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Please help! I take both your ideas and your votes :) (Selecting colors for bedroom)

Please help! I take both your ideas and your votes :) (Selecting colors for bedroom)


  #1  
Old 09-30-05, 07:30 PM
frenchgirl
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Wink Please help! I take both your ideas and your votes :) (Selecting colors for bedroom)

I am looking for ideas to decorate a rather “blank” master bedroom on a small budget. The walls and ceiling are white and the carpet is beige –we’re renting and can’t change them. The window is large and oriented east, so we receive a fairly good amount of light. We have a small desk and a chest of drawers (both of which I am planning to repaint to make them look more modern and put together). We have a nice, modern-looking metallic bed frame and our sheets are probably going to be white as well (because my hubby dreams of sleeping on a cloud ).
I would like this room to look warm and cozy, yet my main concern is that my husband and I both have different decorating tastes: he likes a contemporary style with, say, black furniture and a range of cold colors, while I am more country style -oriented, with natural to honey wood and a warmer palette… Any ideas for a compromise? I was thinking about repainting our old desk and chest of drawers in either white (again!) or some light color, adding flowers and some beautiful voiles for the window and hanging colorful pictures to brighten everything up. I think my hubby would be ok with that-- if I could convince him to accept voiles… would this do the trick and make the two of us happy?

Other than that, I would like you to take a poll, if you may : Would you, personally, like to have orange curtains in your home? I dream of light orange-yellow or red-orange voiles for the window, I think they make any room look like it is full of sunset light, even in winter! But I know that it’s not a fashionable color right now and I can’t find that type of curtains anywhere in America (whereas in my home country, France, I have seen these fairly often!!). I am wondering if that is a matter of preference in American homes or if orange as a decorating statement would be the epitome of a terrible taste in the U.S? I mean, they would be transparent and really nice, not bright and funky-looking... THANK YOU!
 
  #2  
Old 10-01-05, 08:18 AM
D
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As for your color dilemma - here's a decorating idea that I've used that might be a compromise......

I've taken artist canvas , and just painted wavy wide lines in different colors and widths on them, usually using four or five colors per canvas. I repeat the design on other canvases, with minor changes. I then hang them next to each other (usually in an odd number) so that the colors flow from one canvas to the next. This is somewhat contemporary, but you could use your muted colors on them - that way, it may appeal to both of you. This is great for people in apartments - they can bring in color without painting the walls. The one thing I've found in 23 years of marriage - soft colors are ok, but don't overdo the florals in the bedroom - too female..........

As for your question about orange curtains, I really don't see them in a bedroom - but I like calm colors - orange was "in" in the 70's, however, there is a retro movement right now. How about a sheer salmon color - it has the orange, but tones it down with the addition of white.......

Good Luck -

Debbie
 
  #3  
Old 10-02-05, 02:46 PM
T
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Take hubby out to shop for a new bedspread. Pick one that has colors that appeal to both of you. Use that as your pallette from which you choose accessory colors for curtains, rugs, vases, and other accents.
 
  #4  
Old 10-03-05, 09:00 AM
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i think a compromise for the two of you would be to use his preference of contemporary styled furniture (metal bed frame, black furniture, clean lines) but allow the colors to be reflective of your tastes - warmer colors.

the only way you're going to achieve warmth in a room with white walls & ceilings, when you have no wood toned furniture, is by using warm colored textiles & accessories. let him have his white sheets, but find a colored bedcovering. also look for wall art (or make your own as suggested above), draperies & accessories in warm colors.

i don't have a problem with your love of colors in the orange family - if you like it, use it. i do wonder why you'd want to paint your desk & chest white though. i would think they'd just fade into the walls painted white. white won't do a thing to warm up your space. how about black to match the metal bed (is the bed black? or silver/chrome/metal?) adding black to the room will help to ground all the white & orange colors, and actually warm it up a bit. then you can add black frames & accessories to bring it all together.
 
  #5  
Old 10-03-05, 10:50 PM
frenchgirl
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Thank You!

Thank you so very much the three of you for your great ideas and insights, it really helps! . Annette if you happen to read this, I do think that black or any other paint color would certainly be better than white for the furniture, and it is also a good way to compromise --yet my only concern with black is that the room is not very big, so don't you think that the contrast between black and white will be too stark and make the room look more cluttered? (White walls and ceiling may feel too cold but at least it creates the illusion of space...) I just can't imagine what color or tone would look great on wooden furniture with that orange (think soft orange) and metal --dark red? pale yellow? or some kind of grey that has a bit of color in it?? And to answer your question, the bed is metal-chrome, (not black). Maybe I should just do like twelvepole said --buy a bedspread that we like and then decorate around that... Orange does seem like a tough color to use in decoration, especially in bedrooms because they are supposed to be places of rest .......
 
  #6  
Old 10-04-05, 08:49 AM
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i think you'll be surprised at how much orange is out there! start looking. when you decide on a bedspread, then decide what color to paint your furniture. it may be that the bedspread you find has a lot of dark brown in it, instead of black, and you can paint your furniture dark brown. but maybe you'll find one with black. etc. so find the spread first, then paint.

i don't think a couple dark pieces of furniture will look cluttered. i think white furniture in a white room will be stark and won't give you the warm feeling you want. a few dark pieces, and some matching dark framed pictures on the wall, will help to anchor the room. i'm not sure what "soft orange" is. do you mean LIGHT orange, like peach? or DULL orange, like terra cotta?

i really love the idea of painting your own canvases - you can determine your own color scheme that way. use whatever colors you want & go from there.

but white furniture would certainly work, if that's what you want. it'll just make the room that much lighter & airier, which your husband will like.
 
  #7  
Old 10-04-05, 10:10 AM
CaliforniaMoods
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This is what I would do.

Without seeing your room and not knowing the exact size, I would keep it light. If you want orange, find an area rug with the flowers in the colors you like. Then I would buy a large canvas and paint it with the colors in the area rug in a large stripe (using warm browns, ambers, blues, greens, with your orange as the predominant color) and hang it on the head wall or an empty wall. (You can also purchase a piece of wood and paint it too and it is very cheap.) Then I would pull those colors into the pillows for the bed. Keep the bedding, walls, and furniture white. If you can visualize this, you can see how exciting your orange would be by applying it in pieces around the room...you will have your flowers in the rug, orange on the wall and bed, all without making a big mistake.

I hope this gives you a safe direction.
 
  #8  
Old 10-04-05, 11:52 AM
frenchgirl
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Thank you everyone for your help & advice! I have a much clearer idea on what I need to do, now --with what you told me I think I can make it look really nice... You guys are awesome
 
  #9  
Old 10-04-05, 04:10 PM
D
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Talking

You're welcome - always great to share ideas - we all learn! Maybe when you and hubby pick out a bedspread, you can pull colors from those for the canvases!

Blessings -
Debbie
 
 

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