Step Into My Boudoir

Before I forget, I should tell you that I unfairly maligned those Asian Ribs. Although it is true that the five spice powder caused the kitchen to smell like pie for a few days (not bad, just not porky), the flavor in the finished product was not nearly as overwhelming as I had feared. In fact, they were acceptably delicious. So that, coupled with the useful enchilada hint (to make corn tortillas pliable enough to roll, simply arrange them in a single layer on baking sheets, spray lightly with cooking spray, and then bake in a low oven for five minutes), enables me to give Cook's Illustrated Cover and Bake my qualified stamp of approval. I am adding the qualification because I have only tried those two recipes and it is possible everything else in the book sucks. If so I shall issue a prominent retraction.

I managed to get our network back up again (after installing Panda Virus, remember?) although I temporarily wiped out Messenger and Explorer in the process. Also, Steve was unable to access a few work files blah blah blah whiner fine, pay someone to do your IT work why don't you, blah a few eggs are always broken, you know. Anyway, and more importantly, observe the ease with which I can now slip undetected on to Steve hard drive to grab this photo. This is the doorway into our bedroom and the blank wall on the left is driving me mad. The perspective in the photo seems off to me, so to give you a sense of scale the wall is about 18 feet long. In the two years we have lived here I have tried covering this space with 1) a ginorjumbo antique map 2) several smaller paintings 3) low bookshelves. Nothing has really worked and I cannot figure out why. It always seemed odd to walk into the room and have a profile of something right in front of you. However, once I am inside the room it seems odd to have nothing on the wall at all. Do you see the problem? Decorating, as I may have mentioned in the past, is not my forte. So what can I do? A bench? A thin table? The space between the wall and the bed is, um, seven feet if that helps. And the walls are a mushroomy beige that the people who built the house chose. Perhaps if we just painted the walls a warmer color it would look less glaringly empty? I will accept any and all suggestions with cowering gratitude.          

Oh! And while we are on the subject, although this is more of a marital issue than a design problem, but it is tangential, can you see the corner of the duvet cover there? The purplish, tealish, goldenrodish thing? Yes, well, Steve had this batik fabric that he loved (LOVED) so we had it made into that cover. And he dotes upon it. But I hate it. HATE it. It reminds me of Nagel and Cyndi Lauper and shoulder pads out to hee-yah. Something about the color scheme.... anyway, any thoughts on how to go back on an agreement with ones spouse? I originally thought I could live with it and approved the project, but it turns out I cannot. I tried to gently tell Steve that I was afraid, perhaps, maybe, the cover, was not, exactly, a pity, but no? He merely looked shocked and reminded me what we had paid the seamstress to make it. Like, that settles it.

So is it nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of an unfortunate textile or is it better to take arms against the sentimental and financial attachment of ones bedmate and, while opposing, rend it? That is the question: should I suck it up or accidentally shred it?

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. How are you by the way? Good?

PS I should probably apologize for the cat paintings on the far wall but I will not. They were done by a folk artist named Wendy, um, Press-something (house paint on board, how whimsical) and I like them. I do, however, know that people who have four cats should not have pictures of still more cats on the wall. It leads other people to then give them cat spoon rests and cat coasters and cat trivets etc. and it prohibits them from bitching about it. Because, you know, aren't those PORTRAITS of cats you do not even know in your bedroom? Who are you kidding?   

Comments

[tracy]

Big wall-mounted TV. :-D And I can't really see the coverlet, but I'll take your word for it... couldn't it have an unfortunate accident?

So, where are those basement pictures you promised us?

[Erica]

Perhaps instead of shredding it, Patrick could be induced to spill something very, very red on it. Strong kool-aid, or cough syrup, or an oily tomato-based condiment. He's cute -- he can get away with that sort of thing.

[Kay]

Do any of your cats have claws? Or a bladder problem?

[catizhere]

Exactly what I was thinking Erica!
Or perhaps a trip to the local Marshall's/T.J. Maxx for an armful of cream colored throw pillows in all different shapes & sizes????

As for the wall, I'm not much of a designer either.... I like a big cluster of photos with small decorative mirrors thrown in for good measure...

[Libby]

How about a big mirror for that wall?

I was also going to suggest that perhaps Patrick could have an unfortunate "accident" of some sort with say, hot pink playdough, or red fingerpaint. He can certainly get away with it, he is just so cute.

[Chookooloonks]

how about a big, beautiful rug? My husband and I bought a fabulous one on our honeymoon in Mauritius, and in our former house, we had it hanging on the wall in our dining room.

Currently, it's rolled up under our guest room bed, so what do I know.

