Where Palm Trees Sway

Warm weather creates a desire for weekend getaways that lead me to where the palm trees sway. I watched people walk on the hard packed sand of Jensen Beach while I sat with my toes buried and wiggling around in the cool dampness of the Florida treasure coast. My gaze moved from people to the horizon where an azure cloudless sky met green sea and refreshing relaxation washed over me like the cool waves of the ocean. Everyone wants to visit Florida for Spring break and this year the crowds will increase so much there won’t be an inch of sand without a toe stuck in it! I laughed at the thought but with this huge influx of Floridian fans to visit family and the beach they will need fresh guestrooms! Most of my clients have spring break guests and everyone wants their guest room to look like Florida. They also want it to look nice but not to break the bank. Let’s take a peek into a newly revived guest room where the palm trees sway just in time to for the spring break season somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• New Paint
Painting is such an easy way to change a room. This room received a fresh coat of Window Pane 6210. I like to describe this color as air in a space. The color is so natural on walls that it is as ubiquitous as the sky and makes the room feel larger. The color is calming and neutral because it is a green based blue and goes with anything!

• Botanical inspiration
The inspiration for the room was pulled from a botanical coverlet that the homeowners loved and so did I. We decided to use it as the bed scarf at the end of the bed. The color coral pops against the blue walls and both colors are in the coverlet. To create a high contrast, we found a coral color coverlet to apply to the bed as the base bedding. The coral coverlet was spread over the entire mattress and we found matching Euro shams to pull the coral color up to the back of the headboard. We placed the sleeping pillows behind the coral Euro shams and botanical queen shams in front of the coral Euro shams. We found a white pillow with coral colored coral embroidered into the pillow and it looks amazing with the set. Finally, the botanical coverlet was folded in fourths and laid at the end of the bed for a pop of print to break up the coral. The bed looks complete like we bought it as a set.

• Above the bed
A watercolor print from Elizabeth Kershaw hangs above the bed. The print is a snapshot of the view of a beach looking through tropical foliage. The colors blend perfectly with the bed colors and the framed print pops against the wall of window pane sky.

• Side Wall Art
The picture on the side wall beside the window is a woman sitting on her beach towel looking out toward the ocean. There is one half of a freshly cut grapefruit on the towel. The color of the woman’s suit and swim cap pop and tie into all the other coral in the room. The art looks fresh and lively in the space and the colors are reminiscent of West Palm Beach.

• Lamps
The lamps are a deeper blue and stand out against the window pane. They look like the perfect pair of earrings to a sunny summer dress.

• Window molding
The window needed to have a finished look but we did not want to spend too much money and the homeowners did not want curtains. We had the molding specialist add a large molding around the window. The molding and the (jamb) inside of the window casing white were painted white. Anytime you have casement molding added the inside of the window jamb should be painted white as well. This blends with the white blind making everything look cohesive.

• Mirrors
In a guest room it is good to have mirrors so that guests can see themselves or use them to do their hair or put on makeup. Often, if you have several guests the bathroom is too steamy after a shower for getting your hair dried or too busy with other guest trying to get ready. So I love to add mirrors on the wall opposite the window for added light and usefulness. In this room I found three round mirrors to hang in a random pattern. They are useful and decorative!

• Bench
Every guest room needs a bench. The bench can act as a luggage holder, or a place to sit down and put on your shoes. In this room I found a woven seagrass bench and it was the perfect fit below the mirrors.

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 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