Dr. Decorator Rethinks Bedrooms
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
