Bedroom Redo - Grand Finale!!!

My bedroom is finished, at long last, to the point where it is presentable!  And so, without further ado, here are more photos than your probably care to look at!  I don't care, this is my blog:

I fancied things up a little by borrowing the square cushions from the family room sofa just for these photographs and 'arranging' them on the bed.  And I see my staging was off center, damn!  So much for being a fancy-pants, LOL!   I'm very happy with how the canopy turned out. It perfectly disguises the "dead" space behind the head of my angled bed.  The toile comforter and pillow shams are very white and black.  I made a wise decision in purchasing the "very white" mosquito net canopy rather than the ivory color.

The sheet set presently on the bed was purchased in 2009 in anticipation of this eventual re-do and was, along with the toile curtains and other bedding, all bought online over a couple of months.  Thus, I unfortunately ended up with several different shades of what was supposed to be black and "white" toile! (I also bought what was supposed to be a coordinating red/black/white toile comforter and valances -- don't get me started on the "white" that looks "pink"!) These pillow cases, as you can see, are decidedly "yellowy."  The black and white gingham checked sheet set (Penney's) that I photographed in my last set of photos of this room during its transition is in the wash.  Guess I need to buy another sheet set to "go" with...

For this photo and the one below, I tied back the curtains on the window facing west that overlooks my backyard and gardens.  I just love how the sunlight is streaming in today, and how romantic and cozy everything looks.  Even though these photos look dark, the room was filled with beautiful light and shadows about 3 p.m. when I took these photos.  The view is toward the southwest.

You can sorta kinda peek 'through' the lace undercurtain and see the outline of my leafless trees, asleep over the winter.  Because this window is very "private" I could keep the overcurtains tied back like this at night, but I do like the cozy feel the closed curtains give to the room.  I also how the daylight (it doesn't even have to be sunny) shows a hazy pattern of the lace undercurtain through to the semi-sheer overcurtains.

My bureau! I took this photo while sitting on my bed, thus part of the canopy is in the scene.  The light streaming in from the right is from a southern window -- I did not use a flash but I did have the lamps turned on. This photo gives you a pretty good idea of the various "views" I now have from my soft, comfy bed through its canopy! The bureau is on the east wall and its left side faces the entrance and hallway.  She looks pretty darn good, doesn't she, after my touch-up/refinishing/clean-up/polishing/buffing frenzy of yesterday.  Maybe you can see why I fell in love with this set way back in 1977 or 1978 and am still in love with it, all these years later.  She's got great bones, even if part of her is plastic wood :)  More about that bird picture in a subsequent post.  Sitting atop that old Lady Buxton jewelry box from my Daddy, a gift from many many moons ago, is a black soapstone carved Bast (or Bastet), the "Cat" Goddess of ancient Egypt.  She's really beautifully rendered.

My chair corner, southeast corner of the room.  The window faces south.  Through that door is my walk-in closet which is large enough for me to use as a mini-dressing room.  I angled the wing chair so that it mirrors the angle of my bed, upon which I was sitting when I took this photo, LOL!  The chair color has changed from "woodrose" to black through the magic of an old slip-cover that I borrowed from the guest room wing chair. 

I keep the heat set pretty low in the house during the cool/cold months and I can get cold, thus there is a nice plump down throw over the back of the chair to wrap up in if I need it, or layer over the bed at night for "extra" if needed.  All my chair corner lacks for total comfort is a footstool -- must look for one that will fit the tiny space...  The old pharmacy lamp that used to light the nightstand in my old set-up now lights my reading chair, and I added a little metal "garden" side table (a purchase from some years ago stashed in the garage) to hold my wine glass when I sit and read.  Not shown in this photo are the books I subsequently stashed "inside" the lower frame of that little table that will be my reading material for the next few weeks -- former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov ("How Life Imitates Chess") and Dan Brown (a re-read of "Solomon's Key").  This photo was also taken while seated on my bed, this time at the end of the bed -- thus you can see a small part of the net canopy to the left, LOL!

