Ideas For A Parisian Bedroom

The silvery light of cloudy Paris can inspire your design.

Channel your love for the City of Light into a Parisian boudoir space. Paris calls to mind the lacy ironwork of the Eiffel Tower, pastel macaroons like jewels in the patisserie display case, violin music at twilight at a sidewalk cafe, chic women with silk scarves knotted elegantly at their necks. Remember these textures, colors and sounds as you capture the flair and elegance of Parisian decor in your own home with a few sumptuous touches.

Color

Select a delicate blush pink to bring La Vie en Rose to your boudoir.

To evoke the ethereal glamor of the City of Light, swathe your bedroom in La Vie en Rose, choosing a soft dreamy pink for the walls or choose a silvery blue-gray reminiscent of the sky over Paris. In Parisian apartments, the wide woodwork and moldings are often white, so you may choose to paint your own woodwork in keeping with the theme. Dress your bed in a sateen duvet in white, ivory or blush and tufted silken pillows in similar muted tones. A single pink rose in a vase on the dresser or a bunch of lavender adds a deeper accent color.

Furnishings

A chaise lounge or an ottoman is a luxurious seating option.

A large white or ivory armoire is a very Parisian touch, while a white or gilt-edged French Provincial dressing table and velvet upholstered stool bring a ladylike hint of romance to the decor. A chaise or ottoman upholstered in raw silk or velveteen against the foot of the bed provides seating and a useful place for putting on one's shoes. Splurge on an iron bed, or paint your existing headboard white or ivory to suit the design.

Essential Accents

Add glamor with a chandelier.

Much of the charm of Paris is in the details--ornate moldings, intricate oval doorknobs, long windows open to wrought-iron balconies spilling a cascade of geraniums--so let the details embellish your design to perfection. You need a chandelier, preferably white, as a centerpiece for your room. Frame your window with interior shutters and choose drapes of a thick cream silk. Hang an iron window box inside your window sill and plant a crimson geranium. Small mirrors in diamond and oval shapes hang in a vertical row beside the door, a large dusting powder brush lays on the vanity table. A few postcards from Paris are pinned to a French memo board.

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