I love the color you've chosen and this is a nice and light room.

This is just my opinion, but I'd lose the secretary. It seems too big for your space - it towers over the doorways and makes the room seem smaller than it is.

If you lose the secretary, you could make the corner next to the window a seating/reading area. I'd move the beige wingback chair that is next to the bedside table over there, with a small table and lamp next to it.

I much prefer the first dresser over the second, but I'd paint it white and change out the handles to something more simple (perhaps oil rubbed bronze?)

Another thing that doesn't seem to work in there is the loveseat at the foot of the bed. Do you have a small ottoman that you could put there instead? The curved lines of the loveseat seem to compete with the straight lines of brass bed.

What about bamboo shades to replace the mini blinds? They come in a number of different styles and do a good job of blocking light. You could keep hang them high and use flowy white or ivory curtains, something like this (I believe these are IKEA's Vivian curtain panels):
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Pretty bed. I am not crazy about the bench at the foot of it, though. I think a solid blanket chest or even the dresser (if it isn't too wide-hard to tell) would look better. I would also like it without any furniture at the foot! Have you tried putting the bed on the wall where where the dresser is? If there is room to have the tables on either side and the chair still in the corner, so the bedside table could also serve as a side table for the chair, I think that might be nice. This way, I think the chair, bed and dresser look a little crowded. If you move the bed, the chair could also go in the opposite corner. Either dresser seems fine to me. Pick what you like best! :) I do think larger picture would help. Oh, and I like your wall color, too. Is it a greyish green or just a grey?

Okay, I know you said the secretary has to stay where it is, and I think that probably makes sense.

However, I am wondering if you have enough room to put the bed and nightstands on the wall opposite the window, the dresser on the end wall left of center, and the wing chair in the corner to the left of the window with a nice floor lamp beside it.

The current room arrangement makes the bed feel crowded, and unless you really need the settee for something, I think it needs to go. Or use that angled in the corner to the left of the window and put the wing chair somewhere else in the house. The settee actually gets you closer to the old-world look, I guess, tho the wing chair is classic.

With the secretary where it is, I am thinking that curtain panels are going to look very crowded. I would think about creating a great cornice above the window in padded fabric or a box-pleated one hung from a decorative rod at almost ceiling height, and leave it at that.

I hope you don't mind, but if you are going for European and old-world, the check fabric just doesn't do it. With the brass bed and current dresser it says country.

I would change out to the other dresser for sure, as the styling reflects more of what you have described. Then I would look for some fabric in a rich floral or damask or toile for the bed skirt and valance/cornice. The check could be used as edging or inside box pleats of the bedding and valance.

Where you could create panels would be to hang behind the bed. It will give an old-world feel, and give more visual impact to the headboard. They could be hung and pulled back with art hung in the middle, or left just hanging down. And if you move the bed to the 10 ft high side of the room, the panels will balance the height discrepancy.

Excellent points and suggestions above:

a)A vote to remove both the wing chair and the antique settee.

b)Switch the bed to the tall wall as Les wisely suggested. Make it the focal point of the whole room with the additional curtains behind it. A curtained "half-tester" bed is VERY charming and very European in style! :) Add a small old area rug on each side of the bed.

c)Use the end wall (where the bed now sits) as a feature wall -- and for storage. Add a MUCH longer dresser with a tall larger mirror over it -- and then surround the mirror with plain white dishes hung on the wall. This will add visual height and balance to the sloping wall area. Add lamps to the dresser.

d) Leave the secretary desk where it sits -- BUT open it -- add a thin tall lamp and add a vintage balloon-back chair (in the same color of wood). Re-upholster the seat in the check fabric. Sit the chair close into the open desk.

e)Add a wood or fabric-covered cornice to your window -- and make sure that the bottom edge slightly covers the top of the window frame. It will give a classic style to the whole room -- AND the whole window will appear to be "taller" to the viewer's eye. That visual trick will add balance to the whole space. THEN add full, lined curtains. Of course if you wish -- add some simple white sheers first.

Hope this helps! :)

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

I agree about moving the bed to the wall opposite the window. But I would also try the secretary on the wall where the bed is now and compare it to where you currently have it. Don't know without seeing it which would look better.

Thanks for such quick replies!

It is different to see pictures of the room - it looks more crowed in them than IRL but I do agree that the settee has to go. It was purchased for the perfect spot in the last home (for 15 yrs) and as we are finding out, a lot of our furniture has not fit in this place and much has been sold. The secretary, although a problem, is the one piece we are not willing to let go of because this may just be a temporary landing until my husband finishes his schooling.

The room is 13 ft wide. The entry door wall with the 10 ft ceiling is 17 1/2 ft and the window wall is 15 ft long. The picture from the head of the bed shows the doorway to the bath on the left and the door to the walk-in closet to the right. So not only is the ceiling height lope-sided, so is the wall opposite the current bed placement!

We have tried the bed on the longer wall, with the sec. on the wall to the left of the window, and had a narrower dresser where the sec currently is. I know this sounds crazy, but I was unable to sleep well with the bed in that position because I could not see who or what was coming through the door. Let's just call it a feng shui or a "survivor" thing!

Les, I have added some pictures of checked bedrooms that I like. Maybe I am using the wrong words to describe the feel I am after. I agree checks, brass bed and coverlet do say country but I was hoping for something a bit sophisticated but not too formal. I see now that the beds in the pictures I added are not brass. I have a hard time putting my ideas into words and I have not found too many pictures. There is just a "feel" I have gotten when traveling in Europe that I love but it is not one particular country or look.

The idea of fabric behind the bed is interesting. It would give the headboard more visual impact. The PO had an elaborate set up in a floral over the bed which DH was thankful went with them!

Red, when you say a longer dresser - how long? The ones I have are 60 inches wide. I wonder if a 72 inch would fit up the stairs! I will keep a lookout on Craig's List. By taking out the settee, there is now room for a small chair at the sec. which did not fit before!

So I can see this will be a trial of form over function in this room. Although the bed might look great on the long wall - I won't get any sleep! I do like the fact that when I walk into the room now, I see the full bed first and WTs will add to that view. As I am sitting in the room now, the secretary is MY focal point from the bed!

Thanks for your help.

Chris