I’m back with another decorating dilemma, this time with Christine with Decorum DIYer. She has a master bedroom that has her all frazzled, trying to figure out just what to do with it. It’s around 13 x 13.5’, so not a big room. You can also see those long and skinny windows are a bit of a challenge too. Christine and her hubby are not into “light and airy” and like moody, deep tone colors.
So, let’s see what we can do to help Christine with her decorating dilemma. I must admit, I’m not coming up with a lot off the top of my head, but Christine has already made a moodboard herself in Olioboard, so I’ll share that here as well. She has a great start already to getting the feel she wants, I think.
Here are those problem windows. In a room this small, it’s hard not to have the bed in front of the windows.
Both main walls have a row of windows. It’s really hard to make these windows appear bigger than they are due to how long and skinny they are. Ideas for Christine?
I think this is a door to the closet and the bathroom. She has an orange tone in the bathroom.
Ceiling fan must stay, but maybe a new style?
Christine’s own moodboard. I really like the colors she has and if she can bring this vibe into her room, she’ll have a warm and cozy space. Here’s what she said about the room:
- The furniture must stay for now, but I am open to painting furniture pieces. The night stands have been replaced with faux bamboo chests (which I love) and they must stay and I am really don’t want to paint them. I sort of dig the original, vintage finish.
- My husband is attached to the current wall color, but I am open to changing it, as long as the room stays in autumnal hues. We are not into ‘light and airy’. We gravitate to darker, moodier spaces with tons of worldly influence, particularly Asian inspired (this includes Japan, China, Indonesia, India, etc… – as in the entire continent of Asia).
- We want to paint the trim and doors and would like to add architectural elements to the ceiling and possibly paint it darker than the walls. The bathroom is currently orange, but we are open to changing that as well, but the tile is there to stay for a long time.
- The room is small for a master bedroom, roughly 13′ x 13.5′.
- As the home is a 1960’s rancher, the windows are wide and squat for privacy, but not my favorite.
- One wall is a bank of by-pass doors which function as both closet doors and the master bathroom’s door. I dislike the limiting access that by-pass doors present and dislike even more that my master bathroom’s privacy is dependent upon the closet door usage. Although the by-pass doors are space-saving, they are not attractive, nor ideal in terms of usage.
- Ceiling fan must stay (even if it is a different style), but needs to be more attractive.
- Master bedroom and master bathroom must relate. The room is a boring box, with no interesting detail, nor style.
Ok, let’s help Christine with her decorating dilemma. Feel free to chime in the comments with some ideas for her. I don’t have any great brainstorms right now, but I know all of you love to tackle this too.
It should be easy to get the look and feel you want without spending too much….
I would paint the ceiling fan black and get rid of the light fixture on the fan.
The curtains behind the bed I would extend all the way across the wall to the ends of the wall on each side and keep them closed and floor length curtains on the other wall framing the windows. Add some tall art work or mirror beside those windows.
Put something below the windows to hide that wall space, maybe a dresser??
If you could use the bed without the foot board it would help to get rid of the boxy feel.
Definitely paint the closet door and the trim around it the same as the wall color and get rid of the art work on the doors.
The things on the Olio board are great choices and I love the terra cotta color and Moroccan rug.
Have fun with your room redo!! I’d love to see the after pics 🙂
I cannot tell for sure, but it looks like one of the birds on the screen may have a dark teal color on it. I like adding that color in with your pumpkin and gold. I would scrap the four poster and make a large headboard that comes up to cover the bottom trim on the window (maybe a dark teal solid on it). Then get a pretty fabric for fixed side panels, maybe in a floral, and get the matchstick blinds mounted at the same height as the curtains and long enough to go behind the headboard, thus giving it the look of a longer window. If the wall color goes with the screen (which I would put under the second window like you suggested) then I would leave it. Otherwise a ligter toned gold. Not sure what to do about the closet/bathroom doors unless you covered them with a grasscloth wallpaper and a little trim to give it an oriental look.
As others have mentioned, I would go with Roman shades, but attach them high above the window just under the drapery hardware. I think this will fool the eye regarding the window size.
