Design crew

Posted on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 by midcenturyjo

Got a problem? Need some help? Just stand there shaking your head? Don’t know what to do? You’re not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you…. that’s you lot… the readers…. get to it! You did such a good job last week I know you can do it all over again. Besides I have a Saturday to enjoy.

“I really need some design help! I love the black gloss look and I also love designs with featured wallpaper and deer antlers! Basically, I have a completely new bedroom to decorate and I have no idea where would be best to put my furniture, I would love to put my bed in front of the window however there is a radiator on the wall so I don’t think that it would be the best idea as I would lose a lot of heat.  Please please help me!!  I am wanting to incorporate a leather bed, black gloss wardrobes, bedside tables, a desk and possibly a bookshelf too. (This is) a pic of the furniture style I intend to buy. Thanks once again, I can’t tell you enough how helpful this will be 🙂 x” – Emma


kris says:

Emma, it would be better if the size of the room is indicated, then we would be able to plan more accurately. Since no diamension is given, we just have to go by estimation.
Firstly, have the room painted white. The existing wardrobe could be retained, just repaint the surface with black gloss. Place a long, low chest of drawers beside it, and hang a mirror on top, round would be better to break the squarish shape of the room.
Next, place your bed silghtly diagonal with the head against the wall which you were standing at in the first photo, have an open round stool in glossy black on the right side of the bed to act as a bedside table.
Then, place the desk with suspended shelves above it on the left end of the wall in the first photo .
Finally, if you want to keep the curtain style, raise the rod to above the dividing line on the wall, a long curtain might look better. And change the pendant light.
Gosh, all this sure looks like a lot of work.

Cat says:

Hello! I'm going to go a little more traditional than Kris' ideas, although I have to say this design crew thing is great, I would never have thought of what Kris said!

So here are my suggestions. I'd pull out that built in cupboard (unless you love it) because it's limiting your options and creates an off-kilter balance to the room. I would then put the bed on the wall you have your back to in the photos, with a bedside table either side if it fits! Then either…

a) directly across from there you could add in your black gloss wardrobe, leaving the wall with the door in it to be your feature wall. Slap on some beautiful wall-paper, perhaps a chest of drawers and those antlers you love above that? You could create a beautiful vignette/dressing table there.

or

b) put your black gloss furniture on the wall with the door, and make the wall facing your bed the 'feature' wall. Lovely wall paper, a big comfy reading chair, antlers on the wall above. The little built in ledge then can house your favourite books, some candles, and a glass of wine….(this is my favourite option!)

or

c) stick the bed where the old owners had it on the door-wall, a bedside table on each side (would that fit?), then choose either of the other two non-window walls for your feature wall sitting area/black gloss storage furniture.

Hope these ideas help! Do let us know what you do!

selina says:

I am not sure, but gaging from the pictures, the room isn't that big and you want to fit quite a lot in. I suggest that you cut shapes out of newspaper the actual size of the furniture you are planning to put in and move them around the room to see how they physically fit, in a kind of 1:1 scale plan.

Hope that helps
Looking forward to the "after" pictures. Good luck

see says:

Or you can use powerpoint instead of cutting pieces of newspaper 🙂

RandomIntent says:

I enjoy letting a room evolve as opposed to doing it all in one go since I change my mind so often! The walls look freshly painted, and the style of the room lends itself beautifully to some antique furniture, which is often better made and cheaper than new. You could find a large antique wood dresser, paint it all or just the drawers black, add silver hardware.

Likewise, to me the floor to ceiling built in looks nicer than new particle board furniture. I think a bed in a modern silver metal outline type thing would look lighter in this size room and be more durable. You could hang fabric over it to add or change colors too. I would remove those curtains and curtain hardware. A fabric shade that sits above the window when open would raise the height and not block light…. 🙂

Giovanna says:

You should put wallpapers in the wall that you are standing in the first photo and in the opposite wall (the one with the cupboard). Put your black gloss wardrobes in the door-wall. In the wall with the built-in cupboard, put bookshelves above the cupboard, and a desk next to it, with the antlers above it and a nice comfy chair with a vintage look. Stick the leather bed on the wall you're standing in the first photo. And also use pendant light, long curtains and a mirror above your bed.
I think that's pretty much everything you want. Hope you like it and let us know which idea you chose!

SueE says:

Definitely a challenge with all those built in features. But USE them instead of ignoring them. Make it look like you had the room custom built to your desires!! Here's what I might do.

I would place the bed in the corner on the left of the first picture and use that built in feature as your bedside table. Place a desk under the built in shelf on the opposite wall. A low dresser on the wall between the door and closet would look nice, I like kris's idea of a round mirror above. Alternatively, your could swap the bed and desk. In that case, get a simple bed frame with no headboard so that that lovely built in shelf can act as a visual anchor behind the bed. Whether you have your bed or your desk underneath that shelf, it would look great lined with books, leaning art, and some cherished artifacts.

I woudn't purchase a wardrobe if you can get away with it. Too many doors in a small room. For a modern, industrial kind of look you could get an clothing rack (like you find in stores) and place it either between the door and closet or the corner on the left of the first corner. With the latter set-up you could arrange your jewelry, perfumes bottles, and make-up artfully on the low built in beside it.

A black glossy wall with black furniture might get very…. well, black. That can be a bold look but if it were me I'd pick another colour for the walls. Black goes with everything so the skies the limit. I would go for strong colour though, eg. hot pink, chartreuse, etc. And definitely high gloss!

Fun, fun, fun! More assignments please!

SueE says:

Emma, I have a collection of black wall pictures in my inspiration file if you'd like to check it out:

http://www.imgspark.com/image/tagged/SueE/dark%20wall

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