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What says "Elegant Bedroom" to you?

IdaClaire
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago

I find myself still tweaking our master bedroom décor, which I've been pretty satisfied with thus far. Lately my longing is to create even more of a simple but elegant space that's uncluttered - and to translate the vague idea of elegance I have into reality (or as elegant as I can make it within the limitations of the space and my finances, of course). To that end, what do you think of when I say "elegant bedroom"? How do you make your own space elegant - or what would do it for you, if that's what you were aiming for?

Having come from many years in a vintage home and leaning towards vintage style, I still have a number of "cute" decorative items that I now seem to be leaning away from. Recently I've been "shopping" other rooms in my house and auditioning items in the bedroom, and I don't really have a lot of items that I'd call elegant or beautiful. Maybe I'm not even 100% certain of the look I'm after, so by starting this thread I'm hoping for inspiration from others.

I want to retain my color palette, which I refer to as "sea glass colors", and have been perusing Houzz photos and other images online hoping to find inspiration there as well. There seems to be a fine line in keeping these colors from going too sweet and childlike. I need our bedroom to be the place where do the adulting. ;-)

Not necessarily looking for suggestions for my own space, but hoping you'll share your own ideas - can be more of an imaginary elegant bedroom, I suppose.

Comments (67)

  • PRO
    Anglophilia
    7 years ago

    You all will HATE my bedroom! It is filled with all the things I love, and I love a LOT of things! My goal is always to have a cozy, warm, pretty room. It's my "nest". My room is big -21x22 and I'm lucky to have a seating area and a gas coal fireplace. When my daughter lived here, my husband and I used it in the evening a lot - her friends were downstairs where the TV was (and the kitchen!). We also like being upstairs when she was doing her homework- could make sure our "no phone during study hours" was being obeyed. I don't use it as much now, but love lighting the fire on a real cold morning while I dress, or if I'm going to have a "sloth day" and read in bed. Over the years, our bed was shared with many dogs and cats - now only one dog sleeps with me.

    Here it is in all its cluttered glory!


  • IdaClaire
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Tina, I think neutral colors - and especially a monochromatic color scheme - can be so very beautiful. Definitely restful and soothing, and yes, elegant! I'm still coming to terms with how I really feel about "cute." My previous home lent itself so much better to "cute" than my current one does, and it wasn't easy to give away or store away some of my treasures that just don't look right anywhere. I have allowed myself to use a lot of those things I'm sentimental over upstairs in our library bookshelves, but keeping them together (instead of spread out all over the house) seems to make them into more of a collection and less just a bunch of cute crap. ;-) I've got a good number of teddy bears lined up on the very top shelf of my master closet where it's too high to put anything besides out-of-season items. And bears.

    Anglophilia, I certainly don't hate your bedroom. Your sitting area especially reminds me a good deal of the master bedroom in our previous home, which was converted from half the attic in 1948 and was quite large. Your furnishings - especially the bed - have enough presence to counter the "clutter" though, so the overall look remains elegant, in your own personal way.

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  • l pinkmountain
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Anglo yours has a lot of my wish list items--a fireplace, a 4 poster bed, elegant lighting. I strive really hard to have only relaxing calming things in the bedroom, which to me is elegant. SO literally lives in his bedroom since he has apparently never gotten along with the people he lived with before. I am having to train him to use other areas of the house for more mundane aspects of living. So no desk unless it is just a little writing desk, no paperwork, no laundry stuff, no sports gear, etc.

  • deeinohio
    7 years ago

    For me, Mrs. Howards bedrooms are the most elegant. She doesn't use a lot of patterns, and I guess that's what attracts me to her designs, since I find it difficult to live with pattern beyond changeable pillows and rugs (and, I have a basement full of rugs which indicates how quickly I tire of pattern).

  • beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
    7 years ago

    IdaClaire and Anglo, love the bedrooms. Both so different but so very beautiful and each very much a haven.

    Ellie, the roses are gorgeous. You could always vary the vase from time to time along with the height of the roses for a different look -- put them in a smaller vase, cut them off a few inches shorter, and skip the filler/baby's breath.

    IdaClaire thanked beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
  • IdaClaire
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Dee - Mrs. Howard = Phoebe Howard? This is her work, and I think it's absolutely perfect.

  • LisaD82
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    My bedroom is comfortable with soothing colors. I wouldn't call it elegant but I am careful about what goes on my nightstand. I don't like a lot of clutter there, and appreciate the simplicity of the nightstands above.