After that, I'm tapped. Although I'm digging the cat-bladder-problem solution to the unfortunate coverlet...

K.

[Jenn]

OK I had to laugh because the VERY FIRST thing I thought was, Julia doesn't strike me as a cat picture kind of gal. Thanks for clearing that up.

I think furniture over a picture. That's a lot of space to the bed. Something Pier-1 ish maybe to go with the Batik.

No help?

Jenn

[Desiree']

How about a nice mural? You get the advantage of a painting but no annoying frame profile...

[lynn]

I vote for a mirror for the wall, and chicken in black bean sauce for the coverlet.

[Christine]

Nice cat (the real one, not the pictures).

Shred. How can you be expected to be happy when you hate it so? It is your room, too, after all.

I agree on the furniture. That's a huge space. We tend to do bookshelves, because, well, we're overrun with books. A table with cat trivets, though. That might work.

And speak to me not of cat spoon rests, my friend. Apparently cat paraphenalia is the only thing one can think of to gift to a vet.

[nate]

Red wine?
Or perhaps, if the cats have claws, you could (ahem) *accidentally* spill catnip all over the bed, thus inspiring a take-no-prisoners attack on the duvet.
For the wall, I go with the rug selection. Perhaps something like this?
http://www.abama-specialty-shops.com/w00260h1.jpg
Or something from this page:
http://www.cat-alog.com/rugs_totebags.html

Oh, and HOW do you keep your rugs so clean with 4 cats and a toddler? Not to mention a husband?

[Brandee]

Tatouage, baby!! Why not try this one:

http://www.tatouagedesigns.com/store/productdetail.asp?ProductId=20631&ReturnTo=creatures%2Easp

[laura]

For the wall: an accent color. Make it an accent wall.

For the bed cover: beyond just an unfortunate accident, I'm thinking an unfortunate sequence of events. Perhaps the painting of the accent wall could lead to something terrible happening to the bed spread. But it needs to be a sequence of events, not an isolated incident.

[lisa]

I found your journal through a friend who had a linked reference to a friend who had one to you....

I am a quilter, so I change my comforter every month or so....maybe get something you like, switch it out, store the batik one...and then happen to not put it back on the bed, or put it on a guest bed and "accidentally" leave it there?

for the wall, if you know someone who quilts, they could make you something, just a wall hanging, and you could hang that, or make it an accent wall

[DD]

I’ll throw in my two cents because…well…just because I can!
1. Paint the wall. Something from the burgundy-red family.
2. Put a rug on the floor. Some people despise rugs on carpet, but it helps fill a void without blocking your space.
3. A narrow sofa-table or an antique chest (square). Bonus: you can “hide” the duvet cover there when you switch it out.
4. Hang a mirror above the chest. If you don’t like the mirror because you’re worried about a boudaire feeling, go find some art that speaks to you.

My sisters use to call me "Martha" (ya'know, Martha Stewart), but I don't know how much of a compliment that really is. And, please don't take that as tooting my own horn. I've had to become "inventive" on my own, having a toddler and two cats myself. BTW, love the couch/window set up. Looks comfy!

[DD]

GAD! "Boudoir" not boudaire. Sorry.

[graygirl]

The accent wall idea could work well. Another possibility: a triptich of smallish, similar artwork (perhaps 5" by 7" black and white photos, mounted in minimalist frames?) arranged horizontally. They wouldn't take up much space but would occupy the wall. And if they are connected, in appearance or content or both, they might give the feel of one larger visual element without physically covering as much space.

[Candy]

I'm thinking, fabric. Hang curtains from ceiling to floor to soften the room up. The gauzy kind that pool around the floor? I dunno, I suck at this too.

[Bluepaolo]

I am supposedly a professional - so my recommendation is....
full height bookshelves along the entire wall with a cove molding in the bedroom proper to tie it all together. From lurking in your site, I know you're a reader. Low height bookshelves don't work because they are just an add on. Full height bookshelves in the circulation space 'reads' (so to speak) as part of the wall, but is also both useful and pretty to look at.
I hope this makes sense. You also may have to switch the door swing.

[Reba]

some sort of big art - BIG!!! staring only abot 18 inches from the floor. Something simple so it's not overwhelming.

[Robin]

Mmmm, 1) big screen t.v. 2) floor to ceiling various pictures in the English tradition 3) could you afford to put in built in bookshelves there? Might be attractive. I loove the windows themselves.

Can you wash/dry the cover incorrectly rendering it unable to fit. Yes, I am a bad sneaky person.

