White Bedding Love

Always love white bedding (and a touch of blues and grays)…

Eleanor Cummings

Pinterest

Shabby Chic

Ashley Goforth Design

Ashley Goforth Design

Vicente Wolf

Lee Mindel

Suzanis on the bed

 

Now that spring has officially arrived it’s time for some freshening and color!  We’ve seen suzanis everywhere lately, but one place where I haven't tired of seeing them is on the bed.  It’s the perfect replacement for the heavy comforters of winter.

Richard Shapiro’s bedroom featured in Architectural Digest.  The all white bed and contemporary lamps show how the suzani can be used in am masculine way.

Michael S. Smith’s handsome take on the suzani bedcover.

 

Kathryn M. Ireland’s design featured in World of Interiors shows the suzani in a softer, breezier setting. 

 

 

Another bedroom by Kathryn from her book Creating a Home, but this time the suzani is out in full force.  This is an antique from Uzbekistan that she made into a bed cover.  I love how much interest and color it brings to the room.

 

For the suzani shy, perhaps just a small dose of it in a pillow is enough.  This bed from Country Living uses a throw pillow from Wisteria.

Bedskirts

It’s time for me to take over one of the “last resort” storage spaces in my house… under the beds!  I can hardly believe that when we first moved into our house I thought there were so many closets that I could never fill them… who was I kidding?!?  The funny part is that this is not a house with enormous walk in closets or anything remotely close to that!  You just never think you have as much stuff as you do.  Thinning out our closets and donating forgotten and unused thing has certainly helped, but I do not like clutter and do not like a jam packed closet that you need to “muscle” a hanger into!  So back to the point, I’m going to raise the bed in my bedroom, as well as the twin bed in my son’s room on risers and gain an extra precious 5—7” where we can put under the bed storage tubs full of things we don’t use regularly, but aren’t ready to get rid of. 

Once the beds are raised, our current bedskirts will need to be replaced.  Cropped bedskirts just don’t look as cute as cropped jeans!  I am going to stick with a ready made extra-long bedskirt for both, since it’s and easy, quick, and very affordable fix.

This storage obstacle has turned into a design opportunity… do I go with flat, pleated skirt or ruffled skirt in my room??? 

TEAM FLAT & PLEATED:

My current skirt is flat and pleated, and it is probably my first inclination to go with another one… but this is a chance for change!  On the other hand, I love how simple and pure the look in this room is.  That bed looks perfectly cloudlike and inviting!

Clean, tailored, and not an ounce of fuss… very refreshing!

Suzanne Kasler introduces texture to her smooth bedskirt… it also has a contrasting trim around the edges which is a nice way to jazz things up.  I had considered adding a border to my existing skirt to lengthen it, but that’s just a little bolder than what I want… and a 5” border will look a lot clunkier than the elegant 1” one SK uses!

 

This is a very pretty room by Phoebe Howard and the grid of framed artwork and the simple white linens also make it very architectural.

Taffeta really accentuates the pleats and this touch of color is very pretty.

 

TEAM RUFFLED:

Oooh la la! I love how sophisticated this ruffled silk skirt is!  The silvery blue color and black accents keep it from feeling too feminine.

Ruffles and linen add so much interest to this room. 

Another primarily white room with a linen skirt…

Since I’m going with ready made it’s a lot easier to find a white or off-white cotton skirt than a linen or burlap one, but this all white ensemble looks pretty good with the ivory ruffled skirt!

I love how this bedskirt coordinates with the off white taffeta drapery panels.  I’m finding quite a few images that have great ideas in them…. unfortunately I’m not anywhere closer to making a decision!

If I was looking into custom bedskirts, I’d have so many more ideas and options to choose from and a MUCH harder decision!

I could go with scallops…

I could have a bedcover that flows from the top of the bed to the ground like Cote de Texas’ Joni Webb… so dramatic! 

This skirt is made of a sheer material with a thick border.  Very unusual!

      

If I had a fabric that I loved, using it as a bedskirt would be a wonderful way to further  incorporate it into the room…

Suzanne Kasler did the same thing with this bedskirt.  I love the stripes! 

Hmmm… am I ready to make a decision or do I obsess a little more… maybe a little more obsessing and then a decision!

