Decorating advice

A new bedroom suite and a paint job, probably new carpet and ceiling fixture too.

OP, you in danger gurl.

Something in a contrasting color, in a bright hue. Sold yellow, or perhaps red. And prop and fluff those pillows up! You might consider getting a ceramic lamp in the same color as the accent pillow, too, with a white shade.

OP you have kind of boxed yourself in with the strict B&W theme. I do like your bed. I think you need to paint the walls a pleasant color. then you can add complimentary color pillows. Now, you may not add color pillows to that B&W dantesque hellscape.

OP is a faux naive troll.

Are you... Amish, OP?

This would be a great addition.

kill yourself......... I mean really

OP and the fam.

seriously............kill yourself.......

OP, the bedroom can wait. Why not do the living room first?

I think the bedroom looks lovely.

R4 are you color blind? That is blue and white not black and white.

yes sorry, I have FLUX on I just see tones of grey. OK if blue. But still DULL.

If it's blue, you could go with yellow or pink.

OP, since it’s almost Junior year tell Mom you need a new bed set. I’m sure your sheets are crunchy.

OP, it's gonna be a hard winter, maybe mama can take that quilt and make you up a winter coat.

Bed in a Bag, dear? Mine always come with throw pillows.

OP, anything you find at Goodwill is going to be just fine with that bedspread.

I think these Holly Hobbie throws would go nicely.

That is the ugliest bedroom I’ve ever seen OP. Why would you post that here? Why?

Burn it

This is really funny, since I just purchased the same (or very similar) quilt set for my little home in Maryland, where I work part of the time.

My room is painted very pale blue, with royal blue curtains, and a small rug.. I am using a few red accent pillows and a complimentary red/white/blue quilt folded at the foot. I have a platform bed, so the look is totally different than yours. Plus more artwork on the walls.

Who cares what anyone else thinks, as long as you like it?

From the Little House on the Prairie collection at Sears.

Is Holly Hobbie finally coming back?

My DataLounge is turning into HGTV. Mommie, I'm scared.

Omg... It looks like Bruce McArthur's kill room.

>complimentary color pillows.

Oooh! That's a really nice color there! So beautiful!

I would start off by ditching the grey pillowcases lurking in the background. Try to get an additional set of the blue and white matching ones. You've committed to that print, so you may as well go with it. The dark blue set at the back is fine, as it matches the lining of the bedspread.

Then just put some yellow flowers by the bed for the moment. I don't think you're ready for more than that.

Forget the throw pillows. Put a tall green plant on the floor in the corner (push your bedside table toward the bed as needed), and a small green plant on the bedside table. Get a throw rug to cover up that brown carpet. Switch to bright white sheets.

Paint your room white. I detest throw pillows, so NO.

Get a nice lamp.

Fresh Flowers, a plant, an indoor tree for some LIFE.

I am not a huge fan of that art on your wall, but to each their own. Maybe FUN frame photos of friends and family, instead.

Get some new pillows, those are the most depressingly flat looking things ever. And spring for some decent ones, it's worth it.

I like that quilt OP. where did you get it?

Your bed itself is nice (I like a wood sleigh with no footboard - particularly if you are tall like me) and the matching side tables are tolerable I suppose (I don't care for a "matching set" personally - but the lamps, rug, art and bedding will be what people see anyway). If you are actually sticking with this 1990's checkerboard quilt look (very dated), it really doesn't matter too much what pillows you pair with it - the end result will be "college dorm". Return it if you can.

I would go for a Ralph Lauren Home "style" here. Start by working with the things that are too costly (or labor intensive) to change - the brown carpeting in this case. You likely will not change either it or your existing furniture (both are fine). Match your newer, simple bedding to the tones of the carpet and wood but with different intensity (lighter and darker - so off-whites, creams and tans for the duvets/quilts/sheets and dark chocolates, blacks, charcoals mixed in both matte and higher gloss for the throw pillows). You need at least one lamp - bronze, nickel or even brass would work if the form of the lamp is contemporary. I would choose something with parchment lampshades personally, but this might be cost-prohibitive. Finally (and perhaps the cheapest fix) - choose a new wall color and spend an afternoon painting - cheap, fast and the change will be a massive improvement. I would look at light shades of warm cream, etc. Go to a paint store of your choice and take home at least 30 swatch samples to look at in the room with both natural and artificial lighting with/against your carpet and bed. The art is OK and fine for a bathroom or hallway - but no need to keep hang it here in your bedroom. The high contrast light/dark that you seem drawn to would do fine for art - see the picture below:

Zara Home has plenty of nice bed linens and they go on sale 2x a year, including now. I've had good luck with all of it except the 140 count cotton - which comes in fantastic prints but does not wash softly and must be ironed. So, no. However their washable duvet and quilts are good value and a cut above Macy's JC Penny BBB.

