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Observation: Black & White Toile Bedroom

by | Aug 11, 2008 | Bedrooms, Decorating Inspiration

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Observation: Black & White Toile Bedroom

It is observation time! Here are some ideas to jump start the conversation, but feel free to share on anything about the room:

  • How would you describe this style?
  • Describe the personality of people who might live in a room like this?
  • What are the main things you notice when you first look at this photo?
  • What are some subtle features that you notice when you look more closely?
  • Notice things like the shapes, the textures, the colors, the proportions, patterns, etc.
  • What is something you can learn from this style or how the room is put together?
  • What role does the architecture play in this room?
  • If someone wanted to create a room like this, what are some of the significant things they should incorporate?

Enjoy observing, and don’t forget to share with us what you noticed.

“Observation” is a new series of posts where we will all share our observations on the day’s photo. There is no expected, right or wrong comment. Just share what you see, what you notice, what is unique, what you love, what strikes you, or what is something you might have learned about design from this photo.

You don’t have to love the room to observe things about it. We’ll study all kinds of rooms (don’t worry, we’ll do other posts too, not only these!)

This exercise is both to stretch our own creativity and to help ourselves and others see from a new perspective.

Need more help with what to look for? Read the explanation post here. Have fun observing!

Photo: Traditional Home, interior designer Gerald Pomeroy

66 Comments

  1. anne

    I would describe this as masculine and dull, and I don;t think I could tell you their personality.

    The first things I notice are, the seat at the end of the bed, looks very strange…the bed in a funny position and the two mirrors above the bed, next came that picture hanging off the book case, how odd is that!!!! Is it a library or a bedroom???

    One thing I do like is the big windows with the shutters.

    Reply
  2. Cherrie

    It is unusual to have an adults be under windows but this almost gets away with it, I think due to height of the windows and the general balance of the room. The valance being the same as the wallpaper helps the harmony in the room and the mirrors continue the open feel of the windows. Lots of white stops the room from being too dark and dreary. Toile, especially a dark one, can be tricky to work with but overall the room is ok. I love the unusual way of hanging a picture on a bookshelf. It pays to be different and probably looks better in real life.

    Reply
  3. Cherrie

    PS The bed slopes into the middle. Perhaps only one person sleeps here. If not I hope the looooove each other!!!!

    Reply
  4. Muralimanohar

    Modern traditional, slightly sterile, uncomfortable, blocked from the outside world, personality staid and quiet, first thing I notice is a giant uncomfortable chair in the way…Between the lamps in the windows, and the frame on the bookcase, someone really likes to put impediments in the way.

    Nice high walls, interesting placement of bookcase (I can imagine long evenings tucked in bed, each reading on their respective side of the bed…I am betting the TV doesn’t get used much)..carpet looks bare, cold, industrial. Nice texture, though.

    I think the only thing I really like is the high windows, and the beautiful bookcase.

    Reply
  5. Vee~A Haven for Vee

    I like the room…not exactly my style…love the books…it appears to be a gentlemen’s room. Love the windows and all that light, but then, I am light deprived these days.

    Reply
  6. Kathleen Grace

    Now I have to admit, I love this room. The black toile is brightened up with the creamy white and the fact that there arent a lot of other colors keeps it from being too busy. The tall ceilings and lage windows help calm the toile too. It is a very symmetrical and traditional looking room and I think the people who live here might love traditional style. There is texture, but it isn’t chunky or obvious. Once again the low textures, such as the smooth carpet and hard surfaces of the furniture keep the room from sensory overload. The bookshelves are an area of color and texture that work because they are seen as one large unit and not as a bunch of fussy little things.

    Reply
  7. Melissa (Missy)

    * How would you describe this style? Very Classic and traditional
    * Describe the personality of people who might live in a room like this? Enjoys finer things without the fuss.
    * What are the main things you notice when you first look at this photo? Swirls and shapes complimented with straight lines.
    * What are some subtle features that you notice when you look more closely? Circles of the lamps, lamp shades and mirrors that really set off the room. And I like the reflection of the mirrors.
    * Notice things like the shapes, the textures, the colors, the proportions, patterns, etc.
    * What is something you can learn from this style or how the room is put together?
    * What role does the architecture play in this room? The windows were used in the design of the room to center the head board. A bookcase inset was used as well. Plantation shutters were added to the tall windows. I think the horizontal slats made the windows and ceiling look not quite so tall and pleasing to the eye allowing in much light.
    * If someone wanted to create a room like this, what are some of the significant things they should incorporate? This is probably a guest room or a main bedroom of someone who enjoys reading. Though I personally love the settee, (and this is without seeing the rest of the room) I would incorporate a comfortable chaise/sitting area and lighting at the foot of the bed for reading instead of that particular settee. Or a more comfortable settee.

