Tuesday, January 1, 2013

How To Dress a Bed

I told you guys on Saturday that I would show the redo of my old clients' friends' bed.
Connie and Chris are a big reason I bought a house down here in Flerida.
I had done their home in Vermont.
Then they bought a new winter home in Florida.
Connie thought it would be a good idea to use a local Florida decorator.
This way she wouldn't have to pay for my traveling expenses.
Well.......
FAKE OUT ON HER!!!!!!!
I make it look easy, but decorating is hard!!!!
The local designer made a whole bunch of boo boos, and I had to come to the rescue and redo a large part of the job.
Sooooooo......
She had to pay me to travel after all!!!!!
But then she encouraged me to buy my own house down here!!!!!
This way there were no more traveling expenses!!!!!
So, now I live in Flerida in the winter too.
Only, now I've retired, and she and I have become true friends.....
Soooooo.....
When she needs some shopping help, she gets it for free.....
(but I did make her buy me lunch)
Although, let it be noted, that for anything involving formal ordering.....
I CHARGE!!!!!

Soooooo.....
Back to Chris's bed.
I never helped with the bedding, other than the boxspring cover.
Connie and the previous decorator chose all the bedding.
Connie wasn't happy with it.
Here's how it looked when I was finished......

This is what I started with.
Connie doesn't like the look of wrinkled pillow cases, so she hides them behind the pillow shams.
I don't think it looks so great.
Chris likes using 4 pillows, so it can be somewhat of a challenge in making the bed look pretty.
I didn't have a problem with this, but she wanted more of a
 "Betsy"
 finished look.
Sooooooo......
We went to Pottery Barn and bought out the store!!!!!
We lucked out with the nicest sales lady.
She knew her stuff, and kept the whole process moving right along.
I'm not a good retail customer.
I get impatient and bored.

I like the look of a blanket cover,
 so I used the duvet cover without a duvet to act as a blanket cover, supplying a jolt of pattern and color
 that worked off of the tribal feel of the lamps and artwork.
I tucked in the blanket cover but left the sheet loose for a more casual feel.
I like this better than having the sheet tucked in.
Here's a view with it tucked in. Each room is different, so it depends on the feel I'm going for.
Yes, I am actually this obsessive about details.
The store had just gotten in these wonderful diamond quilted natural linen quilts and shams.
They worked beautifully with the tones of the terracotta paisley and striped pillow.
I chose a fabric that worked with the feeling of the lamps.

So let me explain to you the theory that I used when choosing what went where.
I wanted pattern on the main part of the bed,
 as there was no other pattern in the room.

But I didn't want the shams right on top of the blanket cover,
 I wanted to break the pattern up, 
so as it wouldn't all bleed together.
So I chose cream colored sheets (also from Potter Barn) 
to complement the cream tones of the other fabrics,
 and set the pillow cases against the shams.

I folded the quilt at the foot of the bed for a nice 
block of textured cream
and repeated it in the European shams behind the paisley shams.
This creates a 
rhythm of repeating color and texture.
Then it was all pulled together with the awning stripe pillow in front
 (also from Potter Barn)

At this point, I was very happy with it.....
Connie didn't like the four pillows piled up, 
so we hid two of them,
 scrunched up behind the Euro shams.
She has a problem with wrinkles in sheets.....
She's worried the wrinkles will bother her.
I should thank the stars every morning when I wake up that
 I don't care about that stuff!!!!!
My pillow cases are all wrinkled on my bed, and 
I don't see them.....
so they don't exist!!!!!

Just as a little taste for the rest of their house.....
Here's the view from the balcony off Chris's bedroom!!!!!
(I will be showing the rest of Connie and Chris's house in my posts
 after I'm done with my guest room.)

So......
HAPPY NEW YEAR YOU GUYS!!!!
Later, Gator
Photobucket
Partying at:

19 comments:

Babs said...

Connie's bedroom is beautiful. Love your choice of bed linens, but I'm with Connie on wrinkles. I'm one of those people who likes ironed sheets and pillow cases. Sorry 'bout that. :)
Babs

Denise Marie said...

Perfection! luv each detail. What gorgeous furniture to work w/too.

Gwen said...

It looks MUCH better after you have worked your magic! It's beautiful, and I wish I could afford to hire you to do my cabin in the mountains...but instead I'll just get inspiration from your blog!!! :)

Blondie's Journal said...

This is a great post for me as I change my bedding up several times a year and always fuss, fuss, fuss over it! I love how you have repeated patterns and how you have arranged the pillows. Very nice, Betsy!

XO,
Jane

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Looks a thousand times better after you changed it up, Betsy. Good job!

Happy New Year to you...

XO,

Sheila

Anonymous said...

It really looks great
carmen

Shirley@Housepitality Designs said...

So glad you came to the rescue!!....Beautiful bedding!!...made a huge difference! Happy New Year!

Lorilee said...

Beautiful! I hate wrinkled sheets too! But I only like 100% cotton, so wrinkles are a problem!
Blessings,
Lorilee

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

I'm glad she called you back.

Anonymous said...

The after is so so much prettier than the before! I love your choices. That wooden bed is just gorgeous! Happy New Year Betsy! lin

Gramma Bottoms said...

You explained the methods behind you madness so well, better than anyone I've ever read. Thank you so much for letting us see your thought processes and keeping us entertained with your wit at the same time. You're a hoot!

THE FARMHOUSE PORCH said...

I love this soft casual bed. I think getting away with wrinkles and messiness has to do with height and layers too. When you pile on pillows and duvets and fluffy textures...wrinkles are fine! But when I see a flat cheap "bed in a bag" comforter and one lonely flat old nubby faded pillow,like a dorm room bed...it's just sad looking. Made or unmade. So I agree with you, untucked and wrinkles are fine as long as it looks full of quality bedding and layers. Did that make sense? :D Can't wait to see the rest!
Lisney

The White Pear Tree said...

Great advice here about repeating patterns and such!

I don't mind wrinkles in my sheets. They match the wrinkles in my face when I sleep and it creates a rhythm of patterns, lol! It's all good! (There really is a silver lining in everything if you look hard enough!)

Happy New Year Betsy!

Nicole

vignette design said...

Oh, I love that faux bamboo bed. I'm very particular about how to make my bed and it looks like we share the same philosophies. Love how you made Connie's bed! Happy New Year Betsy!

Di said...

The bedroom looks so much better after you got a hold of it! Happy New Year Betsy........love your sense of humor!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful just beautiful! I had no idea so much can go into dressing a bed, I especially love the paisley and the linen quilt together.

Miss Kitty said...

Betsy, I love your writing as much as I love your decorating...which is A LOT! So what is the pillow configuration day to day since Chris doesn't want to see the actual pillows that were slept on? You said that two got squished behind the shams. Front to back is is the striped pillow, then the paisley, then the quilted shams, then the wrinkled cases? I need to know for the occasion times I make up my bed.

Marti @ SewLicious Home Decor said...

That is beautiful! I am hosting SHOW-licious Craft Showcase if you would like to participate! :)

http://sew-licious.blogspot.com/2013/01/saturday-show-licious-craft-showcase-14.html

Happy New Year!
Marti

Anonymous said...

Beautiful just beautiful blog! It looks much better after you have worked your magic! It's beautiful and attractive and I had no idea so much can go into dressing a bed, I especially love the paisley and the linen quilt together.
Biancheria Trussardi

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