2 White Bedrooms with Dark Antique Iron Beds

Canadian House and Home white bedroom

I love both of the bedrooms here because I like their simplicity. Both rooms have dark metal/iron beds. Both of these rooms remind me of the Tudorks bedroom: dark metal bed, antique luggage, fancy lighting. What do I want after seeing these rooms? White bedding.

This first crisp white bedroom was featured in Canadian House and Home. This is one of those rooms that would be pretty even when standing empty. The ceiling has interesting lines and the floors are stunning. If we were to refinish our hardwoods, this is the stain that I would use. There really isn’t a more classy look that light walls and dark hardwoods. This room has nice accents. I love metal beds and old suitcases and luggage used as storage. This is a winning combination. What would I have done differently in this room? Well, I wouldn’t of painted the window trim a darker shade of white for a needed contrast. People underestimate the power of that little trick when they have bright white walls.

The other bedroom is beautiful as well. I do not recall where this room was first featured. I apologize. It reminds me of the first room because it is white, neutral and the dark metal bed adds needed contrast. This second white bedroom is much more rustic. It looks less new than the House and Home room. This white bedroom has a very old home shape. It looks like the bedrooms in our home. It really looks like a smaller version of our studio.This room also has a dark metal bed and dark pictures for high contrast against the white walls. This room’s floors are the opposite, painted white. It’s such a beautiful look. This room has such a fresh feel but it is grounded by rough antiques. This grit gives this white bedroom character. And note to self: We have walls like the ones in this room and I haven’t put pictures up. I love the row of low paintings. I need to do this. Great excuse to hang

Rustic white bedroom

up my Audubon  bird pictures.
I really do love both of these rooms. They are my “style”.

I’ve been going through the house taking so many pictures lately. Next week will be the 1 year anniversary of our home ownership and our home restoration. We’ve done so much but it’s easy to think you haven’t when some things are still a wreck. I’m happy we have pictures to remind us of all our hard work. I’m trying to get before and after pictures ready to share. You’ll get some giggles out of the “befores”. Who else do you know moved in a house with a 13 foot mural/silhouette of  a naked lady? Who else do you know had to peel faux fur off of every door in their house? Who else do you know was peeling adhesive off of the ceiling where mirrors used to be? Geez…

-Victoria

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2 Black & White Striped Bedrooms With Traditional Touches

Black and white striped bedroom

I love black and white stripes. I prefer things that are high contrast and you can’t get much more contrast than black and white stripes. Here are two bedrooms that I’ve stumbled upon featuring a simple color palette of black and white, but it has been jazzed up with stripes. And these rooms have a traditional, classic feel to them.

I wish I knew where this 1st room came from. This bedroom is amazing and I’d love to take a tour of the entire house. This room is traditional. The furniture is immaculate and the pictures are interesting.  The striped wallpaper only makes it better. I’ve considered painting stripes on our walls. However, we have knock down lathe and plaster and it would look stupid. And I don’t have the patience for it. Wallpaper would be nice, but do I have the patience for that either? And our walls are in great shape for 30’s lath and plaster, especially considering its been through some earthquakes. I shouldn’t cover it up. How quickly I forget the process of wallpaper removal!

Looking for bold black and white striped wallpaper? I wish I was. Lots of sites have this type of paper; it’s popular. So popular that The Home Depot carries it for about $35 a bolt.  Don’t read their write up. It’s so lame. You would think that wallpaper was only a product for the young moderns. It actually says, “Today wallpaper is the hip, new approach to

Canadian House and Home bedroom

cover your walls”. OK, maybe read it.

This other room is something that I could do. It’s a super neutral color palette of black and white. Of course it always helps to have awesome architectural details in any living space. This room has great bones. It is from Canadian House and Home. This room incorporates the visual pleasure of stripes with linens. OK, so I can’t get this plantation like room in my house because I don’t have shutters, custom windows, or that ceiling. But, I can buy a striped duvet. I like black and white stripes because they appear to be a more sophisticated alternative to zebra print. And they are so Dorothy Draper glam.

