Our new bed (New! King-sized! Bed!) is being delivered on Monday. We dismantled our old (broken. queen-sized. super lame.) bed last weekend because Turtle was making a trip to the dump and offered to take it for us. Because she rocks. So for the last week we've been sleeping on our mattress on the floor. Which has sucked. But that's not the point. The point is this: this weekend is the perfect time to put the final coat of paint on my gorgeous turquoise accent wall behind the bed because there is no bed to move - just a mattress to pull out of the way.
Did I tell you about my gorgeous turquoise accent wall? I started painting the bedroom last May. I remember it was May because Shawn went on a three-day boys' weekend over the May long weekend so it was the perfect time to paint the bedroom. Shawn is anti-paint. We moved into a brand new condo in 2007 and every single room was painted stark, builders white. Getting Shawn to agree to paint colours is like pulling teeth. Which is silly because I do all of the painting. I'm not asking him to paint the condo, I'm just asking for him to commit to a colour. Ahem. So he went away for three days and I painted the bedroom a soft grey with white trim and a gorgeous turquoise accent wall behind the bed. The only problem was that I seriously underestimated how long it would take to apply a light-blue primer and the three coats of turquoise paint necessary to make the wall look flawless. Which meant that when Shawn got home, I'd only managed to apply two of the coats. And I'd run out of paint. So Shawn pushed all the furniture back into place and we've been living with a flawed, not-perfect, brush-strokes visible, gorgeous turquoise accent wall behind the bed for 8 months.
Which brings me to this weekend. I am finally going to get the final coat of paint on my gorgeous turquoise accent wall. My heart. It is happy.
So that was a massive lead-in to my problem. Sorry. I am very sleep deprived today. We're transitioning the dogs from sleeping in crates to sleeping on a dog bed and haha, guess what? My dogs don't sleep if they're not crated! Especially when their humans are also sleeping on the floor because they were crazy enough to get rid of their old bed a week before their new bed arrived. We partied all night last night (if the definition of "party" is "kicked belligerent puppies out of our bed all night long until we finally gave in and let them sleep with us even though Stella likes to sleep on faces and Wolfgang likes to sleep with his cold, wet nose pressed to that strip of lower back skin that is visible when my pyjama top rides up over my doughnut belly.")
SO MY PROBLEM. The new king-sized bed takes up so much floor space that we have to get rid of our bedside tables. Which is very upsetting to me because where else can I store a stack of books that I'll never get around to reading and a 2-week old glass of water? It also means that we won't have a spot for our reading lamps. Which is okay because I hate our reading lamps. They're not real lamps - they're desk lights and they're way too bright and plastic-y and ugly. I think we should get wall-lamps and mount them beside the bed but Shawn says it looks too hotel-y (though he does want a reading lamp, and acknowledges that a reading lamp on the floor is useless, and he's the one who says that we can't cram bedside tables into the room.)
We need the internet to break our stalemate. Today. Because if we do go ahead with the wall-lamps, Shawn will want to hide the wires and that is a more involved installation process than just hanging them on the wall. Which means that he will have to do it on Sunday, after the gorgeous turquoise accent wall is painted but before the bed arrives on Monday. The new bed is real furniture, not Ikea furniture, so once it is built we will likely never be able to move it again. It weighs about a million pounds. And it is beautiful. And king-sized!
These are the two wall-lamps that Ikea carries. I'm partial to the one on the right because it directs the light downward (I hate reading in dim light) but I like the look of the one on the left. Do they look too hotel-y?
OK first, would you send me pictures of your bedroom?? Since we are currently house hunting I am collecting a binder of paint colours/designs I like so when we do get a townhouse I can make it all pretty and the way you DESCRIBED your bedroom sounds gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, totally makes sense to get your third coat of paint on BEFORE your king size bed (JEALOUS!) gets there!
Third, I saw a picture on Young House Love with the wall lamps and it looked REALLY good! It can be kind of hotel-y but I still think its practical and cute.
