Luckily that issue was resolved by the time Amanda came over to help me pick out a dresser at Ikea. First, Amanda vetoed the curtains. I kind of knew that was going to happen. I liked the material, and I liked how little light they let in. I was never a fan of the color. My room is a light color that looks dark, and those curtains were a dark color that looked light. They did not get along.
The bad:
The good:
I don't have a picture of my purple curtains. (I know. It didn't seem right to me either.) But if I did have a picture, I'd refer to them as "the ugly" because in the end, they really were. Maybe not, maybe I was just sick of them. The new curtains are "wheat" color, and made of linen. The old curtains were "sage" and made of faux suade. If they had a color I liked in the faux suede, I would have gone with that. I didn't like their nuetrals. My only other options were red and black which we all know are unacceptable. They had a brown but I just wasn't a fan. I also decided that brown would dictate too much about the dresser. Why is that important?
After Amanda vetoed the curtains we went to Ikea. It became clear to me, (I've always known it really) that Amanda's tastes are a bit different than mine. Not bad, we just like different styles. Amanda was encouraging me to go as light as possible with the dresser, like white or birch. I wanted to go as dark as possible. I was a bit thrown by the whole curtain fiasco, which hadn't actually been resolved until after the Ikea trip. I think I had a little less self-confidence than normal and didn't push too hard for the darker stained wood. The stain of wood we both agreed on (and I really did like this stain) was out of stock.
The decision: I guess we need Kelly's design expertise. Seriously, it's a miracle I've made any decorating decisions without Kelly's help. I just want to make my case now.
Reasons Amanda likes lighter things:
1. It runs to Amanda's tastes. She has a light dresser and it looks great in her bedroom.
2. Amanda's bedroom is not as big as my bedroom. Amanda is correct that a dark dresser would overpower her bedroom.
3. I don't know, that's all I remember.
4. I just wanted to give you as many numbers as I gave myself.
Reasons that it's ok to have dark dresser in Lizzie's bedroom:
1. I am not Amanda. I am Lizzie. I love dark stained wood. Amanda will be happy that I have found a dresser I enjoy.
2. My bedroom is 14 X 14. (It really is. I had to measure it to know how much paint to buy.) The blue on my wall is a light color and there is an off-white/cream door to the closet taking up half of one wall, making the room appear big and not oppressive.
3. The curtains are also a bright color, adding to the brightness and bigness of the room.
4. That wall has nothing on it right now. A dark piece of furniture will catch the eye and help the wall realize it's true potential as a focal point in my bedroom.
Bonus reason: that one's still in stock.
Also tonight: I found my new favorite pair of pants. I actually bought them for running because I kept not having enough clean clothes for exercise. But they're so comfortable. It's really too bad they're totally inappropriate to wear for anything other than exercise. And I bought a blouse for work. It's pink. (That's right, I'm now enough of a girl that I own a pink shirt.) I actually picked that color on purpose. It's a totally cute shirt by the way. I can't wait to wear it.
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Kelly to the rescue!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I'm going to need to know what dresser you're considering.
Secondly, there's an option you haven't considered. While I generally agree with Amanda regarding light-colored furniture (because I prefer having brightly painted walls and disappearing furniture), your walls do look fairly pale in the picture. And I also love dark-stained wood (cherry and mahogany are my favorites). Without seeing it in person, my advice is to pick a medium-stained wood for the dresser. It may end up looking much darker than you think. Also, medium-stained wood may look better with your new curtains. Something to ponder.
That being said, you have proved yourself capable of living with furniture at much greater extremes than I would have been able to tolerate (your black shelving and red curtains being two examples). So if you really like the dark and think you will be unhappy with anything else, then by all means get that.
Furthermore, I suggest that whatever it is you consider getting be as flexible as possible. If you decide to redecorate in a few years, or move, or have to merge your furniture with someone else's, it will make life a lot easier. And those are all things that are highly likely to happen.
So, to sum up:
1) Get what you like.
2) Go for the lowest common denominator.
3) Compromise only what you're willing to.
4) Post a link to the dresser you're considering. I may have further thoughts.
Aren't you glad my advice is free?
ps - we just moved all the furniture in the living room last night. The jury is still out. Redecorating is hard for all of us. It's just easier to do for someone else (in my opinion, at least).