Need ideas for Renaissance style bedroom.

[shelle94]

I've decided to redo my bedroom. I live in an apartment and the landlord gives me free reign. I love the romantic look of Renaissance bedrooms and want to recreate it. Since I do live in an apartment I am going to try to spend most of my budget on things that I can take with me when I move. Paint is cheap, so I wouldn't mind painting the walls though. I thought about doing the room in deep red tones. The only problem with that is the carpet is a blue-grey.

I've been looking on ebay for pictures to hang on the wall and haven't found much. I can sew and I'm planning on making a ton of pillows once I can get the color scheme worked out. I'm also thinking about making a padded headboard and maybe even a sheer canopy over the bed.

Anyone have any ideas for colors and cheap decorations? I've tried to do a search for photos and ideas on the internet, but I haven't come up with much. I need help!

Thanks in advance,
Michelle

 

[SandraC]

My sister-in-law has the same theme in her house. She painted the walls deep burgundy and has lots of gold accents. She lucked into free furniture that fits the theme perfectly, lots of dark heavy wood tables, dark leather sofa. Her fireplace doesn't work so she put a black cast iron multi level candlebra in the fireplace with giant candles ~ the portions are great! Above the sofa is a huge portrait of a Renaissance looking women. It's a very comfortable theme. Good Luck! S

 

[beansmom]

shelle,

I did my room in a -renaissance/medieval-theme. First, we painted all the walls a medium-light gray, then sponged a darker gray over them. When it was dry, we took the lightest gray on the pallette and painted in 'rock' lines to make it look as if the walls were actually stone blocks. It looks like crap while your doing it but is a very nice effect when done. You can also do this in sandy-brown colors. I also covered one wall in a lovely silver Celtic cross brocade. It's just gorgeous. I have hung an iron candle holder with fleur de lis pattern on it. Here is a link to the technique for the walls. http://diynet.com/DIY/article/0,2058,1076,00.html
Also, check out painted-house.com Debbie Travis is great! Look at the 'Shakespeare in Style' dining room. And the "gothic bedroom".

Next, we painted all the wood to a medium mahogany so that it looks older, darker, heavier. Changed the pulls to very rustic simple metal-like aged iron. Padded our headboard in Ralph Lauren's 'Galahad' pattern...a kind of red paisley with dashes of navy, olive and silver. If you look on ebay, you can get it very cheap compared to retail. This is on the headboard, drapes, and a swag over the bed (on a silver rod with fleu de lis finials). I have Ralph Lauren's 'Rossini Silk' made into the bedskirt and a simple silver comforter. I have a cornice with the rossini silk covering it as well and for extra fantasy, I strung twinkling Christmas lights up behind the drapes and behind the cornice. It is so nice when they are on...very sparkly. We have a 'game' table (one of those $5 jobs you can get at Kmart) in front of the window with a 'Camelot" theme-chess set on it, ready for play. The tv is going in a corner armoire (as soons as I can afford it) stained to match the rest of the furniture.

A couple of renaissance posters framed on the wall and I'm done.

You might check out tlc.com's trading spaces pages and boards as well as bbc.co.uk - go to the changing rooms site there and check their boards. Lots of diy enthusiasts to help out. HTH>

 

[BevS97]

if you're really keen on red, you could get a rug that would cover most of the carpet.

We did this once when we moved into a house with blue carpets, and we had red sofas. The rug pulled in both colors and tied it all together nicely

Bev