R35, where do you get your sheets so they wash up softly and stay nice?

Indigo. Plain. There is no other.

R3 is posting from 1986.

You should move in with the guy with the loud red quilt. You guys could go shopping together.

This thread is pure DL. Lots of snark, some pretty funny and some quite mean, some support and some helpful advice, some expert. and some not

OP, I personally agree with the posters who say those linens are unattractive, dated and dull, and that you need better quality pillows. R34 has some great advice; the bedroom pictured looks like it was decorated by or for a modern adult man with some taste, not an adolescent whose mother bought his linens on sale,

Assuming for the sake of argument that OP just loves this quilt for whatever reason and it’s a family heirloom or something, it’s very country. If you’re doing blue and white, the typical way to make it warm and cozy is use a lot of blue and white prints and solids, in the same color tones as what you already have. So if OP’s quilt is navy and white, not cobalt and white, I’d go with a lot of navy and white items together. And probably white walls, because it lightens it up a lot. At least neutral walls and furnishings like light gray, natural wood, rattan or other neutrals because navy and white are such strong colors. Definitely not dark moody colors with this type of navy and white, country quilt.

Another thing you could do is get a pastel harmonizing color like this for the sheets.

Here’s an example from the Landsend catalog. This is dark, but if you didn’t have wood paneling I’d keep the walls very light.

Here’s a more modern version. Notice how airy and light everything is. You can make any antique looking item look modern as long as you pair it with modern surroundings.

Because blue and white is such a neutral, it pairs well with rattans and woods. Notice how light the walls are.

A headboard really sets the tone for such a neutral bedding.

Is this post from 1996?

I did something similar to this style once, when my budget was very limited. If you want to embrace the country, hanging decorative blue and white dishes or using blue and white porcelain vases or lamps works well. OP’s quilt is very geometrical and busy and I’d be careful not to make it too busy. White walls.

There’s a decorating expression, “bossy.” That means if you have a “bossy” item, one with a lot of bold color or patterns, you have to decorate around it and it decides what else will be in your room. That’s why some of the pictures above show a bossy quilt with very little color or pattern otherwise. The rest of the room is neutral or even minimalist.

Get some blue shaker furniture.

This is about how light your room should be. Otherwise it’s just going to be dark and dingy looking because the quilt itself is dark. And your headboard is way too dark.

Use the rule of three. You can put any color in a room if you repeat it three times. If that headboard is black, it has no relation to the navy bedding. Put some black stuff in there, like black gallery framed pictures with large white mats, or a black shelf. But don’t use another item with a large expanse of black surface, it’s too much. More like black trim only.

Notice they used the rule of three in this room. Two black frames and black dog pillow. But don’t overdo it because black and navy together are dark and dingy as hell. Make everything else light colored or it’s going to look like a prison cell.

First thing I would do is fluff up the bed. If you can’t afford a decent mattress, get a 3 inch memory foam topper to make the bed softer looking. Or use a featherbed, or put a fluffy comforter and white duvet under the quilt. A flat quilt will make a flat bed look flat. You have to fluff it up a different way. That bed looks like an Army cot. No trick wants to sleep on an ironing board.

Second, get decent pillows for God’s sake. And another set of pillows. One flat set looks pathetic. And I’d lighten up the large expanse of black headboard with white Euro sham back pillows, covering as much of it as possible. Or at least a set of back pillows that are larger than the front pillows. If your bed is queen, two king sized white shams behind your standard sized patchwork shams would look better, if you don’t want to use Euro sized. Or get “jumbo” (queen) size pillows, stuff them into the patchwork shams if they fit, and put them in the back with white pillows in front and white sheets.

[quote]Second, get decent pillows for God’s sake.

LOL - calm down. It's not like he's not wearing white after Labor Day!

Your blanket is lovely, Hubbell.

