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Helping A Friend Redecorate

by Val
(South Texas)

My friend, who has seen my re-done bedroom, has asked me to help her with her bedroom, which I have not yet seen.

She described her style as "throwing a piece of printed material over a round table" :) which I assume to be along the lines of shabbily chic.

The only thing in the room that cannot be changed is the gold flecked vinyl flooring. An area rug should solve that problem.

She often works nights and sleeps days so I'm trying to think of colors and patterns that would capture her vision and still facilitate day sleeping.

Oh, and did I mention there is the possibility of a new man in her life :) :)

I was thinking primarily silvers and blues with some pink or green or maroon accents? Very probably this will have to be done on a charity store budget.

We will need to use her meager budget for sun-blocking window shades, I suspect.

I need help on this one LOL.




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Helping A Friend Redecorate

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Jan 28, 2011
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Sleep and romance...
by: Charlotte

Hi Val

What a lucky friend - a new man in her life, and a good friend like you to help her makeover her bedroom...! :)

As your friend already has (one would assume) pieces of printed fabric, I'm wondering if she's got a favorite one that could act as the bed linen/bed-throw, and prove the starting point for the new scheme?

Perhaps she's got others that co-ordinate in some way, that could also be adapted as curtains (or at least just a dress-curtain or drape over the blackout blinds - excellent idea by the way!)...

...or turned into cushions?

It might be helpful to take a look at my interior design tricks for using patterns for some simple guidelines on mixing patterns successfully.

Did your friend choose her gold flecked floor? Does she like it/still like it?

If she does, I'm wondering if you could go with the gold colors in it?

I love the idea of a silver and blue color theme - very relaxing colors, and great for sleeping, particularly if you mixed in some deep violets (great for sleeping), or lilacs for a more spiritual theme...

...I'm wondering though, if, with a new man in her life, the bedroom might also need to be warming and welcoming in feel...

...in this case such cool colors as silver and blue (if it's pale) might not be ideal (although warmer accents, as you mention, could soften and warm this up)...

...and the gold colors - I'm thinking warm sands, golds, beiges and creams - could:

(1)co-ordinate with colors already in the room (the flooring)

(2)bring a soft, warm and welcoming feel into the room.

Continues on comment below...

Jan 28, 2011
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Continues from above comment
by: Charlotte

Continues from above...

Alternatively, a much deeper, or darker blue - if I say 'midnight blue' you'll get where I'm going, I think - could work well, with connotations of 'night time' and a more cosy 'enveloping' feel (with the dark color) for daytime sleeping and evening relaxing for two (imagine dark colors lit only by candle-light or accent bedside lamps)...

(Other dark colors if you/she prefers could also work well like this)

Accents of sparkly silver and gold could work well with either look, for a starry feel, and/or a taste of luxury and sophistication.

For a bedroom, try to create a luxury, sumptuous feel - this can be through soft, and deep colors, as mentioned, also through textures...

...soft velvets, sumptuous throws, shiny silks and satins, little beads and sparkles for a jewel like feel...

Perhaps little beads around a lampshade?

As you know, furniture can easily, and cheaply, be painted, and made to fit a whole new look and style in a room.

Check with your friend, which I'm sure you would anyway, for her color and style preferences, and use ideas from the style you see in her home and dress (the bits she likes, at least!) to help her create a new look for her bedroom...

It's most important to find out if she likes a cosy look (warm colors) or a clean, spacious feel (cool colors), also whether she veers towards minimalism, or collecting (likes her belongings displayed around the room)...

You can also use your own style - as she's been so impressed with your beautiful bedroom (here...) I would say she'd probably love a bit of your own style and look in her home too!

I'd try to steer clear of too bright or too fresh colors - and bright yellows, oranges and reds - that could prove too stimulating for daytime sleep.

More about color and mood

You and your friend might also find this article on bedroom feng shui (for sleeping and passion!) of interest.

And you can ask her to take a look at some of the bedroom inspiration photos, here or in magazines, to see what kind of thing captures her imagination...

I hope some of those thoughts and ideas helped, Val...

Do come back and ask if you've any more queries once you've seen the room, and had a chat with your friend.

Good luck with the bedroom makeover

Best wishes

Charlotte x

Jan 28, 2011
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Helping A Friend Redecorate
by: Val

Charlotte, thank you so much for your suggestions. She is a renter so the floor is probably here to stay, unless we could find some really inexpensive peel-and-stick and it's ok with the landlord.

I will check out your links and have her take a look, too.

As for what she likes and doesn't like, I'm not certain even she knows what she likes and doesn't like.

If things progress, couldn't the use of acccessories and accent colors reflect the male presence in the room?

Feb 01, 2011
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Stimulate ideas with a mood board...
by: Charlotte

Hi Val

Yes indeed, you could bring accessories in to change the feel of the room - I was just looking to make it feel warm and welcoming, rather than too cool and stark - of course this could be done with, for example, gold, orange or red accessories in a blue room - to really give some warmth and 'friendliness'.

My husband, who spent a while working nights, and sleeping days, says that he slept well when the room was simple, plain and uncluttered, and he found blues particularly soothing, and cooling (because of course it can sometimes be a bit warm in the daytime for comfortable sleeping)...

If you're friend hasn't really thought about what she likes yet, perhaps she could think about making a mood board to given you both an idea of what you'd ideally like to bring into the project.

She can also look at creating a mood board online - a great little tool, that's fun to play with!

Good luck - have a chat and a think together, before you start - and I'm sure your project will turn out great!

Charlotte :o)




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