In Time Suspended

LI held the sleek machine and in my hand it felt smooth and cool to the touch. It had just enough weight to feel powerful. I flipped it over to look at the three lenses and held it up to see what this machine could do. I aimed at the subject and pressed the glass button. There was a click sound, like a shutter whirr and the screen displayed a wide angle photo of a family of Sandhill cranes on the edge of Evans prairie as the sun was setting. What an amazing moment and this new phone gave me the power to collect and suspend many moments in time.  Webster’s dictionary defines the word suspend as; to keep fixed (as in wonder or contemplation) or to keep from falling or sinking by some invisible support. I love sunsets of all types and if it is in my power to capture them and suspend them in this new phone I will! Let’s take a peek at one particular sunset suspended in a Gardenia master bedroom somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• Wall color
The room was already painted and I liked it very much. It has a purple base color with a hint of blue. It is a very restful color but because it is darker we needed to add light to the space.

• Crown molding
The crown molding added a pop of white around the top of the room. The molding gave the space a fresh bright contrast color that draws the eye upward and makes the space look finished and elegant.

• White curtains
We added bright white side panels to the two windows on each side of the bed. The bright white popped against the darker wall color and the white panels softened the space. We hung them ten inches outside the windows so we did not cover any light. Also, by hanging curtains outside the window, it creates the illusion that the windows are larger and brighter.

• White duvet
A white duvet is the base bedding. It is the spread that is laid down first and because it is white all the other bedding will pop against it creating a dramatic effect. If you don’t like duvets chose a cotton coverlet that is washable.

• Semi-custom bedding
The photo above the bed is very specific and I knew it would be hard to find store bought bedding to tie into it. It seemed like everything we tried just did not measure up to the photo. We decided to have custom Euro pillows (square pillows) made for the back of the bed and custom king shams made to go in front of the Euro pillows. We then chose one fabric to make a single pillow to go in front of the king shames to finish off the top of the bed.  All the pillows were stuffed with faux down to achieve the decadent rich look of custom bedding. We had a bed scarf made to lie at the foot of the bed to visually tie into the Euro pillows. All of this bedding on a layer of white looks amazing.  Notice how the Euros along the back blend right into the base color of the photo so that the eye moves seamlessly up to the photo.  I know that I usually use white Euro’s but in this case I wanted the top of the bed to blend with the art and I think we accomplished just that!

• The art
The art is amazing! The piece is titled, “In Time Suspended” by the official fine arts photographer of Florida. It is a sunset on Drayton Island and I love the colors. The room had to be designed around this piece because it is the star of the show.

• Mirrors
This model is a Gardenia. The master bedroom has a large wall with no windows. We can always create light by adding mirrors and that is just what we did! We added three mirrors along the large wall and it has a dramatic effect. In between the mirrors we added hurricane candle sconces and the candles can be operated by remote control. The big black frame around the mirrors looks great with all the black furniture. The end effect is that the space looks high end, elegant, and yet the bed looks so comfy you want to jump in.

P.S. –Attention all club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today. Also, we are on-line check out our web-site at https://www.ruthdyer.com/ and you can always e-mail us at ruth@finishingtouchfl.com or  Call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

Before and After Pics Below