Restful Bedrooms

The thing I like about bold color is that it energizes me. I feel a tingle when looking at a shot of the crispest brightest reds, orange, lime and yellow. I feel like I want to jump, throw arms in the air, get things done!

But I imagine the bedrooms of our India pied a terre to be extremely restful. Peaceful. They should be respites, places to retreat from noise and heat. They should make you feel cool. Like this room from Vogue Living:

I found the exact vision I seek at Rang-Decor — hand block printed sheets and blankets in cool whites with soothing pale print colors. Lots of space between the print pattern so it feels restful not hyperkinetic busy.

Another bedding source shared at Rang-Decor is Les Indiennes:

I like the mix of big and small prints that offer something interesting to look at, while maintaining a peaceful space.

I adore paisley. So paisley is a must. I would block print the sheets myself or design fabric on Spoonflower to get exactly what I want.

And add this mirror from Layla Grayce:

And because everywhere we’ve ever traveled had roosters that woke us up in the morning (whether we wanted to wake up or not), a rooster is needed here too. But, it’s a quiet rooster, from Wisteria:

We’re going for restful, but not so ethereal or gossamer that the whole room feels like wind would just lift it away. There will be darker wood furniture to ground it all. I haven’t even thought about furniture yet though …





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Framed Scarves

Scarves wrap up so much in such light packages. Sumptuous silk, rich color, intricate design, meaningful symbolism. They can pack a powerful visual punch. So why keep scarves in the dark of a closet, or tied on you, where you can only see bits of what they have to offer? Why not frame them and hang them and enjoy them every day?

I originally purchased this Talbots scarf with the intent of hanging it in our U.S. living room. It has the right colors and it depicts things I love: travel, navigation, maps.

I wore this scarf for a few years, then finally mounted it on canvas as shown here.

Does anyone else have this crazy notion to frame scarves? Well, yes! Many do. Here are some ideas:

photo from Domino

photo from Martha Stewart

Here’s a scarf framed under glass on a table:

photo from HGTV

From the Right Bank shows pictures of beautiful framed Hermes scarves. Hermes scarves aren’t just pretty — for many decades they have captured imagery and paid tribute to places and cultures worldwide.

Now don’t you think an Indian pied a terre should have a classic French Hermes scarf with India scenes?

My favorite Hermes scarf and story is from a few years ago. It’s a Tibetan scene:

It pays homage to Alexandra David-Neel who lived from 1868-1969. She was a French-Belgian explorer. In this scene, she and her traveling partner are heading towards Lhasa, the forbidden capital of Tibet. She became famous around the globe when she reached Lhasa in 1924. For now I dream of the adventure of this scarf, as I do not own any Hermes scarves. This is free inspiration here!

These colors feel too strong for our Chicago home. But they are perfect colors for an India pied a terre. They look tiny here, but these scarves fill a lot of wall space. They’re about one square yard or one square meter.

While you can get pre-owned Hermes scarves on eBay, I’m a fan of “getting the look for less.” Just look for inexpensive square scarves with:

  • Travel or cultural themes
  • Lots of detail
  • Bold shapes you can see from a distance
  • Bold color

Frame them, and hang them!





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