Would you consider painting the room in the slightly darker beige color -- from that color stripe in your pretty bedcover?

Perhaps slightly larger lamps in a oil-rubbed bronze finish -- in the Arts & Crafts style (with a metal base) Then move those current bedside lamps to the dresser.

A chair would be wonderful in the corner -- with a standing lamp and a small round table for reading.

On the window -- perhaps a simple sheer for the summer months -- and a thicker panel in the winter. Hang them window treatments close to the ceiling.

OR create a simple fabric-covered cornice box over the top moulding (and to the ceiling) of the window -- and -- again -- your windows (and therefore the ceiling and the room) will appear "higher" to the veiwer's eye. Then add two-inch white faux-wood blinds. Fresh and light!

Add artworks to really add life to the room -- or perhaps frame a number of family photos (re-do in black-and-white, use larger mats in a deeper color from the bedcover, and frame in black)

Thanks, Teacats. DH would actually love it if we painted a color on the walls, although we JUST painted it BM Alabaster. This is the color that was on the walls when we moved in, and for some reason I really love it. Considering how dark the room is in summer, when the trees have all their leaves, I am in favor of keeping the lightest walls possible. Honestly, we have to turn the lights on mid-day in July in there to see anything. Crazy!

Funny you should mention the ORB lamps. I sort of forgot that's what I wanted when we saw these beautiful lamps at a shop in Bethel, Maine. We paid a pretty penny for them and DH might want my head on a platter if I buy MORE lamps! But I agree, ORB would have been the way to go. Taller, you think?

With regard to the chair, do you think I should look for fabric or leather? I'm leaning toward leather (because of the dust mite thing).

I wonder -- could anyone photoshop a different wall color and maybe a cornice or two for me? Pretty please?

Hi Alice, I love your new floors - just gorgeous. I don't know about wall color except with that light hue you probably should paint it on the angles and ceiling as well.

I was also thinking about your windows and I love when there are windows on either side of the bed. I realize you don't want to cover any of that precious window light - but I think you still need something on the windows. If you have a rod above the windows near the ceiling and have the rod wider than the window, you can hang panels in such a way that the windows are completely exposed but the whole window area itself looks larger and more important. If you really want to dress up that area, you could continue the rod and panels behind the bed filling the bed wall area with fabric. This will add some softness to the room. If you want to, you can still hang art work over the panels of fabric.

i'd like to see a darker color on the walls,too. and for some reason i always prefer the bed in the corner,have you tried that? your linens are gorgeous--really nice colors.
and after a second look,what about a valance made from teh fabric with sheers on either side of the windows.

Thank you both for your ideas and compliments! I appreciate your generousity.

I don't believe I can get this fabric -- it's a quilt, actually, and they don't sell the fabric separately, so unfortunately making any window treatments from matching fabric is not an option. I have mixed feelings about a wall of fabric -- we are trying to reduce dust catchers in the house and I fear that might just be a mighty catcher, you know?

We haven't put the bed in the corner because there are these nice dimmer switches on either side of the bed, actually, 3 way switches that we can either flick on from the doorway or switch off next to the bed. We lived without them while we were under construction and missed them sorely. So I'm inclined to leave the bed but it's a great idea -- in fact, we had our bed in a corner in our old house and it worked beautifully.

If we put curtains on the windows that flank the bed, would it look odd to put one pahel on the outer side of each of the two windows, and no panel in by the bed? Would that be strange?

I did post "before" pics where you can see our old curtains (the ones I actually don't mind). They are just about exactly the color of the wall and not a very heavy fabric. I'm just tired of them hiding the extra light.

It's VERY echo-y in our room right now (now ... now... now). Even DH thinks we need to do something!

Boy Alice, you are workin'!!!

I like the idea of a different paint color too, but only you know your lighting situation. Think COZY, not dark. ;-)

As for the panels on either side, I did that:

You're right, Amy! We are workin' up a sweat here in snowy Massachusetts! And we still have a bathroom under major construction. Thankfully we have already chosen tile, paint, sink, towel racks and towels, so I don't have to come cryin' for help on that one. Pretty soon people will call this the Alice's Home Decoration Forum, LOL. I have noticed that I decorate in cycles. I was actually not on the forum much for the better part of about 2 years until this cycle.