[Lori]

Tell your husband that you were freezing using that duvet last winter, and you think that that duvet should be the "summer" duvet. if he protests, tell him that women are always colder then men. then buy one that you like (unfortunately it may have to be more "wintery") and then "forget" to change it out in the summer.
(of course, my husband has a thing about shams and has refused to let one on our bed, so I am hardly someone you should listen to in solving marital decorating issues)

[iselyahna]

What about a mirror? Like... one with those tasteful white glaze decorating the outside edges of it with a nice frame that matches the wood of the windows. They always talk about how mirrors make the room look bigger. Or something. I've never really figured out how it looks bigger, except maybe you get that whole Through The Looking Glass thing, but that's sort of creepy when you think about it.

Uh. What about like, a wall hanging? Or you could think of the last Indiana Jones movie and go with a tapestry. That's about the best advice I can give you unless you want to start talking weird murals and vines and flowers or something, because my room decorating abilities are pretty much limited to "fake plants" and "stencil stars and moons and suns on the wall like you're 4."

As far as the cover thing, um. Really big pillows to hide it? Or you could get a huge dog and just... let it sit there until it's all dog-ridden and then "Oops the dog peed on it it's gotta go now" even if it didn't.

I'm gonna stop now.

Option 1) Paint the accent wall a color that clashes so badly with the bedspread (but goes with the current paint scheme) that he, not you, says the duvet just no longer works (this one personally worked for me). Although my backup plan involved the dogs and the cat.
2) a mix of floating shelves/boxes (Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, West Elm are purveyors) for pictures/art/sculpture/vases to add dimension to the wall. Just mount them high enough so the cats don't think the wall is set up to play Donkey Kong.
3) I second the huge art - vintage poster + cool frame. I think I've seen one with a cat........

[kimmellee]

I say a big flat plasma tv... or a rug.... or maybe a mirror in that order.

[Alexa]

I like the accent wall idea, too. Perhaps with a slim bench/sideboard-y thing to break it up. I know what you mean about seeing something in profile as you walk in--you could put a vase with some tall sticks or something on the sideboard-bit to draw the eye upwards. Oh listen to me go on--I have no idea, really, as I live in a wee apartment where all of my spare walls are swathed in books.
As for the comforter...is there some way you could find something (some pattern/color, other than the hated batik) that he mentions a fondness for, and then "surprise" him with a new comforter, etc--"Look what I've done especially for YOU, my dumpling!" Then if he asked What About The Old Comforter you could act sort of crestfallen, and he would assure you that your surprise was excellent, and he loves the new comforter, and how thoughtful of you, etc.

[Jenni]

I'm a cat person my self, so I don't find the cat pictures so bad myself. Could you get a new comforter, one you really like, that co-ordinates colorwise with the one you hate and then frame part of the one Steve likes and use it as "art"? I'd like to see the rest of the room, it's kind of hard to tell what the scale of the item should be on that wall with out seeing what's in the rest of the room.

Just a thought.....

Jenni

[Staci]

I also vote for a mirror, but you're going to have a tough time finding one big enough to look right. If it were my wall, I'd get three mirrors, all the same size and appropriate for the wall, and line them in a row. Like this: [] [] [] Trust me I looked for a picture of what I'm describing with no luck. I did it with two huge mirrors on a blank wall in our living room. I'll email you a picture. Good luck!

[zarqa]

A slim console type table and if it truly gets the light that it looks from the picture like it gets, with some nice plants on the table, may do the trick. Something sculptural like that. I too have an enormous blank wall in my bedroom so I'd be interested to know what you come up with. As for the batik, goldenrod and periwinkle are currently my favorite color combo, so I'm biased for keeping it.:)

[RachelH]

As to the wall/duvet issue: I could mail you MY husband's Nagel collection (um, the glass on one of the frames was *accidentally* shattered but other than that they're in good shape) and you could put those up to match the duvet cover and do a themed room...mwah ha haaa!

[patriciam]

I quite like the full height bookshelves idea. Another solution could be the shelf/mirror arrangement on p.30 of the "Late Fall" catalogue (older version in left sidebar) at www.wshome.com. Or, perhaps a floating shelf with two of the lacquer hurricanes (p.12, same catalogue)anchoring each end, which could be kind of romantic-y when lit. The mirror could be square or round..might be fun to use a chunky Mexican tin mirror to lend some shine...
http://www.directfrommexico.com/mirrors.html

[Molly]

I say full-height bookshelves (you can always put pictures, vases, whatever in among the books) or the tapestry wall-hanging. Yes.

[Janice]

What Bluepaolo said. Exactly!

