furniture and decor blog

A family bedroom embraces the best of two worlds: play area and soothing retreat.

Paired with kid-friendly furniture, washable fabrics make it easy to transform a bedroom into a communal family space. The area in front of a gas-burning fireplace is designed as a place where kids can play, read, or work on projects. A soft wool rug, slipcovered chaise, and child-sized chairs carve out an inviting seating area where children can cuddle with parents in front of a fire. Built-in cupboards and recessed bookshelves provide clutter-resistant storage while framing the stone fireplace within their crisp lines.

An easy-to-clean floor of pickled pine boards with a semigloss topcoat takes the worry out of spills and art projects. A soothing palette of pale green and white promises to calm energetic toddlers as they settle down for a nap or bedtime story.

A bed placed with a garden view would, to some people, be ideal. However, this is not always possible for people who live in urban environments. If the bed has to face an ugly window and view, employ decorating tricks to make the room as bright and cheerful as possible. For instance, use a trompe l’oeil effect on a blind to create a view of your own, or perhaps use a translucent fabric blind to hide the view but let in the natural light. The important thing is to have the bed in the best position for a good night’s sleep. Some things are obvious, such as placing a bed too close to the window or the door can mean you sleep in a draft, and this is not good for your body.

Experiment with sleeping directions. Lie on the bed in all of the places it could be placed to see which direction feels right for you and your partner. You may be of a mind to consult a genuine expert in Feng Shui, too.

Also ensure there is space to walk from one side of the bed to the other. If space is tight, make sure you can open any drawers and closet doors without too much trouble. If you are storing boxes under the bed, leave space to access these with ease.

A successful room is the result of planning space. Use your list to ensure all of the furniture will fit without cramming it in.

You can survey the room or have it done by a professional. Whichever way you choose to proceed, the survey needs to be detailed, showing every measurement around the room: ceiling and window heights, wall heights and widths and their types of construction, radiator and heater positions, light switches and fittings, electrical power point positions, plus anything that could possibly affect the design process. Once the survey has been completed and a scale drawing prepared, the design on paper or by a computer program can commence.

Setting out what goes where will be governed by the size of the items that need to be fit in the room. You need to decide where to ideally place and orient the bed, the closets, chest of drawers, and any other items from your dream bedroom wish list.

Think about the first thing you see when you enter the room, because it is this that makes the impression. This is a major point to consider when allocating space. For instance, it would not be wise to have a tall, blank end-of-a-closet unit directly in view because that would make the room feel small and dark. It is better to first see a focal point, maybe the bed or a view of the outside.

Now you need to work out a design to follow. You can either draw the plan yourself, or contact a professional to either do it for you or help you visualize the room. Measure the walls and indicate where the doors and windows are on each wall. Also indicate the entrance to the ensuite bath, if there is one. Then measure the space your bed takes up, indicate where a free-standing or a reach-in closet is located, the chest of drawers, and any other pieces of furniture you want in the space. Using graph paper and a ruler, make a plan of your dream bedroom. Use a pencil so you can erase any errors. This activity might take some time, so set aside private time and space to do this without any distractions.
Use the list opposite to price the items you want. Use local retailers or Internet websites to build up a realistic picture of the final costs.

When you have determined what you need, the cost of renovation and installation must be considered. Changing wiring, adding media cables, repainting, buying general materials for renovation plans, adding new wood flooring and rugs or replacing carpet, or the addition of wood and other decorative panels will affect the total labor charge. For instance, do not consider handmade closets in solid hardwood if you know your budget will not stretch that far.

Porch or sunroom. You can also convert a porch or sunroom to office space, though you’ll probably need to build up the floor and walls, insulate, ventilate, and add temperature controls. What about pouring a small slab for a prefabricated greenhouse addition?

Pop-out. Maybe all your office plans need is a slight “push”—like the one furnished by a 24-inch wall extension or a bay window unit. Cantilevered pop-outs can bypass some building restrictions because they don’t need additional foundations.

Useful place to check: Home Office furniture

Attic conversion. There’s lots of potential here if you have the headroom: by code, it must be at least 7 feet over half the floor area. Side walls may be too low for standing, but not for sitting. Try stretching
countertops along these areas. Skylights and dormers add headroom and bring in light and air.
Attic floor joists may not be intended for “live” weight; if necessary, beef them up. Are there wires and pipes? You’ll need to reroute them.