Looking for black and white striped bedding? I’m having a difficult time finding black and white striped bedding that I like, especially for a deal.  It’s all too contemporary or “junior”. It seems so Swedish farm house style that I thought Ikea would have something. They have the fabric but no duvets. Dwell Studio has the “Draper” (told you so). It’s nice but not exactly what I’m looking for…sometimes things just aren’t black and white 🙂

-Victoria

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2 Retro Inspired “Regency” Living Rooms With A Dash of Red

Mary Greetis living room

I am attracted to a Hollywood Regency style. I like for things to be over the top and costumey. Here are two living rooms that I have stumbled across that I like. The first room is a Mary Greetis living room. It’s pretty stark and really benefits from the pops of red orange. It isn’t very Hollywood Regency but it is quirky and fun thanks to the Jonathan Adler lamps. We have 2 picture windows in our great room this size and it is nice to see how others decorate with such a ridiculous aquarium windows.

The other room is from somewhere. I can’t remember. It is just a close-up of a mantel but I do like quirkiness of it all. It’s a good use of symmetry. The red really pops in this space as well. And I need to find a use for all of the silly 60’s-70’s Baroque style picture frames and mirrors that I have collected from thrift stores and spray painted over the years. I think that this display is a nice use of somebody’s collection.

I think this last room fits more of the Regency style. It’s symmetrical.

These rooms aren’t OTT Hollywood Regency but they do have a retro Regency “don’t take yourself too seriously” vibe.

-Victoria

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Zebra Rugs & The Living Room

Animal prints are my favorite neutral, I have learned this from my nanny. When all else fails, just slap some leopard or zebra print fabric on it. It’s the goat cheese of decorating! So far, I have not grown tired of it. It always transitions wonderfully into any new space and it takes to any color. But, I am not in love with just any animal print. I am super picky, it has to be just so. This means no leopard print on a hot pink background. I have found 2 rooms with  zebra rugs that I really like. The first is a Shelly Riehl David room that I found on hgtv.com a million years ago. I knew when I saw it, I wanted a room like this one day. Yeah, it’s a little too Z Gallerie but I still like it, mix it with some great architectural pieces and you have an OTT but very livable room. The couch is perfect, low backed, elegant. It is very bold for a room that really lacks color. The walls are a blue-ish tinged white like Olympic Paint in Windswept. Of course there are things I would change about this room, I never look at one and think it is perfect. I just really appreciate how the zebra rug ties this entire room together. This room is very polished and slightly beachy.

The second zebra rug that I admire was found on sohaute.typepad.com. It’s a living room that is quirky, fun, but it also has some great architectural pieces. It’s a bit more cheeky than the above room, younger and looks more like a guy could live there too. I love the ceiling details. If the room was gutted it would still look great. I am a sucker for antlers/horns. I am sure I am attracted to the room because of that alone. I am not wild about the furniture, too dumpy and the table looks like it belongs at a Head Start getting some animal crackers crushed all over it. However, I was won over by the black and white rugs. They look so nice layered, something I usually don’t like but this works. But, once again this is a pale room something creamy like Olympic Paint in Queen Anne’s Lace. It’s tied together by the graphic rugs.

I am now on the search for a zebra print rug, well, if I don’t upholstery the couch in zebra. A real zebra rug is costly, about $2, 000 to $2,500 and I am sure poached or something brutal like that. A zebra print printed on cowhide goes for under $400. (Honestly, I would rather purchase one of these to reupholster the Eames lounger). The printed rugs on fiber like wool are hit or miss. So many are awful, have borders, look like flea market crap. (That’s the problem with animal print, the reality is that it is a very “cheap” look often associated with strippers, hookers, people trying to be “classy” so it is a bit like carrying a knock-off Louis Vouitton at times. I realize this but I still like some chintz and a touch of drag queen aesthetic in my life. I don’t care, I know I’m far from classy. ) Sometimes overstock.com has some nice ones, smaller than what I really want but still like under $200. They are square, not very wild looking. If I was going to go with a square rug, I’d rather do the black and white stripe thing because that could still go with a zebra couch or chair. Ikea (my least favorite place on Earth) has the Stockholm Rand rug that is about 8′ by 11′ for $299. (I know this is the rug that is under the zebra rug in the picture above). I can’t believe I am thinking about rugs when I know that I’ve got to get this place liveable first!

-Victoria

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