1. Dress the walls and floors in comfort
“A beautiful bedroom is all about comfort,” says interior designer Vanessa De Vargas, owner of the famed Venice, California, home boutique Turquoise. And that starts with the walls and the floors. First, paint your bedroom in soothing colors that are on the muted end of the color spectrum, like charcoal gray or baby blue. Then, add drapes around the windows. “I’m a firm believer in floor to ceiling drapes,” explains De Vargas, who likes them because they elongate the room and make ceilings seem taller. Bonus: You can pull them shut for extra privacy. Finally, buy a cozy rug for the floor -- think shag or sheepskin. That way, when you step out of bed, the first thing your bare toes touch is pure and soft.
2. Drape your bed in luxury
Next, buy a set of soft sheets that make you want to climb into them at night (albeit sometimes you won’t want to get out of them in the morning, either). And don’t go too far with your thread count: Most sheets top off at softness when you reach a 500 thread count, so above that you’re just paying for bragging rights. Cover the bed with a fluffy down duvet, a heavy wool blanket, or a soft cotton quilt. Then, toss a gorgeous throw onto the foot of the bed to set the tone for comfort.
3. Soften the lighting
Speaking of soft, you want your lighting to be just as calming. “A dimmer is a lighting must-have,” insists De Vargas, for everything from overhead ceiling lights (which aren’t exactly the warmest lights to begin with) to pendant lamps and table lamps beside the bed. Matching lamps are ideal, but for an eclectic bedroom look, go ahead and mix, provided there's some consistency, either in height or color; for example, try different bases in matching shades.
4. Create a feeling of hotel suite grandeur
If you have room, add a chair to a corner of your bedroom, which will make your room seem larger -- really, it will. (And hey, you need someplace other than the floor to toss your outfit outtakes!) With a larger room, consider an upholstered bench at the foot of the bed or some chairs and a coordinating sofa to create the look and feel of a luxury hotel suite. De Vargas' other hotel-inspired tip: Buy a headboard to give your bedroom a completed look that a bed frame can't do on its own.
5. Finally, add something you think is beautiful
When you wake up, you want to see beautiful things. Maybe it’s a painting on your wall or an antique quilt that's draped over a chair. To fashion devotee and Brooklyn resident Yvonne, 32, it's shoes and handbags. "I don’t want all the things that make me smile to be hidden at the bottom of my closet,” she explains. “I put a few of my favorites on display on my bedroom shelves, along with a few art books, a couple of porcelain figurines, and a pile of orange Hermes scarf boxes. Basically, I turned the fashion I love so much into art." So be creative, but just keep the Manolos off the mantle.
by Amy Spencer
6/19/08
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