Decorating and Furnishing the Bedroom
In the bedroom the individuality of the occupant is more in evidence than in any other room of the house, as such rooms or suites are complete in themselves and need not necessarily be considered relatively. Where the house has the marked characteristics of any period the architectural detail of the wood trim in the bedrooms as well as that in the other apartments will, of course, express this and must in a measure influence the furnishings, but even under these conditions more latitude is permissible in the chambers than in the living-rooms.
A room in which no period idea is dominant may be made very charming, and the individual taste of the occupant may influence the entire scheme of decoration. A very dainty and attractive room is shown in the illustration on page 69.
The floral paper used on the side wall here is beautiful in color and design, and the crown of this has a cut out extension of flowers and leaves that is applied directly to the ceiling proper. The furniture of ivory enamel finish has been painted with clusters of the same flowers as those shown in the wall paper. Much of the green of the foliage in this design is repeated in the two-tone rug upon the floor. The curtains and bedspread are made of ivory white linen taffeta and bordered with four-inch bands of cretonne showing the same floral design as the side walls.
Much of the comfort as well as the attractiveness of a bedroom depends upon the arrangement of the furniture it holds. The space for the bed is usually indicated by the architect in the first drafting of the plans, and should be adhered to unless the room is unusually large. However, the other furniture may be arranged and rearranged until the right position is found for each piece.
Where a couch is included this may be placed near the window with the bookshelves conveniently at hand, or it may be set directly across the foot of the bed. The reading- or work-tables and easy-chairs should find their permanent place, as their proper grouping adds much to the livableness of any room.
The English idea of placing a dressing-table directly in front of a window is not especially favored here as we are loath to sacrifice so much of direct sun and air as the closed window would necessitate, although by such an arrangement we secure a good overhead light.
The placing of the lighting fixtures should also be given some careful study. Side or drop lights should be near the dressing-mirror, and a convenient stand or drop light, well shaded, should be placed near the head of the bed. And a well-arranged table light for reading and sewing is of great convenience in a large bedroom which is used at all as a sitting-room. However small the room, the light must be well arranged for the dressing-table. A central light for a bedroom is a very objectionable feature.
Light and crisp colors are more acceptable in the decorative scheme of the bedroom than any other room of the house. Where plain walls and figured cretonnes or chintzes are used in combination the latter should appear generously, that is, not only in valanced curtains at windows, but as slip covers, or cushion covers for chairs, window-seat, or lounge.
The old-time idea of a blue, a pink, a green, and a yellow room is falling into disuse, although any one of these colors may be brought out prominently in the scheme of the room, or, as is even more usual, all may be combined in either wall covering or drapery material. The dominant color should appear again in the plain or two-tone floor covering.
Plain and embroidered muslins for window draperies and covers for dressing-tables are effective and dainty, and by having two sets for a room it may be kept always delightfully fresh and clean, as these muslins launder well. A small coin-dot of color on a very sheer, though not fine, white ground can be purchased from 25 to 35 cents a yard and gives a dainty charm to a room in which it is freely used that few other fabrics at the same cost will supply.
Where the decorative scheme must be very inexpensively carried out, a floral paper on an ivory ground can be purchased for 25 cents a roll of eight yards. In these cheaper papers one finds a better selection in yellow and old rose than in other colors; greens, too, are usually soft and attractive. If plain colored over-draperies are desired for the windows these may be made from cheese-cloth which has been dyed to the desired shade, matching the color of the flower in the wall paper. It is not a difficult matter for the amateur to do.
There are now made some very attractive cotton crepes showing a variety of floral and other patterns. Some of these are beautiful in color and good in design, and, with plain tinted walls, a room in which the curtains and slip covers for cushions and pillows are made from this fabric is very attractive.
Old furniture may be revamped and given a fresh coat of ivory white enamel, and a central rug or a number of small rugs made after the old-fashioned rag carpet in one or two colors makes a satisfactory floor covering for use in such rooms. If the woodwork can be painted ivory white the scheme is more successful, as this is an important factor in the completed whole. In fact for bedrooms there is no better finish than the ivory white enamel. It is easy to apply and durable, and harmonizes with almost any scheme of furnishing one may desire to bring out in the room.
Attractive little shades for electric lights or candles may be made from bits of silk or even tissue paper, and, used in a room in which old rose predominates, the effect is charming, as the light showing through the rose color is very soft and pleasing.
Margaret Greenleaf