A Bedroom Redo...

Steel asked me to redesign their bedroom as a surprise for Jackson while they were away on their babymoon and I jumped at the chance. I knew my brother would never complain about the décor Steel had picked out before their mating but it wasn’t Jackson’s style. It was stark, modern and lacking the warmth he preferred.

When I approach a design job for a client, I show them four different charts arranging colors into groups called Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Now some of you might be familiar with this concept as it has been used by women for years to determine the color of clothes that look the best on them. And if you aren’t familiar with this concept, take a look in your closet and you’ll see what I mean.

For some this might be easy to see because the closet is organized by color. If your closet is a mess like my brother’s Zane, then discerning the colors that you are drawn to might be more difficult. But trust me, when you look at clothes in a store, you instinctively gravitate to certain colors over and over. After you determine your go-to color choices, find them on one of these charts and you will discover what season you are.

I know, by this time you are wondering what does this have to do with my brother’s bedroom. It’s simple. I’ve found people are more comfortable living in

rooms that use the colors they like.So for instance, Jackson is a Fall. He loves earth tones, woody accents, and simple style furniture. And Steel is a Winter. He gravitates toward deep dark colors and stark modern furniture as seen in his great room which boasts of sleek, black leather couches. Two diverse styles and I had to figure out how to merge these two styles so their bedroom would be comfortable for both.

I started by picking out colors from both color charts which were the browns and the taupes then adding muted golds and a pop of persimmon. The furniture I chose was also a marriage of their preferences. All the pieces have straight lines with little if any decoration. This allowed me to use a wood framed bed with chrome and glass tables as nightstands. The chairs in the seating area mirror the rest of the furniture’s straight lines even though they are upholstered. The final design is one of muted tones which evokes a feeling of calmness and serenity, exactly what I wanted for them ̶ a place Jackson and Steel could relax and unwind after a long day. I know you’re eager to see the finished room so here it is.

Their bedroom is understated with lots of texture to keep it lively. On the walls I used two colors – the main color is a taupe color I picked from the Winter chart. You’ll find it on the walls behind the bed and around the window. Then in the seating area, I used a complimentary dark brown to give intimacy to that area.

The linen drapes are the same taupe as the walls so they blend in, allowing the spectacular view to be appreciated without distraction. Finally, the carpet is a shade darker so it grounds the room.

Now the furniture. I used a simple wood framed bed with an upholstered headboard insert. This allowed me to use a muted gold silk fabric as an accent on the dark wood of the bed. The bedding is crisp, white, Egyptian cotton with a light gold quilted coverlet.

On either side, I used narrow chrome and glass tables as nightstands to keep the area around the bed looking light and airy. The X-cross stools ̶ repeating the design elements of the glass tables ̶ are upholstered using the same persimmon color of the chairs in the seating area.

I hung a lights with a cream color shade on either side of the bed above the night tables and in front of the very large silver-framed mirrors. This is a great trick to use when you have a room done in earth tones. The mirrors also reflect daylight or moonlight around the room, bringing the outside in and keeping the room light.

And finally, I hung an unfinished board above the window as a valance. It was my nod to our old pack house we built after the massacre as it came from some unused lumber I had saved for use inside.