apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Out of curiousity, what is that a picture of? From my computer it looks like a movie poster from Saturday Night Fever. BTW my bedroom looks almost exactly like yours (not including the wall color, my room is "contractor beige" but including the random furniture) I can't wait to see what people suggest.....

Place bed facing door, btw windows.

the bed facing the door is probably a better idea. Since it's a big room, the bed doesn't need to be pushed against one wall. Lose the art. If you want color, I've taken a large canvas (or several canvas panels), picked a fabric that picked up colors in my bedspread (which is solid), like a nice damask pattern. I'd add lamps near the bed and maybe throw some artsy black and white prints on the walls in black frames—or you could do vintage ads in frames. Maybe add a seating area to fill some space. Scour craigslist/thrift stores. I got a great tufted chair for $10 in great condition at a thrift store. If you want a cheap ottoman, buy a storage ottoman from Wal-Mart or Target and cover it if you don't like it (staple guns are great). Then I'd add a floor lamp for some height and light by the chair; maybe a small cocktail table, and if you want a reading area, a bookshelf to give it some height with great books/interesting knick knacks.

Thanks for the comments. Keep them coming please!! I am the question-er.

I have bought a chair and ottoman (via craigslist) and put it in that empty corner. I also got a table via craigslist. I got two new lamps at the pier one on line closeout. I am going to charge up my camera batteries, open a flickr account, and take photos of the room now and also with the bed by windows. I like my chair and lamps but now think I need better nightstands. I moved a larger table to use as a nightstand.

Anyway, can't wait to get home and get the kids to bed so I can take more photos and upload.

Some suggestions (take or leave them)...

Curtains/Drapes. Floor to ceiling. Ikea and other home stores have a variety of options that aren't expensive. You could also find fabric you like and take it to a seamstress (or sew them yourself). A neutral linen might work, or you could use this as a way to bring in more colour. Choose something fairly sheer if you want to make things light and airy, and something heavier and opaque if you want the room to feel more serious/mature, and you need the privacy/darkness/warmth.

Paint your side tables/bench. This will unify your furniture a bit and give make them fresh again. If your style is more traditional, maybe a cream or grey would work. I like the idea of painting them a brighter/bolder colour so they pop but that may not work with your fairly strong wall colour and beige carpet.

Consider changing the lampshades on the 2 table lamps for something more barrel shaped. To me, the lamps seem dated and this could be a way to update them without replacing them. Department stores and places like Restoration Hardware, as well as lighting stores, sell lampshades in different shapes/sizes/fabrics/colours.

Find an armchair for reading and a floor lamp for an empty corner of the room. Craigslist, Freecycle, garage or estate sales, end of season sales...

Do you have a dresser? If you do, you can put that on the wall where the framed image is now and replace it with smaller photos or art work. If not, a large mirror there might work better.

Finally, consider a duvet cover or throw blanket with more pattern or texture than what you currently have. It could give the room more visual interest and help to define a colour scheme.

Hope some of this is helpful... Good luck!

Plant life. Some potted trees or palms would be good. You've got the space and light. Build upward with some sort of headboard type feature. It could simple be nice fabric. You need a long console or dresser. Mirrors. Put some Euro pillows at the head propped pu on the wall or at least on a bolster. Curtains or drapes depending on your vibe. How do you light those corners at night. Perhaps some floor lamps.

You have room for a nice seating area or reading nook.

Definitely put a headboard up. I could see a textured, fabric-covered one for your bed, but anything to ground your bed would be great. Matching nightstands. And get rid of your table lamps and mount your lamps. Even though your style is traditional, Ikea's bedroom inspirations pages may be help for you, to see what kinds of furniture they put together in a space:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/rooms/bedroom/

Before you start choosing paint colors and window treatments think long and carefully about exactly what you will DO in the space. Sleep sure but what else? Read? Watch TV? Put your shoes on? Design the space functionally to work perfectly for the things you will do in the room and those descisions will steer a lot of the design elements of the room. Take one small aspect, placement of the bed. Don't put the bed where you think it LOOKS best, put it where you get the best sleep (quiet, dark, etc) and where it's easy to jump up to the bathroom at 3am or easiest to make the bed.

Ok so I just took some photos (the room isnt that clean and its night time, but if I wait till daytime the kids will be up and then I wont get anything done) on my new flick account. I hope this link works:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11792005@N05/?saved=1

if it doesnt my name is kim95864 and maybe you can find them that way. I only put 5 up. You can see the new art, new chair, new lamps. Well, new to me at least.

