apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I should tell you that a couple changes have already been made -- I'm trying the bed on the short (closet) wall and the ugly shelving is going bye-bye. My dresser storage will be replaced by a tansu (already bought). The cats also are no longer allowed to dictate decorating, so their stuff is where *I* want it, not where it currently is.

Suggestions remain welcome. After months of airily dispensing decorating advice, I woke up and realized that my bedroom looked like I never take any!

You furniture is really mismatched. This is especially evident with the dresser nestled in the storage unit. Consider painting them a uniform color?

I know the Container Store shelves are probably not an option because of the holes they'd make in your rental walls.

There is almost nothing hung on your walls. The one thing that is hung is too far towards the shelves and looks unbalanced. Some pictures would really help, especially on that wall that only has the scratching post on it. :) Also a task lamp (wall hung? side table?) for the chair.

I know you can't move the cat stuff, but please move the clothes hamper. :) Into the closet if possible.

If you are going to keep your bed on the floor you need to come up with a beddign solution that doesn't drape your bedspread on the ground. Even made up it looks sloppier than a well-tucked solution.

The dollhouses could be given dedicated stands across from the shelves on the emtpy wall, maybe. Would display them in a more deliberate way, and would free up real storage.

Could you attach task lights to the window uprights instead of using lamps the cats knock over? Not sure that would work with alec's good curtain suggestion.

That's not a hamper, holly. That's the wastebasket.

Nor is the bed on the floor. It's on a low frame with a tilt-up headboard.

I agree that new bedding is key. A quilt that doesn't drape to the floor would be great, with lots of pillows to bring in the color you can't put on the walls.

Another change to make: the lamps and bedside tables are too tall for the height of the bed. A lower lamp would look better, and it might not tip over so easily, making it less vulnerable to the kitties.

I also have a low bed and haven't done any of these things myself, so I can relate to giving advice but not taking it :>)

wende,
I salute your willingness to act on a dare

Hi wende,

I like the idea of stands for the dollhouses. If you don't have floor space, but you do have wall space, you could also create a ceiling/wall suspended shelf solution for them.

Wall drilling isn't usually a problem for landlords since holes can be spackled and then are invisible after a painting (although do the spackling yourself or lose part of your security deposit). That can be a life saver. I'm sure you can find a fashionable wall mounted bedside lamp solution - maybe a two sided lamp that can be mounted centrally with a lamp pointed at each side of the bed. Then you and the cats can both be happy. :-)

Can't you just take the mini-blinds down and store them in a closet somewhere until you move out? then you can have whatever you like as the window treatments, and the landlord can have his blinds when you leave.

What I'm doing about the dollhouses is that I've ordered floating white shelves to go in the corner where the cat's bowls were. The dollhouses are 12" deep, which makes them difficult to store -- putting them on the "blank" wall would leave no room to get to the bed on that side! (This is why I swore I wasn't going to build in 1:12 scale -- it's really too big to own multiple houses.)

I'm hearing a lot of implied support for my desire to buy a real platform bed with a headboard, to replace the Futon Frame of the Damned. The husband has resisted this move, which is part of how the bedroom reached this frustrating state!

If I move the bed back to the window wall, I may try *narrow* shelves down the "blank" wall instead, and something more modern in the way of side tables. Still debating... The lamps are definitely on their way out...

SUGGESTIONS ON AN INEXPENSIVE PLATFORM FRAME that will go with blond Asian, anyone? I'm open-minded as long as there aren't protruding edges to knock my shins on (I'm limping on both legs from a stroll through Ikea's bedroom section last night).

Oops -- I just ordered a platform bed. It's metal, so I don't have to match any more woods.

Sorry to dither so much -- your guys' support in wanting to DO SOMETHING to the bedroom is a huge, huge help even if I seem to be mostly dithering, arguing, and making exceptions.

This has been a big, big move to resist the husband's acetism (we *can* afford to have things look decent -- he just is a COOL person and also works in another state most of the time, so he doesn't have to look at our apartment) and make things "nice."

Wende, am I wrong or do you have three distinct doorways in your bedroom?

First comment, love the dark teal and rust on the kilim pillow. I think a rug in the teal would be awesome. Plus the different colors are very 1001 Nights or Vashtu. I would second the idea of a wall of curtains. If one of those doors near the bed is a closet, you could remove the door continue the curtains across the opening and put some lights in the closet so there would be a soft glow echoing the glow from the windows. Maxwell has done that a lot and it looks awesome.

Three doors? Oh no! I have FOUR doors and a wall of windows.

If you call the windows north, there is a door in the middle of the west wall (to the foyer), two doors at either end of the east wall (to the mega-closet), and french doors on the south wall (to the living room). As you've noticed, the doors are a real challenge to work around.