Well, some photographer I am!  I got myself in the photo, duh!  The triple dresser is on the south wall of the bedroom.  I will explain about all the stuff accessories on it in another post.  I was on the other side of the bed to take this photo, and you can see parts of the canopy.  Again, very representative of my "view" when lounging underneath my canopy feeling like Cleopatra.

My Chinese trio of ideograms for "good luck, good fortune (money), and long life."  They are solid brass and beautifully rendered; a little tarnished (I used up the last of my brass polish on the brass tray now sitting on the triple dresser holding my various perfumes and colognes) but still lovely.  This is one of two sets that were gifted to me by my sister Yvonne in 1990 when I moved into this house.  This set had been in storage for some time; the other set has been in constant use in my living room since 1990 and presently signs horizontally on the wall above the fireplace mantle in that room. 

Here is The Goddess relocated to the west wall, between the window that streams in warm afternoon sunlight and my bed. Notice how she now appears to be "curtained" on both sides (by the window curtain on the left and canopied bed on the right).  She is much happier in this spot!  In both ancient Egyptian and ancient Chinese legends, the "West" was the land over which She Ruled and where the dead went to live again in various versions of "Paradise" and also to be reborn back into the world every day.  While in a prior post ("Lonely Goddess") I had placed Her on this very same plinth on the east wall of my bedroom (sun rising position/birth/rebirth) above my bureau, She just did not "feel" right there, and I "knew" that She was not happy in that location, either.  Okay, call me crazy :)

Now, when entering into the room or when lounging in my bed, I see Her through the "veil" of the canopy.  Only fitting, since one should get up close and personal with The Goddess most intimately to make oneself and one's petitions know to Her.  One now has to walk into the room, orient one's self, and then walk through the narrow pathway between corner of bed and triple dresser to reach the Goddess' perch on the west wall and see Her clearly and not through a "veil."

The north wall of my bedroom.  We're nearly finished with the tour. You can see the exit from the bedroom at the far right.  There's that "brown" lamp I bought on clearance at Penney's and that's how I decided to put up the wall art.  When I took this photo, I forgot to add in the important "Three Goddesses" photo taken of my honorary sister, Georgia, her daugher, Michelle, and I taken in August, 2008 by Mr. Don. It's one of my favorite photos of the three of us together.  You can see it in the photo below.

There are still many putsy things to do.  Cleaning and restoration-wise, I want to give the triple dresser and nightstand a good going over with a sanding block, spot refinisher and a touch-up pen and give the bureau a second going-over (I worked on it yesterday for a good hour, sanding, buffing, polishing and touching-up the finish with various products). For the time being, though, this is it!

The carpeting will be cleaned in May (when it's usually warm enough to keep windows open to get rid of the chemical smells and speed dry time), it needs to be replaced (it's 21 years old, eek!) but that's not in the budget this year.  I would like to get a 5x7 area rug in an "oriental" pattern with a black background. That will add some color to the floor and also cover up some of the worst of the worn areas in the carpet and be a welcome accent on future new carpet.

I would like to have the wing chair that's presently in the guest room reupholstered in black brocade or black microfiber and move it into my room.and donate my current bedroom wing chair to the Goodwill.  It's 25 years old and despite my best efforts, it's sagging after much use and ready to be retired - or picked up by some clever thrifter and painted or otherwise utilized.  Don't get me wrong, it's still very comfortable, I just sort of "sink" into it now, LOL! 

I would like to move my Chinese good luck, good money and long life idiograms horizontally on the wall above the mirror on the triple dresser, and put some nice bird prints in their place.

I would like to finish off the space "behind the veil" at the head of the bed with a few wall shelves and some battery-operated candles to add to the ambiance.

Ideally, I would like to have a nightstand or end table with drawer(s) on both sides of the bed.

So, I still have work ahead of me...

October 31, 2013 -- Happy Hallow'een!  I'm sharing this post at Glitter, Glue & Paint's Throwback Thursday.