Thanks for sharing the pic of how your curtains look. That definitely helps me visualize what it might look like chez moi. I notice you don't have art above the bed, but that's 'cause your headboard is high, yes? I'm kind of wishing I had that setup now as it would get me out of having to make that decision. :-)

Regarding the light, when we were house-shopping and saw this house, it was early May and the leaves weren't out yet. Mid-afternoon ... the room was lovely with sun beaming in. Fast forward to mid-July when we moved in, and I thought I was going to cry. I couldn't see a darned thing in that room -- lamps were still packed and the room doesn't have an overhead light. I was so frustrated and still get that way, especially if it's a CLOUDY summer's day. I don't know if the curtains really make that much difference, but the room sure does seem brighter to both of us now without them. Still, NOT having them isn't right either. So.

Thank you for your support and ideas! While I ponder the curtains, what should go over the bed? I had the proportion all wrong before ...

I like the idea of a chair in the corner. And simple window treatments--maybe shades of some kind?

If you love the paint color, keep it--it just looks white on my monitor--but warm the room up with a couple of area rugs. Somehow, the quilt seems out of place to me--it's almost southwestern in style, while the furniture is not--but that might be just me.

As for what to hang over the bed: it depends on what you like. Do you want a painting? An architectural element? For me, art on the walls is very personal, so my advice would be to take your time in selecting something that really has meaning for you.

P.S. Did you ever make a decision on your woodwork in the other room? :)

Alice, I have allergies and asthma and I try to find machine washable window treatments when I can. If you can sew, you can buy some pretty fabric to make a panel for each side of the window to hang and frame them. I think it would help with the echo and add some decor to the bed wall.

Sky

organic smallhome, thanks for remembering our woodwork! DH doesn't want to pull down the crown, so until I get up the gumption to just start painting, it remains. I did get him to concede on the baseboard and we'll be replacing it when the guy comes to install our new bathroom door.

With regard to what goes over the bed, I'm hoping for shape and proportion ideas. Something wide but slim? A grouping of 4 or 6 smaller pictures? I had a single framed print before and it was just wrong the whole time. Anyone want it? :-)

Can I say I'm relieved that you're keeping the crown molding? I think it's beautiful, and with the new baseboard, will look just fine.

About the bed: perhaps a grouping would look best. But again, just be patient--you'll know it when you see it! :)

Organic smallhome, you give me too much credit. I am an incredibly insecure shopper, known for picking things up and carrying them around only to put them down and walk out without buying anything. And I'm tight-fisted to boot, so ...

Actually, I'm thinking deep thoughts about finding some prints of photos I've taken over the years and having them framed. They could be my grouping. I'm going to ponder that. I do have a series I call "windows" -- various windows I've photographed through the years. I'm no great artist with a camera, but these aren't bad.

I agree with others in that I do like the idea of curtains a la amyrsq's panels. Maybe just a simple panel on each side pulled back (w/o sheers-less dust) in a blue color from the bedding would be my preference.

I seem to get to where you are and then I freeze...got the furniture, I have the bedding and...now what? Your new space is lovely. The bedding is very soothing. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

lnmca: I think I agree with you about the curtain panels, in the same form as Amy's. They would really finish off the windows.

Alice: I love the idea of creating a gallery out of your "windows" photos: perfect! And MUCH better than just buying something because it fit the space/colors of the room.

I think adding bigger and taller lamps would help a lot. The ones you have would be okay on the dresser.

I love the quilt.

I think that something big over the bed would be better or maybe the prints that you mention blown up to a nice size and then when the grouping is done, you have the feeling of wow.

*sigh* Okay, I admit it, I think the lamps are too small, too. Thankfully, I have you folks to point out that they could be used on my dresser. I could also put them in our guest room, where they looked beautiful while we stayed up there during the flooring install. That, of course, means I need actual bedside tables in there. Ah, my wallet is like a sieve these days.

I would definitely enlarge the window pictures (not the picture window!!) to a reasonable size before matting & framing. 8x10 is probably the smallest I'd go.

I'm thinking about a leather chair from Target for the corner. There's not actually a great deal of space over there, so something with a smaller scale is good. We bought said chair for our kitchen about a year ago and it's everyone's favorite now. I do wish it came in a lighter color, but ... what do you think? Too dark?

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If you're looking for lighter-colored chairs, you might be interested in these Ashley chairs. We bought two, plus one ottoman, at very good prices, and use as a conversation area in our bedroom. They are very comfortable. (Please don't judge the rest of the bedroom - it's a work in progress, and lots of changes are going on, furniture, wall art, etc.) Just focus on the chairs - ha. {{gwi:1545094}}

Alice - is that an electric baseboard heater under the window? If so, you don't want to hang drapes in front.