{Photos via 1., 7., 8., 12. Cote de Texas, 2. Elle Decor, 3. and 15., Suzanne Kasler, 4. Phoebe Howard, 5. and 10., House Beautiful, 6. Simply Seleta, 9. Surroundings, 11. My French Country Home, 13. Linen and Lavender, 14. ???}

One Picture = My Style

      

From the Right Bank is hosting another “My Style In a Picture” series, where bloggers choose just ONE picture to illustrate their style… oy vey.  But I do love this challenge because 1. it’s fun and 2. it makes you think critically about your style preferences…  

My picture is the master bedroom of Mary Daly who owns The Fabulous Flea in Houston … I first saw it on Cote de Texas’s totally beautiful spread on The Fabulous Flea here and I featured it in my Linen Bedrooms post here… still love it just as much as I did the first time I saw it!

Mix of antique and modern, tattered and tailored, rough and glitzy… I love a look that mixes all of these and isn’t easy to define or pigeon hole into just one style. 

Neutral color scheme + lots of texture.  Crisp, clear off white walls, linen, velvet, seagrass, glass, and a tapestry… add some silk curtains at the window and it’s perfection in my book, or better yet, in my house.

Glass topped linen side tables… one of the staples in my own house because I love the look but more importantly because they’re an easy and inexpensive solution to side tables… I have several retro looking dressers from a awful past  design lifetime that are great for storage, but horrible for the eye… a little linen, a topping of glass and voila, classy side table that’s even useful too!

Personal details like picture frames, books, and flowers…  there’s nothing worse than not being able to learn anything about the person when you’re in a room, especially their bedroom!

Clean lined and oh-so-plush looking bed.  Really into the single long throw pillow .. achieves a great look and simplifies bed making!

Chandelier! I could put one in every room, and think they’re especially fab in bedrooms!

Any room that has these characteristics would suit me perfectly! 

What is your style? 

Can you define it in one picture?

Please share!

And see other blogger’s style pictures here!

{Photo via Cote de Texas}

Linen Bedroom Love

While my heart does flutter at the sight of an all white bedroom, especially fluffy white bedding… I am really drawn to the natural linen color and texture dominating these rooms!  There’s something casual and laid back about them which is so appealing.

LINEN + ARTIFACTS

 

In this room by the expert of neutrals, Darryl Carter, the artifacts and furnishings are truly put on display.  The bedding is very sophisticated.  In fact, change the bed for a sofa and you’d have a very tailored living room! 

 

Isn’t the wood artifact hanging above Brooke Giannetti’s master bed to die for, or better yet, to dream for!!!  The piped lampshade on the side table is a charming little detail.  When you have a fabulous artifact, the rest of the room can be very subtle.

 

 

I love the mix of refined and rustic in these bedrooms...

 

  

 

LINEN + PATTERN

A little pattern sure kicks things up a notch…

 

You can't go wrong with tone on tone, especially with some embroidery….

 

I love how Suzanne Kasler has used neutral stripes in a very limited way that still creates so much interest… love the horizontal direction of the strips- so unexpected!

LINEN + POPS OF COLOR

Madeline Stuart introduces some gorgeously saturated accent colors that add a real richness to this linen colored background.  

 

So soft and plush looking… love the taupe linen color mixed with Swedish gray blue and gold.

 

 

Stacy Hyde shows one great fabric is all your really need!  How easy to change out the colorful accessories in this bedroom when you’re ready for a change… my kind of room!

 

LINEN + BEDCOVERS

I love the idea of a darker cover like these since my dog’s favorite place in the world is on the bed (translation= dirty paws means lots of washing of white bedcovers!!!).

 

 

 

Love this combo of both white and linen bedspreads… the darker color is perfect at the foot of the bed, where my furry one curls up!

 

LINEN +SKIRTS

 

Linen bedskirts are especially useful when you want to incorporate a rougher textured material into your space… while a burlap-y linen may not make the most luxurious throw pillow to rest your head on, it certainly works for a bed skirt!

 

As plain and simple as this bedroom might, be it’s one of my all-time favorites!  The simile linen bedding and backdrop ooze peace and serenity… and really show off that pretty white scalloped duvet and gorgeous chandelier!  And yes, I’d have to say the herringbone wood floors aren’t too bad either!!!

There are so many elements in this room that I adore and that are so wonderful to incorporate into ANY interior, bedroom or not!  Linen table skirts like these are one of my go-to solutions… they transform plain-jane dressers or table forms into elegant pieces of furniture instantly.  Not to mention their clutter hiding capability!