    Reply
  8. Mary Beth

    The first thing I noticed were the bookshelves because I have piles of books everywhere. Then I saw the windows and drooled over those for a while – huge windows like that would let in so much light.

    I’m a fan of toile but I really don’t like it in black and I don’t like it on the walls – it’s too busy. I don’t think the headboard matches the stool that well and it’s definitely lost in the room. I had to search to see what kind of bed it was.

    If I were redoing the room, I would take down the wallpaper and paint it a pale yellow or maybe a soft blue to catch the colors of the blanket. I’d switch out the headboard for a sleigh bed which would mirror the shape of the bench at the end of the bed and put a picture or two on the edge of the shelves to give it a more personal touch.

    Reply
  9. Deanna

    I think this room is serene. It is very symetrical. It has the feeling of being in a Federal style building, considering the mouldings…I love the floor to ceiling book shelves, although I wouldn’t want that size picture hanging from my book case, it is a way to get artwork in the space.

    If I were to duplicate this room, the important things to copy would be the bookcases, the bedding,making sure the bedside tables were exactly the same. The round mirrors over the bed would be important, as well.

    Reply
  10. Pat

    I noticed the windows and shutters first, then the wallpaper.

    I believe this is a man’s room. Someone who is comfortable with who he is and comfortable with his surroundings. He’s a reader. The picture on the bookshelves has a special meaning to him.

    The room leans toward traditional, with collected over time pieces. The bedside tables are step style, popular in the 1950’s. The lamps could come from that era also. Although I have a new lamp that is very similar in style, so they could be from the 21st century, too. I like the bench. I would like to see hardwoods rather than carpet.

    The room doesn’t follow trendy ideas. Actual traditional items were used, rather than buying all new, “look like traditional”, at discount stores. Again, items collected over time. I don’t believe this is a guest room, notice the personal photos.

    In my opinion the furnishings and decor elements fit the architecture of the room.

    To recreate the room, look in consignment stores, for step side tables and lamps, from the 1940’s/50’s. The bedding would be easily replicated. The headboard would be an easy find, also, again at consignment stores. Go light on accessories.

    Reply
  11. Cathy

    *How would you describe this style? Traditional, even formal
    *Describe the personality of people who might live in a room like this? Honestly, this doesn’t look like a real room, it looks like one a decorator did. If it is a real room, than maybe its a guest room, it’s just too impractical with the way the windows are blocked and the size (although, maybe there is a lot more than we can see in the photo). Anyways, the people who would live in this room, are definitely traditional and more formal people. Definitely not the jeans and sneakers type
    *What are the main things you notice when you first look at this photo? the colors, the bed and the bookcase
    *What are some subtle features that you notice when you look more closely? the way the bed is a little too big to fit between the windows, the unusual placement of the picture on the bookcase
    *Notice things like the shapes, the textures, the colors, the proportions, patterns, etc. I like how the lampshades and the bedding pick up on the black and white from the toile – although I think there is some blue in the bedding. It helps continue a black and white theme. I think even the silver photo frames help with that too. I’m not sure if the photos are black and white but they look like they could be
    *What is something you can learn from this style or how the room is put together? Not to be afraid to take some risks (ironic since the room is formal and traditiona). The placement of the bed and the photo – professional decorators probably wouldn’t hesitate but those are the sort of things non-profs might never think of doing.
    *What role does the architecture play in this room? The crown mouldings add to the traditional style and the built-in bookcase shows some pretty serious commitment to books.
    *If someone wanted to create a room like this, what are some of the significant things they should incorporate? The big bookcase, an iron post bed with some sort of sitting at the bottom (I’m not wild about the settee, it’s nice but I think something smaller would have worked better) The use of toile, matching the beddding by using the same colors but with a simpler design instead of the using toile again which may have been too much (although the toile bedskirt is really good because it almost looks like it is part of the wall) Also having the very simple window treatments help balance out the toile so it doesn’t become overwhelming.