Don't leave the windows undressed - drapes or a cornice board or something else would finish the window.

Keep the lamps in the room, but move them elsewhere. If the room is as dark as you indicate, you can make good use of them.

With all those colors in the quilt, you have a wide choice of colors for the drapes. I would keep it light - in a beigey-gold.

wodka, those are nice chairs -- they don't look too big or poufy or (fill in any "bad" attribute of today's leather furniture). I'll have to check it out.

Yes, graywings, that's baseboard heat under the windows. The drapes left by the previous owners hung all the way to the floor, so yes, it's a safety issue, but I like a cold room so the heat is rarely on anyway. (The room is very much heated by the wood-burning insert that's in the fireplace in the next room). Still, I don't want to perpetuate a big safety issue, so I expect we'll try to fix this problem.

Long, long ago I asked on this board how to make a cornice board because I thought I might do one in our living room upstairs. Never did it because I could not find a fabric I liked, but maybe now! If I can find fabric. Should be pretty easy with this new quilt, thank goodness!

Hi Alice,

Been away interviewing realtors for two days. Exhausting!

I have to tell you that we have nothing over the bed because I can't find anything. Have been looking for five years. I'd rather have nothing when nothing seems right.

The closest I came was an antique Chinese carved panel, long and skinny, with original blue green paint. It was expensive and I saw it at an antiques show in NY. After I got home I didn't obsess about it, so that was that. I have lots of art on other walls (seven pieces total) so it's not like that room is lacking for art...

There was talk of Feng Shui on another thread. If I have taken away any one thing from the little bit of reading I have done on Feng Shui, it is that you shouldn't have anything in your home that you don't absolutely love. Good for you for admitting you don't like that print!

I still think you should consider more lamps (there are more lamps in your future, no?) and different paint. But, I am a troublemaker...

More lamps in my future ...!? Not such a good thing when I have two perfectly good matched sets in our office with no good place to go. One set is actually tall, antique alabaster (can you see them in the "before" pics?), probably worth a pretty penny, but they just aren't "us". I would love to see them in Magnaverde's home. Maybe I should sell them on e-Bay, but then I'd have to scam the buyer, right? That's what I hear people do these days. :-) (Stupid scammers. I hate meanies.)

These are them (they?):

The other set is nickel-tone, non-expensive lamps from LNT or BB&B or somewhere like that. Back before we found ourselves gravitating to iron, we thought we'd decorate a little more mod, with brushed nickel lamps and stuff. Didn't take but about a month to figure out that we'd made a mistake, but too late. So I have THOSE lamps to contend with. They're probably in an old picture of the living room.

If I were made of money, I'd go straight to Hubbardton Forge for our bedside lamps. I can't get enough of their stuff. Must be because I went to college in Vermont. I was lucky enough to find a H.F. floor lamp on Craigslist a couple of years ago and snapped it up in the blink of an eye. I paid about 25% list price, such a deal.

What's the right height for bedside lamps anyway?

Maybe this comment is a little late, but I'll make it anyway. You have a lovely bedroom -- the furniture and wooden floors are stunning. You do need some color on the walls. But before you do ANYTHING, select the scatter rugs you will put on the floor. Try to get a combination of them that are not a "set" of identical colors & patterns, but that harmonize even though they differ. That will greaatly enrich the space. We did that in our living room recently, and the effect was dramatic. Once you've settled on the rugs, then you can decide what color to paint the walls and what kind of window treatment you want. It would not surprise me if you decide to leave the windows bare, unless privacy is an issue.

I think the quilt just screams for a very large canvas over the bed of a desert abstract or something in desert colors. I don't have a problem combining the 'shaker' with the southwest colors. But other than the picture, I wouldn't try to make it a southwestern theme. Also, I would change the lampshades. I think the white shades are too 'jarring' with the lamps - which are beautiful. I think they would be fabulous with a more natural fabric shade. I think I would go with simple cornices over the windows using fabric in colors pulled from the quilt, and then have light filtering white honeycomb shades for privacy. I agree that you have too much white on the walls. Could you at least put a color on the bed wall? A calm blue, green or tan pulled from the quilt. I prefer colors from nature in the bedroom. Having your dresser facing the big window should help reflect some light into the room. Since you are going to move the lamps to the dresser, and add two more, that will be adding more light also. All, just my two cents...