The advice is good. You need to lighten up that paint... go with a white with a grey undertone. Just Google Benjamin Moore whites and a range of returns will describe a range of colours, usually indicating the undertone. If you can't afford BM paint, take the chip and get somebody to match it.

A decorator friend of mine said every room need some black (which you've got) and some red (just a splash) which you don't. Now I look around this room I have some red in it... a coaster, my daytime, a pencil sharpener shaped like a red UK post box and a small porcelain train with a red edge. Not much, but the red is there and it adds something. Go to a second hand store (with your mask on) and buy three red bound books and put 'em on your nightstand.

I never heard the rule of three but it makes sense. Some small accents in gold or brass might warm it up too... candlesticks, frame, whatever... make them small but it will bring in some warmth. Blue is always going to create a cool room but it's ok if it's bright.

Lower that picture. It's too high. Eye level.

Take the advice Gary gave to Lucy - Stone Pillow.

If you have no skills at all in decorating and no money, my suggestion is go to Home Depot and get Behr Swiss Coffee.

If you’re living in a standard apartment or house and don’t want to paint the trim work and doors, Swiss Coffee is off white, it’s a standard color and will match all your existing trim. The existing trim probably is Swiss Coffee if it’s off white.

If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, I agree a white with a gray undertone is better with navy and white. Home Depot or any store will mix a Benjamin Moore color for you. Be aware it may be a tiny bit off if you have to match it later, but not too much. Stick to the same paint brand if you have to match it later.

If you are looking at grays or beiges, don’t ever use “pinky beige” which is popular these days. It’s a sort of taupe. Unless you really know what you’re doing and know you’re not going to want to change your bedding or furniture for a long time. That’s because it looks horrible with a lot of warm colors like orange, yellow or anything with yellow undertones like gold. It’s very limiting if you want to change things up later and there’s a long list of colors it looks like shit with. If you want to know if something is pinky beige, get some samples of pale yellow, pink and green paint chips and hold them next to the color. You’ll see it right away. Undertones are what make a room look good. Never clash your undertones.

If you think you’re colorblind or don’t see color contrasts well, go for the most neutral wall colors you can find.

The Décor Kweens here are making the top of OP's head blow off with all this complicated advice. You've seen his taste. No way in hell is he capable of making a choice from 30 paint swatches or figuring out undertones or even what a Euro sham is.

A Euro sham is what Ivanka Trump wants to be when she's out of prison, right?

R35 - well if I have to buy new sheets I don't buy 140 180 count percale. Sateen is good, or flannel for winter. Buy better sheets during the white sales. Portuguese flannel is usually pretty good and doesn't pill quickly. It's really not "all about thread count" - its pretty subtle what will add up to a nice cotton or linen sheet that can be used without ironing.

The 150.180 count Zara are not convenient - however Zara higher count percales and sateens are really good.

Most of my sheets are vintage from a very large collection of French, Swiss and Austrian - from mid 20th century or even older. Many of the weaves and materials no longer exist. Sheet making is kind of a lost art of the 20th century. My vintage sheets are very very very sturdy and my collection will last longer than I will on this earth.

That’s a nice bed, why do you have such cheap looking pillows and linens? I agree that this looks like a teenager’s bedspread, and it’s a total mismatch for the bed. Get better quality pillows and stick to neutral solids, no loud patterns. Bring interest in with different textures and pops of an accent color or two; this where throw pillows come in. You’re not there yet, though. Return that mess or donate it somewhere, and start over.

Also, I can’t believe no one’s called you out for this, but do not buy artwork to match your bedspread. That print isn’t offensive but it’s nothing to brag about. I would move it to the bathroom.

I worked through this addiction with The Company Store fifteen years ago and it is a needed and legitimate anachronism

Go with a body pillow around 48-54” in length. A heavier fuzzy fabric in gray.

If you’re keeping that height on the fucking art, throw in some shelves above the matchy night tables and be done with it. If I smell one action figure, I’ll hunt you down.

R57, what kind of European vintage sheets are you talking about? Should I look for used Frette and Pratesi sheets on Ebay? Where I live (France) every flea market/collectors' market has numerous stalls selling vintage linens, but they are all 100 years old and made of actual linen, horribly rough and scratchy to sleep on. I will say, though, they are likely to last at least another hundred years.