Here is an idea for the windows
http://www.housetweaking.com/2013/06/21/our-bedroom-window-treatments/
Great colors! We painted a wall of windows in a shoji screen pattern and made the windows not such a focal point and it looked great. I agree with painting the closet doors either the same as the wall color or as focal point by painting moorish shapes. Can’t wait to see the finished look!
Hi Christine, Here are some suggestions from a recent interior design graduate. I would go with grasscloth for the walls for texture (if it is in the budget). Paint the ceiling a rich tone and the molding something for contrast. That will give the idea of some architectural elements which this square box is lacking. If you can’t do the grasscloth now perhaps a nice orange or gold on the walls (go with something rich) and something deeper on the ceiling (think plum) will help bring the ceiling lower creating a more intimate space. It will also give you several ways to bring out your color scheme without painting every wall a different color and provide some depth. The fourposter is not doing the room a favor (which you have acknowledged). Stick it in storage and opt. for a just a bed frame instead if we are being budget conscience. You needs something with a long linear headboard that is going to compliment the line of the window. A fairly simple DIY project with some GREAT fabric choices. I would recommend a long narrow picture ledge under the opposite long window for a plant or pictures etc. to add some visual interest that the wall since there is no space for a furniture piece. Long deep curtains on either side will allow for the dramatic effect in this small space. The bathroom closet doors are unfortunate but you could paint a nice Moroccan patter how you mentioned or perhaps the following to help dress it up. http://media-cache-ak2.pinimg.com/736x/b2/ca/17/b2ca176cfc7a2d81b13d0797da2de2f1.jpg
Mirrors are always nice to bring into a small space regardless. Be sure to reserve a little money for the bedding, artwork, and accessories in this space. That is really going to be a key element in making all of components work together. Just a few key pieces will really make it pop. You can find great deals on nice table lamps. Pair them with inexpensive picture lights on the wall opposite the bed for nice dramatic mood lighting also.
Looking forward to seeing the end result.
I’d do the dark bamboo blinds, and hang them right at ceiling height. Take the drapes down; because the windows are so rectangular you will never get a full, framed effect with any drapes-they will just highlight how small the windows are to begin with, and the rods just add to the visual clutter.
I’d rethink the four-poster as well. Can you take off the posts at the foot board and just leave the headboard part?
Pick you fave wall color and do the walls and the closet doors the same OR do the shoji screen effect-that would be pretty.
Asian “look”( and Feng Shui) is all about simplicity, so I would add as few accessories as possible. Your screen would do well as a headboard if you ditched the four-poster.
A simple duvet with interesting pillows would be in keeping with your look.
This is a pic that has the general shape of your room and closets, I think-I like the dark trim, wood ceiling, carved sliding doors, great rug…http://pinterest.com/pin/99853316710771588/
I would paint the woodwork the same as the walls to expand the space. Using one of the fabrics with the Asian vibe I would make floor to ceiling panels to cover the windows behind the bed keeping them closed. The same fabric could be used for a bedskirt and pillows. I would use a neutral coverlet. The ceiling should be one shade darker than the walls with a stenciled border in an Asian design. On the windows, would use dark wooden Roman shades hung at ceiling height with no drapes.
Wow! All of you are so wonderfully supportive and helpful.
(I was afraid of an onslaught of pithy attacks. Why would I think that? Ms. Rhoda would never allow that. 😀 )
Many of your excellent ideas (including a dark, plum ceiling) have been on my ‘it could work’ list for quite some time. All of you are giving me the courage to go with my gut and make the much -needed changes. Thank you ever so much. And truly, thank you, Rhoda, for offering your blog feature as a forum to help me and my cringe-worthy master bedroom.
Keep the ideas flowing!
You might consider using shutters as a window treatment. Not plantation style, but running the shutter the length of the window with a hinge at the top. If you want light, it would open out into the room and upward, mimicking a storm shutter.
I agree with just using a bed frame – the lower lines are more of an Asian influence. Have you thought of using a bamboo stencil on the wall where your headboard is now? You could echo the bamboo on the closet doors with a touch of bamboo molding to create a picture box effect, and paint the doors a solid color.
Just a couple of suggestions! Good luck!
