Romantic feel will make guests say, ‘Ooh, la, la’

Dear Sandi: Our daughter is going away to college this fall, and I want to turn her room into a guest bedroom. I really like the new romantic look that you have talked about before. Can you give me some quick, easy ways to add this element to this room? —Maxine L., Salem

Hi Maxine: It’s a great look, and fortunately, it is one that is relatively easy to achieve without a lot of expense.

Dress up a lamp shade with dried hydrangeas.

Paint always is the first consideration. You can go all out and choose one of the yummy sherbet colors that are in all the designer paint collections now or you can opt for something a bit more subtle. There are so many shades of white, tinted with just the faintest whisper of color, that you can add a touch of blush without committing to any one color.

After that, it is just a matter of how far you want to go with accessorizing. Maybe you want to find an old vanity, freshen it up with a coat of paint (or maybe even cover it with some appropriate paper), then add a table skirt to complete the look.

Windows also are a great place to add some romantic magic. Choose fabrics that are gossamer thin and floaty. No heavy looks here. Silks are wonderful, and you may want to play with using a couple of different colors, maybe even layered curtains strung on a double rod, giving a dreamy, frothy look to the windows. Try old costume jewelry for the curtain tie-backs.

Another great and easy way to work some window wizardry is to use scarves instead of fabric. Silk scarves with fancy embroidery or jewel work are quick, easy and fabulous window treatments. Simply hang, drape and knot them over a rod. Just remember, casual indifference is the key here, almost like lingerie carelessly tossed aside.

Whether you're looking for handmade paper, furniture, fabric or accessories, you will find it at loose ends. If it is unusual, organic and fabulous, then loose ends is the place. Showroom hours are 8 am to 5 pm weekdays and the first Saturday of each month 10 am - 3pm at 2065 Madrona Ave. SE, Salem, or visit us online at www.looseends.com Questions? Give us a call at (503) 390-2348.

Another great option is to keep your eyes open for old clothing that fits the look you are going for. I have an absolutely fabulous silk dress, probably dating back to the early 1930s, that simply hangs on a wall for decoration. I have done the same thing with antique Japanese obis. Old table scarves are another favorite.

Lighting is an all-important issue here, too. You want to go for soft, indirect lighting, not glaring, over-the-head ceiling illumination. Fortunately, you have a world of choices here. Of course you can simply go buy something that fits into your decor, but table lamps are such fun to play with, and it is easy to make your own.

If you’re really a do-it-yourselfer, you can turn just about anything into a lamp. If the wiring issue is a bit scary, there are other options, such as taking a female-torso lamp-base and your grandmother’s feather hat for a lampshade to a lighting store for professional wiring. If your taste runs to something a bit less exotic, then finding inexpensive lamp bases and transforming them with your own ideas is a great alternative.

Sandi Reinke is an author, frequent television guest and lead designer for loose ends (www.loosends.com), a Salem-based interior décor, garden, and casual lifestyle company. To ask Reinke a decorating question, e-mail info@looseends.com or mail her at the showroom address, 2065 Madrona Ave. SE, Salem, OR 97302. Phone: 503-390-2348.

We did this with a lamp base we picked up at a garage sale. First, we covered the base with a handmade paper in two shades of green to simulate the colors on a flower stem, using a liquid laminate as adhesive. Then we covered the shade with artificial French dried hydrangeas. You could use real dried hydrangeas also, but the shade would be very fragile and subject to becoming brittle and losing flower bracts. We used a couple of different colors with the flowers, separating them into individual small clusters. These were then hot glued directly onto the shade. In a dimly lit room, this really is a beautiful look, with light peeking out from between the flowerets.

A last word of advice. Give yourself a bit of time to gather some ideas. Although this look is really into a revival right now, it was at an all time peak in the ’20s and ’30s. I find one of my best sources for inspiration to be old postcards, especially the French and German ones from the 1920s. There are a number of books showing reproductions of these, but why settle for that? Give yourself a treat and go to an antique postcard show. You never know, you may score two hits in one since there are frequently vintage clothing dealers at these wingdings, too.

September 17, 2004