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Style guru needed: do I go contemporary route or ornate/vintage or maybe both?!

16 replies

navyeyelasH · 15/01/2011 17:23

Ok I'm changing what was a study into a dressing room (it's 3mx3m roughly) in my 3 bed house, I live alone without kids hence the reason I can have this room - I am not loaded.

I have a desk in the room which I really can't afford to replace. It's a white gloss desk. All around the room on top of the picture rail there is a white gloss shelf which I have filled with shoes inside clear boxes.

I have a gold ornate mirror that I would love to have put in this room, but because the desk is so contemporary I don't feel I can use the mirror.

Does anyone have any good ideas on how contemporary and ornate can work together?

I was thinking: white gloss desk, put some vinyl stickers on it which extend off the desk and onto the wall in a floral pattern. Put the gold mirror over the desk. On the wall opposite the mirror buy a collection of gold ornate frames and hang jewellery inside the frames in an artistic way. Then put an ornate chair (which I found today for £40) under the desk. Dress the window with a white/maybe pink voile on a gold pole. Buy a contemporary white light fitting. And have assorted knick knacks on the desk in tones of pinks, blacks, whites and greys (walls are a really light grey)

My worry is the desk will look a bit random if I arrange the room like this? So maybe I should get a panton style chair, keep the desk, vinyl stickers, window voile, and use a more contemporary mirror.

Really I want to go down the OTT ornate route but my brain is telling me the contemporary version will work best with the desk and that mixing it together will look shit?

Sorry for such a long winded post!

PS> the desk was quite expensive and I can't sell it (it's my exs and he wants to store it here while we wait for our early mortgage repayment thingy to be up when I can buy him out ) or put it anywhere else Sad.

OP posts:
igotsoul · 15/01/2011 18:39

Hi navyeyelasH,

Lucky you, getting your own dressing room!!

Personally, I think you should mix the contemporary furniture with the vintage mirror. This would achieve an eclectic look, which would reflect your own personal taste as opposed to a look that you feel you should have because of what you might see in magazines. There's nothing more refreshing than seeing a person's individual style and taste reflected in their home, don't you think?

All your ideas sound fantastic and I think you should just put the pieces that you already have in there and move them around until you're happy with the layout. Then add the other pieces and again, move them around until you're happy. You might even have items in other rooms in your house that work better in your new dressing room.

That mirror is beautiful, did you really get it for just £31? Bargain! I used the ornate gold picture frames on a wall in our old apartment and they looked great. Here's a link for you to see them...

Just relax and have fun with it!

navyeyelasH · 15/01/2011 18:56

Oh my word igotsoul, is that your actual house?!?!?!?! Envy

OP posts:
northerngirl41 · 15/01/2011 19:22

Idea: can you throw a pretty tablecloth over it?

igotsoul · 15/01/2011 19:31

It was but we moved to London a few months ago and had to say goodbye to it. It's rented out now :(

I'd love to know how you get on with decorating your dressing room. Keep us posted!

lalalonglegs · 15/01/2011 20:01

I think all the stuff you have bought has really strong but simple shapes and good colours so it should come together. The desk does need softening a bit, perhaps, but, since you aren't going to have it forever, I wouldn't sweat it too much.

Cyb · 15/01/2011 20:06

I would SCRAP the stickers. nasty

Can you spray the mirror frame white?

I think chair is great but wrong with that desk, contemporary better

I like white with splashes of colour-I woudl go for a colourful lampshade or you risk room looking like a lab. I think 60's prints would look great with those bits

Why do you want a desk and chair in your dressing room anyway?

Cyb · 15/01/2011 20:07
Cyb · 15/01/2011 20:09

Actually I think mixing simple old oak with that desk would work if you want a chair

freshmint · 15/01/2011 20:12

If you got a piece of glass cut to fit the desk you could then slide photos or a piece of beautiful wallpaper or whatever you like under it and it would soften the look of the big white glossy expanse of desktop

teta · 15/01/2011 20:26

I love the chair and the mirror - they give a very boudoir feel.The desk is going eventually so how about covering with a hot pink and gold cloth-Sari colours.Can you go for a wonder round indian town to pick up something cheaply?.You can also use saris as curtains.Alternatively go to dunelm where even silk isn't too bad a price.Add a pink or gold lamp,maybe a crystal chandelier[ i picked one up for 40 pounds the other day in my local antiques centre].I love feathered lamps in feminine rooms.Display pretty shoes or handbags or jewellery and perfume bottles.

WhatsWrongWithYou · 15/01/2011 20:26

I'm guessing you want to use the desk as a dressing/make up table?

I'm quite fancying a Louis Ghost Chair atm - either the Crystal or the Victoria in clear acrylic.

I don't think it's a problem mixing a glossy desk with more ornate features - I hate rooms with one 'look', as if they've been bought from a catalogue in one fell swoop.

Maybe, as you want to go ornate, you could use a fancy wallpaper rather than the stickers - I've seen some lovely ones with birds and plants lately. Will try and look.

WhatsWrongWithYou · 15/01/2011 21:08

Can only find this one.

mistressploppy · 15/01/2011 22:13

Argh, have just spent a load of money on that damn Mabel & Violet site Angry Grin

Cyb, that is gorgeous

navyeyelasH · 15/01/2011 23:12

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I wanted to use the stickers to soften the look of the desk and make it blend in more, but the idea of putting glass over it is much more appealing! I don't want to cover it with any material as I have a loathing for that sort of look, it reminds me too much of being a student.

Igotsoul I love it, it's totally my sort of thing, so v jealous. Do you ever use the living etc forums? I will definitely keep you posted and maybe stick some pictures up when it's done (in about 4 weeks!).

Cyb - I love love love the mirror (and yes I got it for £31!). I wouldn't want to spray it white Sad. Most of my house it white with splashes of colour which is a look I love but in the dressing room I was trying to make it a bit more sort of OTT and boudior-esque. Completely anti man I guess Wink. I want a desk to dry my hair and stick my face on etc more of a dressing table.

whatswrongwithyou I have the ghost chair (I'm a chair freak!) in my dinging room so couldn't use that again really. I thought about wallpaper but I didn't want the room to look too busy IYSWIM. I think I might go with what I wanted, so long as I love it who cares! Maybe see if I can recover the chair in black to tone it down a bit and use posh wallpaper under the glass on the desk to tie the desk in more.

Thank you all so much you gurus!

OP posts:
igotsoul · 16/01/2011 00:26

Thanks navyeyelasH. I've used the Living etc site loads as an image source but never really used the forums. Must go and check them out. I'll check back here to see if you've managed to post pics in a few weeks. :)

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