Yesterday, I posted about how I was tired of living in a half decorated home. Taking action, I created an inspiration board that reflects the overall look and feel of how I want our room to look. Last night, I showed Kris my inspiration board, and much to my surprise, he actually really liked it! (Yay!!)
Alright, here it is – my first attempt at putting together an interior design inspiration board – don’t judge me!
Kris kind of hates my current comforter and side table lamps. They are admittedly girly with a sort of ‘French Boudoir’ feel, so I get where he is coming from 100%. With his opinions in mind, I wanted to create a room with a more toned down version of French elegance. I’m looking to incorporate modern details with more classic pieces, so our bedroom feels more like a posh Parisian hotel than a chateau near Versailles.
Let me take you through each piece.
This duvet set from Restoration Hardware is so gorgeous! Its simple, elegant, and will make us feel like we are checking into a swanky hotel when we stay it. It is definitely a splurge, but nice linens will make our bed somewhere we want to stay all day long.
This mirror is a STEAL! In person, you’d never guess it was the Ung Drill mirror from Ikea (those swedes come up with the oddest names for the furniture)! Anyways, for $39, its a good size to go over a small dresser, or vanity. It comes in black, but I plan on painting a second coat of black on top of it. You are probably thinking “what is she talking about?!” but, don’t forget it’s Ikea. The frame is not wrought iron – its plastic. Smooth plastic. To add some texture and trick everyone who sees it, I plan to paint it, so that from first glance it will look much more $$$ than it really is. Sneaky, sneaky.
Next up, these fabulous lamps. I am IN LOVE WITH the
Stinson Glass Base Table Lamp, and the
Amelie Table Lamp. Matching lamps create symmetry and balance in a room, but for visual interest, I am looking for two different lamps that are the same height. I’ll also use the same shade for each to unify the look, but I love the idea that you can the more modern blown glass lamp will live on Kris’ side of the bed, and the more antique, whimsical lamp will be on mine. It will serve as a visual indicator of whose side of the bed it is!
(also kind of cool,
Pottery Barn carries VERY similar lamps to the blown glass, for $349. I am snagging mine for $35. That’s right, 10x savings for the savvy decorator, and NO ONE will know the difference!)
The photos – oh the photos! I have a new favorite photographer,
EyePoetry, from Etsy, who is slowly taking over my life, paycheck by paycheck. I recently posted about
her romantic french series of photos, which I promptly ordered for my office. They are now hanging up, and everyone at work always compliments them. Since this room is so black and white, I’ve decided it needs a pop of color to prevent it from feeling boring, and these are perfect! The Moulin Rouge and the Coffee Shop are the must haves here – I’m thinking square frames with large white mattes. I might have to do a bit of hunting to avoid the $$$ associated with custom framing (oy vey), but Aaron Brothers is always having a sale – buy one frame, get one for a penny, so this project could end up being pretty economical!
I think the thing I am most looking forward to for this room is the new headboard. I have been completely obsessed with upholstered headboards since Sex and the City aired, and Charlotte redecorated the apartment she and Tray lived in? Remember all of Bunny’s tartan prints and mallards – still so obsessed with SATC actually. My love of SATC must be saved for another day. Back to the point… I’m on the hunt for a neutral, upholstered headboard – preferably with nail-head trim.
The question is…. where do I get one?! Do we go with a headboard, or commit to the full bed? I found the
Camden Brass Nailhead Headboard at Ballard Designs, and they also have a
tufted version which I will love, but I KNOW Kris will hate. So many decisions to make – I am headed down to Home Goods this weekend – that place is a treasure trove for discounts. Maybe I will hit the jackpot and find something similar for half as much!!
Because the room is very monochromatic with black and white, and not a lot of patterns, I have looked once more to Etsy, where I found many shops who specialize in gorgeous patterned throw pillows. On
Nenavon I found some extremely reasonably priced pillow covers, and I especially loved the
Imperial Trellis and the
lumbar Creme and Black with Fret Work. I may look around a bit more before committing, but these would really do well to make the bed more interesting and inviting.
And, that’s pretty much it – I have some gorgeous furniture that I inherited from my grandmother. It started out avocado green (very 70’s) when I was in elementary school. My mom and I later painted it a pale yellow which took me through high school and college. Since then, I have painted them black, but because these pieces have gorgeous lines, and I plan on keeping them for a lifetime, I am in the process of refinishing the dresser and nightstands. When I was 21, I had no idea that water based paint chips easily on furniture. I now have the pleasure of going back to sand, prime, and re-paint everything with oil based paint. I’m also plugging some holes from the original handle pulls, and selecting new pulls – I am thinking round nobs in a brushed nickel. It’s been an on going project that has been drawn out since November. It’s high time I finish, so I am diving into it headfirst this weekend. I’ll have to document the process along the way so we can see before and after shots.
Happy Wednesday!!
Simply Styled 