    ETA, yes that image above, Ida, would be what I would call an elegant bedroom.

  • deeinohio
    7 years ago

    Weird. I thought I included a link in my message, but, Jen, yes, Phoebe Howard. I especially love her use of creams with dark, glossy furniture.

  • Ellie RK
    7 years ago

    That's a very pretty bedroom. Definitely elegant.

    I'm so glad you started this thread, I gave up trying to do ours, but you've revived my interest. Thank you!!

    I was looking at pics again and found a few that I think are also elegant. Definitely not traditional, but I'm going for something a little more modern. Love the second pic.


    Bedrooms · More Info

    Bedrooms · More Info

    Bedrooms · More Info

  • dchall_san_antonio
    7 years ago

    The only thing holding the mirror and pictures together is the color of the frames. The frames themselves do not exude elegant to me. The frames are cheap looking, mismatched in size, mismatched in style, mismatched in subject matter, and misaligned on the wall. The pictures in the frames may be family favorites. In my opinion personal pictures do not say elegant. Real art says elegant. I might put something appropriate to the size of the wall into a heavier frame the color of your dark pillow. As for what goes in the frame, I would suggest something with a color that pops accent into the room. The roses in Ellie RK's picture pop in an otherwise neutral room. I also like the simplicity of a single item on the bed stand rather than a spherical/cylindrical lamp (mint green and too large), flowerity candle holder, cube flower pot with oversized flowers (forest green not matching the mint lamp), round clock (brushed chrome not matching the gold mirror frame), and flat thing (stone??). There's too much going on in that little space. Take everything off that table except for one thing. If the one thing is relatively small, offset it from the center of the table to make it more interesting. The mirror behind the table doubles the appearance of clutter by reflecting it again. Why is that mirror there...with a lamp blocking the view?

    Reflected in the mirror in the close up of the side stand is a colonial table leg. Colonial curves do not seem elegant to me.

  • aprilneverends
    7 years ago

    I'm leaning Anglophilia's way..))

    Here's the story: I'm not an elegant person. Like, at all. I've been told though I dress elegantly (well it's So Cal here lol). Each time it makes me very embarrassed. There was a big party once and a gentleman told me "Here's the most elegant woman at the party" (yes I was dressed simple..and yes the colors were very right..)..and it became silent, such an awkward moment ..and I'm saying in this silence, blushing idiotically.. "Um..I bought this dress on eBay, for forty bucks..". And the silence becomes a really "wut?" silence, rightfully so))

    That was the stupidest thing to say..)) A truly elegant woman would say "thank you" or "you're too kind" or something short and appropriate, and wouldn't make a fool out of herself.

    which brings me to the thought-it doesn't matter how it looks..it matters how it feels..))

    To be sure of yourself is elegant. Same thing with rooms.

    I like quirky things. And happy things. And a tad gloomy and mysterious things. The only way for my rooms to be elegant-is to say "I like all these things". Then and only then I stand a slight chance.

    For somebody else-it will be something else.

    Some people are naturally elegant. I can maybe imagine and describe what a bedroom of such person would be. But I might be right, and might be not.

    It will have a lot of neutral touches. Taupe, and cream, and bone, and gray, and brown, and black, and white. It will have both gold and silver since it doesn't care. It will have lots of very different but begging-to-touch textures. It will have an amazing art. It will have candles, and books, and a mirror, and flowers. Because it's comfortable in its skin like the owner of the room is, and wants to feel comfortable. The light will be right, the water will be near, the flowers will be fresh..or maybe wilted)) It will have navy blue and scarlet, or dark chocolate. Or it might be emerald. Or grayish purple. Or dust of a rose. Who knows..

    But it will be a room that won't say anything stupid. And won't leave people with "wut?" impression. lol.

  • monicakm_gw
    7 years ago

    aprilneverends, I like the way you talk :) And you're right, you should have simply said "why thank you very much/you're very kind" ;)

