I am trying to be a good mom and help my soon to be 16 year old daughter redecorate her room. This is quite a task for someone like me who doesn’t do this kind of work, but I want to work with her and come up with something fantastic. We love the paint color and decor in Carrie’s bedroom from the Sex and the City Movie. I know it’s close to the Ben Moore paint color electric blue. Her room is a northern exposure - is this blue too dark? Her furniture is creamy white, bedding will be something new, and she has a French love seat with blonde wood trim. The cushions are a light beige.
Thanks,
Judy
Judy,I think taking your inspiration from a movie is always a great jumping off point and Carrie’s place is no exception. Even though she has bright blue walls, the rest of the space works because nothing else competes. As you took note, the room relies heavily on creams and whites, but the key to the room is all the reflective qualities; from the vanity to the lamps, there are many mirrored textures that I feel should be brought into the room. Its a great "grown up" touch that will grow old with her. For example, I love the simplicity of these mirrored side tables because they keep it feeling youthful and not overly art deco. A great mirror is another way to bring the same look into the room, and at the same time make it appear larger.
Because your inspiration are the electric blue walls, think about ways to give it an extra glamorous edge. Try using the same paint color and creating subtle stripes with different sheens. The process is called "Sheen Striping" or "Contrasting", and the results are beautiful. By painting the entire wall in a flat sheen and then striping it with a gloss, you get a wall treatment that I am sure all your daughter’s friends will be jealous of. Regarding the northern exposure, I think the color will work fine - with added glossy texture it will bounce light around even more.
In Carrie’s apartment, she has a grouping of frames over her bed and I think you could do something similar with mirrors and framed photos/sentimental objects of your daughter's. If you want to glam it up, think of doing a single wall decal over the bed - a bright white would look great against the blue. The idea of a chandelier decal is one I like.
Chandelier decal, Etsy: janyemacpress
Finally, the most important thing in the bedroom is the bedding. I would keep it simple so that it doesn't compete with the room. You can go for the look of Carrie's graphic rug and keep the bedding simple, or go for bedding with a bold graphic print instead. By bringing your existing French love seat to the edge of the bed, it will make the whole room come together. Throw a couple great blue pillows on the love seat to really make it pop.
Rug (yes, it's the exact one!) Marni for the Rug Company. Bedding, Dwell Studio for Target.
["Ask Kyle" appears every month on The Love List. Kyle Schuneman is a professional designer who has worked in not only residential design but also on the sets of many of your favorite design shows. To learn more about Kyle and see pictures of his work, click here. If you have a question for Kyle, feel free to ask! Email Kyle@thelovelist.net, and you may see it answered on The Love List!]
2 comments:
This has to be one of my favorite posts, not only because I loved the style they used for Carrie but because it helps her legion of fans recreate something glam for themselves with a little less spent to get there. Well done.
I'm going to move into my first apartment this fall and was looking to Carrie Bradshaw's apartment as inspiration, so this post was perfect!! Also, completely random, but Kyle-is your shirt in the picture a Thrice t-shirt?
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