Wednesday
Jul282010
Rhythm by Alternation
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 8:50AM 
Hi Christine,
I have been following your blog for a few months now and have been plowing through your archives. I really enjoy your posts, think you give great advice and crack up over your sometimes harsh comments! I am hoping that you can help me with our master bedroom. I have learned a ton from reading your blog, but as the pictures show, I have not put your advice into action yet. I know the error of my ways. I have been pattern-phobic and my decorating has been dull, dull, dull. 
I know this room needs a unifier, it lacks texture, needs window treatments and that there is way too much dark wood furniture everywhere. My problem is that I need more than just rules, I need specific instructions on what to get! We painted the walls a Ben Moore color called "Starfish." I occasionally like it, but often do not. It looks very different in different lights sometimes approaching circus peanut orange! Not a good thing. I'm wondering if with new bedding, window treatments and maybe an area rug, the color would look better and the room would be more pulled together. If not, I am not opposed to repainting. If so, I would want a warm neutral. The room gets a ton of sunlight. I am unsure of what to do with the double window (where the chair is) with the palladian window above. Sun pours through that window in the morning and drives us crazy. The way the ceiling angles you cannot put a rod across the width of the windows including the palladian. I do not like angled curtain rods unless you can convince me that they look okay. Right now we have white honey comb blinds on all 6 windows. Very boring. We recently inherited a bunch of furniture from my mother-in-law. That is why there is so much stuff in there and why it's such a mish mash. 
The only things that must stay are the long double dresser, the tall lingerie chest and the tall cabinet. Also the bed and t.v. and ideally the book case but that's not a drop dead. We have a funky loveseat that I am thinking of having reupholstered to go into the nook with the window where the chair currently is. I would like that in a funky cool pattern. Maybe that could help unify the room. Not sure how much that would cost and if we might be better off just buying new stuff instead of reupholstering. It is a pretty large room. The main area is approx 18' long (the headboard wall) by 17". This does not include the area where the chair is - that is 3' deep by 7.25'. It also doesn't include the area where the long dresser is (the section of wall is approx 8' long). Across from it is the master bath and our walk in closet. As you can see from the photos the ceiling angles down in spots. This restricts where furniture can go. The t.v. is tricky as the ceiling angles down where we have it so we can't mount it on the wall. If you would like an actual floor plan I can try to get one for you. Our scanner is not working right now but I could try to get you one if you would like to see it. I would love to get specific recommendations on art work (I know what we have is too small), rug, window treatments, bedding and accessories. Basically everything we need to make this room look cool and put together. Our taste is more clean and simple, definitely not ornate and I gravitate towards warm earthy colors. I have attached way too many pictures but it's impossible to get the whole room in just a few shots. Thanks so much in advance for any help you can offer!
I know this room needs a unifier, it lacks texture, needs window treatments and that there is way too much dark wood furniture everywhere. My problem is that I need more than just rules, I need specific instructions on what to get! We painted the walls a Ben Moore color called "Starfish." I occasionally like it, but often do not. It looks very different in different lights sometimes approaching circus peanut orange! Not a good thing. I'm wondering if with new bedding, window treatments and maybe an area rug, the color would look better and the room would be more pulled together. If not, I am not opposed to repainting. If so, I would want a warm neutral. The room gets a ton of sunlight. I am unsure of what to do with the double window (where the chair is) with the palladian window above. Sun pours through that window in the morning and drives us crazy. The way the ceiling angles you cannot put a rod across the width of the windows including the palladian. I do not like angled curtain rods unless you can convince me that they look okay. Right now we have white honey comb blinds on all 6 windows. Very boring. We recently inherited a bunch of furniture from my mother-in-law. That is why there is so much stuff in there and why it's such a mish mash. The only things that must stay are the long double dresser, the tall lingerie chest and the tall cabinet. Also the bed and t.v. and ideally the book case but that's not a drop dead. We have a funky loveseat that I am thinking of having reupholstered to go into the nook with the window where the chair currently is. I would like that in a funky cool pattern. Maybe that could help unify the room. Not sure how much that would cost and if we might be better off just buying new stuff instead of reupholstering. It is a pretty large room. The main area is approx 18' long (the headboard wall) by 17". This does not include the area where the chair is - that is 3' deep by 7.25'. It also doesn't include the area where the long dresser is (the section of wall is approx 8' long). Across from it is the master bath and our walk in closet. As you can see from the photos the ceiling angles down in spots. This restricts where furniture can go. The t.v. is tricky as the ceiling angles down where we have it so we can't mount it on the wall. If you would like an actual floor plan I can try to get one for you. Our scanner is not working right now but I could try to get you one if you would like to see it. I would love to get specific recommendations on art work (I know what we have is too small), rug, window treatments, bedding and accessories. Basically everything we need to make this room look cool and put together. Our taste is more clean and simple, definitely not ornate and I gravitate towards warm earthy colors. I have attached way too many pictures but it's impossible to get the whole room in just a few shots. Thanks so much in advance for any help you can offer!Mary
Hi Mary-
I see what you mean with the color- I really like it in the photo above- and don't like it at all in the photo below. I would repaint. Consider Bagel SW 6114 by Sherwin Williams. It is a nice neutral tone- but with a lot of the peachy orange undertone- that I think looks really nice in the photo above. You can see it here.
I thought I might attack your room photo by photo. First- I cannot see your picture at all. It is too small- and the subject matter is too small. When you have art work over a bed- you need to be able to see it from across the room- not have to crawl up on the bed to see it. Replace it with a larger piece- with a larger subject- like the boat at the top of the post. I like your bedding- but I would add another element- fold the duvet to cover the bottom 1/3 or 2/3 and show a pretty blanket- or cool sheets or something. To add interest- consider an area rug. The one above is from Angela Adams. Going this direction- I would replace the throw pillows- with something like this teal one.
Here above you can definitely see that the chair does not go with the paint. Yikes. Add drapery panels on all of your windows- You have a more contemporary bed and bedding- so you can keep it simple- but use an interesting texture- like a linen.
OK- here it really needs help. One principle designers learn in school is called rhythm by alternation. What I see here is case piece, case piece, case piece, case piece case piece. Yeahhh- that's no good. The result of the uninterrupted wood furniture lined up along the wall is a lack of rhythm. It's a room killer. A room that incorporated rhythm by alternation would alternate case pieces with upholstry, drapery, plants, or other items. Move the lingerie to where the the four legged table is, keep the dresser and get rid of the rest- add a nice plant in current locationce of the lingerie. I would do a Roman shade in the same material as the drapes- and replace the white blinds with dark woven roller shades- about the same tone as your wood furniture.
Case piece, case piece, hard chair (almost as bad as another case piece) I would move the secretary- it is too traditional for the bed. (When I say move- I mean to another room). Your room is really off to a nice start- but just becasue this furniture fits- does not mean that you should use it. Your neighbors are going to love your yard sale!!!Thanks for writing in!
Christine
Reader Comments (1)
Thanks for all of the great advice! I have a few questions of course. Where would you put the area rug? I never quite know how to do that with a bed. Also are you suggesting 3 window treatments on each window (linen drapes, roman shadws and woven roller shades)? Not sure if I can swing the cost of that!!! Last question (I swear!) is on the seating area. The chair is definitely going and I was looking for a suggestion on something cool to put there, maybe with a pattern, to funk things up a bit. Any and all ideas welcome! Thanks again - you are so generous to do this for all of us! - Mary