    I am trying to create an elegant master bedroom. It's a work in progress. The wall color didn't turn out like I wanted. DH told me I could have it repainted but how do I know I won't screw it up again :o So I've decided to leave it. It's grown on me. It's not my original "vision" but it works. Just last night we were looking at the color and I asked DH if he thought the color could have "settled down" LOL He said no, but your eyes could have (g) So my elegant (to ME) uncluttered bedroom consists of a very light cream colored carpet with a light brown scrolling floral pattern. Med-deep violet walls (that look different at any given hour/lighting) trimmed in white crown molding and wide baseboards, creamy white washed (but yellowing) furniture, (keeping with the floral theme) a large textural piece of art, a cut out mosaic wall mirror that matches the floral pattern in the carpet. A fluffy white comforter, a light aqua/white small floral print quilt, a light brown/tan/white faux fur throw, fresh flowers always (last week picked by DH from our rose bush but usually pink and white). And tonight I finally bought the lamp I've been dying for and saved $114 :) I'm on the hunt for a crystal bedside clock. I love the way I feel when I walk in the bedroom. Tonight it made me feel like twirling 'round and 'round...course I didn't because I would have lost my balance and cracked my head open or broke a hip :/ After Christmas, I need to work on the other side of the room. Need to replace the items/art on top of the armoire and put some b&w photos, in white frames, of the grandbabies on the wall. The room glides effortlessly into the ensuite with light ivory travertine-like porcelain floors and walls, tan paint, light aqua ceiling, creamy and tans/browns granite (Giallo Ornamentale) with aqua "sea tones" glass tile accents. I'm in the process of adding some purple towels. Oh but wait! I have bad news...this beautiful bedroom setting has recently been invaded by an ugly CPAP machine!!!! I don't like storing things under the beds but I'm thinking about maybe placing the machine on an extra armoire shelf and sliding it under the bed. It doesn't exactly exude elegance :( My room probably doesn't say elegant to a lot of people but it feels that way to me.

  • Jmc101
    7 years ago

    Definition of bedroom elegance....no clothes on the floor works for me.

  • artemis_ma
    7 years ago

    Elegance -- well, that cat is elegant for starters!

    Overall, I see the term referring to an Old World simplicity. Tidy, but with decor that ties together.

    For better or for worse, I don't really see the master bedroom I am building as "elegant" - it's in a log house, for one, and it will have too many books in it. Comfortable without being cluttered is what I am aiming for. *grin*.

  • IdaClaire
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    To be sure of yourself is elegant.

    Amen. I bristled at one of the comments above, and had to sit down and have a little talk with myself, asking myself if it's because I see some truth in what was said but just don't want to admit it. I think, however, that most of us would take exception to being told that their carefully collected original artworks hanging on the wall are "cheap looking and mismatched." Perhaps the poster was trying to be helpful, but I think there are elegant ways of communicating as well, and certainly that includes making every effort to convey an opinion with tact.

    Back on topic: Ellie, those rooms are gorgeous and I can see why you're drawn to them. Contemporary but glamorous at the same time. I love the simple lines of a platform bed!

    Monica, I think your wall color is gorgeous and that lamp is TDF -- so glad you were able to get it and on sale at that! I'd like to see more of your spaces, since you mentioned using sea tones.

    It's becoming increasingly clear to me that elegance takes on many different forms and is not a one-note style by any means.

  • Miranda33
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    It is important that the fabrics and upholstered pieces match the cat (or dog as the case may be), which the OP has achieved perfectly. Love that bedroom!

    (from someone whose sofa matches exactly her cat's green eyes)

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    7 years ago

    Calm is important for a bedroom. I love rich colors: but opted for softer ones in my bedroom. The rest of my house is very eclectic, with oddball antique objects and pieces from my travels. It's on the intense side. But my bedroom, I keep simple. It's still got too much stuff, and like others' above, tends to be where some things are dumped, like laundry waiting to be put away.


    The furniture is dark walnut: the same antique set I grew up with. That means comfort to me. When I buy anything else, I make sure the wood also goes, even if it has taken years to find the right pieces. I am now refinishing a small antique library table, the kind with a small "V" shaped niche under it for books, so the books I read in bed have a good place to be. The colors for the walls and my antique-style quilt are all soft colors: the only place in the house where there are such colors. Warm pastels (because I am cold at night) with accents in seafoam green and soft blue.


    In the rest of the house the walls are full. Not here. 2 colored etchings I made myself in college, matted to coordinate with the other colors, and a mirror that belonged to my parents. That's it.

  • PRO
    Anglophilia
    7 years ago

    If what one Googles is correct, many people today are trying to re-create a luxury hotel room in their bedroom. These are almost always contemporary, lots of neutrals, somewhat spare. To them, this says "elegance". It's not that hard to do as there is tons of bedding out there in neutral tones, and Wayfair etc have lots of the same kind of contemporary pieces.

    I do find it a bit amusing, as about 30 years ago, hotels were trying to make their rooms more like an elegant home, and filled them with antique reproductions. Oh well...

