The Rural Voice, 1999-05, Page 49Home Decorating
Style on a limited budget
By Patti Robertson
For the past month I've had the
pleasure of assisting a young
professional gal with the decor of her
third-tloor apartment. At present we
are completing her bedroom. The
client's piece de resistance is a
handcrafted wrought -iron bed,
designed in a marvelous French
styling.
Of course this will create our focal
point. We also have a lovely clean -
lined armoire in black satin finish, a
black nightstand to match, a
naturalist lamp featuring lovebirds, a
myriad of artwork and wall plaques
plus bed. linens in black
and
charcoal tones in combination with
golden toned accents.
The direction of our design
scheme is based on the term "young
professional" ... (read high on style
• short on cash). So let me share with
you how my client and I made budget
fit style.
We started our renovations by
painting all walls a soft french
designers white (Sico#3199-41). The
lower half of the walls were then
smooched in a French Mustard hue
to a height of four feet above our
very ample baseboards.
A border featuring a swag motit
creates a breakpoint between walls
and ceiling. The border is in tones of
mustard, French white and black,
thereby working as a pivotal point for
all other elements.
The bed was positioned on the
major wall and
then to enhance
the focal point
we fashioned a
black sheer
central draping
and swag above
the headboard
which falls
dramatically to
the floor. The
top of our swag
is fastened In
place with a
grouping
of
Be faithful
to your
own taste
charcoal black cherubs. The
bed linens consist of black,
charcoal and mustard tones. A
gorgeous antique coverlet in an
East Indian design tops off the
bed.
It's interesting to note that
the artwork and wall groupings
are hung below the border
height of four feet (atter all
most of these pieces will be
viewed from the bed). This
placement created a unified
and homey effect to our
slanted ceiling room. One of my
personal favourite pieces is of a
French lady's head in relief,
fashioned to hold florals. (We filled
this with white t=rench Lilacs.
variegated ivy and mustard toned
Freesia.)
The double dormer window has
been dressed in a lovely gauze fabric
in French mustard tones. When
sunlight streams into this room the
effect is spectacular. A great wad to
meet the day! A shelf was
incorporated over the top of the
window, and here we placed a
grouping of favourite hooks, a bust of
Mozart and trailings of variegated
ivy, to soften the lines and give an
airy effect.
A second shelf has been added to
"top off' the old hot water radiator.
Here we positioned a starburst mirror
in gold leaf, a wrought -iron, double -
armed candelabra. another green
plant and some appropriate family
photos. A Persian carpet in tones rf
,black. charcoal, mustard and claret.
warms the floor at the toot the bed.
As you see, the majority of our
decor expenses were spent on items
which the client can take with her
when she moves on. Just because a
budget is confining it doe: not mean
that style has to be sacrificed — or as
famous designer Billy Baldwin put it
"Be faithful to your own taste
because nothing you really like is
ever out of style!" 0
Patti Robertson operates Classic
Interiors in Winghant.
PATTI ROBERTSON'S
Unique Residential and
Commercial Interiors
135 Victoria St., WINGHAM
357-2872
• Custom-made Window
Fashions, Bedspreads
& Accessories
• Fine Domestic &
Imported Fabrics
• Select Wallcoverings
• Furnishings, Lighting
& Artwork to suit
any interior...
MAY 1999 45