miss this post!? Another really really wonderful job, I absolutely am in love with the solution to the headboard wall, it makes all the difference! Janell

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  29. Gorgeous, just GAW-juss! I too like that you simply embraced what bothered you, and worked WITH it, rather than against it.

    Also, am dying to know what design program you're using...PS? Guess that's BL proprietary info! ;)

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  30. Oh my gosh, you are GOOD! Just a few simple changes and it looks infinitely better!

    And I agree with you about scale and proportion--I have a couple hand-me-down chairs that are totally out of whack together, and it drives me NUTS!

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  31. I use photoshop to do this but more because its what Im comfortable with. Its not an ideal tool for this kind of thing.

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  32. cool site, and love that chandelier with the pumpkin!

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  33. I had no idea you were a fan of Victorian romances - I'm obsessed! Check out Mary Balogh and Stephanie Laurens.

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  34. Mmmmmmmm...this is one yummy budoir! I'vee been on the hunt for inspiration for my master bedroom redo and I think I've got it now. This is exactly what I never knew I wanted! GORG.

    ~Amanda

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  35. Nice! Everyone should have a Sputnik chandy in their bedroom ;)

    The only thing I might change is the chair. I love the one you have envisioned, but if there is ample room, I'd add a chaise, only because I get super duper comfy on one when I read.

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