 

LINEN + LIGHT

Sheer linen is another wonderful way to use this fabric, as this bed skirt shows!  Love the tabbed headboard linen too…

 

     

Cynthia Davis of Indulge Decor used sheer panels with romantic tab ties in her master bedroom.  The casualness of the panels is a perfect balance for her fabulously shaped upholstered headboard.

{Images via 1. Elle Decor, 2. Linen & Velvet, 3. & 17. Unknown, 4, 13, 14, 16, & 18. Cote de Texas, 5. Decorology, 6. Suzanne Kasler, 7. Madeline Stuart 8. Dress Design & Decor, 9, 12, & 15. Veranda, 10. Decorno, 11. Ty Larkins, 16. Cottage Living via Cote de Texas}

White on White Bedrooms

There’s something so calming, clean and fresh about white bedrooms.  While the first reaction of some people may be that white is lacking in color/excitement/interest, I think these rooms absolutely prove otherwise.  There are so many ways to enhance a white room without saturating it with another color.

I adore this pretty bedroom with it’s canopy curtains and elegant headboard.  The ceiling height shelves running up the back wall heighten this room and frame the bed further.  The room may not be that wide given the camera shot of this photo, but how can one say this room isn’t grand?

 

If fabric is creating the interest in your white room, invest in a fabric that is worthy and hire the right person to do the work.  Notice the layering going on this room- underneath the canopy and curtains is an upholstered headboard and at the foot of the bed is a curvy bench.  The contrast of color and curviness of this bench definitely becomes a focal point.

 

Varying shades of white can create a very soothing palette.  This pink tinted white fabric softens this bedding and the gathering of the ceiling canopy is a pretty feminine detail.  The scalloped canopy edge is a great detail.  This bed has exceptional tailoring- who could say it was was lacking in thought!?!

 

Curtains don’t always have to be heavy- these gauzy sheer ones give an ethereal feeling to this bedroom.  The masculine bed frame and dark desk contrast this airiness so well.  I love the icy silver/blue undertones in the white paint and bedding.

 

When a bed’s frame is left exposed it can become THE focal point in the room.  Campaign beds are excellent for this.  The linens actually becomes secondary to the lines of this iron bed.  And if you wanted to change the look you can easily dress it in panels a la Mimmi O’Connell:

 

Contrast can be very subtle such as this beautiful floral arrangement and tapestry pillow.  I think the footstool next to the high bed is so cute.

 

This is one of my favorite bedrooms.  The painted screen backdrop is gorgeous behind the crisp & fluffy white pillows.  Love the bleached herringbone floor too! 

 

 

Instead of one statement art piece, white can be a wonderful backdrop to a collection of smaller wall hangings.

 

 

This room itself is rather plain (at least what we can see of it) but the cheetah print carpet definitely livens things up.  I think the great shape of this headboard is emphasized even more because of it’s cream upholstery.

 

Another favorite room, I love the subtleties and layers Bobby McAlpine has created in this room.  The half-height screen behind the bed is a great way to float a bed in the middle of the room and still keep it grounded.  The nail head trim on the headboard and the tone on tone white linens add just the right amount of pattern.

 

If I had a fireplace like this in my bedroom I probably wouldn't care if I had tarps for bed linens!  Slight exaggeration, but still this is a beautiful fireplace!

 

 

Vicente Wolf knows how to design one heavenly looking bed, doesn’t he?  The white doors add so much to this space- can you imagine how different they would look without their molding?  Another very cool detail in this room is the floating shelves in front of the window. 

 

The doors in this room are what make it as well.  While reflecting mirrors towards a bed can be a little Vegas-y, these are done in antique mirror to diffuse the reflectivity and add lots of character. 

 

Lighting fixtures can also become a wonderful focal point in a white room.  These French wall lanterns are such beauties.

 

 

    Shiny crystal always looks good and adds some glamour.

 

  

Another favorite bedroom, this headboard and Italian chandelier are stunning accents to an otherwise neutral room.

 

         

Clearly, white rooms are anything but dull!

To spice up a white room without color:

-Fabrics as canopies or bed draperies can create instant architectural interest

-Focus on the rooms architectural details such as a fireplace mantle, wall molding, or windows and doors

-Use a furniture piece that contrasts the white and becomes even more of a statement

-Let the artwork/wall hangings become the focus without competing with the artwork

-Accent with a fantastic and subtle pattern, i.e. an area rug or an antique tapestry pillow

-Accent with a statement lighting fixture