    I don't know if "elegant" is the right word to describe this bedroom in a Charleston SC house decorated by the legendary Mario Buatta, but I sure wouldn't mind if it were mine! "Gorgeous" describes it for me! I think the pale pink ceiling is an interesting touch. It would only work with the incredibly high ceilings in this historic house.

    I've always wanted a bed like that. Of course, with such a canopy, unless I had daily cleaning help, I'd have an asthma attack from all the dust and choke to death! French windows like this would be wonderful, too. Only thing I don't like is the carpet matching the chintz a bit too much - would prefer a Stark geometric of some sort.

  • beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
    7 years ago

    IdaClaire, elegance, like taste, is in the eye of the beholder : ) .

    To me, a collected-over-time look for the art one loves (especially if one chooses it for love rather than for matching the duvet or the curtains) is infinitely more elegant than a matchy-matchy look. And I think bedrooms are one of the best places for the most personal pictures, whether they are family photographs or truly meaningful pieces.

    But then I tend to prefer a bedroom that's more elegantly interesting than elegantly calm and serene, with fewer neutrals, minimal minimalism, and more creature comforts. I like the boutique hotel look more at hotels than I do at home!


  • junco East Georgia zone 8a
    7 years ago

    IdaClaire, I think your room is very pretty. I wondered, before your post about the cats, if a solid color bedspread or coverlet might strike you as more elegant? Perhaps you could find something washable and with the right texture to withstand their presence. My north facing bedroom has dark wood bed and dresser, lavender blue walls and a white matelasse bedspread. I find it elegant and soothing.

    And, I love your watercolors!

  • IdaClaire
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Thanks so much for the kind words, junco! Actually, the comforter is fairly new but was a cheapie and I'm using it to keep the cats from continuing to snag my good solid-color coverlets, which are underneath. If the cats are being bed slugs, I'll pull up the print comforter so they can lounge on it all they want (the fabric has a slippery, satin feel to it and their claws don't catch it), but when I "dress" the bed, I fold it down at the foot of the bed and mostly what you see then is the solid cover. I like the little bit of pattern at the foot of the bed, but I still have my eyes out for beautiful bedding, and if I see something that strikes me as absolutely wonderful I may buy it.

    Your bedroom sounds gorgeous! Lavender blue walls ... ahhhhhhhhh! So pretty!

  • Bonnie
    7 years ago

    Anglophilia, your bedroom is just perfect. It is both elegant and comfortable. We have the same set up with the 4 poster bed between 2 windows, but we lack you wonderful lounge area with the fireplace. I'd never leave! I adore every detail of your room!

  • beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
    7 years ago

    Anglo, I was writing about boutique hotel bedrooms at the same time that you were : )

  • neetsiepie
    7 years ago

    I love the rustic and cottage look, and was going for that in my bedroom but it just unnerved me for some reason. The entire house has an eclectic vibe, so I guess I just wanted elegance and simplicity in my bedroom. So I painted the walls gray (similar to yours), years ago I painted 3/4 of the ceiling an antique gold metallic color, and the gray wall paint goes up on to the ceiling about 16" in with white molding seperating the gold from the gray.

    I painted the door to the en suite, the bedroom door and the closet doors all the same gray as the walls, the trim is white.b Bought a white iron bed, and hung a drum shade from the ceiling fan light fixture. There is an antique dark wood armoire in a corner and a tall jewelry armoire (a dark prairie style tall boy dresser) next to the bed on DH's side.

    A simple sconce on my side, a small lamp on DH's side. A graphic print of orange hibiscus above the bed provides a splash of color. Gray drapes with white keyhole trim, and gray and white rugs over the hard wood floor. The duvet cover is a gray and white Ikat print, sheets are plain white. And that is it. Contemporary, clean and visually clear-and every single night I go to bed with a sigh. That room is my sanctuary.

  • maggiepatty
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    To me, elegant means clean, uncluttered, and luxurious. Color schemes, artwork being matched or collected, etc., don't make or break elegance to me. A frou-frou Downton Abbey room can be elegant and a minimalist room can be elegant, depending on the architecture, furnishings, fabrics, lighting, etc.

    I lack the discipline or drama to create elegance, and I go for 'homey' in my own room--iron bed, handmade (by me) quilt, pictures on the wall because I like them etc.

  • Kippy
    7 years ago

    I like elegant in a hotel room. But not for my bedroom. Hotels are not homes. For my bedroom I want relaxed-calm-peaceful


  • Oakley
    7 years ago

    Here are some rooms, I love "Suite Dreams."