    Reply
  12. Melissa Lewis - Off The Wall

    This is very much a traditional room for a traditional home. I do like it though, just now in my house. Everything is so very put together. My artistic side needs a little something out of place, if that makes since:)

    Reply
  13. Kate

    Seems masculine, British traditional (that east Indies feel). I dig the art on the bookcase – makes it feel less like a library and more like a personal space. I like the round mirrors; they (and the lamps and wallpaper) break up all the straight lines. The straight lines would have to be duplicated to copy the room’s vibe.

    Reply
  14. Françoise

    Is it a spare bed in the library or a spare library in the bedroom? Either way , I do like this room in its sober classic style. A room for an adult, not an aging girl, and for once, a room in which a man wouldn’t out of place with or without a woman sharing the bed. The long seat at the foot of the bed is a handsome catch all for a handbag/briefcase, clothes, more books, or a cat. The curved arm rests along with the mirrors soften the numerous right angles in the rest of the room.
    I notice the matching wallpaper pattern and bedskirt, not necessarily my first choice but pleasant enough.
    The bedside tables with their 2-level surfaces mean you can stretch your arm downward to pick up you cup of tea and bring it to you mouth gracefully to your mouth. I notice these details which spell comfort.
    Calm neutral colors, classy bedlinen, bedside lamps at a good reading height and a delightful absence of knick-knacks.
    I would remove the framed picture. Very silly to hang it at shoulder level where it will regularly be bumped into and where it reduces access to the books. Pity the books look like deco props and not the real thing, but the idea of so many books int the bedroom is wonderful .
    I could be happy sleeping in this room as long as I had thick drapes to keep it dark.
    who sleeps here? An educated, intellectual man or woman, single or not, with a taste for simple elegance and an eye for the practical and the comfortable. Someone who is surrounded by loved ones too, judging by all the picture on the bedside tables. Someone I’d like to sit next to at a dinner party

    Reply
  15. rosieswhimsy

    Even though there is a lot to “look” at, it still seems sterile to me and just a bit too much like a decorator styled it and no one really lives there.

    I would love the built in book cases. I have seen people take the big box kind and add moldings to get that look. That would be something I would like to do ….. some year :-)

    Reply
  16. Myrna

    My eye immediately went to the bookcase and I thought–I’d feel like I’m sleeping in a library. I love books, and decorating with books, but a whole WALL of books makes it a very un-restful place for me.
    Also, EVERYTHING seemed to be perfectly symetrical and that would drive me crazy. It looks like it could take hours getting everything placed ‘just so’. I love the colors, textures, the idea that the bed is in front of a window.
    I like the large picture hanging in front of the bookcase–helps break up the ‘busyness’.
    I love the settee at the end of the bed.
    Upon further study, I imagined this to be a guest room instead of a master….if so, I wouldn’t mind it so much. It would be a place one would sleep in for a only few days at a time. It’s funny how different you perceive a space when you assume it’s for a specific purpose. Meaning, I dislike this room as a master bedroom, but like it if it’s a guestroom!!

    Reply
  17. Amy

    The first thing I thought when I saw this room was that it was a personal sanctuary from the busy city life outside. I imagine the individual a great reader and writer from all the books. Possibly a older gentlemen Lit major who loves all things all things expressive and thought provoking. I get the impression that the room was professionally decorated decades ago and he never took the time to update. Over all I think the room is too busy, but beautiful in its own right having all the things he loves close.

    Reply
  18. karen

    Symmetry comes to mind…formality and very small people who can sleep in a double bed. :)

    I always like something to sit on at the end of a bed…but thats about all I really liked..well i liked the two mirror placements above the bed between the windows, but i really did not like that the bed encroached into the window area.

    Too busy for me.
    K

    Reply
  19. aswewalk

    I think I can hack the black and white toile only because of the gentle, calming creme woodwork. And I love that picture frame hanging smack in the middle of the bookshelf. I’d never think of doing that. And the books in the bedroom? LOVE it!

