Interior Design Concepts by Dr. Decorator

More than any other room in a home, children’s rooms are vehicles for multi-purpose living.  A child’s room is a laboratory for development and growth.  It is the arena in which children live, learn, and play –   the microcosm of his or her world.  It is in their rooms and from their cribs that babies discover and explore their personal universe.  Within this extension of the womb, babies first connect with their parents and caretakers.  It is here that they eat, sleep, play and begin developing into the adults they will one day become.

Not just for sleeping, a child’s bedroom is probably the ultimate studio apartment.  It is a space where the child does practically everything that pertains to his or her daily life.  Its décor has to suit a multitude of purposes and offer a combination of relaxation and stimulation within the same living space.

The sleeping area often takes up the largest chunk of space in the room, with sleeping requirements varying according to a child’s age.  The need for a sleep section runs the gamut from a crib for an infant, to a bunk bed or twin mattress for a toddler, to a full- or queen- size bed for a teen or young adult.  Children also like to have sleep-over dates, and this means adding extra sleeping space.  This can be accomplished with a bunk bed, a trundle bed, a sleep sofa, or a good old sleeping bag.  These options should be considered when planning the furniture layout of a child’s bedroom.

Needs change as a child grows and matures, and living spaces must accommodate such change.  In early years, the bed and the changing table are the focus of a child’s room.  As the infant becomes a toddler, the living space has t suit more requirements.  Storage becomes an important factor.  It has always been a source of amazement that little people require so many things – and so much space for these things.  The baby needs a place to play, and that means storage for playthings as well as for clothing and baby supplies.  This need can be accommodated by built-in closets and shelving.  A decorative solution is a shelf running around the top of the room above the windows.  For a young child, the shelf can hold stuffed animals.  As the child gets older, the shelf can hold books, dolls, or sports trophies.

Children need friends.  That means creating space for play and for playmates.  Lots of floor space is always a plus so kids can stretch out to play games.  If there is room, it is great to have a table-and-chairs set for tea parties, coloring, or board games.

As children get older they want more privacy, and kid’s room becomes a hangout or a private den.  Those who are fortunate enough to have large living spaces may even be able to incorporate a sitting area where they can watch TV and play video games.  Plasma televisions are moving into children’s rooms along with stereos and sound systems, and must be accommodated.

With the busy lives that we lead, our homes have to serve a range of purposes.  Some people are fortunate enough to live in a massive residence with a designated space for each purpose: a home theater, workout room, virtual golf room, his and her offices, and guest and servant rooms, in addition to the standard family bedrooms, kitchen, living and dining rooms, and bathrooms.  Other people incorporate mini-kitchens and dining areas into large bedroom suites.

But most of us are not this lucky.  We fit our multipurpose lives into multipurpose homes.  Living areas can be created from a variety of spaces.  What is cozy for one can be claustrophobic to another; one person’s grand space can seem overwhelming and cavernous to someone else.  But whatever their size, our living spaces must accommodate our everyday needs.

By that standard, the most important room in our homes is the one we utilize with our eyes closed-the bedroom.  We typically spend eight or more hours a night sleeping in our bedrooms.  But these spaces are not just for sleeping.  They must allow for many other functions.  Bedrooms are for dressing, for doing paperwork, for watching television, for listening to music, for working on the computer, for exercising, for reading and relaxing, and even for dining.  To accommodate any or all of these activities within a single area is truly a design challenge.

Designers try to create a room which is aesthetically cohesive even when it involves disparate parts.  Combining numerous activities into a single room or suite requires a bit of imaginative juggling.  When trying to organize the space, the first step is to create a floor plan and to figure out what goes where.

For the bedroom floor plan, the top priority is to carve out the space for the bed, because that is the single largest element in the room.  Night tables and lamps are placed next to the bed.  This presents an opportunity for some other options.  Since night tables have grown larger than they were in the past, a pair of over sized pieces could provide clothing storage and eliminate the need for a dresser.  Another option might be to eliminate one night table and replace it with a desk, thereby creating an instant home office.  In this case, choose a night table and desk that are the same height, which will maintain a sense of balance even though the pieces are of different widths.

The home office has become a requirement for many of us.  Even if you  do not actually work at home, you probably need a place to do paperwork, pay bills, and use the computer.  But a work space in the bedroom often introduces messy paperwork.  To eliminate clutter, set up a shallow closet with shelves- similar to a linen closet- for paper storage.  If there is no space in the bedroom for an open desk, try creating an extra closet where the desk, files, and shelving can be hidden behind a pair of French doors.  Presto change-o, close the doors and the office disappears.

If there’s a television in the bedroom, it has to be positioned for comfortable viewing from the bed.  There are a few options for his.  The television can be hidden in an armoire, placed at the foot of the bed in a pop-up cabinet, or mounted flat on the wall above a fireplace or low base cabinet.  With today’s sleeker televisions, no one has to hide the TV in furniture as if it were a dirty little secret.  Televisions are open to view and can be wall-mounted like a work of art.  Indeed, the latest framing systems fit molding around the screen as though it were a fine painting.

Alas, exercise equipment has not yet gone through a comparable transformation.  If you want to keep an exercise bike or treadmill in your bedroom, hide it behind a beautiful folding screen which can be moved out of place when needed.

A sitting area is a lovely extra bonus if the bedroom has enough space.  The photo shown here features a marble fireplace flanked by two graceful chairs and an elegant chaise.  Replace the mirror above the fireplace with a plasma TV and this antique-style bedroom would meet contemporary media needs.  This bedroom in a huge old house with very high ceilings and giant windows.  The challenge here was the bed placement.  Because there were no solid walls on which the bed could be located, it was placed in front of the window the window treatment forms an alcove which encompasses the bed and acts as a cozy canopy.  It is a gracious feminine bedroom fit for a queen (and king).

