Need to make the dresser area look substantial. This room is huge and the dresser is not!

bed

I SOOOOOO think you should get what you like, hang it where it pleases your eye and not worry about whatever "rules" someone else thinks you are breaking. :)

I believe the mirror in the first photo would look nice over your bed. And for the topper, I believe that a rectangle mirror would not look pleasing at all to my eye there. I know next to nothing about proper design, but you asked for opinions, not necessarily skilled opinions. (Your mistake! lol)

Here is my impression 4WIW, not explained well because I don't often have to explain...: The upper curve of the headboard compliments the upper curve of the round mirror's shape, and the lower curve of the mirror is reflected in the foot portion of the bed's frame. Not matchy match, but a complimentary form match. Normally I'd go with contrasting shapes, but in this instance, since the head and foot boards both have a reference to the mirror's shape, I think it works better. Your pillows and bedding act as the shape contrast instead.

If a rectangle mirror is hung over the headboard, the mirror's shape would pair with the pillows and form one focal; the bed would be a focal point alone, but competing for attention with the mirror/pillows. The round mirror partnering with the bed frame as the main focal would be stronger, with the pillows/bedding being the lovely supporting cast of the show. So that would be the way I would design the room if it were mine. Beautiful room, BTW.

Thank you for the reply!! I think I wasn't clear in my post...(imagine that!). I wasn't thinking about a rectangular mirror over the bed, only above the nightstands and/or above the dresser.
So, am I understanding that you're suggesting the crazy mirror above the bed and/or a different round mirror above the dresser? Sorry for the confusion.

How large is the "crazy" mirror compared to the other round item you have propped on the dresser, please?

I know that look of mirrors over nightstands from holly-kay's MB--it was a new one on me. I think they'd look cramped and shape-repetitous with your windows.

What if you put your lamps on the dresser, put art or a mirror over it, and used some chunkier lamps on the nightstands? The lamps look a little dinky with your bed style.

May, I threw an old mirror above the dresser just to get a feel for what it might look like. I had tried a lamp on the dresser before, but since I already had one by the chair, I thought it was too much. I suppose I could lose the one by the chair, but was trying to create a little reading nook.
I, too, was concerned about mirrors being too repetitious with the windows. I guess that confirms it!

Well you know what they say about opinions. LOL. here's mine

I'm not loving the found mirror over the bed. I envision something airier and horizontal in that space. This is just a quick image I snagged as an idea. I'd run it lengthwise.

IMHO. The mirror is killer and I'd definitely want to use it somewhere. Probably over that dresser and off set like you have that other found piece now.

I kinda like the way the round looks with the lamps. My problem with using the crazy mirror over the dresser is that I actually need a mirror to check myself while getting dressed. I would probably have to do a large, regular round mirror for that. :) and then if I get two different lamps for the nightstands, that's too many for one room!

Can I just say THANK YOU for helping me????

Are the bedside lamps actually used and necessary or just to be there? I have bedside tables but no lamps because we never read in bed or turn them on in the night when we need to talk to each other like they do on tv shows. LOL

so my lamp is on my dresser. Not sure that would work for you though.

Actually one of our bedside tables is not actually a table either. It was displayed this way at the furniture store and we liked the quirkiness of it. Sorry for poor lighting. I'm in AZ so we have the dungeon thing going on this time of year to keep it cooler in there.

Oh, I love that cart! I would love to change out one of my nightstands, but that's not gonna happen for a while. I actually do need at least one lamp on the nightstand for DH.

I found something similar to this yesterday. It was goldish but wasn't really horizontally oriented. It was really big as well. I had a very hard time finding ANYTHING horizontal, beside the standard hobby lobby metal "swirly" junk. IDK what you call them! Tired of them, though!

Try leaving one lamp for DH and the other on the dresser?

Yeah I agree there is a lot of junky pseudo ironwork out there. I guess I was just trying to show something less "hard scape" if you still wanted something hung over the bed.