The challenge with vintage linen market is that a lot of people are in on it. "used Frette and Pratesi sheets" - as in from the 80s and 90s - when they became famous to most people? Ah no I don't think so, but if you stumble on them at a local charity shop you could give them a look see.

I do have some of the French sheets you are mentioning - as being so thick and stiff. In fact, some - SOME - of them might wash out soft in 2 good washings. Some are very coarse and were meant as bedspreads and utility functions - and are beautiful for that. Other times, you think you have sandpaper but its old sizing, and pressing, or many never even washed - and a couple hot washes turns them into something nice.

There are many many many kinds of weaves and component fibers - many manufacturers from Western Europe that are long defunct. Mountains of this was dumped into the shops and flea markets between 1980 - 2010 when that generation of bourgeois died and their kids had zero interest in old things and certainly not 3 seasons of heirloom linen to supply 2-3 different family houses. Around about 2000 you could go to any charity shop church shop and it was in stacks - often 10-30 euros an item. People did scout for it and ship it to "shabby chic" boutiques and their eventual online outlets - but for a while there was simply SO much, it was easy and affordable to collect.

R20. Frau here. I adored Holly Hobby as a child. If I could figure out a tasteful way to use those pillows I'd be in heaven.

Paint your room WHITE.

And get ride of those end tables. Like stick them in a closet.

I like the Bed.

I think go MODERN Nautical. The bed with quit is the piece of interest. For everything else, stick with Metals. Light touch.

White Walls and Minimalist.

1. Cut the bedspread up

2. Make a pair of shorts for a giant

3. Wait for a giant

Bobbi Jo, I think you have incredible taste.

Dear House Beautiful Forum,

Well, I never thought it would happen to me...

Hun, if you are being serious, solid colors. However, enough with throw pillows.

Does grease fire come in a throw pillow?

A “Live, Love, Laugh” picture would be a nice touch.

bump

Two solid color pillows, white, or perhaps another shade of blue. But you need to get larger pillows for the coordinating pillow shams that fill them up so that they're really plump. They'll look much better. Right now they look deflated.

I liked blue ... until I saw OP’s photo.

OP, your pillows look limp. Can you do something to fluff them up a bit, make them more upright?

OP, you seem to be a kind and sweet man. Your bed linens may not be chic but there’s nothing wrong with them. May you sleep well and have wonderful dreams. There’s good advice on this thread mixed in with the mean comments. Have fun with your decorating; it’s not a life and death matter.

The set is hideous. Sorry to offend you, but did you have an idea or vision of how you wanted the room to look. This may do for a toddler who was being potty trained, in that you wouldn't mind if it was soiled and had to be washed again and again.

Post an update photo OP when you get your new stuff delivered please.

Op? Do you live in a little house on the prairie?

What charity shop bin did you fish that monstrosity out of?

Why use a bedspread at all....get some nice duvets. Forget about pillows, saves you time when you’re going to sleep. I don’t understand why the bed itself needs to be decorated. It’s not the living room. You go there to sleep. Having to throw 20 pillows and a bedspread on the ground (or wherever you keep it) when you’re tired and ready for bed would honestly annoy the hell out of me.

Why use a bedspread at all....get some nice duvets. Forget about pillows, saves you time when you’re going to sleep. I don’t understand why the bed itself needs to be decorated. It’s not the living room. You go there to sleep. Having to throw 20 pillows and a bedspread on the ground (or wherever you keep it) when you’re tired and ready for bed would honestly annoy the hell out of me.

A duvet is the bedding equivalent of a leisure suit.

No, it is NOT, R82. What is the alternative - old-fashioned, itchy blankets, subject to moth attacks, that are seldom washed and cannot be dried in a clothesdryer, unlike a duvet? Duvets are lovely.

Duvets keep your nice expensive down comforter clean. And they’re not too expensive to switch up.

Do u think I give a shit?

I should have come to us for advice long before you got to the pillow buying stage.

OP, you need to burn that shit on your bed. Worse than Aaron Shock's truqoise belt.

That's "turquoise" belt.

And add Aaron "Schock" to my list of correctins

Think about the fact that many of these heavy, fancyass bed coverings are not washer friendly so they rarely get laundered. Who wants to sleep in a bed that is covered by something that hasn't been washed for a couple of years? A duvet is perfect for keeping linens clean and can be laundered over and over or just changed out.

Something out of the boys' bedroom or from Greg's loft in the newly renovated Brady Family House should suffice.