House to home: Ready for guests?
Q. I’m fixing up a tiny bedroom as a guest room for holiday company. Can you recommend any wall finishes that would look romantic and cozy and would suit lots of different ages and personalities? Thanks. – Zoe
A. I have just finished renovating my tiny London home, and one of the rooms that I particularly like is the little bedroom in the attic. It is my guest room, but I have a feeling that I will be sneaking up there myself. Attic rooms can be a challenge with sloping ceilings that make the space feel even smaller. But to me this is cozy, perfect for happy dreams and a good night’s sleep.
It is said that in order to make a small room appear larger, you must use white or light colors on the walls. It is true that pastels are airy and give the illusion of pushing out the walls and enlarging the space. But darker colors, or oversized and busy patterns, are a cozy alternative. I papered the whole room in a glorious damask patterned wallpaper from Farrow & Ball (www.farrow-ball.com). It looks like an original stenciled finish that would have taken days to paint. (I did this on my walls years ago, and it looked stunning, but it was labor-intensive.) Farrow & Ball makes their own wallpaper using paints instead of dyes to create the patterns. Not only are the colors brilliant, but you can feel the texture. It looks like painted wallpaper, and it is, but they do the work. The pattern shown here, called Silvergate, was translated from an early 19th century English damask paper originally printed at Silvergate in Norfolk.
Headboards more than ever claim the center of attention in bedrooms today, and this soft-grey tufted wool headboard, Charlton from The White Company (www.thewhitecompany.com), is no exception. It’s incredibly comfortable to lean against when you’re reading, and the wool feels cool in summer and warm in winter. The mirrored glass bedside table with drawers, and dresser (not seen), add a little Hollywood glam and generate sparkle and life in the cozy and romantic setting.
It’s always lovely to be able to add a bit of personal history to a room. It could be a hand-quilted bedspread, an old rocking chair or a grouping of old family photos. Here, I chose to hang a pair of antique lamps from France that I inherited from my grandmother. The room is finished now and awaits its first arrivals. Enjoy your decorating and let your imagination soar.
Q. My young nieces are visiting over the weekend, and I’d like to plan some Christmas projects for us to do together. They love crafts and baking, but I am no pro. Help! – Doreen
A. Your craft store will have lots of hands-on projects that come with materials and instructions. Why not make decorations together for a child’s Christmas tree? Cut out paper snowflakes; glue colored foil onto cardboard to fashion shiny stars; decorate Styrofoam balls with metallic paint and glitter. Bake up some gingerbread cookies – don’t forget a hole in the top for string to hang on the tree. Have the children decorate the cookies with sugar icing and sprinkles. If you still have time, have them design and decorate wrapping paper. All you need is a roll of brown or plain white paper, some paint and a few stamps with holiday motifs. You supply the materials, and they will guide you. Have fun.
Email your questions to house2home@debbietravis.com.