Do you like the looks of a full length mirror on an easel? Gives you the functionality you need. Fills up the room a bit. And let's you still use the rocking but less functional mirror over the dresser.

Just found this online. I actually really like it. It is 40x21, so it's a good size. I like the gold, because the room definitely needs some shiny surfaces. It's....$15!

Good Grief........I wouldn't be able to sleep all night for fear one of these would come crashing down on my head!

$15..... Wow. Return policy?

Or could it work elsewhere in the house if you don't like it in the bedroom?

Well, crap. Reviews on it say it looks really cheap. I can't imagine why. Ha!

Pretty room! :)

a)The Bed: Remove the small single gray pillow from the front of the pillows -- and replace it with the round pillow from the reading chair. Stop. Step back. You already have enough wonderful pattern in your bedding and the strong pattern of your blinds. All you need is larger rounder lamps (matching pair) on your nightstands ... OR a pair of swing-arm lamps .....

b)The reading corner: Pull the chair slightly to the right -- and place the table on the left-hand side. It is much lighter and patterned to be near the very strong lines and visual weight of the dresser.

c)Love the lamps on the dresser. Find a tall large oval mirror. Please paint out the bright white electrical socket on the wall above the dresser -- right now -- it is your focal point! :) To make the dresser appear to be visually wider -- find two woven lined tall hampers (with lids) in that darker brown color .....

d)Hang the family photos in a gallery grouping above and around your seating area .....

Here is a link that might be useful: Phoebe Howard -- example of dresser with oval mirror and lamps

Dang, teacats! You just sent me some virtual valium! SIGH. You're right. I don't want to over-do it.

I moved the chair and table (that's the way it was before!). It does look MUCH better. Put the round pillow on the bed (that's where it was before, too!). BETTER.

Funny you should mention painting the alarm plate! I never even noticed it before!

My only issue is that'll be five lamps in the room. That's A LOT of lamps. :(

Your room is big enough to handle five lamps!!!! :) LOL!

And many of my rooms (and not as big as your bedroom!) have lots of lamps -- Best Way to add warm cozy pools of light! :)

But if you are worried about having too many lamps -- think about these swing-arm variety -- small and modern .....

Here is a link that might be useful: Lamps Plus - Smaller swing arm lamps -- modern

Pretty, pretty room!

I agree with having nothing over the bed. I have found it is nice to have a spot for an eye to rest and your bed is substantial on its own. I think anything else would take away from that beautiful bed! I would keep those lamps on the dresser-they look great there-and add an oval mirror as Teacats suggested.

I would also get two (simple lines) lamps with ivory shades for next to the bed to pick up the cream in the bedding. Swing-arm would work also. Your preference.

Glad you switched the chair and table. I would also move the lamp to the other side now that the lamps are on the dresser.

Five lamps is definitely not too many. You will not usually have them all on at once, but if you can put them on dimmers, that would be even better, even if you need to have the rewired with a dimmer on the wire. You can also have wall outlets wired to work with wall switches and put a dimmers there.

If you were able to flip the room, you could put the dresser between the windows, set up your reading chair near a window, and have more room on the other wall for the bed and nightstands with the mirrors. I know doors, shared walls, etc. might make that not the best layout.

May, that's a great idea as well. I've thought about it many times, unfortunately, the bed can't go anywhere but there or I'll have to walk all the way around it to get to the bathroom. I'd love to have the chair by the window, but I guess that'll never happen!

Do you ladies have a suggestion for new lamps for the nightstands? How short is too short? I'm thinking I need to try to stick with some that are right at the height of the headboard or just a couple inches below, just with a much bigger base?

This post was edited by superchick on Fri, Aug 1, 14 at 20:10

Maybe these ones?

Here is a link that might be useful: LP -- mother-of-pearl lamps

Very cool mid-century mod shape tall lamp .....

Here is a link that might be useful: LP -- cool shape vintage style lamp

Or this shape?

Here is a link that might be useful: LP -- rounder lamp

And yet another!

