Bed-and-breakfast
Bed-and-breakfasts are famous for providing the comforts of a hotel but in a more personal setting that resembles a private home. When decorating a bed-and-breakfast, it's important to provide a welcoming look that reminds guests of a quiet retreat, country life and times when life moved at a slower pace. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Consider the geographical location of your bed-and-breakfast when choosing your color theme. For example, if it's near the ocean, use a color theme based on light brown sand, seashell pinks and corals, ocean blues and sunny yellows. If you're located in the mountains or the North woods, use variations of colors found in the deep woods, such as deep greens and cranberry reds.
2. Decorate the bedrooms with Victorian-style furniture or cottage-style furniture for a traditional bed-and-breakfast look. For a cottage-style B&B, consider painted wrought-iron bed frames with elaborately filigreed headboards. Put hand-made quilts on the bed with matching shams. For a sense of flow in your decor, keep a consistent period or style decor throughout, varying in color themes only from room to room.
3. Remove any carpeting and replace it with hardwood flooring. Place large area rugs in the main living area or vintage oriental rugs. Other options are area rugs or runners made of soft natural materials such as sisal, bamboo or sea grass.
4. Place natural-finish or painted wicker chairs in the bedrooms near windows. Put floral fabric cushions in the chairs and add a matching ottoman. Use the same style of wicker seating in the main living area and on the front porch.
5. Decorate the main living area according to its size. For an extra large living room, arrange several small groups of chairs. For a smaller room, place a large couch in front of a fireplace, with a chair on each side. Put loose-fitting canvas slipcovers on the furniture for a relaxed, cottage-style look.
6. Find a long, wooden plank table for the dining room. Surround the table with several painted, Victorian-style dining chairs. Add a faux crackled-paint finish for a touch of old-fashioned shabby chic. (See Resources for more information about crackling mediums.) Place a few antique containers on dining room shelves, such as flour and coffee cans from the 1920s.
7. Accessorize with wall art that reflects nature in the area or local artists and artisans. Put hurricane lamps on the fireplace mantels and on the side tables. Fill a large empty hurricane lamp with rocks or shells that you or your guests have collected from the beach, woods or neighboring lake.
8. Add attractive, vintage-style sources of entertainment. Purchase and tune an old, upright piano and leave sheet music on it, open and ready for playing. Keep wood board games such as backgammon and checkers out in the open.
9. Put an arbor in the backyard and plant rose vines around it to drape attractively. Arrange wicker seating near the arbor, around a wicker coffee table. Schedule daily outdoor tea times near the arbor. Use a vintage ceramic tea set and serve scones covered in a well-worn tea towel.
Tags: living area, main living, main living area, area rugs, color theme, dining room
