apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Its a very cozy space! I would only suggest bringing just a bit of pink, red etc over to other side of the room so it reads a bit more balanced.

Stay warm!

I love that you repurposed fabric that meant something to you. I have a curtain (60s retro pop floral) that got voted out of our family cottage in Maine and I've been wondering what to do with it - I love the fabric.

I really like the coziness of your slanted ceilings, and it looks like you've dealt with them well.

Thanks for sharing!

Becky

What a sweet little room! I don't normally like shabby chic, but this is quite natural rather than "precious". Also I love your use of the two tones of paint. The contrast between the slanted wall and the lighter flat wall lengthens the whole room--really brilliant way to deal with an attic space. I am going for a similar look in my living room.

When is this going to end?

This is a nightmare. Its is the most pathetic and unfortunate use of toile I have ever seen in my entire life. Somewhere Marie Antoinette is headlessly rolling over in her grave.

First I am personally offended by the ruffled bedskirt and that awful matching headboard. Why is it so much wider than the bed? I won't even mention the matching toile valance and the matching table skirt and the gingham throw pillow. Nor will I mention the incongruous pink chair which I guess is intended to add a note of whimsey to the room. It is the proverbial pink elephant in the room. Likewise I won't mention the inexplicable nightstand and the college dorm floor lamp which is both out of scale and just plain ugly.

And if you are trying to go for the Shabby Chic look, you only got it half right. While its not chic, its certainly shabby. Do better.

As an exercise in futility, I will herewith attempt to edit out the snarkiness in our friend Edina's comment. Let's see what's left:

***
ruffled bedskirt . . . matching headboard . . . Why is it so much wider than the bed?

incongruous pink chair

floor lamp . . . out of scale

***

There! Now, see, Edina? Add a few conjunctions and whatnot and you've got a perfectly civil piece of constructive criticism! I would even tend to agree with your points, except that overall I think this is a cozy, peaceful room that makes brilliant (and ecologically friendly) re-use of fabric which has sentimental meaning to the owner. Also, you seem to think there's a problem with the "matching" toile items. That's what is classically done with toile, Edina. You could read about it.

Thanks, all; I totally agree with most of the points (and appreciate the editing, Diane)...at my core I'm not much of a toile fan myself, but the sentimental value of the fabric made it an easy choice for my first non-dorm room.

I do feel the need to defend the poor headboard, though: it appears too large only because the bed is actually two dorm-sized singles pushed together to give the illusion of something roomier; it will fit a "normal" bed. Fresh out of school I wanted to repurpose instead of buy new furniture, so until I put a little more green in the piggy bank (and/or find something too perfect to turn down) I guess I'll just have to avert my eyes while getting into bed / reading by the light of my three-bulb functional-yet-not-all-that-aesthetically-appealing lamp.

i don't understand nasty comments that look to essentially insult instead of constructively criticize. it's not necessary...and certainly doesn't help anything.

Alexandra: I don't think you should have to defend your position against such rudeness, which was totally inappropriate. I like that you repurposed meaningful objects, and that you are smart enough to repay your loans instead of going into debt. You worked well with what you have, and it is certainly not the milk crate decor of most recent grads.

I totally understand a limited budget when you're just out of college. I'm still working my way toward being able to spend more on my home. I commend you for all that you've managed to do with your room. Yes, the ill-fitting headboard was noticeable, but for now, it will work. Maybe if you brought the bedside table closer to the bed it would camouflage it a little. I actually like toile a great deal, but I would suggest that you complement it with either red or pink to match your chair and spread some color throughout the room, including on your bed. This would be pretty inexpensive, as it would only require that you to add some pillows. Have fun in your space!

i think you've done a wonderful job of making something jaunty in a funky space with little extra dough. it looks beautiful, the toile is sophisticated and feminine. the freshly upholstered chairs look crisp and inviting.

i am astounded at the bitchery being permitted in the commentary here. these comments should be deleted and their maker blocked.

alex, pay no attention, they don't know what they're talking about.

Whoa, two days in a row with this Edina & her lovely comments. Edina, I would love to see your place since you're such a guru of design & fine taste. Who told you about this website? Please let me know so I can thank them, what would we all do without a little nasty in our days?

Btw Alexandra, ignore herrrrr. Your room has a lot of great things going on in it & all that matters anyways is that YOU love it :)

i rarely say this, but it's cluttered. busy patterns like toile (which i love) only give their full effect when they aren't obscured by other busyness. the hats on the mirror, the stuff on the bookcases. i love feminine and vintage myself, i think a little decluttering will make this really look better. the pink chair seems isolated, if the two shelves on either side had bare tops except for a similarly pink item each, it would *pop*.

Oh...I feel so silly now! (*face plant in hand here*) Edina Monsoon obviously is practicing her drag queen routine in her posting...I hadn't gotten that before. D-oh.

