Post by Laura Chen.

Jot down this SoHo address: 72 Spring St (between Crosby and Lafayette). This is the address of the brand new bedroom decor mega-house, C.Wonder.

The first thing that caught my eye was the display window. What a creative idea of using a pair of matching belts as a throw organizer! This is a super easy and cheap way to organize overflowing winter linens. You don’t have to just stick with throws like in the picture – you can mix and match. Put the larger items (blanket) on the bottom and work upward to make a tier of ready to use sheets for your upcoming overnight holiday guests. If you don’t have a pair of belts, buy one there for approximately $38 .

I was so excited to see the belt idea, I almost missed the bright orange ikat pillow staring at me cheerfully. If you read the last post about fall colors and are still looking for ideas on how to decorate your bedroom accordingly, C. Wonder has you covered.

Inside the store, C. Wonder has a special section called “Make it Yours” where you can get your bed throws monogrammed for an additional $8. The threading also comes in a range of colors with different signatures. It’s like Land’s End on steroids.

Next to “Make it Yours”, you’ll find pillows galore. The down filled pillow inserts are sold separately from the covers that cost at most $34.

C. Wonder even has their own branded kitchen electronics. That’s right! C. Wonder sells its own waffle iron to aid its fans in whipping up breakfast in bed.

If your nightstand is littered with your end of day contents tossed aimlessly from your pocket, consider one of these iconic ceramic lacquered catch alls. At $38, they can even make that crumpled receipt look designer.

The store plans to open additional shops at local malls (The Westchester in White Plains, NY; Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ; and Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, NY). In the meantime, don’t lose the address. At such affordable prices, you’re going to need it for that last minute Christmas shopping.

Tags: bed, bedroom, beds, C. Wonder, Charles P. Rogers, Design

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Divergent by Veronica Roth.

This bedtime story should be reserved for those who don’t mind a little heart-pounding action before lights out.

Please read the following in your best movie trailer voice: In a world where war has divided humanity, there exist four factions: Candor, for those who value honesty above all else; Erudite, for those who seek knowledge; Dauntless, for those with no fear; and Abegnation for the selfless. One sixteen-year-old girl is about to change all that. She is…Divergent. Meet Beatrice. Like all children, on her sixteenth birthday she is to undergo tests and determine which faction she belongs in. She was born into Abegnation, the selfless who shun any sort of vanity (including mirrors) and live to help others. But when her tests come back inconclusive, she is forced to accept that she is Divergent, one who fits no faction clearly and is seen as a danger to others. She chooses a faction (Dauntless, which is unheard of for one from Abegnation) but none can know her real identity. She changes her name to Triss and becomes embedded in a strange, ruthless, and violent new world. Though she loves to be Dauntless, when she uncovers dark secrets about her faction, she must choose who she can trust and who to stand by.
This first installment in the newest teen dystopia series has been dubbed “the next Hunger Games” but don’t pick it up expecting that. Part action, part romance, part teen angst, it is a good, if at times bloody, adventure.

Tags: beds, Bedtime, book reviews, Books, Charles P. Rogers, Children, Divergent, family, Veronica Roth

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf directed by Suzie Templeton.

I don’t know about you, but a lot of the time I don’t have the energy for a whole movie before going to sleep. This fairly recent (2006) rendition of the classic Peter and the Wolf puts a 21st-century slant on the story. Using model animation and set in modern-day Russia, Suzie Templeton has succeeded in breathing fresh life into the story, including humor and intensity.

Peter lives with his grandfather on the edge of a vast forest. A high fence keeps the wild animals at bay but Peter cannot resist the urge to sneak over whenever he can. He is accompanied by a number of animal friends: the fat, snooty cat; the bumbling Indian runner duck (they are my absolute favorite kind of duck—everyone has a favorite duck, right? Right?); the wolf, of course, and a tattered old magpie who cannot fly. In a unique twist, this Peter ties a helium balloon to the old bird so he can at least kind of fly. I love the magpie. He is adorable. Watch this with your kids, watch it alone, just WATCH IT. You will not be disappointed and the 33 minute length will not eat up too much bedtime. But the wolf might eat you.

