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Q. I recently redid a guest bedroom and it's just wrong, wrong, wrong. What would you do? I have to keep the bed (family and sentimental) and I love the desk but I am clueless how to make it work. I was thinking of putting up beadboard on the walls with a chair railing and possibly painting one half white and one-half a color, but I'm not sure that would help. Help....please.
A: We turned to Amie Corley of Amie Corley Interiors (314-496-6022, amiecorley.com). Her response:
The main problem with this bedroom is that there are both very good things and very bad things going on. It's the bad things that are keeping the good things from standing out. Here is my plan of action for making all of the great items in the room actually look pulled together and polished.
TO KEEP:
1. Bed: Sentimental
2. Bedding: Love the turquoise and white Thomas Paul stuff. Very cute!
3. White Desk: Love this piece, too—works well with the other white pieces and is a nice contrast to the heavier bed.
4. Rug: The colors work well with all of your other pieces.
5. White Dresser: Nice and Simple. You could update it with fun hardware. I'd put round brass knobs on it for something different.
6. White Chair: Cute piece and plays nicely with other pieces. I'd get a white mongolian lamp pillow to throw on it to bring in some texture.
7. Floor Lamp: Simple and basic.
TO CHANGE:
1. Window Coverings: Needs new curtains. Hang these as high as possible, right below the crown molding, and maybe woven wood/ bamboo shades for that window over the heater. I would do basic white linen panels from Pottery Barn and make sure that they touch the floor at a minimum. It's always better for curtains to be too long rather than too short. I would put two panels on each window and a bamboo shade, even though the bed is blocking some of the window. Curtains are an essential piece for making a bedroom feel cozy.
2. Walls and Woodwork: The biggest fix would be to paint the woodwork and doors white and paint the walls a color. Once the woodwork is white, there are a number of color schemes that could work in this space. A pale yellow on the walls would look really warm or a lighter shade of aqua—like what's in the bedding—would be a beautiful, soft look.
3. Lighting: New lamps are a must. I'd keep it simple and inexpensive with big white gourd lamps. You need some symmetry in this room as everything is so different. I would definitely do a pair of smallish end tables and pair of lamps next to the bed.
4. New sconces over the desk area would help, too. The ones that are there are a bit gothic looking... too heavy.
5. Add a matching pair of end tables for the bed/lamps.
6. New Desk Chair: I do something in a bright color, like a fuchsia or chartreuse to make it pop against that white desk. I'd do something more modern to contrast with all your vintage/antique pieces.
7. Get rid of all the different bookshelves and do one simple Parsons-style bookcase behind that white chair and floor lamp.
8. Consolidate your art. There are too many little things hanging all over the place. Pick one wall and do a big grouping of everything together.
9. Add a great bolster pillow on the bed with some of the other colors from the room in it—fuschia would really pop on that white/aqua bedding.