The *other* challenge -- having eliminated the Shelves of the Hopeless Dorm Look on my own, I get to toss out another horrible factoid -- is that the doors to the living room are usually open to get light (the back windows face onto the bowels of hell), so the bedroom must continue the golden beige from the living room. You're right, though -- I'm trying to change rug colors from room to room (hoping that the next place has separate rooms), and you're pushing in a direction I want to go.

This is an experience. I hadn't realized how much I hated the make-do efforts in that room until I sent in those photos. This has really catalyzed my thinking.

Wow, a lot of ground has already been covrered here. I agree with a lot of the above advice. I think raising the mattress slightly with a low platform bed is a good idea, and should help with they way the beddings lay and bridge the height distance between it and the side tables. (I'm glad you've already found one, I was going to suggest West Elm's simple platform bed--which has been modified and improved since the initial support problems from a few years back.) Li's idea of a shorter lamp with a more substantial base is a good one, especially since the bed is lower to the ground. And I think Alec's suggestion of floor-to-ceiling-length curtain panels is key! Especially since there currently isn't any visual interest on the walls. How great would it look to have the windows framed out by a few curtain panels. Imagine the instant drama of having a fabric wall in a great color. Once the curtains are up, you may find that you don't want or need a different wall color or art on the walls. (But if you were to paint, maybe the curtain wall?) Definitely think about switching out the rug. In addition to selecting another color, consider simpler graphics and different textures (a flat weave with a great modern/ethnic graphic or a simple, solid-color but with a lot of texture like a nubby jute or woven "rope")--again West Elm has the best low-cost selections if you were to go this route. Maybe you should take a trip out to Corte Madera and window-shop at West Elm for further ideas. Their stores are merchandised well and could prove to be inspirational for you! But just look on the first trip and then go home and sleep on it. Don't impulse buy... Whatever you bring into the room, I think you should strive to keep it simple, clean-lined and free of ornamentation. That way the accessories you choose to keep in the room (the dollhouse, the pillows, the vase) are really showcased in the context of the room.

Oh my, I am so late to this conversation! Stupid work, always getting in the way. :)

Wende, what does the bed look like that you ordered? Since everyone has already made so many good suggestions, I'll just throw out something wacky: how about ignoring the walls altogether and placing your new bed at an angle in one corner, away from the walls? You could hang something fabric-y at the head of the bed to define that space a bit more, and use your pillows and bedding to add to that, and bringing in more color. And maybe add a bench at the foot of the bed for more storage...?

Ooooo! I love the idea of a bench at the foot of the bed. Maybe something w/ the same "feeling" as the gorgeous candle at the foot of Enrique's bed? And don't forget Enrique's idea of the Chinese ceramic garden stools as bedside tables. I bet you could get them in one of the colors in your pillow array.

p.s. Perhaps there's a field trip for the AT-SF contingent?

Ooooo! I love the idea of a bench at the foot of the bed. Maybe something with the same "feeling" as the gorgeous candle at the foot of Enrique's bed? And don't forget Enrique's idea of the Chinese ceramic garden stools as bedside tables. I bet you could get them in one of the colors in your pillow array.

p.s. Perhaps there's a field trip for the AT-SF contingent?

Aquarabbit quoth: "how about ignoring the walls altogether and placing your new bed at an angle in one corner, away from the walls?"

Just tried it! (With the existing bed, with is narrower than the replacement.) I was disappointed that putting it in the only large corner turned out to make it impossible to open the door to the foyer (hinging the door the other way would conflict with the bathroom door *and* the front door). In the past, I've considered keeping some of the doors permanently closed, but I don't think I'm up for doing a loop through the living room and foyer to get to the bathroom.

I've been counting doors lately. This apartment has an *amazing* number of doors. The bedroom has four doors; the living room has five.

ebrown -- there's probably room for a bench even with the bed under the window. The bedroom is really deep. (That's to accommodate all the doors!) And a bench with storage (okay, that's not as stylish as Enrique's candle -- but something that continues the tansu theme) would allow me to move to bedside tables without storage. I'll admit, I've lusted after Chinese garden stools for years.

Look at the color of these stools from Wisteria.
http://www.wisteria.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=W1171
Of course, you can get similar things in Chinatown for much less but the color is dreamy.

Oooh ooooh ooooh ooooh -- that *is* a great color!

I think I'll be eating Chinese food some time soon (or Mexican, since the really bargain Chinese stores seem to be in the Mission). Come to think of it, it's been way too long since I had a moon pie (the Chinese kind, not the North Carolina kind).

wende: Here's a reasonable facsimile of Wisteria's garden stool from Charles Keith. At $59, it's a more economical option. (I've actually been considering one for my patio for the past several months). This price is comparable to what you'd pay at import shops in Chinatown; but I think it will difficult to find this same glaze at such a good price. (Most of the Chinatown options tend to be a little more ornate.)

http://www.charleskeath.com/ckeath/prod_display1.asp?product=65336&PID=41&partner=103

Oh, Enrique, perfect.