Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Country Bedroom Decorating Ideas, Part 2

Country style decorating is one of the most popular themes to use in a bedroom, and part two of this two part series provides tips and ideas to help you create just the right touch of country style in your own bedroom!

Style Pointers

Natural materials, practical furnishings, and restrained but rich color schemes typify country style. Note the features pinpointed here to help you recreate the look.

ACCESSORIES

Traditional touches include an old cradle housing dolls and a Shaker-style peg rail.

WINDOWS

Roman blinds in unbleached cotton and off-white painted window frames and reveals add to the sense of natural light.

furniture

An antique mahogany bed with turned wood posts and acorn-shaped finials is comfortably dressed with crisp cotton bed linen, a checked blanket, and traditional quilt. A Windsor chair and simple wooden bench provide seating.

WALLS

Vertical tongue-and-groove paneling, painted teal blue with a grapevine motif frieze, makes a rich backdrop, lifted by the off-white ceiling and paintwork.

FLOOR

Varnished pine floorboards are softened with simple, plain, and striped throw rugs, echoing the wall and ceiling colors.

Furnishings

The bed: This is the focal point of the room. Interestingly, early American antique beds would today be considered too narrow and short, so oldish and reproduction beds are better in terms of both comfort and cost. Four-poster beds with or without canopies, or half-testers with two headposts and a small canopy, in dark, polished old wood such as bird's-eye maple, mahogany, or fruitwood are ideal. Curved, carved headboards and carved finials - fruit and flower motifs are typical - on slender, turned posts add to the look. Simple brass beds are equally suitable. On a budget, decorate plain pine furniture with Pennsylvania Dutch-type stenciling, perhaps repeating stenciled wall motifs.

Other furniture: Freestanding, dark, polished wood is best; keep away from built-in units or matching suites. Authentic choices include huge old armoire-type wardrobes, 'high boys' and 'lowboys', which can double as desks or dressing tables. At the foot of the bed, place a stenciled dowry chest, blanket chest, or old sea trunk. Candle stands and washstand cupboards make authentic occasional tables; on a budget, cover an inexpensive table with a floor-length patchwork or white damask cloth.

Accessories: Layers of fresh-looking bed linens, topped by a patchwork, applique, or plain quilt, a white chenille bedspread, or a woven coverlet can give an anonymous bed a country look. Crisp white piecework, crochet or lacework cushions, runners, and tablecloths add a softening influence. Display simple vases, jugs, and baskets of garden flowers and house plants. On the walls, hang framed needlework samplers, or unsophisticated paintings or prints of fruits and flowers, domestic animals, or country scenes.

A related decorating theme you might like is French Country: http://www.diyhomedecorating.com/Decorating-Styles/french-country-decorating.php

2007, Kathy Burns-Millyard. Want to learn all about different types of Home Decorating Styles such as country, cottage, or shabby chic? Visit the Do It Yourself Home Decorating Network (http://www.diyhomedecorating.com/) now to see what's new!

Invitation For An 80th Birthday Party
Gold Wedding Invitation Cards
Free Printable Kids Dinosaur Birthday Invitations
Free Housewarming Invitations Template
Wording For A First Birthday Invitation
Design Your Own Wedding Invitation Free Download
Casino Invitation Night Sample
Custom Invitation Unique
Graduation Dinner Invitation Wording
Free Baby Shower Invitation Cards
Sample Dinner Invitation Letter
Scrapbooking Invitation For Baby Shower
Invitation Baby Shower Boy
Wedding Couples Shower Invitations
Free Disney Birthday Invitations
Invitation Kit Wedding
Free Bridal Shower Invitation Card
Discount Invitation Paper
Celtic Wedding Invitation Sample Word
Free Bridal Shower Invitation Wording
Yellow Duck Birthday Card Invitation Template
Anniversary Invitation Card Printers Independence Mo
Free 40th Birthday Invitation Cards
Baby 1st Birthday Invitation
Unique Beach Wedding Invitation
Baby Shower Invitation Paper
Personalized Communion Invitations
Wedding Invitation Wording Casual