Flamingo Fun

Pink wings tipped in black moved against an azure sky. My eyes scanned the view above and I wondered if they were deceiving me or was I the luckiest girl in the world? I have been raised in Florida from the age of four and have traveled from tip to toe never seeing a flamingo in the wild and here above Tampa bay I was seeing a flamboyance in the sky. I fixed my gaze with excited determination to watch them until they dissipated into the sun soaked horizon. In nature a gathering of flamingos is called flamboyance but what about in the world of decorating? I wondered could I use a flamboyance of flamingos in a guest bedroom and what would that look like. Let’s take a peek into a guest room of a Bellmore Cabana Villa that is full of Flamingo fun somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• Flooring After Bright-Fresh-and-Light
The flooring throughout the entire villa is tile. I typically would not want tile in the bedroom but because this house is oriented around the pool and it is a villa, the homeowners wanted tile everywhere. To add warmth back into the space, they chose a tile that looks like wood. The key to achieving a great wood look tile is to choose one with a rectified edge. This edge is achieved by grinding the tile to a perfectly straight edge after being fired in production. A tile with a straight edge will allow for a very tight grout line. Very tight grout lines are needed to enhance the real wood look.

• Paint
We chose the color Window Pane 6210 for a light touch of blue in the space. This color is a green based blue that is considered neutral. This color is extremely complementary to coral and pink so it looks amazing in the guest bedroom with all the flamingo colors. Most of all, Window Pane is very restful.

• Seven inch crown
Seven inch crown was installed everywhere in the house and we did not forget the guest room. The crisp white crown draws the eye upward in the space making it feel larger!

• Shutter
We had a shutter installed for privacy. The shutter is great because it provides two services for the price of one. Not only does it provide privacy and light control but it finishes the window with its own trim. To further enhance the look of the shutter we added a header with crown molding. This really makes the window stand out and look finished.

• Art
The large picture above the bed is titled, “Pink Ladies” and it fits the room perfectly. The homeowners love flamingos and wanted lots of them in the space.
We used the large picture to create a large focal point since that wall can be seen when walking by the room and it is the largest wall.

• Headboard
Usually, I am a stickler for a headboard. However, you can’t tell that we did not use one so we decided not to worry about it. We lined the back of the bed with three European pillows which are large square pillows. These pillows hide the fact that we did not use a headboard. We placed coral color queen shams in front of the white Euro’s and we finished the pillow stack with one flamingo sham from the purchased bedding set. The rest of the bedding was from a bed-in-a-bag set and we used it but with some folding. We folded up the top quilt to shorten the flamingo and it turned out great. Tip; don’t be afraid to spice up a bed in the bag set by adding additional pieces purchased separately.

• Urchin lamps
The lamps were in the room before it was filled with flamingos and they stayed in the room because they were perfect for the colors in the space.

• Rug
We angled a 5×8 jute rug into the space and it fit perfectly. The key to laying a rug in this room is to lay it on an angle. The wall across from the bed is angled and when the rug is in place on an angle it looks just right.

• Repurpose old TV stand
The old TV stand from the living room matched the bedroom set, so we decided to use it on the angled wall in the guest room. It would function as a small TV stand and dresser for the guest. We hung another amazing flamingo print over the TV stand and it finished the space off nicely.

• Mirror
We placed a mirror on the wall opposing the window to catch light and throw it back into the space. We used a mirror that the homeowners had on hand. This provides another place to do hair and makeup when you have multiple guests.

P.S. –Attention, club presidents! I give free decorating programs! It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today or call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

Before and After Pics Below