Here is a link that might be useful: LP -- hammered metal

Um, yes...I'll take them both! Love them! I'm going back to the big city AGAIN tomorrow to return all the stuff I bought that didn't work. Will be looking for lamps this time around! Should I try to keep them about the same height as the other ones were?

I would center the lamps on the nightstands, so maybe it's better to not have too wide a base. Since there's a billion lamps out there, it's helpful if you post some you like to narrow it down. I think the height is okay on those.

Nah. I have no design cred, so I didn't even try for anything concerning the dresser. I hang my art too high for the designers, too. So it gets placed where it looks correct to my eye; the flood-waters look bugs the heck out of me.

I took the liberty of photoshopping a couple of framed prints over your bed. Hope you do not mind. Just a thought.

That looks lovely aktillery! (Sorry, my auto correct doesn't like your name!). I DO think at some point I'm going to want something over the bed. Just not the big, huge thing I was wanting before. Somehow I'm afraid it will look unfinished. I'm going to look today while I'm out, but I MUST focus on finding a mirror OR else! I can't handle this room being torn up much longer! It's already 10x better, though, thanks to you guys!!

I don't think any of the Orc shield-looking mirrors is appropriate for your room. You need something square or rectangular over the bed and something pretty vpbut functional over the dresser. I would recommend a rectangular mirror over the dresser almost the width of it, and remove the lamps as it currently looks a little bit like a buffet. Three prints over the bed, either all the same size or one larger flanked by two smaller (nothing staggered). Those metal sculptures are not very interesting, IMO, and you'd do better to wait for something that really enhances your room. You have a very pretty near-blank slate there and I would not rush to add stuff that will take away from the good elements you already have.

I didn't have time to read everything, but when I saw "the room is huge", I was thinking of black and white engineering prints.

You can play around with cropped photos.

{{!gwi}}

Google engineering prints and art

KSWL, I agree with a lot of your observations. I think we both see it as a more traditional, classy room and some of the changes lean too trendy, or as you call it not appropriate. I was going to suggest using the lamps as the art on that wall and choosing carefully, either something traditional or transitional. But she is trying to "update" the bedroom by removing the large mirror. I have a dresser and large mirror in a guest BR and have thought of doing the same. I suggested moving the lamps to the dresser because they DID look buffet-ish to me. I wondered if it would look wrong in the bedroom, but now I think "Why not put them on a dresser?" Someone came up with the idea of putting tall lamps on a buffet and that style was adopted, but it doesn't really make a lot of functional sense.

To me the engineering prints aren't bedroomy. Who are those people and what are they doing in my bedroom?? J/K, I know it's just an example. The question for me is how do you update traditional without getting trendy, especially when you're purchasing expensive items like lighting and art that you'd like to keep for at least 10 years.

How about mercury glass? They are 30" tall. So, they are roughly the same size as the ones I already have. The shade is a little darker linen than I would prefer, though.

How about mercury glass? They are 30" tall, so about the same size as what I have already. The shade is a little darker linen than I would like, however.

There's also these that I like. But they are only 26" tall.

27" tall.

So far this is the only mirror I've found. Obviously round and not oval. 36"..so it's about 6" larger than the wooden thing on the dresser in the pic. It's also quite gold. I'd have to paint it a little to knock the gawdy off of it.

@may_flowers, re: engineering prints.You obviously don't use pictures of just "anybody". You take photos that have meaning to you, then crop, enlarge, reverse black/white, or do whatever, and get them printed. You can also use old maps or any kind of old prints/lithographs, enlarge, crop, etc.

I would put a tall rectangular or big square mirror over that dresser with a little spritz and glitz, leave the area over the bed for smaller rounds or squares. Take those small lamps off the dresser, either do one lamp with a vignette to one side or two lamps but make them look bedroomish, not dining roomish.

I am not a big fan of engineering prints for your room. Just don't think it is the right venue. And, please, not the plates. That is so kitschy DR.

Go big with the lamps and the mirror. Go big or stay home (JMHO). You want the room to look grand, not scared.