Five steps to beautiful decor

Tag : sheepskin shoes
BY AMY SPENCER The Nest ( www.thenest.com )

You spend a third of your life in bed (and, ahem, if you don't, youshould). So why not love every inch of it? Here are some tipsnewlyweds can use to make their bedroom a place they want to cozyup in:

1. Dress the walls and floors in comfort.

''A beautiful bedroom is all about comfort,'' says interiordesigner Vanessa de Vargas, owner of the Venice, Calif., homeboutique Turquoise. And, that starts with the walls and the floors.

First, paint your bedroom in soothing colors that are on the mutedend of the color spectrum, like charcoal gray, baby blue. Then, adddrapes around the windows. ''I'm a firm believer in floor toceiling drapes,'' explains De Vargas. ``It elongates the room, andmakes your ceilings seem taller and grander. And you can shut themfor extra privacy.''

Finally, buy a cozy rug for the floor -- think shag or an animalskin like sheepskin. That way, when you step out of bed, the firstthing your bare toes touch is pure and soft.

2. Drape your bed in luxury.

Next, buy a set of soft sheets that make you want to climb intothem at night (albeit sometimes you won't want to get out of themin the morning, either). And don't go too far with your threadcount: Most sheets top off at softness when you reach a 500 threadcount; so above that you're just paying for bragging rights. Coverthe bed with a fluffy down duvet, a wonderful wool blanket or asoft cotton quilt. Then, toss a gorgeous throw onto the foot of thebed. ''A beautiful throw on a bed sets the tone for comfort,'' deVargas says.

3. Soften the lighting.

Speaking of soft, you want your lighting to be just as calming. ''Adimmer is a lighting must-have,'' insists de Vargas, for everythingfrom overhead ceiling lights (which aren't exactly the warmestlights to begin with) to pendant lamps and table lamps beside thebed. De Vargas is a believer in tall table lamps because ''ifyou're sitting up in bed reading, you can access the light comingthrough.'' Matching lamps is ideal, but for an eclectic bedroomlook, go ahead and mix lamps, provided there is some consistency,either in height or color. One example of that would be to trydifferent bases in matching shades.

4. Create a feeling of hotel suite grandeur.

If you have room, add a chair to a corner of your bedroom, whichwill make your room seem larger and give it the feeling of a luxurysuite. (And hey, you need someplace other than the floor to tossyour outfit outtakes!) With a larger room, consider an upholsteredbench at the foot of the bed. ''If my bedroom were bigger, I'd havea sofa and two chairs in there, like a hotel suite,'' de Vargassays.

Her other hotel-inspired tip: Buy a headboard. ''Headboards aremaking a huge comeback, especially ones that are custom tufted,''de Vargas says. And they give your bedroom a completed look that abed frame on its own can't.

5. Finally, add something you think is beautiful.

''When you wake up, you want to see beautiful things,'' de Vargassays. ''Maybe it's a painting on your wall.'' Or maybe it's anantique quilt that hangs over a chair. To fashion devotee andBrooklyn resident Yvonne, 32, it's shoes and handbags. ''I don'twant all the things that make me smile hidden at the bottom of mycloset,'' she explains. ``I put a few of my favorites on display onmy bedroom shelves, along with a few art books, a couple ofporcelain figurines and a pile of orange Hermes scarf boxes.Basically, I turned the fashion I love so much into art.''

So be creative, but just keep the Manolo's off the mantel.