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collettec Not sure of everything you're working with in your room, but the example you gave is neutral, with large pieces and structural without lots of color. I would consider painting the walls a beige and staining the floors and going with modern line and aesthetics pieces without much decoration and in neutrals, for bedding, possibly couches, chairs etc., without lots of extraneous decor.

Damien Ward I've got a few major pieces that i'd like to work into it
this desk http://biwaroses.deviantart.com/#/d5lsk5y
these sculptures http://biwaroses.deviantart.com/#/d5ehmnh
a black version of this chest http://www.zentnercollection.com/items/1016200/item1016200zentner.html
This lamp http://www.designboom.com/weblog/images/images_2/2011/jenny/lathe/lathe01.jpg
and this pendant http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maswxklEZR1rgxfgno1_1280.jpg
and i'm looking for a large mirror above the fireplace too

Sigrid The pictures you showed were of rooms with luxurious furnishings in well-lit rooms with Victorian detailing and most importantly, lots of space. Zero clutter.

I've noticed that many designer/magazine pictures ignore real world constraints, like the need to actually use your desk or the room to have more than one purpose. You can make your room look like those rooms by stripping out most of the furniture, making sure what you do have matches your fireplace and picking a color scheme that goes with your wood, make the few soft accessories or furnishings a lush material and rich color. The color of the wood isn't an issue, it's very nice.

I suspect what you will have to do, though, is to figure out what elements you can do, while keeping the room useful.

beattieboggs Your inspiration pictures are so beautiful but then I adore French architecture and design. The main point is that it is all white/off white and light. Add some purchased architectural details like an elegant rose for the ceiling.

Your mirror needs to be gilded or buy another one. Loved the pendant lamps that had gilded interiors.

You have chosen some lovely pieces.

I think we need a few more photos if that's possible, Damien?

Damien Ward Theres already a ceiling rose in my room as well as the crown moulding, i just stupidly didnt fit it into the picture properly. I'll try to add some more photos very soon :)

beattieboggs Should have realized you would have one, Damien. Look forward to seeing more photos.

nomadkath are you using this room as a bedroom too, or as an office?

Damien Ward Bit of both, as a student i kind of have to be able to use it for multiple purposes haha

Damien Ward I hate the look of bedrooms usually, so i'm trying to have both a functional bedroom, but one that looks more like an office or even a lounge

Dar Eckert When you paint the walls also paint the shelves to the right of the fireplace the same color as the wall. The mirror on the mantel should be longer than it is wide. This one makes the room look squat. Sure would be nice to make the fireplace lighter in color. The inspiration photos show a fireplace that was painted gray. That would be nice.

Damien Ward As i said, unfortunately i cant touch the wood, especially the fireplace

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design Damien, what are the dimensions of the room? What size is your bed? Desk and tansu dimensions?

Damien Ward The room's about 10 square metres, the desk is 150cm long, by 75cm wide and 75cm high the tansu is 145cm long by 125 cm high by 61cm deep, and the bed will be a standard sized double ( i haven't decided what style of bed to buy yet, so at the moment i've just got a tiny single bed-so far i'm thinking of a low sleigh bed or a low bed without a headboard or footboard)

decoenthusiaste Scrolling through your inspiration pics, I noticed a curtain closing off the room from a stairwell. I suggest you imitate that by closing off the two recessed to the left and right of the FP with a curtain. This will give you a storage spot for all the stuff you want to hide away - clothing, books, shoes - and will soften the room, cover the unpaintable shelves and enhance the FP focal. You could take the same fabric and hang stationery panels on either side of the bay window, and have some of it made into accessories like pillows, bedskirt or coverlet for a daybed

Dar Eckert


I guess that I would start by painting the walls light gray.
Then get a graphic modern rug as in photo:
Get a white chair for the corner by the bookshelf.
Add pillow to chair that carries the blue from the rug.
Add a shelf in the book case that extends beyond the others at table level. Use it for lamp, coffee etc.
Put one of the sculptures on top of the the closet next to the fireplace.

Hang the ceiling fixture you selected. Not sure about the rest of the room.

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design A room that is 10 square metres would be a rather small room into which you could not fit the items you want to put in it.

Damien Ward I'll have to double check the measurements of it, but i think thats relatively close to it

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design When you check them, it would be extremely helpful to us if you could sketch the room layout with doors, windows, and dimensions marked. We also need to know if the bed can go in front of the window, i.e., at what height off the floor does the window start? Would you mind covering part of it?

Damien Ward The bed can go against the window, the window starts about half a meter off the floor, and there is a half meter deep window box. Though i will sketch the room layout, the door is visible in the photo above, to the left of the fireplace

Damien Ward this discussion (about the same thing) shows two extra photos http://www.houzz.com/discussions/251654/Lost-over-bedroom

collettec What is it that you really need in the apartment? Clearly a bed, but what else? Perhaps a smaller table to use as both a desk and place to eat? I would start with what you need, and go from there. Perhaps you could invest in some of the items that would not take up much space now, such as the lamp and light fixture, the mirror that you are thinking of, etc. and wait till you are in a larger space for the larger items.

Carolyn Albert-Kincl Design Well, that's enlightening. I kept thinking that some photos must have been deleted and some people saw them, but I did not. Mystery solved!