Decorating and Furnishing the Bedroom
Attractive results are achieved in adopting a central figure or idea and planning the room about it. The main unit of design in the wall paper has been repeated on the ivory white furniture
In the bedroom the individuality of the occupant is more in evidence than in any other room of the house, as such rooms or suites are complete in themselves and need not necessarily be considered relatively. Where the house has the marked characteristics of any period the architectural detail of the wood trim in the bedrooms as well as that in the other apartments will, of course, express this and must in a measure influence the furnishings, but even under these conditions more latitude is permissible in the chambers than in the living-rooms.
This room, also shown in the two illustrations following, uses the blue bird as a motif. Cretonne repeats the design that is echoed again in the cut out border. A blue and white rag rug, having a blue bird edging, is suitable for the floor
A room in which no period idea is dominant may be made very charming, and the individual taste of the occupant may influence the entire scheme of decoration. A very dainty and attractive room is shown in the illustration on page [69].
The floral paper used on the side wall here is beautiful in color and design, and the crown of this has a cut out extension of flowers and leaves that is applied directly to the ceiling proper. The furniture of ivory enamel finish has been painted with clusters of the same flowers as those shown in the wall paper. Much of the green of the foliage in this design is repeated in the two-tone rug upon the floor. The curtains and bedspread are made of ivory white linen taffeta and bordered with four-inch bands of cretonne showing the same floral design as the side walls.
Much of the comfort as well as the attractiveness of a bedroom depends upon the arrangement of the furniture it holds. The space for the bed is usually indicated by the architect in the first drafting of the plans, and should be adhered to unless the room is unusually large. However, the other furniture may be arranged and rearranged until the right position is found for each piece.
Where a couch is included this may be placed near the window with the bookshelves conveniently at hand, or it may be set directly across the foot of the bed. The reading- or work-tables and easy-chairs should find their permanent place, as their proper grouping adds much to the livableness of any room.
The wall paper is plain with a satin stripe in what is known as a cerulean blue. The crown effect of the border is a silhouetted pattern cut out and attached separately
The English idea of placing a dressing-table directly in front of a window is not especially favored here as we are loath to sacrifice so much of direct sun and air as the closed window would necessitate, although by such an arrangement we secure a good overhead light.
A white bedstead of this style may be had either of wood enameled or of metal
The placing of the lighting fixtures should also be given some careful study. Side or drop lights should be near the dressing-mirror, and a convenient stand or drop light, well shaded, should be placed near the head of the bed. And a well-arranged table light for reading and sewing is of great convenience in a large bedroom which is used at all as a sitting-room. However small the room, the light must be well arranged for the dressing-table. A central light for a bedroom is a very objectionable feature.
In many cases the bedroom serves more purposes than for sleeping quarters. There should be space for a desk, comfortable chairs and books
Light and crisp colors are more acceptable in the decorative scheme of the bedroom than any other room of the house. Where plain walls and figured cretonnes or chintzes are used in combination the latter should appear generously, that is, not only in valanced curtains at windows, but as slip covers, or cushion covers for chairs, window-seat, or lounge.
The old-time idea of a blue, a pink, a green, and a yellow room is falling into disuse, although any one of these colors may be brought out prominently in the scheme of the room, or, as is even more usual, all may be combined in either wall covering or drapery material. The dominant color should appear again in the plain or two-tone floor covering.
Plain and embroidered muslins for window draperies and covers for dressing-tables are effective and dainty, and by having two sets for a room it may be kept always delightfully fresh and clean, as these muslins launder well. A small coin-dot of color on a very sheer, though not fine, white ground can be purchased from 25 to 35 cents a yard and gives a dainty charm to a room in which it is freely used that few other fabrics at the same cost will supply.
There is a preference for bedrooms furnished in light colors. Here the paper is figured and the color of the design appears in curtains of a solid color. The closet doors have full length mirror panels
Where the decorative scheme must be very inexpensively carried out, a floral paper on an ivory ground can be purchased for 25 cents a roll of eight yards. In these cheaper papers one finds a better selection in yellow and old rose than in other colors; greens, too, are usually soft and attractive. If plain colored over-draperies are desired for the windows these may be made from cheese-cloth which has been dyed to the desired shade, matching the color of the flower in the wall paper. It is not a difficult matter for the amateur to do.