The second bedroom shown here was an architecturally difficult space.  The very high ceiling lends it a sense of drama.  However, the room was devoid of windows.  The single window is on a far wall, set into an alcove.  An antique French poster featuring an outdoor screen created the feeling of an additional window, while the metal canopy bed, with its leaf motif, extends the garden mood.  The antique French desk provides a comfortable but elegant spot for paperwork.  Not seen in the photo are a pair of French armoires (with a TV in one), a skirted dressing table, a floor-length mirror, a cozy window seat, and a comfortable seating area.  The result is a perfect illustration of how one room can serve a variety of functions-sleeping, dressing, television viewing, reading and relaxing, and home office work-and still present itself as a cohesive unit.  It is elegant and calming at the same time.  The soft coloration and the gracious furnishings make this space a perfect retreat for the end of a busy day.

This brings us to the most important function of the multipurpose bedroom: It’s a haven in which we can unwind, recharge, and escape from daily demands.  That is why bedrooms are the definitely not just for sleeping.  They are also for everything else that goes on in our busy lives.

E-mail your questions to Dr. Decorator, at drdecorator@hotmail.com, or write to Jeani Ziering, c/o Elegant Accent Magazine, P.O. Box 309, Cedarhurst, NY 11516

Window treatments present a constant design challenge.  Windows come in all hsapes and sizes; they differ from home to home and from room to room.  They often vary in shape and size even within the same room.  The solution that was wondrous in one space becomes disastrous in another.  The variety of products and options is overwhelming; the combination is definite material for a major decorating migraine.

In addition to the plethora of possible choices, window design presents another challenge in that it must satisfy so many requirements.  A well designed window treatment must not only be beautiful, but – perhaps even more importantly – it must be functional.  Window coverings must control light, offer privacy and security, sometimes control heat and glaring sun rays, and  – even while working hard to accomplish all these goals – make the window look good.

Window coverings can camouflage architectural flaws and complement architectural favors.  With the benefit of the decorator’s magic wand, a small, awkward window can be made to appear large and glamorous.  Conversely, if a window is over-scaled for a room, a few well-chosen yards of fabric can change a cold glass wall into an elegant backdrop.  If you have a beautiful view, you want your window covering to frame and enhance it.  If you view is less than wonderful, you want your window covering to obscure it.  Installing a window valance just below the ceiling molding can give your room the illusion of added height.  A small, narrow window can be made to appear wider when fabric panels are hanging on the wall to each side of the window rather than being installed directly on the glass.  Well-chosen window designs can transform problem windows into decorative assets.

In designer trade lingo, window covering come in two varieties:  hard treatments and soft treatments.  Hard treatments are the products which cover the glass areas and are used to control light and privacy.  These include such well-known items as mini-blinds, two-inch horizontal blinds in metal or wood, vertical blinds, and the ever popular shades and shutters.  In recent years, the phrase “hard treatment” has come to include certain more decorative products such as pleated shades, cellular shades, roman shades, and silhouette shades.  For modern décor or for very tailored spaces, the hard treatments can often be left to stand on their own.  They cover blank glass spaces and also serve munch-needed functions.  When the room setting is more traditional or more decorative, the hard treatments are framed by fabric window coverings, called “soft treatments”.

If you think that the variety of hard treatments can make your head spin, just wait until you are confronted with the world of soft treatments.  The choices are infinite.  When making selections of soft treatments, designers are faced with a variety of choice which must put together in a cohesive unit called “window décor”.

First we start with the architecture of the room, the size and location of the windows, and the style of the furnishings.  Selections have to be appropriate to the space and the décor.   If a room has a high-tech modern ambiance, we certainly would not treat the windows with formal drapes that “puddle,” or hang on the floor.  Conversely, in a traditional space with elaborate wall molding and antique and reproduction furniture, metallic mini-blinds would be an incongruous choice.

The next step is to figure out the style of the window treatment.  The phrase “top treatment” refers to the valance treatment that sits across the top of the window.  These come in a variety of styles and can be made to use alone or in conjunction with the draper panels that hang along the sides of the windows.

After all this, we still have to select fabrics and trims.  Fabric choices have to complement the furnishings and wall coverings in a space.  Fabric and color choice make a very strong design statement, and must be carefully selected.  Fabric trims are the embellishments that dress up the treatment.  Fringes, tassels, rings, and all other sorts of interesting items that are utilized for window décor installations.  The choices are limited only by your imagination.

The “before” and “after” photos shown here provide striking examples of the power of window design to transform a room setting.  In the feminine bedroom (left), I used the window design not only to drape the window, but also to drape the bed.  Because the wall space between the windows was so much smaller than the actual bed, I designed one large treatment which would take the eye away from the size disparities and frame the bed just as a canopy would.  Pleated silhouette shades are the hard treatment which controls light and privacy.  The window valance made of embroidered silk and the delicate lace draperies are the soft treatments which create the mood of the space.  The window fabrics are repeated on the bed for a coordinated décor.

The photo of the single large window and window seat are another example of the variety of choice.  A pleated shade can cover the window if needed.  The view is beautiful and the shade is designed to hide behind the valance when not needed.  This is a version of a layered treatment.  The bottom layer is an elaborately draped and arched balloon shade of richly colored lace.  The top layer is a swag overlay made of floral patterned silk, lined in a complementary silk plaid.  The combination illustrates how a window can frame a beautiful view while also embracing the room’s décor.  The treatment is rich and luxurious without overwhelming the space.

These are just two examples of the multitude of choices available to enhance the home.  It is often said that the eyes are windows to a person’s soul.  In the world of interior design, the soul of a home can sometimes be glimpsed through its windows and window décor.