My first thought was that the room could do with some more contrast – black and white/cream details and a punchier accent color in your preferred hues (for example rust, aubergine or plum.) Then I looked at your bathroom and saw that you had done exactly that in there! So keep it going!
Second thought (like so many other here in the comments): bamboo blinds above the windows.
Third thought: 3 bi-fold closet doors instead of sliding ones, maybe in shutter style to add interest? (Would they be very expensive? I’m in Sweden so I’m not up to date on prices over there!) I would paint them the same color as the molding…
Fourth thought: something needs to happen below that window. Maybe at least a picture ledge, as suggested above? Or how about a trompe l’oeil wallpaper that looks like a bookcase?
Last thought, a bit radical and the one I feel could make the most difference: How about using your beautiful Asian screen as a headboard/focal point above the bed and simply hide the windows on that wall? Maybe also pick one of the colors from the screen and use it for the walls? The brown in the branches, the coral in the buds or the green in the leaves?
I really like Beth Morrow’s ideas with draping the whole wall behind the bed and I would drape the other as well. You could do this in an orange tone and hang color matching sheers in the center over your windows allowing light into the room but giving you a dramatic cozy look. If your drapes are going dark then I would go a big lighter with the bedroom walls and vice versa if you go lighter on your drapes you could go darker on your walls.
You have lots of good suggestions already – I agree with those who said the closet doors need a change. Have you considered something like these PAX doors from Ikea? http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S69898769/#/S49898770. They have the Asian feel.
Also, Liz from It’s Great to Home has similar windows in her master bedroom – http://itsgreattobehome.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/P1040237.JPG. I think the square headboard coming just under the windows looks better than the curved top of the current bed. Some type of DIY upholstered headboard in a simple rectangle shape would be easy to do.
The windows are mid-century modern. The colors you like and an Asian inspired motif works well with mid-century modern. Check out Houzz and pinterest for images.
I like your bed and it is perfectly situated and does not block the window. However, a bed with a lower, straighter headboard would work better with Asian inspired and mid-century period. Best wishes.
Not sure if it has been mentioned but what about bamboo blinds hung from the very top of the wall to convey height in the room? With drapes on each side for accent.
I would suggest using molding to create a panel effect around the windows. You could make one large panel or by using the window panes as guides to create three (one large and two small). I would trim all for sides of the window and then down to the floor trim and paint it all the same color. You can then use wallpaper in one of the fabulous color/patterns on your mood-board in the panels you have created. I would use a great complementary fabric in a roman shade in the window only. You could even take the panel to the ceiling and use an additional pop of color, like the dark turquoise that was suggested by another poster. For the door situation, I think that bi-fold doors are a great alternative. However, instead of using them in the traditional way, why not separate them and hang them as half doors? You can then paint them and perhaps decorate them with an oversize stencil or even go the direction you have started, only use family photos or travel pics in a grid layout (three or so per door).
Good luck!
I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
ceiling height is too low for the bed, sadly and the curved headboard does not blend with the horizontal lines of the window. opt for a platform bed with lower, simple, horizontal headboard. remove ceiling fan or flip the blades and remove the light kit.
Could you replace the cupboard doors with mirrored doors to make the most of the light from the small windows? I was also thinking you could hang a sari canopy on the bed, and could also hang saris as curtains to frame the windows? They come in hundreds of colours and you can find them for reasonable prices on ebay 🙂 x
One thought I have about the windows is to hang either a long narrow Asian style mirror or window underneath the window on the open wall to make it appear larger. Or maybe an Asian screen turned sideways. Asian because she mentions that she really likes that style. Then with the window over the bed add a smaller one centered above the window – to match whatever you choose on the open wall (mirror, window or screen).
If you do this, then you could change the closet/bathroom doors to Asian style sliding screens. That doesn’t help with the limited access to the bathroom though so you could choose instead remove the doors & hang drapes or curtians. I have curtians over my closet door ways. Removing the bi-fold doors in our small bedroom gave us quite a bit more space & we’re able to use the space on the sides of the closet better too.
I hope you’ll share what she ends up doing!
http://www.younghouselove.com/photo-gallery-2/room-by-room-source-list/
I love this for small windows and bedroom.