I really like the idea about painting the end tables. Much cheaper than getting new ones. I like lime green and have some lime green accents in my kitchen, but the two pictures I have dont really go with that. The pictures were free hand me downs from relatives, though, and I do like the black and white idea from the other poster, so maybe I could paint some of the end tables lime green and then get cheap black and white art? Maybe I will try to take a picture with something lime green from the kitchen so we can see if it goes or not. The room has kind of a warm colors feel -- the orangey gold walls and red and brown accents and I am not sure the cool lime green will really go. Perhaps I should stick with the reds and browns and darker green.

Now I am going to see if I can move the bed and take pictures that way. Hubby is away so if I dont post anything else it is because it was too heavy.

Ok I hope this isn't too annoying. I really do appreciate the help and comments.

Here are photos with the bed by the windows:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11792005@N05/?saved=1

It ended up with bed by the windows on top and not by the windows on the bottom.

Anyway, it was hard to move so I am going to live with it like this for a few days. My poor husband. Every time he is out of town, I re-arrange the furniture. I do like the new lamps and couch but still dont feel like it is finished. Maybe I do need bolder bedding?? I tend to go for solids.

Also if I lost the art and did the b/w photography (like of my kids) I could indulge my wish for a zebra rug??

Feel free to continue with suggestions.

thank you very much.

Kim,
i've seen all the photos now ( also those on Flickr), my suggestion:

put the bed ( if possible ) facing feet to windows, but certainly not feet to door ( "dead-man's" position in Feng Shui ). This gives more privacy, for example when kids come into the bedroom they won't see teh bed right away.

The new chair with the table is lovely in that corner.

I woul add some textiles accessories in a brown or beige color to pull everything together, maybe a nice woolen plaid, for the chair in the corner ?

Hi Kim

You've got a great space there, but dealing with large areas are almost more difficult than small areas, no?

A few thoughts that came to my mind while I was looking at your flickr set:

Love your reading corner!!! I want one, but don't have the room. I'd look for a narrow bookcase (or something to use as a bookcase - with some heft to balance the chair) to fit in the space between the table and window. About the same general height as the chair for balance, then hang some artwork above the bookcase and on the adjoining wall behind the chair. Some good, close-up shots of your kids would be cool - blown up and cropped to show just the faces (how many kids do you have? You could do a row of them from the window to the corner, then from the corner on the other wall to the edge) and matted and framed to match.

Personally, I prefer the bench against the wall but you need something there, so if you have (or are looking to get) a long dresser that would work as well.

A headboard of some kind will give the bed a better 'presence' in the room.

Do you sew or know someone who does? You said you like the colors in that one painting... why not get creative? Get some sturdy fabric (perhaps someone here who does sew will know what kind), get some fabric paint in the same colors as the painting and create yourself a duvet. Dribble, splash and brush the colors on the fabric. Use a light color fabric and back it with a darker color if you want so you could just flip it to the other side for a change of pace or for more coziness for the winter.

In photo #2, I'd hang the picture the other way - the way you have it propped against the wall just emphasizes the tall narrowness of the windows.

You said you have lime green in your kitchen - do you have anything that's movable that you could bring into the bedroom for a few days just to see if you like the color in there?

And definately some plants if you like them!

Good luck, and keep posting pics as you go.

I really like the prints and the bed between the windows. One thing I did when renting a place that was carpeted like this was to put a few area rugs down over the carpet. It breaks up the all-over beige. (and in my case the carpet wasn't very clean, so I wanted to hide it)

Check out HomeDecorators.com (for chaises) or Overstock.com for armchairs they have some pretty nice seating at inexpensive prices. Also I would put either a low console table or bench at the foot of the bed and place some colorful throws, a nice potted tall plant/tree would also bring in some color and the outdoors. You have an awesome bedroom (I wish mine was as big) you have plenty of options. Watch HGTV or go to their website - you can get alot of ideas from them. Good luck.

If you have to keep the carpet and window treatments, color is the easiest way to change the look and feel of a room. Looking at the carpet, I would consider if another color on the walls might look better. If you keep the color, consider using it on only on one or two walls (whatever wall is the focus of the room, i.e. where you put the head of the bed) and paint the other walls a compatible white/neutral. I would lose the painting and add a couple of big plants as well.