Tags: bed, bedroom, beds, Charles P. Rogers, Movies, Peter and the Wolf, Prokofiev, Reviews, Suzie Templeton

Post by Kyle St. Romain.

Given the amount of time we spend in this sacred space, bedroom renovations and/or redesigns require careful consideration. Once you’ve selected the crown molding, color scheme, window treatments, furniture, bedding, overall layout of your bedroom, and have a few carefully selected decorative pieces picked out; the only thing left to decide is the bedroom flooring.

What do I look for in bedroom flooring?

Bedroom flooring needs to be as comfortable as it is attractive. While many people find carpet’s warm, soft feel on bare feet irresistible, others are perfectly happy with non-carpet alternatives. Below is a general list of the types of flooring selections available for your bedroom: – Ceramic Tile – Linoleum Flooring – Marble Tile – Laminate Flooring – Wood Flooring – Bamboo Flooring – Carpeting

Each type of flooring has pros and cons that must be carefully weighed when making your selection. Factors include price, comfort, durability, maintenance, look, ease of installation as well as personal preferences are all relevant when deciding which type of flooring is right for you.

Pros and Cons of Different Flooring Types

Generally, hardwood floors are expensive and require the most maintenance, which means additional time and money. Bamboo, which is gaining popularity in the design world, is a low-cost, low-maintenance, eco-friendly alternative to traditional hard wood floors and is definitely worth considering. Carpet is relatively inexpensive and easy maintain, though it is subject to staining and wears out relatively quickly. Marble and tile floors are great, but stay cool throughout the year, which can be uncomfortable to your feet while driving up your heating bills in the winter months. Finally, linoleum is an easy to maintain, cheap, and generally warm flooring choice; though, some people simply don’t like the way it looks or feels on their feet.

Can I have the comfort of carpet and the durability/look of hardwood or tile?

Fortunately, you can combine the benefits of carpet’s warmth with the durability of tile through the careful use of rugs.

Rugs allow you to “pave” a path to and from your bed, so you don’t have to walk over cold flooring on those mornings when the dog steals your slippers. Rugs also provide you with design flexibility, allowing you to easily switch them out as the décor of your bedroom evolves Additionally, rugs are a form of art, especially when it comes to the handmade Oriental variety, and can be used to introduce color to your space.
While rugs may seem like the end all solution, quality, hand-made rugs can be quite expensive. However, these higher-grade rugs hold their resale value much better than traditional carpeting or machine-made rugs, reducing the overall cost of ownership.

So when you’re planning your bedroom space, a little extra time spent deciding which flooring options best serve your needs will ensure that you’ll always have happy feet in your bedroom retreat

Readers, which types of flooring do you prefer in your bedroom?

Tags: bedroom, beds, Charles P. Rogers, Design, flooring, rugs

Post by Mark T. Locker.

The Spell of the Sorcerer’s Skull by John Bellairs

Happy Halloween, friends! In honor of the holiday, tonight’s bedtime story is about ghosts, wizards, and wickedness. John Bellairs holds the title of my favorite children’s author ever.  His blend of Gothic horror in quaint 1950’s New England and Midwestern settings, cranky adults and ooey-gooey chocolaty treats make these stories irresistible to me.

This one is particularly creepy and features my favorite characters, shy, nerdy Johnny Dixon and his friends: Fergie, the devil-may-care funny-looking boy; and Professor Childermass, the cranky old neighbor who has a special bond with Johnny.

The professor has mysteriously disappeared. Johnny and Fergie are pretty sure the police are looking in the wrong places so they begin poking around on their own. The two clues he has to go on: a haunted dollhouse which is a replica of the Childermass family home, and a spooky jack-o’-lantern Johnny saw burning in the professor’s window after his disappearance.  But when Johnny takes a tiny skull from the dollhouse, sinister things begin to happen.

Like all of John Bellairs’s books, the mix of supernatural evil and young adults wrestling with adolescent problems and demons makes for fun reading. One word of advice: with all the passing references to cider and doughnuts, fudgy cakes and gooey sundaes, you’d better loosen your belt for the read.

Tags: bedroom, beds, bedtime stories, Charles P, family, John Bellairs, Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull