Rental Blues

What to do when faced with a somewhat generic bedroom in a rental? Having just moved from a house which I designed and built, I struggled with how to decorate without any permanent changes or a big investment while living short-term in a rental.  This room is surrounded on three sides by large banks of windows, which is a typical setup in a south Texas house built before air conditioning.  This meant not a single wall to place the bed against!  Serendipity struck when I found this charming handpainted chinoiserie screen.  The colors tied right into my favored soothing bedroom palette of blues and greens, and I knew it would be a treasured addition wherever I used it in a future home.  The scene is of the silk trade...could it be any more fabulous?  Bed-against-window feng shui nightmare averted!
I painted the walls Benjamin Moore's "Bennnington Gray" which is a pretty khaki color which ties into the beigey silk curtains trimmed in a blue Rogers and Goffigan trim that were extras from the house of a favorite client.  I always have curtains made with super-deep hems and line and interline them, which really protects the fabric from sun and wear. A well made curtain can follow you from house to house and is a great investment piece.
My silk velvet headboard (fortuitously reminiscent of the facade of the Alamo in our new town of San Antonio) looks great against the screen. I moved a Madeline Weinrib striped dhurrie from my former living room into the room and hung four Matisse lithographs in silver leaf frames from my former dining room (House Beautiful, November 1010) A jumble of Fortuny and Porthault shams completes the springy makeover....for now!

Sweet Dreams.