Our primary bedroom remains quietly spare even as it evolves with subtle changes. Your resident fairy on the prairie takes her sweet time for a host of reasons. As soon as we can stick a fork in it? Time to move on in order to grow creatively in a new realm. (Yes, m’am, I’m blessed that my partner partners on such matters.) Maybe it’s why an “unfinished” or “underbaked” look rarely feels undesirable for me. My imagination swings and sings with what dreams may come. And you? Which design details and ingredients do you admire for a serene bedroom retreat?
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Serene Bedroom Retreat: Designs & Details
A restful color story and cloud-like landing for secrets, recovery, and dreams? Yes, please. Admire Marie Flanigan’s designs like the bedroom above?
THE PERFECT ROOM need not remain a mystery. Timeless interior design triumphs inspire as Flanigan guides us toward set apart interiors with her wealth of well-earned architecturally-informed wisdom.
Is Matchy Bedroom Furniture Ever Calm?
Matchy bedroom furniture may forever be a design no-no, but it remains an option for some. (Need help justifying keeping the matchy set? Tell yourself it’s very green, very sustainably-conscious, very mindful and demure; very European of you to preserve what has served for years.) 🙂
Americans can be too quick to dispose, replace, and reinvent. My favorite serene bedrooms seem to break rules. They feel unfussy, natural, and influenced by idiocyncratic habits of the inhabitants more than a particular checklist.
Sing Me a Calming Blue Lullaby
Blue is magic. Waking up to blue skies each morning is suddenly within reach where Sarah Bartholomew is involved (from last year’s Southern Living Idea House):
Isn’t the bed fabulous? And the blue-grey trim color (Sherwin-Williams Silver Lake) is one to file away.
More calm blue options HERE. The bath is every bit as elegant!
That understated checkered flooring is divine, and the soaking tub…
Goodness. This soaking tub is reminiscent of a glorious baby Moses basket o’ love. When I think of rattan and wicker classics, wares from Serena & Lily immediately spring to mind:
Make Mine Modern French
Designer Jill Egan’s artful masterpiece of a serene bedroom refuses to skimp on quality, drama, or refinement. Yet it also has a sense of simplicity.
Who can argue with slumbering under crystals? In an elegant European inspired bedroom designed by Marie Flanigan, there’s a carefree elegance which will ever be timeless:
Yet there are elements of timeless design not easily categorized with hashies or keywords. Choosing pieces that feel ageless to YOU? Choosing pieces you won’t quickly tire of? Personal matters which may be eased with help from a designer.
Brooke Giannetti’s former bedroom at Patina Farm springs to mind as a study in understated, livable luxe. An affinity for Swedish antiques and organic materials that develop patina? The combination won’t resonate with everyone, yet works beautifully for its owner.
Treat yourself to masterclass in all things PATINA wonderful in this treasury by the Giannettis:
Bringing Home Hotel Chic
Ever look to chic hotels to inspire? Check out this understated guest room with spectacular paneled ceiling at Hotel Chateau Voltaire:
Returning to le matchy matchy faux pas…sorry, not sorry for how I am on board with matching bedside tables and lamps! Should it not be a look for you, skip it. I swear I won’t make you stand in our bedroom’s doorway feeling annoyed.
This was our hotel suite in Paris to celebrate our 25th anniversary. One way to make a timeless bedroom glow? Pure gold. Our room was clad in mahogany and gilded with opulence. Sculptures flanking the bed were masterfully formed by the hands of Rosaline Granet.
It was unforgettable and remains etched on my heart. I’ll never forget the bespoke fragrance created especially for the hotel by Blaise Mautin. I won’t forget connecting with Blaise while I was in Paris or truly engaging with the mysteries of that city. The pillows appeared to be dancing! Don’t even get me started on the French windows in our suite dressed in the dreamiest, barely there, silk. They opened to an unforgettable courtyard below.
Definitely the finest hotel we were welcomed into, and notice the window hardware adorned with a bronze sculpture.
The use of mirror in the bedroom was also a triumph. Howwwww did I walk the streets in those heels? Goodness the price I was willing to pay as I tried to blend in with chic surroundings!
California-Inspired Minimal Luxe Bedroom
Beautiful, functional, neutral, organic, California-inspired laidback luxe is a look easy to love and live with. Jenni Kayne consistently creates collections to bring calm.
The quality soars high at Jenni Kayne, and investment pieces are made to last.
For more of this flavor of coastal cool, see this Amber Lewis story Her California-inspired bedrooms feel utterly natural and beautiful.
I love Amber’s collaborations with Loloi, and have shown you my pillow and rug:
The primary bedroom in our former home featured a rustic reclaimed wood statement wall. Will it still feel timeless in a few years? I think so given the wooded rustic location of the home.
Modern Belgian Minimal
Some of my favorite bedrooms are Belgian-inspired. Perhaps the most influential figure who continues to inspire is Axel Vervoordt:
The bedroom above was designed by Vervoordt for Calvin Klein’s Miami home.
The Bastians (Beljar Home) create stunning bedrooms with Belgian influence like the one above.
Belgian linen on the bed and furniture is a fine place to start if you admire the look.
How to decide on a design direction with all the lovely possibilities?
Wait until you see CeCe Barfield Thompson’s tranquil bedroom with walls covered in grasscloth and Lisa Fine fabric on the bed in this:
Personal Reflections
Friends, are you listening to your deepest self? By that I mean, are you listening to your soul and its profound wisdom which exists to prosper and guide you toward your fullest potential? Are you actively taking time for silence, stillness, centering, and prayer to quietly be found? No matter your circumstance, it is the right time to begin. Should you lack desire or strength to begin, you can seek the grace for these too. But life is short. Your soul, your choices, and your empowerment matter. I say all of this as a motherly soul wrestling with the realest of real sufferings and hope. I am opening my soul wider and welcoming the light even as darkness descends. Prayer is my atmosphere. Prayer is my shelter.
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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