Category Archives: Bedroom Design
Bedroom Design: A Better Way to Wake Up
Post by Stephanie Noble.
On weekdays, I wake to a squawking beep that is impossible to ignore. That is by design, because it is not easy to get up at 5:00a.m. when my body is saying, “Just another hour or two would be so much better .”
We may not raise corn or cows, but our commute has us keeping farmer’s hours.
“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” My first grade teacher had us memorize this advice from Benjamin Franklin and for most of my life I have followed it, although never quite as early to rise as I currently manage.
On the weekends and holidays, the squawking is turned off. It is replaced by a much more palatable, “Dad? Mamma? DAD? MAMA? DAD?? MAMA??” refrain of our son letting us he’s ready for us to rescue him from his crib and start our day’s adventures.
Sometimes, if Alarm Number Two is really tired and sleeps past 6:30, I wake up to the avian songs of our neighbors who have built a nest next to our window.
Basically, five days of my week I am rushed out of deep sleep in a way that is extra harsh when compared to my weekend wakeup calls.
Thus my quest for a gentler alarm clock, one that breaks through the cozy comfy dream world to get my butt out of bed, but maybe with a little more kindness than the squawking beep that puts me in a bad mood.
The Zen Alarm Clock Company in Boulder, CO has created Zen Clock’s ‘E tone’ chime has been hand-tuned to produce the same tone as the tuning forks used by musical therapists. The 10 minute chime progression sequence follows the “golden ratio progression” to gently move one from sleep to an awake state with music.
I’ve also been looking at Soleil Sun Alarm SA-3 Sunrise and Sunset FM Radio Alarm Clock. It gradually lightens the room to Set the alarm for your desired time to wake in the morning, choose the Sunrise time (i.e., set sunrise for 15 minutes and for 15 minutes prior to alarm time the light will gradually get brighter and brighter until the intensity awakens you. Just like natural sunlight. It can also be set to nature sounds like chirping birds, crickets, flowing water or an ocean.
Much better than the rude squawker!
Creative Ceilings: Things are Looking Up!
It’s 3:05 AM, 3:19 AM, 3:23 AM…… You can’t sleep and the day ahead is gonna suck. Staring up at your cracked ceiling is not the answer. It’s a roadmap to despair. You know what wouldn’t suck? Having a gorgeous ceiling to look at while you count sheep/drink warm milk/curse your life. Why not dress that ceiling up with some fabulous wallpaper or an interesting design treatment? Yessssssssss………..
Here are a few examples of spectacular bedroom ceilings to get your wheels turning in a positive direction:
Source: houzz.com
WOW, right? The light fixture in this room is awesome, but it might get lost on a basic painted ceiling. This snazzy wallpaper MAKES the room. It has got great interest and it sets the color story for the space. The modern heart pattern makes me love it even more. WOW, WOW, WOW!
Source: lonny.com
This jacquard-like pattern is genius! It adds fantastic interest to this white room and allows the owner to accessorize the space using corresponding mats beneath the artwork. Lonny.com calls this a Moroccan room. I call it perfection!
Source: http://whimsicalworldoflaurabird.blogspot.com/
Here’s a pattern that really moves! How smart that the bold colors of the painted wall are broken up by a strip of white molding before your eye travels to the ceiling. Also appealing is the mix of traditional furnishings, white with a stripe bedding and some modern touches. It’s mix and match eclectic beauty at its best.
Source: http://design-milk.com/press-conference-room-by-h2o-architectes/
Source: http://www.mrspollyrogers.com/
If wallpaper isn’t your thing, here are two alternate and unconventional ideas for working with or adding to what you’ve got: Wooden perforated ceiling panels and glorious tin ceiling tiles. Talk about thinking outside of the (bedroom) box!
The options for accentuating your bedroom ceiling are endless, just like your thoughts on a sleepless night. Use your imagination, choose patterns you love, and take some melatonin. With your ceiling problem solved, may you now drift off to sleep on a cloud of good design!
Bedroom Design: Solar System Mobiles
Lately, I’ve been looking at solar system mobiles. Here are some of my favorites.
This one was created by Alanna George @ the Craft Nest from the Creatology Solar System Kit from Michaels. I love the fact that they painted the pieces themselves. It is one of those pieces I could see a kid holding onto long after they’ve outgrown the interest because it’s his/her work of art.
Here’s another do it yourself solar system by lady poppins. I like the stylized representation with the mixture of patterns bringing a lot interest to this piece.
Less personal, but more realistic for a non-crafty mom like myself is this motorized solar system that rotates the planets around a sun that you install as an overhead light color. It also comes with a 15-minute audio tour of the solar system.
Finally, for those who want scientific precision in their solar system mobile, this one from Edmund Scientifics has planets that follow their actual orbit paths as they spin independently of one another.
Don’t forget that the Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks the night on April 22, 2013. Get outside and watch Nature’s own mobile show.
Bedroom Design: The White Room
Post by Erin Sears.
I love stuff. Accessories, accoutrement and adornment are some of my favorite words. More, more, more, pretty, pretty, pretty. No store left unshopped is my motto and you’d think I was part raven with my attraction to shiny things. Lately however, something has shifted for me and I want to feel unburdened by possessions. I think it may be the spring air. With the change in season, it’s time to throw open the windows, clean out the nooks and crannies and make everything new again. Gone are the layers of blankets on the bed. Fresh, crisp, clean and bright are my current adjectives.
There is something so simple, so beautiful about a white room. Bright yet calm, a white bedroom could be just the thing for spring. Here are some white rooms to get you started:
Source: http://www.johnmorrisarchitects.com/projects/larger-homes/174/new-england-farm
This room embodies the idea of fresh and clean. White walls, white bed, white duvet. Throw open the windows and you’re all set. Dreamy.
Source: http://http://bohodecochic.blogspot.ch/2012/02/un-loft-doble-altura.html
Now for something a little more Scandinavian. If you’ve got a modern heart, this is the white room for you. Adding small touches of color in the form of a throw, some decorative pillows or even your favorite outfit will really pop on a canvas of white. Faux fur rugs can be a year round fixture in any room. Your feet will thank you.
I love the textural juxtaposition of the crisp white tufted headboard and this elegant wallpaper. Don’t be afraid to mix and match white and off-white tones until you get a rich and pleasing combination.
Your bedroom should be a haven for rest and relaxation. This season, try toning things down with white and limiting your accessories to the things you love most. May you have sweet dreamy dreams!
Bedroom Design: Invite Nature Into Your Room
Post by Stephanie Noble.
Five weekends in a row have been taken by blizzard winds and piles of snow. I know my state is not alone in this pattern. And I know I am not the only person waiting for the world to defrost so my family and I can get outside. I swear, next year we are taking up a winter sport just to keep cabin fever at bay.
Until it’s safe to head outside for a hike that doesn’t require ice crimps, I’m determined to bring some nature into our bedroom.
Some ideas.
Place a few of the rocks my son gathers for me into one of the corners of the tub. That way I can place them under the water and pretend that I am in my kayak.
Instead of a regular houseplant, I think a Tabletop garden could be fun. To learn more about indoor gardening check out Michelle Slatalla’s blog.
I lived in Sweden for a couple of years. Not only did I pick up the habit of turning my face to the sun and basking in its warmth every chance I get, but, I also fell in love with Easter Branches. Not to be confused with Easter Brunches. You gather branches, glue feathers on them and then hang wooden eggs, small birds and anything else that strikes your spring fancy. Having one of these in creations in your bedroom is a good reminder that even if the groundhog was wrong about how long it would take, spring will still arrive soon.