    Reply
  20. Melissa

    Ooo, you guys are good for a Monday morning! Impressive! :-)

    Happy Monday! MUAH!

    Reply
  21. Tara

    I think this room combines colonial style with art deco…cleaner lines than colonial, and the toile blows me away (such a toile fan and none in the house!)

    Reply
  22. Ashlyn Donatelli

    I LOVE your blog!! It’s so cute I just had to give a shout out to you today. Thanks for brightening my day! :) Ashlyn

    Reply
  23. courtney

    I’d describe it as traditional, with maybe some British colonial thrown in (little touches of the islands, like the wallpaper print and the cane details on the bench). It seems like quite a cozy room…somebody has a nice sense of traditional style but it doesn’t seem too terribly stuffy. Personally it’s a little too much going on in one room, for me, but I always appreciate when someone knows their style and executes it really well. I would feel like an honored guest if I stayed in this room. Thanks, Melissa! Good luck this week!

    Reply
  24. Karen B

    My first thought was that the bookshelves and windows really keep the toile wallpaper from being overwhelming. The built-in bookshelves are beautiful. We have nice bookshelves, but my husband has “free reign” and he calls them “working” bookshelves. Meaning they aren’t as perfectly ordered. Does anyone have bookshelves that look this perfect? That they actually use? I also think the bench at the end is a necessity especially since we see no other chair in the room. Of course, half of the room is not visible. That could change everything.

    Reply
  25. crystalreflections

    I like the room… but this won’t be my bedroom. It could be a guest room, though. I like symmetry so this is fine with me. I like the bench at the edge of the bed. I also like that even if there’s toile on the walls, it doesn’t look too busy – thanks to the somewhat plain beddings and large windows.
    Initially, I was drawn to the bookcases – it’s too neatly put. I would rearrange it a little bit to soften the room. Then, I was drawn to the sidetable on the right where I think the bottom drawer is open with a tray and some stuff on it? That gives me the impression that it is a guest bedroom and that there’s nothing too personal in there. I like the toile but it’s not something that I will decide to put in any room. The main focal point, I believe are the windows. I like that a lot of light is coming through them. It gives it a rather bright feeling.
    Overall – I like the elements all together. The designer of this room definitely has the talent to combine different things and to come up with a well put together room. I am not that brave. I appreciate what he/she has done in this room. It’s something to consider if you need to work with a “not plain” walls.

    Reply
  26. Melissa

    It’s a nice masculine room. And I love toile. But I don’t really like this room. I do like the built in bookcases and the framed windows. The nightstands, the bench, and the carpet are all drab. Also there are too many picture frames on the nightstands. I think this room is boring and I wouldn’t really like to spend a lot of time there. Is that harsh?

    Reply
  27. Shelly

    This totally reminds me of the master bedroom of my dear friend and her husband. Hers is much smaller because she lives in a charming English style stone cottage. A hilarious side note – guests put their coats on her bed because the cottage doesn’t have a guest closet, two male guests have been so bold as to say they want to have s*x in that room…I mean…they’re bold enough to announce it as they pick up their coats! Note to the gals that don’t like this room …there’s something about black and white toile that makes men crrazyyy….who knew?

    Reply
  28. Dee

    This room looks like it belongs to a couple of well read neat-niks. Hopefully the books are not just for show. I like the placement of the large picture outside the bookcase. The mirrors, windows/shutters and wall paper allow the head board to be almost invisible. The room is too formal and precise for me, however, I do appreciate the personal touch of the photos on the night stands.
    Dee

    Reply
  29. Becky K.

    This room pleases my eye because of the symetry and clean lines of the windows. I just love the seating at the foot of the bed and am always a sucker for built in bookcases.

    I would not choose to do a room of my own in black and white but appreciate this photo.

    The only thing that stuck out to me as out of place was the lower mirror with the brown or tan frame…just didn’t care for that.

    Blessings,
    Becky K.

    Reply
  30. abbreviated

    Interesting that they hung a picture on the bookcase.

    Reply
  31. kari & kijsa

    Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness. Your comment was a comfort during this difficult time, and we have reread so many for encouragement over the last weeks. Thank you.

    blessings,
    kari & kijsa

    Reply
  32. Jen R

    One thing I observed is it really looks grand, but it’s really quite a small room, isn’t it? Jen R

    Reply
  33. Jill Flory

    I love the tall ceilings, the big windows and shutters and the bookshelve. That’s all I like however! It doesn’t look like a bedroom and I really dislike those end tables. I don’t like the way the bed sticks out in front of the windows. I think this room would make a great sitting room connected to a bedroom.