    Elegant Bedrooms

  • IdaClaire
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Gorgeous rooms, Oakley. I particularly like this one ...

    Most of the rooms that greatly appeal to me have a chandelier hanging overhead, but that wouldn't work for me as I'm not about to give up my ceiling fan. Even in cold weather, I love to pile on the covers, sink underneath, and let that baby whirl.

  • beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Interesting that BHG includes the adjectives "ornate", "posh", and "glamorous" in their definition of what makes an elegant room.

    To me, this room, by Tom Scheerer, is almost perfect (I'd choose a different wall color -- probably a warm white or yellow -- and would want the bedspread in a blue rather than pink colorway),

  • IdaClaire
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Becky, that room reminds me of something you'd see in a 1940s romantic comedy starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. Many of the interior sets in those old films have long made my heart flutter. It's very timeless, though, isn't it?

  • Oakley
    7 years ago

    You can put in boob lights to get you in the mood! Did I just write that? lol. I thought you'd like the bedroom you posted, alas, you'd need a huge room.

  • monicakm_gw
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Love LOVE the rustic elegance and neutral colors of the bedroom oakly linked to and idaclaire posted in line.

    The look I'm working on in the master couldn't be further from the rest of our house and I'm ok with that. I love the traditional and Texas flair in the rest of the house with browns, tans, gold, plum, green, creamy ivory and black with a splash of orange but the master bedroom and ensuite are a soothing, quiet retreat to rejuvenate and relax.

    Thank you idaclaire! I've been drooling over that lamp since I first saw it. I DO like the color of the walls (and I have no idea how it looks on other screens) it's just not what I was going for. There was too much magenta in this version of the color I chose. Versions being Lowes SW paint vs paint from the SW store. The two pictures I have on the walls don't work as well as they would have with the a different purple. I don't think I can make the Andrew Wyeth print, "Master Bedroom" work at all and that makes me sad :( When I get to that side of the room, I'll ask for advice.

    ETA...sorry, I forgot to attach the picture showing the sea tones bathroom tile for idaclaire.

  • beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
    7 years ago

    IdaClaire, I know what you mean. I've loved those 30s and 40s movies, especially the screwball comedies and musicals, from childhood, which I'm sure had a formative effect on me and my idea of the perfect house. Of course, to be true to the period, the bedroom above would need big gauzy dotted swiss curtains!

    My favorite movies at this time of year, for the set design as well as the stories, are "Christmas in Connecticut" with Barbara Stanwyck, "Holiday Inn", and "White Christmas".

    Another bedroom I like, especially for all the blues, also from Tom Scheerer,

    But that's a beach house and I live somewhere where it's white, brown, and gray outdoors from November to May, so I would prefer a different wall color...

  • JustDoIt
    7 years ago

    The room posted immediately above by Becky is closer to my ideal bedroom. Casual and together. However, the word elegant doesn't come to mind when I see it. To me an elegant room is usually more formal.

  • patty_cakes42
    7 years ago

    We all have our own idea of what is elegant, but imo, comfy/cozy is important too. I prefer lighter colors, but that's just my preference, and doesn't dictate a certain feel. I also like a more feminine feeling, but that's only because I don't 'share' a room with a husband/significant other. It works for me.


  • beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
    7 years ago

    FinallyHome, that's interesting, because when I was growing up my mother's goal, from fashion to interior design, was "casual elegance" -- pretty much Katharine Hepburn's fashion sense, from the 30s through the 50s : ) .

    That's why the BHG idea of elegance, tied to adjectives like "ornate" and "glamorous", is off-target for me.

  • zippity1
    7 years ago

    in my opinion, the most important thing in decorating is that you do it for yourself not intending for others who see it to be impressed, simply to please yourself (and your significant other)


  • PRO
    MDLN
    7 years ago

    Casual elegant

  • JustDoIt
    7 years ago

    MDLN - That's a very good example of casual elegant.

  • PRO
    MDLN
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Sorry, OCD wants to rearrange your lovely pictures.

    btw - Love that kitty coordinates w/ bed covering.

  • Bunny
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    mdln, I've been to Julie Williams' house (we have a good friend in common).

  • PRO
    MDLN
    7 years ago

    @ Linelle, wow! Please pass on my compliments.

  • IdaClaire
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Monica - I love, love, love those colors in your tile, and that sink is to die for! Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous. I've always been drawn to sea glass - those soft, salty shades.

