10. Bedhead-turned-shelving-unit in Los Angeles, USA Ken Pelletier and Maritza Gualy of the Mount Washington neighbourhood of Los Angeles used a wooden Ikea bedhead as a modern shelving unit opposite a bed in their guest bedroom. The couple use the open shelves on the wooden slats to display framed photos and other cherished pieces.
Built-in units maximise the space in the guest bedroom. Schmidt says, “It was a bay window before, with no cabinetry. Originally, our architect designed the built-in to float and the drawers were more equal in size, which was too contemporary for me. I wanted it to feel clean and timeless.” She had the chair reupholstered in raw silk with navy velvet piping. Italian brushed nickel hardware: Gruppo Romi
Alpaca Dove Throw - $159 There's nothing worse than being cold at night. I always keep an extra blanket in the guest room to make sure everyone is comfortable.
The ceiling of this alluring bedroom is covered in a pale gray Venetian plaster (plaster mixed with marble dust, applied in layers and highly polished). The burnished surface gleams in the light streaming through the room’s French doors, accentuating the moody grays of the bed’s plush headboard and comfy settee.
Covered in silver leaf, in which thin sheets of silver are applied by hand, the technique provides a rich touch to the elegant room. The process is time consuming — and thus expensive — but as designer The Interior Edge points out, “There are metallic paints by Benjamin Moore if this is out of reach.”
Navy Gobi Embroidered Sheet Set - $145 Bed linens in white with navy embroidered ancient Buddhist motifs add a special touch and meaning to your bedroom. Next: Twist on Tradition: Blue and White Porcelain
Choose your mattress. The mattress is what distinguishes one sleep sofa from another. Because it folds, it won’t be as solid as a conventional mattress. There are three basic types: Innerspring mattresses have coils inside; the more coils, the better. The average is 345 coils; 644 is very good. Memory foam mattresses are better. They have no coils inside; the foam conforms to the user’s body. Air-coil mattresses are on a par with memory foam and feature an innerspring mattress with an air mattress built on top.
For those who have used both high-quality and less expensive paints, the difference between the two is clear. "Some cheaper paints look chalky or more plastic-like," says Storey. "Also, how the paint feels, or the 'hand' of the paint, can make a big difference aesthetically." More expensive paints can be easier to apply, hide imperfections better, last longer, have more vibrant colors and make washing easier — all due to the higher-quality ingredients in each batch.
If you use a rug as a headboard, your options are nearly endless. Geometric, floral, striped, shaggy, needlepoint, neutral — the sky's the limit. There are a couple of caveats. Make sure the rug is at least as wide as your mattress; it could even be wide enough to frame your nightstands. But beware of rugs that are narrower than your bed, as they'll end up looking off — the headboard version of high-water pants. Before buying rugs online, be sure to check the return policy. The rug the UPS guy drops off at the door may differ from what you thought you were getting.
Like tailored, preppy, artistic, mysterious and fun. There’s cozy, and then there’s the very small guest room with angled walls that Melissa McLay designed. Instead of ignoring the room’s architectural eccentricities, McLay celebrated the angled walls with a thin red banding stripe that adds a tailored, preppy vibe.
A simple concept for storing objects against this wall is elevated to an archive-like museum piece at once both precious and accessible. Overlapping layers of glass bottles and the objects they contain, along with the interplay of the etched DNA sequence, make for a complex and interesting story, revealed in different phases from family room to study. Layering meaning in an apparently simple gesture makes for wonderfully engaging architecture.
Bill's room idea - Trouser rack
Design quandary: How to disguise a wall bed? When a wall bed is put away, the wall where it is stored tends to be a great big blank spot. You can’t use it to store books or hang framed artworks, because they would just fall off when you open the bed.
Design quandary: How to disguise a wall bed? When a wall bed is put away, the wall where it is stored tends to be a great big blank spot. You can’t use it to store books or hang framed artworks, because they would just fall off when you open the bed.
“I love little details on joinery. To save cost and be more durable, we chose laminate for all built-in wardrobes but added recycled blackbutt handles that we designed. The same applies to the large pivot doors,” says Anja.
1. Blossom out Lots of chinoiserie wallpapers feature blossoms, and it’s easy to see why. They add a romantic softness to a design and work particularly well in bedrooms. Chinoiserie wallpaper typically has a silky finish. In this room, the blossoms amid the neutral colour palette are calm and soothing.
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