[terri c]

I have no idea about the wall altho I like the full height bookcases as it sounds like an excellent reason to buy more books. As to the duvet, though, that should be easier... I wouldn't actually let anything happen to it but I would try telling Steve that it is making you crazy trying to keep things from spilling on it and you think it should be put away until Patrick is older. Much, much older, but you don't have to tell him that...

[carrie]

A sofa table - because it is narrow enough for the space. On the table, a lamp with a thin stem, a collection of candles, books, or framed pictures (but not too many photos - 3 at most). You can either hang a mirror/picture, or set it on the table.

As for the bed cover, how about getting a new one in the color you like the most without a pattern. Fold the old one down at the end of the bed. Less of the material you dislike and at night you might get lucky enough to have it fall on the floor and it will be destroyed in some late night incident (cat claws, a sudden, but short lived illness).

[jenB]

am i the only one who thinks giant mirror near a bed screams home made porno? or is everyone but me too classy to say so? :-)

[kim]

I didn't read the other comments, so my apologies if someone has already suggested this... My recommendation would be to get some flush-mount shelves installed (the kind without the brackets because the brackets are horrible.) Get thin ones - you can find them at Lowe's or Home Depot. Then instead of putting a bunch of knick knacks or whatever on them, try just using them to prop framed pictures against the wall. I would recommend using a uniform set of frames - various sizes, but the same finish and the same matting. You get over the profile thing soon enough, trust me.
OR! You could do a tapestry thing. Here's a site that's got some neat ones: Simply Tapestries. If nothing there suits your fancy, do a Google search. It appears the internet is chock full of tapestries. Whod've thunk?

[CathyY]

I say a large tapestry. I have two in my living room. LOVE them. Soft, adds texture, doesn't hog space.

[Mollie]

I say hang the cats on the wall, and wash the duvet cover in the hot cycle with lots of bleach.

[Carmen]

Oh, no. No big mirror. Having had one in our previous house, it tends to make one very very self conscious. I constantly felt as if I was in a movie, watching myself get dressed, make the bed, or Fod forbid, getting in on with The Hubster. The only thing that saved me was the fact that I am blind without glasses, so I frequently took them off.

What you need for that wall, since I know everything about decorating - HA! - is a piece of wallpaper, but a photo. I know that makes no sense, but we have one in our house and it's great. We bought it at Home Depot, and it's a scene from a tropical island. There are many different choices, and a great scene beats the vision of me trying to suck in my gut any day.

[Carmen]

Um, and that would be GOD forbid. And getting IT on.

Geez. Too little coffee and too many kids around this morning.

[Carmen]

Um, and that would be GOD forbid. And getting IT on.

Geez. Too little coffee and too many kids around this morning.

[Jen (yup, another one)]

God, I hope no one beats me into a pulp for this, but Steve loves that comforter. I'm definitely opposed to "accidental" damage to it. I was going to propose, sort of like someone did earlier, having a second comforter and alternating them. Only really alternating them. We have a summer comforter and a winter comforter and switch them. And you can pick something you really, really love.

I like Bluepaolo's idea too.

I think

[Jen (yup, another one)]

Ignore that last "I think"!

[Jen (yup, another one)]

Ignore that last "I think"!

[Lisa S (et al, aka Stolidoli)]

Funny, I can see the mark from the shelves on your rug. ;)

My vote, in order:

Built in bookshelves
Tapestry

I personally believe that painting the wall a bold color will only make it stand out more as being barren, and you'll hate in more. IMHO of course.

You have a beautiful bedroom!

[Eulallia]

I agree with the Pottery Barn floating shelf idea.

[Lisa]

Lots of people have suggested an accent wall, and one way to do this and get a great visual pattern in the room is to use a large-patterned wallpaper, just on that wall. Maybe something beautiful and vine-y... it could be in a contrasting color or in the mushroom tones still, adding interest because of the pattern. It's like a tapestry/accent wall!

As to the duvet, I just don't know. Destroying it soungs a bit harsh, but maybe you could buy one you really like and convince Steve to swap with you every month? I'm sure he's a reasonable man.

Good luck!

[Jamie]

I like the idea of a low bench on that wall, with a collection of phots or small art (but if you do this, make sure you do an odd number- it just looks better). No mirror, gah!

How long have you had the duvet? It seems like a shame to ruin it if it's fairly new and well loved by Steve, but if you've had it for a while and are truly over it, wash it with some bleach. Then, you can at least still donate it somewhere.

[Melissa]

I vote for some sort of bench thing and then art above it. In my mind the bench should not be too long.

As far as the bed cover, with four cats surely one can get accidentally caught in the bedroom and have to pee during that time.