Ideas for the Master Bedroom

For the master bedroom, I'm thinking about taking the vibrant color palette I chose for the dining room down a notch. A navy blue and Chinese blue color palette, accented with hits of metallic and cream-colored furniture, will work well with the public areas of the house but still be a departure from the more vibrant colors and dark wood furniture I plan on using in those spaces. Plus, these colors will work well with a lot of existing art (antique Japanese woodblock prints I scored off eBay several years ago for next to nothing) and accessories (mostly white pieces, from Blanc de Chine to Jonathan Adler) that I have -- and still love -- in my current master bedroom, so that's a big plus.

I'd start by painting the walls in a soft blue-gray, like Farrow and Ball's Parma Gray (shown above left). For some serious drama, I'd paint out the tray ceiling (for a picture, see HERE) in a deeper blue-gray in a metallic finish. Ralph Lauren's new Regent Metallics are absolutely gorgeous and I'm thinking Clivedon Gray (shown above right) might be perfect. I'd like the end result to feel like you're sleeping under a slightly stormy night sky.

Clockwise, from top left:

1. Quatrefoil headboard from Ballard Designs (as shown, $675). For now, Dave and I will keep our existing bed (the Valencia from Pottery Barn), but at some point in the relatively near future, we're going to upgrade to a king-sized bed. (Don't worry though, I'm not planning on throwing my Valencia bed out -- I'll just move it upstairs to a guest room.) Since we're both over 6', between the two of us and our dachshund Olivia, it can get a bit crowded in a queen. In any case, when we do upgrade the mattress, I'll also pick up a beautiful upholstered headboard. Assuming Ballard Designs is still offering it, I'd love to get their quatrefoil headboard in a navy velvet (a fabric choice they don't offer, alas, but Ballard Designs allows you to send in your own fabric for a truly customized look).

2. Percale border bedding (in blue) from Williams-Sonoma Home ($58-$348 for Queen). Simple, yes, but I love the look of almost-all white bedding. The bright Chinese blue border will bring in the all-important second (and brighter) shade of blue. Williams-Sonoma bedding is definitely not cheap, but after cycling through far too many Pottery Barn and Target sheets that just haven't held up to frequent washings, I've decided to trade-up in the next house and go for linens that will last me a good long time.

3. Beside Ring Table Lamp from Circa Lighting ($378). Initially, I had wanted to go for the small shore line table lamp from Circa Lighting, which is a blue and white Chinoiserie-style porcelain lamp depicting koi fish. Alas though, when I went back to find it for this post, it had disappeared. While I still plan on checking in at the brick-and-mortar outpost of Circa Lighting here in Houston to see if it's still available there, I picked a different option for this post. All that notwithstanding, I do love the classical look of alabaster (and the way it almost looks like it's glowing from within when the lamp is lit) -- and this is a great price for this kind of lamp.

4. Park mirrored bedside table from Pottery Barn ($399). I love the injection of glamour that a mirrored chest of drawers brings to a room and a pair of these on either end of the bed would definitely up the glam factor in this space. I also like that this table has two drawers instead of the usual one for some much-needed extra storage.

5. Hampstead Mirror from Williams-Sonoma Home ($595). As far as I'm concerned, this is the perfect mirror with its bamboo-style border and lovely inset geometric pattern. This would be über-chic above a dresser or console table (neither of which I've picked out yet, but I may end up using my existing dresser or console table).

6. Decorative Pillows from Blissliving Home ($65-85 each). I think pillows are great accessories to inject some great patterns. These decorative pillows from Blissliving Home would bring in some pattern, bring together the blue-on-blue color scheme and inject a bit more Chinoiserie style into the space. That pagoda print pillow in particular is my favorite, and the large menswear-striped euro shams are also a great way to perk up otherwise simple bedding.

7. Alexandra Chair from Hickory Chair (I don't know the price, but I'm guessing $$$$). I love the shape of this chair so much, with its gorgeous quatrefoil-shaped back and its amazing detail work (note the quatrefoil inset on each leg!). This chair comes from Suzanne Kasler's collection for Hickory Chair and it's got some amazing French Regence-style pieces. Kasler is also coming out with a line of lighting from Circa Lighting in the near future which will work perfectly with her furniture line from Hickory Chair. [Aside: I was tempted to go with her quatrefoil lamps, but was thinking that might be a tad too much quatrefoil for one room and I definitely don't want the space to look over-decorated -- thoughts?] I'd have a pair of these finished in a soft off-white lacquer and upholstered in a deep blue velvet. Divine.

8. Chase Bench in Ivory from Pottery Barn ($129.99). I'm so happy this bench has gone on sale finally because I've loved ever since I first saw it, but was reluctant to purchase it because I didn't have a spot for it in my current house. Since my current bedroom is rather narrow, I don't have room for a bench at the end of the bed (sad, since I really love how "finished" a bench or pair of stools makes a bed look). In this next house, however, I'll have the space and I think this will work perfectly.

9. Metal Marble Top Table from Wisteria ($299). This piece is delicate enough to go with the two quatrefoil chairs, all of which would sit nicely underneath the wall of windows without being so bulky as to block the view. The metal base will play off the mirrored side tables while the marble top will echo the feel of the alabaster bedside lamps.

So what do you think? Any advice on other items (like, say, a console table or dresser) and accessories that might work with this would be greatly appreciated!