Tranquil Bedroom

Inspiration Room: $26,000

The Inspiration Room
Designer Elizabeth Brownrigg created a cutting-edge bedroom with a serene Eastern feel using a union of opposites and artisan-crafted items. An unusual custom metal mesh curtain and simple yet luxurious silk bedding provide texture in a muted color scheme, while a screen with a silhouette of Buddha and original art panels provide strong design elements. Furnishings are minimal and carefully placed for a meditative effect.

Makeover Room, before

Transforming the Makeover Room
Below are the steps guest designer Stuart Piontek and host Brooke Channon took to transform Kim Tran’s bedroom from a room with boring white walls and dated bedding into a tranquil yet innovative retreat:

• Painted the walls a deep, dramatic gray tone (Benjamin Moore: Kingsport Gray).
  
• Stained a wood bed frame dark ebony.
  
• Created a Buddha screen by cutting a silhouette out of a piece of art board and framing it with pine. The pine frame was then covered with a king-size sheet.
  
• Hung luxurious silk curtains at the window.
  
• Lined up bamboo sticks at the head of the bed.
  
• Made bedding in neutral tones with silk and cotton fabrics and placed three decorative pillows in the center of the bed. To achieve a similar effect, neutral-colored solid bedding with contrasting pillows or a spread with a geometric pattern could be used.
  
• Placed a walnut-finish side table with simple lines (actually the top piece of a shelving unit) beside the bed and topped it with two holiday pears painted silvery white.
  
• Placed two black leather strap ottomans at the foot of the bed.
  
• Hung fabric in the doorway using a tension rod and clips.
  
• Hung panels made from MDF board painted white and adorned with clay angels painted silver. Alternatives to the panels include sheets of rice paper or Oriental-themed paper.
  
• Anchored the room with a large green plant placed in the corner.
  
• Covered a $15 thrift store table with silver paint applied with a plastic bag for texture, and cut out an inset for a silver catering pan.

The Bottom Line
To see where the savings are, take a look at this direct cost comparison of some Inspiration Room items and the creatively comparable ones used in the Makeover Room:

Silk shantung bedding, $2,000 / Cotton and silk bedding, $120

Walnut side table$1,800 / Walnut-finish table, $100

Handmade leather ottomans, $2,800 / Leather strap ottomans, $300

Hand-made silver-plated tin mesh screen, $2,000 / Metallic fabric, $60

Handmade angel panels, $500 each / MDF board panels, $15

Zinc sink, $2,500 / Painted thrift store table, $35

pine framing, planter, MDF boards and runners — Home Depot
king-size sheet, pears — Target
plant, drapery clips (Adele), queen bed (Hagali), shelf to form table (Effektiv), curtain hardware (Index) — IKEA
glassware — Cost Plus
spring rod — Jo-Ann's
drapery fabric — Poppy Fabric
leather ottomans — Danish Interiors