Bedroom Furniture Arrangement IdeasAlthough bedrooms are almost too varied to treat as a whole, individually they should be carefully planned as to furniture and requisites and their placement. Above all, a bedroom should be restful. An accumulation of furniture placed haphazard will have quite the opposite effect. The bed, the main object in the bedroom, should be so placed that the sleeper gets the utmost degree of comfort. It should not directly face the strongest light; the light should come from the side. In addition the bed should not be placed in a cross draught either from windows or doors, nor should it be placed directly against the wall. At the head, the bed or beds should have a nightstand with a light. Nothing is more inconvenient than to have no place but the floor to lay a book, a bottle or a tray or a glass of water. However simple the table, it is a requisite. A comfort, and to some of us a requisite, is a chaise longue at the foot of the bed. This may be the simplest wicker bench or a Louis XVI chaise tongue luxuriously upholstered and pillowed, but it certainly serves as a solace to wearied bones. Also at the foot of the bed a low slipper chair is a boon and a comfort, especially to the stout! A pair of low benches at the foot of a pair of twin beds is convenient, but rather reminiscent of a hotel. A large or small, but above all comfortable, upholstered chair should be in every bedroom, especially if the chaise tongue is lacking. Severe, graceless, comfortless bedrooms are a thing of the past, smacking too much of our New England grandmothers or of Fra Angelico convents. So we add the aids to vanity a dressing table, bureau or chiffonier with several straight chairs. If space is at a premium, a dressing table and chiffonier make an excellent combination. A long cheval glass or mirror set into the door of such a room serves a double purpose. It does its duty as a mirror and also makes the room appear larger. A sewing table is also a praise-worthy adjunct to any bedroom. In a bedroom where the walls are paneled, a pleasant bed arrangement is to place the bed in front of a large panel, and drape from the molding side curtains, which are looped back and, across the top, a gathered valance. Both hangings and valance may be edged with a 1 ½ inch fringe, and the loops as well. The bedspreads should be made of the same material, which may be silk, or a "toile de Jouy" linen. Thus the bed is given the appearance of being draped. If the bed is of a French design and painted, the effect is both rich and unusual. Also, if the windows are on the opposite side of the room from the bed, there is opportunity to repeat the hangings on both sides of the room. Next Page: Guest Room Furniture. |