    Pretty photos posted above -- thanks for sharing them!

    mdln - Thank you, but you're only seeing a portion of what's on the wall. Because of other pieces hanging to the left of what you can see, I don't want to do any rearranging.

  • Ellie RK
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    The pic of the bedroom that mdln posted above - it's driving me crazy.

    I think it's the small painting. Not only is too small, it just highlights how bare the rest of the walls are. I would replace it with something larger.

    But I love the colors in the room.

  • Oakley
    7 years ago

    Pattycakes, is that your bedroom? Best I've seen, hands down!

  • Bonnie
    7 years ago

    I too adore Pattycake's bedroom. If you are reading this would you kindly share where you bought the lovely lace canopy for the bed. Swoon!


  • monicakm_gw
    7 years ago

    pattycakes, L.O.V.E your bed and canopy!!! My bedroom is a bit on the girly side but DH doesn't mind. He says, "if you like it, I love it" :)

    idaclaire, THANK YOU! My color inspiration for the this bathroom was the Caribbean sea and beaches that we've visited many times. On our way home from a cruise in 2007 we came across a home improvement convention. I found these "Sea Tone" glass tiles by Westminster and it was at that moment the master bathroom reno was conceived lol The glass sink is by JSG Oceana. Mine is Crystal Reflections. The picture was taken with a flash. Without a flash you can see more colors depending on the light and angle. DH has the Cobalt Copper in his bathroom.

    You can see a bit of his sink in this photo

  • ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
    7 years ago

    patty_cakes bedroom is also my favorite, along with what I can see of Ida Claire's. I'm afraid the lace canopy is the only thing I don't care for, possibly because I have claustrophobia and the room would look more open without it. My bedroom is not elegant, a lot of the furniture is cheap, and the gold headboard has been the cynosure of many eyes here, rightly so. However, I love it because the art and Chinese porcelain make it feel very personal to me and the room is open and not cluttered, but still has color. A lot of the beautiful rooms shown were neutral and expensively done but had very little character (I mean especially the ones shown in one of the links and by decorators, not those of posters here). In fact in addition to the descriptions I would have loved to see everyone's bedroom, even if it didn't fit the conventional description of elegant. Here's mine, although I suspect many have already seen it when I was choosing bedding, and may never want to see it again. This is with the summer bedding and curtains. You'll notice that the cat was carefully chosen to go with the other colors.

  • hamamelis
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    What a feast of a thread. Ida Claire, I've never been a "brown" person at all, but in an orgy of trying to finish our build cheaply and making hurried choices, I ended up with a bedroom accidentally painted a light taupe with medium brownish-taupe tight-weave indoor-outdoor carpeting ($1/yard!, but just temporary--5 years ago).

    I like bedrooms that are at their best at night, but live in a hot climate that makes white especially refreshing. In any case, the room's a calm harmonious scheme of taupe, cream, white and brown, with a couple antiques of a rich dark wood. Other muted colors are added in art, lamps, etc.

    It's coming along slowly since I'm never in there during the day. What I wanted to say was that it recently got a great leap forward by an old oil painting I purchased at an auction. An oceanscape, I wasn't all that enthused at the auction, where it was badly lit, but it was fairly large :) and had a nice old gold frame, and nobody else bid on it. Got it home in place, and I absolutely love it. It has the colors of the room, some darker, some blues, greens, waves breaking on rocks with the earliest sunlight barely, barely breaking from the left. I put a lamp on the dresser to light it from that side, and it glows gently.

    In any case, the oils and frame give a richness and texture, the quality and the way it settles in to a room that was waiting for it elegance, and the scene a quiet vitality and movement. Hadn't realized my bedroom would benefit from that last, but it really does. Depth, too.

  • eastautumn
    7 years ago

    hamamelis, I'd love to see your oceanscape. I recently found a large oceanscape painting at my favorite flea market that we hung above our bed, and it's really helping me to envision what I want to do with our master bedroom after 11 years of it being at the bottom of our list. The painting came in an ugly '60s/'70s frame, but for only $18 it was a steal and I plan to get it reframed. I didn't dislike the maritime painting that was already above our bed (from my husband's house before we were married), but it never inspired me the way this one does. I'll try to get a picture of it tomorrow in the light of day.

    Thanks to those of you who posted your beautiful bedrooms. Someday I hope I might be happy enough with ours to post a picture. We recently rearranged furniture (inspired by another thread on this forum) and it's made a huge, positive difference. I love the inspiration I find when I visit this forum :)

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