There are now made some very attractive cotton crepes showing a variety of floral and other patterns. Some of these are beautiful in color and good in design, and, with plain tinted walls, a room in which the curtains and slip covers for cushions and pillows are made from this fabric is very attractive.
The lighting fixtures should be planned for the position the dressing table and chiffonier is to occupy. This is an attractive bedroom paper of an old-fashioned design
Old furniture may be revamped and given a fresh coat of ivory white enamel, and a central rug or a number of small rugs made after the old-fashioned rag carpet in one or two colors makes a satisfactory floor covering for use in such rooms. If the woodwork can be painted ivory white the scheme is more successful, as this is an important factor in the completed whole. In fact for bedrooms there is no better finish than the ivory white enamel. It is easy to apply and durable, and harmonizes with almost any scheme of furnishing one may desire to bring out in the room.
Attractive little shades for electric lights or candles may be made from bits of silk or even tissue paper, and, used in a room in which old rose predominates, the effect is charming, as the light showing through the rose color is very soft and pleasing.
Margaret Greenleaf
An unusual decorative treatment is the division of walls into colored panels which are held in place by molding strips
The perpendicular stripe in this paper serves to increase the height of a rather low ceiling. The window is fitted with sash curtains and draperies of a figured pattern on the order of the crown border
An interesting feature of this house is the long window seat placed for reading or sewing. Beneath it is a quantity of space for many things
A room consistently decorated along Colonial lines. Some sort of a couch or lounge is a decided boon in the bedroom, as it provides a place for the afternoon nap
The so-called craftsman's house or house with woodwork left in natural condition may well use furniture built to match the trim
The informal bedroom of rough plaster and brick substitutes strength of color and form for the delicacy of Colonial white woodwork
Many people still delight in the old-fashioned four-poster or in the canopy bed. This should be considered in planning the room, as the architect generally arranges a certain set position for it
This dressing table shows a satisfactory arrangement for lighting—two flanking lights and one overhead light. The striped walls require the color furnished by the hangings
In this little under-the-eaves bedroom a surprising saving of space has been made by fitting part of one side of the room with a series of drawers painted in white enamel. There is room here for the household linen and for storing away clothes
Where neutral grays are chosen for the walls there should be some warmth of color elsewhere. Here most of the decoration is left to the furniture in its warm mahogany tones and to the brighter colors of the rug
In the small bedroom that must be used as a study there should be a space for living-room comforts. The sash curtains combined with inside ones of sill length are attractive
Even a small under-the-eaves bedroom may be well arranged. This is consistent Colonial with its rag rugs and Windsor chair
A bedroom in which the cream colored chintz with pink and green design is repeated in the upholstery and echoed in the carpet
Curtains may be very simple but in good taste. This is a fine cheesecloth with a stencil design, which conventionalizes the flowers in the wall paper
Another treatment of cheesecloth, showing a poppy design that is taken from the cut out band pasted at the top of a gray striped wall paper
Views of an old-fashioned bedroom that is finished in dull grayish blue. Such heavy furniture would appear uncomfortably bulky in any smaller room
The carpet helps to make the room homelike, with bare floors the height and size of the room would be more apparent
A short length of cretonne hanging between two sill length curtains may be used instead of a valance
The cut out paper border goes well with a shaped valance and side curtains. The valance is hung on a projecting frame
The Japanese design is repeated on the gathered valance of the curtains, chairs and the table-cover. Several original stencils of butterflies are framed as decorations
Ivory white is always a satisfactory color for the woodwork of most bedrooms. Here it takes the place of wall paper
One article of bedroom furniture that should not be neglected is a bedside cabinet on which an electric light may be placed. These twin beds are of gray ash with a natural finish
An example of several of the uses for stenciled borders is shown here in this desk corner. The room makes good use of wicker furniture and bungalow rugs
