Thursday, August 08, 2013

Creating Different Looks for a Room


Here is something I have being doing with the "It just needs new curtains" philosophy. This is the side of the guest room that has not yet been painted. You can see a patch of old green paint showing through from the 1960's. While I am waiting for home improvement I have had a little fun with different covers and quilts and cushions. That white gathered blanket is the one I made last year from fleece.
These blankets and quIlts actually are used on other beds but I have put them in the guest room for these photos.
Above: Sea foam green accents on an inherited chenille spread.

A good reason to create different looks is to give your eyes something nice to look at when you look in a space or a room, and to take the edge off the eye-sore scenes of unpainted walls, worn floors or carpets, and other things that need work that you might not have any control over at the moment (or day, week, month, year, decade!)


This is the reverse side of the above quilt. The lady who made it got all her fabrics in England, of Laura Ashley brand.
She has a quilting machine and she programmed a rose design for it, on polished cotton.
Here is the rose stitch design close-up.
Above and below:one of the hand quilted blankets my daughter made with all the sewing scraps we had saved from clothing and household sewing during her childhood. Many of our skirts and dresses, long ago worn-out or out-grown, are represented in this colorful quilt.




Changing the look in any room helps rotate and air quilts, cushions and other types of linens.

This has also been used as a tablecloth with clear plastic over it to protect from stains.








The white rosé throw was something I got at one of the reject stores in Australia. The backing is a warm fleece. It is a great lap blanket.
Here is my anniversary cake that my daughter ordered for us. It looks like old fashioned architecture and reminds me of an old quilt I have, pictured below.

This is a short quilt runner that someone made for me. Hotels are now using quilt runners instead of full bedspreads, which seems a lot more practical while Adding luxury and color.
I am looking forward to creating different looks and moods in other parts of the house, such as dining, living, kitchen, back porch and other areas.
The porch and everything on it is waiting for a new paint job. In the meantime there are two rooms in the house getting renovated. This porch has several layers of old porch paint, including blue and red. If you ever get discouraged while waiting for improvements, just keep it all swept and orderly and it helps keep down anxiety! There is no reason to dislike being home or be bored at home. Besides housework, there are the cheerful touches and changes you can make, even without painting or rennovating.

17 comments:

living from glory to glory said...

Hello, I enjoyed these pictures, as I also have been working in my spare bedroom also. I am putting all pink and white colors. I have made some wonderful things out of a King size flat sheet of some very sweet vintage rose pattern. I was thrilled to find it.
I call it my Chick Room. I finally have a place for all my things, sewing machine, computer ect. Really loving it. Have a wonderful week-end.
Blessings, Roxy

Lydia said...

Thank you, Roxy. Your project sounds inviting and I would love to see it.

susie @ persimmon moon cottage said...

It was fun seeing so many of your quilts and spreads. They are so pretty. The fleece throw you made complements the quilts beautifully.

I search for and collect vintage cotton pillowcases from thrift stores and flea markets. I like to find the embroidered ones. The 1960's print floral cottons are pretty, too. but most of all, the vintage cotton feels so good against the skin.

Elizabeth Olmstead McBride said...

You have a lot of beautiful quilts! I would love to have so many, and I'd love to have a vintage chenille bedspread.

Susan said...

Thank you for the ideas. It really helps me to see how things are coordinated. I wonder if there are any suggestions for successfully cleaning older quilts. I haven't used the ones my mother gave me because they have developed a musty smell that aggravates our allergies. I have tried repeatedly hanging them out, and even carefully washed one and they still smell musty. I would rather use them than have them stored on a shelf. Thanks again for a great post.

Finding Joy said...

Your quilts are all very pretty and the room looks very inviting for any guest.

Barbara said...

You have so many beautiful things and you make excellent use of them. Thank you for sharing so many delightful pictures for inspiration!

anonymous said...

I really enjoyed seeing all your pretty quilts, bedspreads and how you arranged them in your guestroom.
Its always inspiring to me to see your blog because you like the same things, colors and themes I do.

Am thankful you use your gift of encouragement in such lovely ways. The Lord is glorified as women are encouraged by your sharing. Keep up the good work Lydia.
Blessings, Mrs. J.

Tricia said...

Dear Lady Lydia,
I simply adore pink, but my hubby does not. I would love to have a "shabby chic" look in our bedroom, as we need to get a new comforter soon, but every time I show something of the like to my hubby, he says he hates it. I have even compromised on the color and would go for shabby chic in blue, green or yellow. He just doesn't like it! Any suggestions??

SharonR said...

For Tricia ~ Pink and lace are all beautiful to us, but, as my college home ec teacher (Dr. T.) warned us, we shouldn't make our husbands live in a bedroom too feminine. In my own home, I want the cottage style everywhere. That's a definite feminine style, However, in our bedroom, I want it to be pleasing to him, so my plan is to make it more contemporary with the navy/white quilt his grandmother made for him as inspiration. The colors, navy and dark beige (light tan?). No rose motifs. No lace curtains. That doesn't mean I couldn't be happy there. There could be some departure to the feminine side, but in this room, be careful. Dr. T. warned us with an example of a woman who made her master bedroom with pastel yellow and eyelet everywhere. To Dr. T, it was no surprise to hear that the man soon walked out the home ... and marriage. Was it because that he just couldn't take her insistence on a feminine bedroom? She thought so.

Lydia said...

This is a guest room. I can alter it any way with color and style. Any bedroom can be adjusted to the people who occupy it. I noticed at Walmart there was a nice brown quilt with brown satin squares alternate with brown velvet and cotton. That would be nice in a bedroom.

When my in- laws, who were married over 60 years were alive, they had a bedroom made up of the chenille spread i have shown here, along with his and hers pillowcases made by his mother. The dressers all had crocheted cloths on them. His end table and dresser had his clock and radio and the other things he used. Hers had her jewel box and comb and brush set as well as her face cream and perfume. The curtains were lace.

If you want to see what bedrooms of the past were like, have a look at some of the historic homes in your area. Some of the master bedrooms were rather grand, with velvet and brocade fabrics in brown, green, gold and burgundy. There was a masculine side of the room and a feminine side.

Lydia said...

Is your husband's sleep disturbed by a certain color or style? Perhaps at bedtime you can put a brown or black or blue quilt or spread over the bed, just for his comfort.

Lydia said...

To get ideas for bedrooms that would be suitable to both husband and wife, type in "cottage bedrooms in England" and click images. You will see pictures of bedrooms that are rented out to tourists, and I do think the owners know what works.

Lydia said...

This guest bed was the same headboard, frame and mattress set that belonged to my in-laws who were married over 60 years. In the early 1930s couples were glad to have any kind of bed or bedspread, furniture or color that was given to them or that they inherited or could afford. They were just happy. To be together. I think people today have gotten more fussy, for tome reason.

Lydia said...

Go to Walmart.com and click bedding and then a color your husband likes, and have him pick out the bedding.

Lydia said...

If you like pink you might also have a tendency to like wines and reds and could use them for both of you.

Homeschool on the Croft said...

So many!! And so much beauty - these quilt combinations are so lovely. I love a plain white bed with the narrow throw along the bottom, but I don't think there's anything as lovely in your photos as the quilt made with 'left overs' ... What a bundle of *memories* ... LOVE the thought of that. Very precious.