Perusing the latest issue of Lonny magazine, I felt a creeping alienation that slipped into a dull boredom. The rooms were not bad just too familiar:
fresh flowers, usually in low arrangements
zebra on the floor
acrylic / lucite
neutrals and pops of color
something rustic balanced with something modern
props I am pretty sure I have seen in Lonny before
(yawn)
And then I found this–
via Lonny
–and felt a surge of energy. Here was something intimate, close, top-full, controversial, decorated in the most ornamental sense. Call it ‘granny chic’ if you must, and the style has been done before but rarely so well. I think I love this exuberant room, though I’d never have put it together myself. What do you think: hotness or hot mess? And why?
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I could do without the ceiling, but I’d say it’s a pretty fun look otherwise. I can see this being great as a hotelroom… not so much for a bedroom.
I think it’s awful.
But I love your new site — looking good!
Hot Mess! This room is begging for a makeover by one of those TLC shows.
Those walls are too busy to be relaxing bedroom.
For me, the livability factor is low. I’m not at all a minimalist, but I need some visual breathing room for a bedroom. It does get points for being daring though! I guess I could say I appreciate this space for its heuristic value. Also, I adore the bedding.
I can’t say I surprised by the reception this room is getting but I am ever hopeful that someone with real bric-a-brac sensibilities is going to stumble into this thread and say, ‘Oh! Lovely!’
My husband’s comment: ‘You like that? You really have to start getting more sleep.’
Probably, I need to go on vacation. As Minna put it, the livability factor is low but it has the sort of cozy over-the-top sensibility that I like to see in a B&B.
Allow me to play Devil’s Advocate for a second. I think the combination of daylight and bedside light makes this room seem busier than it would look in the evening, with just the bedside lights on. Also, while the bedding is really pretty, if it were swapped for darker, richer colors, I think the over all effect [again, in the evening] would be really cozy. Right now, I think the bedding is a bit too crisp and preppy for the rest of the room.
One note about the wallpapered ceiling, though: no! A dark ceiling would, again, be cozy, but I think it’s illogical to use a wallpaper pattern with a specific orientation on a ceiling.
Totally agree with you with regards to the lighting; it’s far from optimal and would look best at dusk. I actually like the contrast of the crisp, ‘preppy’ bedding with the super-saturated wallpaper; I think it injects some youth and levity. I can pretty much agree that a wallpapered ceiling is too much but I doubt ceiling white would work either….Maybe a coordinating navy blue? I love your close reading of the room.
Not my personal style at all but it is adventurous. If you’ve got a small room and you like pattern and tchotchkes, this could be a fun option. Don’t mind the wallpaper on the ceiling. It’s like being inside a reverse gift – with the wrapping paper on the inside.
I don’t care about Lonny, never look at it. I don’t even have to read it because every blogger in the world posts all the pics from it, anyway. I’m glad you picked one not normally posted! I find this room overwhelming for my life, but I could appreciate it in someone else’s home. I agree with Kasey that if the ceiling wallpaper was removed, it would be better.
Well… I understand the refreshing feeling of something different when you are constantly bombarded with sameness, but I could never live (or sleep) with floor to ceiling wallpaper. I think I’m more of an accent-wall type of wallpaper aficionado.
I love it — I’m voting hotness. I’m a huge advocate for wallpapered ceilings, and I prefer black lampshades. The only jarring thing in this room for me is the white strip of crown molding. I’d rather have that black. I can live with the baseboard being white (would prefer black), but the molding really breaks up the space.
I had the same reaction as you, and wrote a similar post asking my readers what decorating styles they admired but wouldn’t/couldn’t live with:
http://tinyurl.com/23l676f