Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Makeover Your Bedroom with Ritz Carlton Style!

Room Decorated by Mily Gordon.

Luxurious style and elegance at à la Ritz-Carlton can be yours to bring home. If you don't want that luxury feeling from vacation time to end, follow these easy instructions to bring the decor into your personal, everyday life.


1. Tidy up your bedroom. With your post-vacation energy, set to and take out everything in your bedroom that can be moved. Only some of it will ever go back in. Clean well.

2. Consider the elements of a Ritz-Carlton style room:

* Polished hardwood flooring

* Oriental rugs or high-quality, simple rugs

* Elegant pieces of furniture, such as a deep-toned wooden dresser

* Matching bedside tables with delicate lamps; try leadlight lamps or lamps with bone china bases (you can get these made at your local lighting store with a good bone china vase find)

* A luxurious club chair or a pair if you have room

* Matching prints - floral, horses-a-hunting, sea vistas - anything suggestive of old wealth and vacation time is fine- just make sure to mat and frame them properly to avoid looking cheap.

* Electronic equipment that is well hidden but easily accessible - cloak that plasma TV in an armoire.

* Writing desk and chair

* Mini bar fridge (optional)

* Neutral walls (beige, cream, white, off-white)

3. Choose sumptuous bed linens. If you don't already own it, go out and spend a day buying it:

* Indulge in a high thread count cotton sheet set, at least 200 count. It will be worth the cost when you discover that the rich softness of these sheets induce nights of magnificent sleep.

* Bolster cushions, square pillows, European pillows, and roll pillows. Be guided by elegance, good taste and what pleases you most.

* Purchase a duvet and duvet cover as fluffy and large as you can afford. This is the most important part of your bed, as it increases comfort and is seen by others most often. Down comforters work well for this, as do ones with down substitute- its main difference is warmth. Substitute comforters work very well for those with allergies.

4. Assess the things you took out of your room in the clean-up. Following the checklist above, make decisions about what your think carries that "hotel room character". What looks chic, elegant and simple all at once? Keep those items. All your knick-knacks must be sorted too - either they fit the theme, or they need to have storage space to hide them from view.

5. Try to avoid eclectic, clashing styles. Choose neutral color themes - the creams, bones, beiges, golds etc. are best choices and you can spruce these up with maroon, deep blues or deep greens.

6. Treat your room to weekly fresh flowers.


Tips

* Purchase terry bed robes - ooh, such luxury to walk around in after you bath or shower. Don't forget slippers. Often you can purchase these items before you leave your stay at the Ritz-Carlton.

* Dash in early evening and turn your bed down. Leave a rolled up magazine and mint on the pillow for a sweet surprise later at night when you return.

* Recycle the items you have decided to no longer keep after your bedroom revamp.

*In place of prints, try having prints made up of your real stay in the Ritz-Carlton; have them framed and hang them around your room.

* Cotton and silk are the best sheet and bed linen fabrics. Do not skimp on these; a lot of your life is spent surrounded by them.


About The Decorator Mily Gordon:

Mily Gordon is an accredited interior decorator from Birmingham, Alabama. Mily has collaborated with architects and contractors in completing projects, and customers have returned home to marvel at the transformation of their favorite room. From building a new home, to remodeling an existing home, Mily Gordon's goal is to offer a combination of creative ideas and decorating services from color selection to complete room makeovers that can be tailored to your needs .

For more information about Mily Gordon check out her website: Decor By Mily Gordon

Picture used with permission from Decor By Mily Gordon.