When newlyweds Jeff and Tamara purchased their home a year ago, they started a massive renovation project. But their work stopped abruptly when life presented them with some unexpected ups and downs. Although they got the great news that they were expecting their first child, two months later they also found out that Tamara had cancer. Needless to say, they quickly shelved plans to finish the house and began what seemed like an endless stream of medical appointments.
Fast forward one year, and things are on the upswing.
Baby Jasmine has been welcomed into the world, and Tamara has been given a clean bill of health. But since the couple’s bedroom was left unfinished during the renovation, it was important to Jeff that it was completed — and transformed into a calm oasis in which Tamara could relax with their new daughter. So after receiving his letter asking for help, I grabbed my crew and geared up to give the family a bedroom sanctuary that would help them unwind after a tough year.
The existing bedroom was bland, boring and very blue. It needed more light, more storage and an airier, more contemporary look. To give it the soothing, peaceful vibe I wanted, I looked to nature for my colors, fabrics and finishes.
Taking my inspiration from a fabric with a cherry-blossom pattern, I decided to fill the room with soothing shades of cream, green and bark, and started things off by painting the room in a fresh coat of celery-green.
I made the focal point of this room a fantastic bed. I used a sustainable-wood frame and an organic rubber mattress, and then topped it all off with natural cotton and linen bedding in meadow-inspired shades. But the big story here is the headboard, which is made of a blown-up floral pattern that is put on canvas and then on Masonite.
Flanking the bed are two dark walnut bedside tables that have storage drawers and are backed with mirrors and sconces above. At the foot of the bed I put a wood bench with a soft, buttery-green vinyl top.
Opposite the bed is an oddly angled area, which I filled up with a mix of open and closed, custom and store-bought storage solutions. I also put in a small chair and a gorgeous wood table, which sit below the room’s windows. On these windows I put up the cherry-blossom-patterned fabric for a light and airy feel. For privacy, I also installed some green and bark woven blinds.
To lighten and brighten the room, I put in some well-placed monopoint lighting, in addition to a centerpiece fixture on the ceiling comprised of a simple, modern linen shade with a diffuser on the bottom for a relaxing glow.
After adding some accents and accessories, including a beautiful and colorful composition of carved blocks on the wall, this relaxing space was complete.
The unfinished, blue bedroom wasn’t cutting the calm criteria, so I called on Mother Nature to help create a soothing place full of relaxing colors and natural fabrics that play softly against stylish linear furniture and cabinetry.
Now the room is a mix of the organic and the modern — a breezy oasis that is just what the doctor ordered for Tamara, Jeff and Jasmine. Now that’s divine!
Interior decorator Candice Olson is host of HGTV’s “Divine Design.”
