Thursday, May 31, 2012

Decorate Bedrooms With A Paris Theme

Of all the rooms in your home, your bedroom is the perfect place to decorate lavishly and imaginatively and allow your personal style to predominate. A Parisian-style bedroom can add sophistication and a worldly ambiance to your room. You can decorate your bedroom in the style of a Paris salon or sidewalk café, or give it an urban contemporary look. French country also predominates in many Paris bedrooms, which makes integrating family heirlooms, antiques and flea market finds a breeze. You can also opt to use Parisian art, objects and images in your bedroom to give it a definitive French accent.


Instructions


1. Determine which Paris theme you prefer for your bedroom. If you prefer comfort over glam, the country or salon style may serve you better. If you like some trendy elements or sleek minimalism, go for a modern or contemporary Parisian look.


2. Use paint and finishes to set the design theme for your Parisian bedroom. A simple cornflower blue paint job with cream or mustard fleur-de-lis trim evokes a homey Parisian look. Espresso brown with poppy-seed black and off-white accents has an edgier, contemporary look. For a more literal interpretation of Parisian style, apply a wallpaper mural of a café window and awning, the Eiffel Tower or a Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec-style scene of women dancing. For a subtler accent, spell out French words and phrases with wall decals.


3. Invest in Parisian-style bedroom furniture that functions as a focal point of the bedroom. A simple scrolled wrought-iron bed frame with a distressed finish recalls the details on French café furniture. A contemporary canopy bed frame in dark brown or black, with no canopy, has the cool architecture of a Paris boutique hotel. French-style antiques and reproductions, such as desks, chairs and tables with skinny, sculpted legs, recall the ornate furniture at Versailles.


4. Accessorize with Parisian details. Prints, paintings and posters of Paris scenes or by French artists are a must. You can stack paintings in ornate, mismatched frames vertically on the wall to give the bedroom the bohemian glam of a Paris salon. Evoke Parisian simplicity by hanging a simple framed art postcard or a rusted tin sign advertising French foodstuffs. A French tableau of art and accessories on a floating shelf or a deep windowsill adds a finishing touch.

Tags: your bedroom, bedroom simple, contemporary look, Paris salon, Parisian look