Diane Dorrans Saeks

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DREAMY BEDROOMS

To sleep, perchance to dream...

Bedrooms at their best fulfill the great human need for retreat, privacy, repose, day-dreaming, and a return to the land of tranquility All of the elements in a bedroom--bed, floor, window coverings, storage, lighting, linens, chairs--should be calm, composed, and restful on the eyes and the body.

Linda Floyd, a designer in San Jose, California, believes in starting out with a simple, versatile design palette of neutral-colored walls, and classic, well-proportioned window dressings.

"Get the interior architecture and background of a room right first, then the bedrooms can be added to, updated and refined without fuss," Floyd said. White or cream wall paint won’t date. Nor will beige and taupe-striped wallpaper, or perhaps a petite abstract printed wallpaper, or subtle pastel paint with a French wash or fresco-like finish.

Simple and unfussy bedrooms are also easiest to care for, so that clutter is not on your mind as you drift off to sleep. Chic, budget-conscious bedrooms start with simple classic colors such as taupe, eggshell, celadon, or pale peach to give decorating freedom.

Simplicity doesn’t have to mean boring. Add piping, welting, or a narrow fringe to give a custom-made look to plain textiles. Include the texture and personality of flea-market finds, old books, a favorite leather chair, a painted chest of drawers, or a mirror with a gilded frame.

Whether taste runs to simple white sheets or an elaborately-dressed four-poster bed, its prudent to buy the best quality bedrooms furnishings you can afford. Then furniture, draperies and decor will have longevity, said Pasadena, California, interior designer, Kate Stamps. The mattress should be well made of durable materials, and steel springs. Pillows should be all-down, or down-and-feather, for comfort and durability.

"It’s better to have fewer things that are the very finest you can afford than a lot of mediocre furniture and linens cluttering a bedroom," said Floyd. "That doesn’t mean everything is costly. Save by covering a pretty chair in inexpensive cotton muslin. Give an upholstered headboard a slipcover of plain , natural linen. Versatile, quality furnishings will always give you pleasure, no matter how many times you move."

Top interior designers say that it is important to avoid trendy looks, colors and furniture, to forgo fads. Classic linens , like those in the Frette, Porthault, Palais Royal and Calvin Klein bedding collections offer lasting value.

Keep bedrooms fresh and inviting by reviving and changing the decor a little every year or so. Rearrange accessories, rehang paintings, display new photographs, repaint the walls, and rearrange bookshelves. It’s your retreat, your haven, and new bed linens or fresh draperies give your mood a boost.

Dressing the bed has become more creative and personal, too. Sheets and pillowcases and shams don’t have to match. A romantic bed could combine a floral pattern duvet cover, a plain top sheet, a floral fitted sheet, and an assortment of lacy pillows-none of them matching. Or the bed can be dressed elegantly with a duvet cover and shams in shades of pale champagne, plus plain off-white sheets and taupe pillows with white piping. The fitted sheet and top sheet can be different styles. One may be striped and the other plain-or the top sheet could be a pale blue with white lace trim, and the bottom sheet might be in a plain blue chambray.Juxtaposing heirloom lace linens with simple white new linens is always charming.

Everything does not have to be brand new. Eclectic family heirlooms, thrift-shop treasures, an attic-sale find with chipped paint, even tag-sale furniture, will save a bedroom from looking impersonal and cold.

"Bedrooms today can be decorated in inexpensive white pique, in white Irish linen, cotton canvas, even plain natural cotton," said New York designer Stephen Brady. "Mixing colors and textures, such as a vividly colored knitted cashmere throw with pure white cotton sheets, and adding favorite antiques, can give the bedroom a sense of vitality."

Ultimately, the bedroom should fulfill fantasies. Trust your own taste. And sweet dreams!

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BEDROOM DESIGN TIPS

PRIVACY AND DARKNESS
Light control must be the first consideration of window design. For efficient night-and-day light control, select dense drapery fabrics (such as velvet or washed denim), and line them with light flannel interlining to block light completely. For night-time privacy, opaque draperies (in damask, heavy-weight cotton, for example) linen Roman blinds, or metal blinds will work efficiently.

ROMANTIC LACE
Sheer white or off-white lace curtains drawn across the window during the day give both privacy and charm.

SIMPLE IS BEST
Avoid complicated draperies-unless the room is very large and has high ceilings. Simple and uncomplicated is always easiest to keep clean.

INEXPENSIVE WINDOW COVERINGS
Matchstick blinds are a perfect low-budget window covering. They can be painted white or cream or left natural. They are usually friendlier and more casual-looking than metal shades.

CLEVER STORAGE
If space is limited and closets must work overtime, special underbed chests and boxes can be ordered from catalogues like Hold Everything. Use them for storing summer sandals, extra linens, sweaters, a fireproof chest of important papers and computer disks, perhaps blankets and throws. The bedskirt will conceal them

RETROFITTED ARMOIRES
An antique armoire, a vintage dresser, or a big, new bookcase all give a room character and style and make excellent additional storage places. The armoire may be "retrofitted" with sturdy new shelves so that it will hide a television, even make space for a highly organized home office.

VERSATILE FURNITURE
A large trunk or chest (antique or new) at the end of the bed can hold extra pillows, winter blankets, wool throws, quilts or cushions. It also provides a place for setting out the day’s clothing, or extra seating.

SENSIBLE FLOORING
Wall-to-wall carpets are sometimes a must for warmth, but they can make a room look bland and hotel-like. Best choices for a rug or unfitted carpet are a plain flat-weave wool, a cut-pile wool velvet, or a plain geometric-patterned wool. Unobtrusive patterns are versatile and easy to maintain. Sisal can be scratchy on bare feet and may not be ideal for bedrooms. Other practical choices include old Oriental carpets, antique Indian cotton dhurrie rugs, and traditional hooked rugs. Don’t be afraid of bare floors! and simple cotton rugs are softer. Hardwood floors are handsome, but there should be at least a small rug on the floor beside the bed to step on.