    Reply
  34. Jill

    I actually like this room, perhaps because I’m partial to black & white. I don’t particularly care for the wallpaper and rug, but I love the shutters, the moldings, the books and bookshelves, the bench, the linens, the nightstands, and the small silver-framed photos (although they’d be knocked down in a second by my cat). It’s a traditional room, and I think I’d be comfortable there.

    Reply
  35. rhoda

    At first glance, I love the room, probably because I love black & white and toile. On further looking, I see the bed is right in front of two beautiful windows, which isn’t the best way to design a room, but with all else in there, it’s not too bad. Love the lamps and the built-ins. All in all, a lovely classic room!

    Rhoda

    Reply
  36. Mrs. Q

    How would you describe this style? Hodge-podge. Ecletic?

    Describe the personality of people who might live in a room like this? Ummm… not sure

    What are the main things you notice when you first look at this photo? The bench only has two legs that I can see. The bedskirt is askew and uneven. The mirrors have metal finishes that clash when put together, IMO.

    What are some subtle features that you notice when you look more closely? Love the detailing on the bedding!

    Notice things like the shapes, the textures, the colors, the proportions, patterns, etc. —The toile wallpaper would drive me crazy. I like a more neutral, less chaotic background to my rooms.
    What is something you can learn from this style or how the room is put together? I like the painting that is hanging on the bookshelf.

    What role does the architecture play in this room? The big tall windows mirror the height and look of the bookcase.

    All in all, not enough color for my taste. And it’s not my style. I do love the architecture though…I love older homes.

    Reply
  37. Jen

    I love toile! There are components to this room that I love (the window moulding, the bookshelves, the art in front of the books). What I am not a fan of the dark furniture or the bedding. I think this room belongs to a man and he had a decorator come in. I think the only things that are personally his are the books. I love the iron bed too.

    Reply
  38. jane

    hi! love these exercises! well, it is traditional with sort of french undertones (overtones?). at first i love the architecture, and textures of wood shelves/big baseboards,shutters, & carpet BUT the furnishings are a tad too stiff, and the room wants some other punch color. visually pleasing, it lacks some comfort if i really think about it. it has elements i like, but the style puts me off. like if i wanted to read in bed one of those books (!) where would i put my drink? there is so much stuff on the side tables my drink would not fit. i’d probably spill it and be kicked out of the room! also, i like being able to get to my windows, and these two are fairly blocked off by furniture. so while i like the look at first, i don’t think i would like living in it. i am more casual than this room lives. kind of hard for me: i don’t care for the bench, or the side tables or matching lamps. (for me these are the quasi french feel elements) but i love the carpet, and crisp bedding. i’m a mess style-speaking! this is a good picture full of positives and negatives! very helpful way for me to find what parts of a room i like. thanks! jkj

    Reply
  39. Sharon Goemaere

    To me this room shouts masculine and British.And drab.I need more color but I do love all the books…Blessings~Sharon

    Reply
  40. Abbey

    My absolute favorite part of the room (and what I noticed first) is the wall of bookcases. I have so many books in my own house, that I would kill to have either several of my rooms made like this or just an entire library with all bookshelf walls. That’s the dream! : )

    Reply
  41. Teresa

    I would venture to guess that that person that lives in that room is a little braver than most- {with a blue ceiling, must people don’t go there.} And it looks like they turned a room that was not meant to be a bedroom, into a bedroom. I like the bookcase, and may try something similar in my home- with the books binding facing up, and art hung on the shelves.