It's a bit of a shame though, because at least in this post, Edina probably DID "mention" a couple points which might help the room if addressed, but got lost in the Dame Edna routine.

Thanks Diane for the translation.

Why choose "Edina Monsoon" to hide behind when "Dame Edna" is much more appropriate?

Anyhoo. I think the room is sweet and if it makes you happy - yay! I also really love that you've worked your grandparent's curtains into the mix.

Isn't Dame Edna a little more polite than this? I honestly can't imagine her being so viscious (sp?) and still have that smile plastered across her face. Come to think of it, Dame Edna is far more gracious than Eddie's little finger will ever be.

P.S. The room is lovely; I agree it would look even better if you were to declutter a bit and put in a bit more pink!

I think rasil has a great idea, to clear off the tops of the bookshelf and chest on either side of the chair (also the hats), and add a similarly pinky-red item on top of each one. That would bring it all together and wouldn't have to cost a dime, especially with the resourceful Alexandra in her Sister Maria mode!

Thanks all for your feedback; jumping to the top of the "to do" list --- declutter / dispose (definitely overdue, as many things featured on the circa '88 bookshelf are from, well...'88).

And it's always nice to have an eye out for something when shopping...a pinky-red item or two it is!

Thanks again!

This so cozy--just the way attic rooms should be. And charming. I'd be happy in that room at night, reading in the white chair. I like the checked pillow with the toile, the overall color scheme, and the fact that the feeling is very sweet without being cute.

OK, the two largest areas of toile are the window treatment and headboard, and they're both in the same size/shape range. If I were in one of those fits of pushing furniture around, I think I'd try this to see if it worked--or not: Declutter the nightstand box, stand it on end, and push it right next to the bed, so the the headboard extends over it. Then position the lamp so the stem is closer to the headboard in some sort of proportionality.

I really like the arrangement of your objets on the toile-covered table, but I think clutter elsewhere detracts from it?

I'm still mulling over the floor lamp. I would think I would hate it, but I dont--just where it's placed. It's an awkward marriage with the sloping ceiling. Could you possibly put it to the right of the window, where the ceiling's higher? I think I might paint it the very palest matte pink, too.

Anyway, it's a dear, cozy, personal space that looks like a very nice person lives in it.

(Why do I feel so certain that Edina's space would be a study in contrast to this?)

I hope you'll show us how your new pink additions work out!

Au

This is a charming room, made more special by the connection Alexandria has with the fabric. (Those of us who can connect where we live with people we have loved and passed on, are the lucky opnes.) As for dear, dear Edina. Your obvious bitchiness obscures whatever value your comments may have had. You have made yourself irrevelant.

That pink chair as an accent is wonderful! The only problem is that I think that chair should be in my place. I am not really a fan of toile (spelling?) but I love your reinterpretation of it, balancing it with a lot of white and that pop of pink. The place looks very cozy and bright. The only piece I would edit out is the blue glass vase. You need something a little more classic there, and maybe in uhh, pink. Like these: (hope it works I haven't done this before:

http://www.secretclosetgifts.com/browse.cfm/2,919.html

Thanks for sharing.

Sorry - I read the postings before I wrote my comment. Really I need to starting reading before posting. I actually don't get offended at rude comments and tend to find them amusing.

But I am often surprised at how threatened many people are by reinterpretation. If I am not mistaken, Marie Antoinette has been dead for a long, long time. Loyalty to past monarchy is not a prerequiste for design. In fact, it is the year 2007 isn't it? If you had used the toile in the traditional way you would have been slammed for that. Reinterpretation is so much more interesting than old ways of using things.

You've done a lovely job. Yes, you need to declutter, you know that,but the room really works. Even the lamp. Disparate objects in the same color also add pop to a room. What about cute hat boxes in a corner used for storage?

Thanks for an interesting read! See how much your room inspired everyone?

I fear Edina is warming up for Smallest, Coolest.

Yikes.

I like your room! I did something similar with gold drapes I inherited from my Grandmother. I made pillow shams for my queen size bed. Distributing more pink is a great idea. Also decorating is an ongoing process. It changes from year to year, you add and subtract based on experiences (travel) or as money permits. I think you have a great foundation.

As for Edina, why should I take her comments seriously when she can't spell. Whimsy has no "E" in my dictionary.

"I guess is intended to add a note of whimsey"

The room is great. How about turning the bedside tables on their sides & placing them right next to the bed / in front of the excess headboard to camoflauge the size difference? Not sure if the placement of the wall sconces would be a problem.

RE: rude comments...I'm all for hearing different points of view, but I must say that I find opinions on design worthless when the source very obviously does not see beyond their own personal taste. There's a difference between bad design & disliking something simply because you would not choose it for yourself.