    Reply
  42. Pamela

    The room is in New England and the couple who live here are older, educated, and read the Sunday papers in bed with breakfast trays of bagels and orange juice. Their grandchildren live in France and there are photos of them on the bedside tables. The man is slightly balding and is retired from horse racing. The woman still works part time in an art gallery owned by a college friend. She has had no plastic surgery and has the type of coloring that allows her to forego make-up on occasion. They have two dachsunds named Daphne and Chloe who often sleep under the bench at the end of the bed. Most of the books in the bookcase are non-fiction with a smattering of Agatha Christie novels. The two mirrors over the bed are there as the result of an argument fifteen years ago when the wife wanted the gold one and the husband insisted on the black. So, both were hung as a compromise. The room smells of lemons, and occasionally there is a vase of lilacs on the wife’s bedside table, as there are several lilac bushes in the back garden. The room has not been changed in twenty years. They thought about it three years ago when some friends of theirs redecorated their city apartment, but decided instead to tour the Greek Isles. They still love each other, and sometimes when it rains, they snuggle.

    Reply
  43. Faith

    I think Colonial best suits this room based on the Federalist mirrors and the Colonial lamps. I could picture this room belonging to a college professor. I love toile but sometimes feel it is too overdone and busy. The windows and bookcase really break up the toile nicely. Not really my style although I like this room but prefer a bedroom that is warm and cozy.

    Reply
  44. Melissa

    Brilliant and hilarous. Love the mix of comments and descriptions.

    Pamela, I feel like I just read a book, your description is enchanting! :-) Totally loved it. You need to do this every time.

    Keep going, I’m enjoying every minute (in between wedding details, of course!)…

    Reply
  45. Erin

    I think this is a good example of eclectic that works. I love the side tables and built in bookshelves. Everything seems balanced –busy, yet toned down; different styled pieces, but pulled together. I think the look is classy and has clean lines, but is still inviting. There has to be a good reading nook somewhere behind the camera.

    The mirrors drew so much focal attention at first that it bothered me a little, but it didn’t take long before I was settling in to the rest of the room.

    Reply
  46. stljoie

    I would be thrilled to be a guest in this room!!

    Reply
  47. Fanfan

    Too much stuff. It’s not very Zen.
    This bookcase is too big for this little space.
    I prefer hardwwod floor for a room, It’s healthier.
    You have to place the cushions perfectly on the bed every morning. A lot of work. Not practical. And where do you put them every night?

    Reply
  48. Elzie

    Oh, I just love those big bedrooms and wish I had one!! Ours is so small we can’t have much in it.
    So many beautiful posts you’ve had here recently. Now I’m “with” a new computer and can hopefully follow you from day to day.
    Hope you have a good time.
    Love Elzie

    Reply
  49. Lisa Taylor

    I would love to sleep each night in this bedroom. As a true booklover it feels wonderful to sleep amongst a collection of favourite books. As someone who has hardwood floors on my bedroom floor I would love to pop my toes onto a warm floor on our cold winter mornings. The colours are masculine and the symmetry of the space is very calming to me. I love it – the room feels welcoming, cosy and peaceful and like a room for one person only to escape the world in.

    Reply
  50. Laura Ingalls Gunn

    I love when people hang artwork from the outside of their bookcase.

    Reply
  51. Christi from Charm & Grace

    Melissa, I love toile no matter what color. However, I am not a big fan of black and white in my decorating, but I would find a way to use the black and white toile mixed with some warmer colors. I would put it in the mix of buttery yellows and warm, rich reds with possibly some accent pieces in black. Lovely room, though.

    Blessings,
    Christi

    Reply
  52. Suzette

    It looks to me as if someone obsessively tidy lives here. Someone so tidy they don’t toss those messy colors around all willy-nilly. But, then…there are unusual ways of hanging things on the walls….or bookcase facing, in one case. I guess that’s their concession to “wild and crazy.” I think I would have stuck with one round mirror above the bed – probably the solid black one. Not my favorite room.

    Reply
  53. Teri

    I love the bedding, but that is about it. While I love to read in bed, and have a mountain of books on my nightstand and next to the bed- the bookshelves full of books makes the room feel unrestful. I wouldn’t be able to relax in here to go to sleep, it isn’t serene and peaceful.

    The matchy/matchy of the nightstands is driving me a little crazy- it is too perfect. Not lived in and full of life.

    I do like the bed under the windows, that is where mine has been for years. My husband and I love falling asleep to moonlight and waking up to the sunlight.

    Reply
  54. Catherine

    I love black and white toile! I would love to go through those books, grab several, and curl up in that bed to read. What a great idea. I would have never thought of a wall of books in the bedroom.
    Hugs,
    Cathie

    Reply
  55. Julie Size

    Love the wall paper, hate the bed frame ..and what is with the saggy mattress?? Love the shutters and the books – only because I adore books. I hate the picture hung too low in the center of the book shelves. I love the black and white combo – but like it more when red is infused into the design.

    Reply
  56. laney

    …i love love the room…and i want to be adopted by pamela’s couple…

    Reply
  57. twinkle

    I can tell a man designed this room. The only thing that looks a little feminine is the wallpaper…and I can’t tell much about it. The room is perfect. Perfect lines, perfect books, perfect bench…maybe a little too perfect. I get the sense a General lives here. Or a ship’s Captain.

    Reply
  58. lylahledner

    that room is perfect! love the book idea – like getting lost in books and love in the master bedroom sanctuary! yes…

    what a way to celebrate 21 years of marriage…thanks for the hello over at my place. blessings…

    Reply
  59. M&Co

    For me this room is too busy…so much going on here that the good parts loose interest. The bed is very narrow…so either its a very small or a very loving couple, or it could be a single woman maybe. I think they are in their 60’s and quite intellectual judging from the many books… Also they are quite well off, and enjoy comfort. Love the two mirrors, and the painting on the bookshelf is a much needed piece of unexpected fun. Somehow though I don’t think the blac mirror looks quite right, too much contrast in one place…but that could be different in real life rather than in the photo… And those two windows….it looks strange with that bed in the middle…again too much going on with everything architecture, furniture, decor… Quite an interesting room to analyse though

    Reply
  60. laura

    Tasteful and traditional. BUT…do not like the idea of bringing leisure activity (library, TV, mini bar, etc. :-) into the bedroom so could do without the wall-to-ceiling bookshelves. Plus I’m very suspect of anyone with that many books. I read a LOT and own only about 30 books. So I can’t help but think they’re just trying to show off. ;-)

    Funny comments about the bed sloping in the center. See, I didn’t observe that! (and read the comments after formulating my own so I wouldn’t cheat!)

    Reply
  61. Darla

    If someone wanted to create a room like this, what are some of the significant things they should incorporate?

    Pattern, bookshelves, bench on end of bed.

    Reply
  62. Mari-Nanci

    I noticed the toile and the book shelves.

    The personality of the people who live there… Classy. :-)

    I notice that bench at the foot of the bed, and know my husband would LUV that! He’s always campaigning for a chair and I say…. any sitting place in the bedroom will accumulate stuff hung/tossed on it.

    But nothing is left on that bedroom bench, because like I said… the people are classy. :-)))))

    Miss Mari-Nanci
    Smilnsigh
    Photos-City-Mine
    When Twilight Embraces

    Reply
  63. Bejeweled

    OK … I’m not going to read any other comments until I write this :)

    I love the straight lines in it all over. Straight without being hard-edged. Soft, but still formal. And I love the picture at that low comfy angle *over* the bookshelves – that is just a fabulous touch! Seems like a masculine room. If I had to give it a name, it would be “Charleston sanctuary”.

    Ok.. now I get to read! :D …… Wow! What interesting and different things everyone says!

    This is only tangentially related , but I’m reading the book “Snoop”. Have you heard of it? I thought of that book when I was reading the post title and the observational exercise you put together.

    Reply
  64. Lisa

    Love the toile bedskirt and the wallpaper. This room is wonderful. Formal in a way but still comfortable looking.

    Hmmm, perhaps the person who sleeps here is well-traveled, well-rounded and well-read. I could be wrong-lol, but that’s what the style suggests to me.

    Fun observation questions.

    Reply
  65. Terri Steffes

    Hello! I am hoping your weekend went off beautifully!

    Waaa! I am off your blog list!

    This toile bedroom is sooo me. I have often dreamt of having bookshelves in our bedroom but my husband couldn’t relate… now he might be willing!

    I am going to be working on my dining room this fall… wanting a new look. I’ll let you know when I post pictures!

    Reply
  66. lovebnatchr

    May I make up a style name? “Simple Presidential” comes to mind! The toile wallpaper, the floor-to-ceiling bookcase, the bench, the symmetry all remind me of a colonial suite. Of course, it may not actually be grand enough for a President, but it’s elegant enough for me! :)

    Reply

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