I'm actually a pretty big fan of hotels so I would probably say go for mounting lamps even if it does look a bit hotel chic.
ReplyDeleteBut I also think that the wall color + the bed + other decorative subtleties that will be totally you will ultimately keeping it from feeling anything like a hotel.
All of that to say: DO IT! And I actually do really like the one on the right, too. Happy reading light = happy Kerri.
I think I like the one on the left. I don't know. The both do look a little hotel-y, but I think with your wall color they will look cool.
ReplyDeletei immediately thought of YHL as well and i think it looks great and not hotel-y :) for the lamps themselves, i'm no help because i think the exact same thing as you: left is prettier; right is more helpful. i want pictres of your gorgeous turquoise wall once there's a new! king sized! bed! in there :)
ReplyDeleteI think the lamp on the left looks a little more hotel-y than the one on the right (which is the one that I like the best). I think the one on the right will give you better reading lighting, plus I think it's prettier.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with making the decision!
I say do it, and get the lamp on the right. You need good light for bedtime reading, and that one makes more sense. Could you paint the metal parts to make them more matte and less industrial maybe? Like a flat black paint or something?
ReplyDeleteListen to me, like I know what I'm talking about.
I like the one on the right, too. We have table lamps (which I hate) and when Matthew finally build a bed so that we're not sleeping on the floor (So, 2015), I want wall-mounted lights that point down.
ReplyDeleteI can't make up my mind either.
ReplyDeleteBut I think I like the one one the right better...
I like the one on the right too. I think against a teal accent wall it will pop. It might remind Shawn of hotels because most hotels have that but SO DO LOTS OF PEOPLE. Like me. Ahem.
ReplyDeleteI love them both. I love the look of wall mounted lights. I prefer the look of the one on the left, but the one on the right is definitely more practical for reading.
ReplyDeleteI like the one on the right! It seems like it will give you enough light to read by without lighting up the whole room.
ReplyDeleteAmber: I will definitely send you photos once it's finished (should be done by next weekend. Knock on wood.)
ReplyDeleteKerri Anne: By decorative subtleties do you mean clutter? Because that is what I keep telling Shawn. We are not clutter-free people! No one will ever mistake our bedroom for a hotel room!
Adriana: I admit, they do feel a little hotel-y to me. But not enough to give up on reading lamps, you know?
Alice: Dude, I will totally post pictures. I have wanted to post pictures since I started the project ... almost a year ago.
Sharon: Thanks, lady! The one on the left has nicer metal than the one on the right, if that makes sense. It's less shiny. But I feel like the one on the right is more practical.
Doahleigh: I have no idea if I could paint the metal bits. Hmm. Something to consider.
Angella: My plan was to build a bed. I have been planning it for a year. And then we found a bed for cheaper than the materials would likely cost. So. New bed!
Shannon: Thanks, lady :)
Sizzle: I agree! Lots of people do it! It's not specific to hotels! And it makes so much sense.
Stevie: I agree. If they were solely decorative I would probably go for the one on the left but because we'll be using them so much for reading, I figure the one on the right is the better choice.
I like the one on the right and you can always jazz it up with a new lamp shade in a contrasting or complimentary color.
ReplyDeleteright is right. that is all. muah. :)
ReplyDeleteI like them both, but I would probably pick the one on the left. I seem to be in minority though, so go with heart. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe color of your walls sounds so so lovely!
ReplyDeleteOk now don't kill me (please) but um they do kind of look hotel-y.
HOWEVER, I do like the one on the right. Looks like it provides good lighting.
Again, please to not be mad at me.
I like them both, so it depends on the bedding and what the headboard looks like etc.
ReplyDeleteI totally thought of Young House Love too! And of course I had to look up the post once again. Here ya go if you've never seen it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.younghouselove.com/2008/02/over-our-heads/
Hmmm ... hard decision! I would maybe go with the one on the left ... but I think you wanna go with the one on the right ... so, go with that one! :)
Can't wait to see pictures of the room! The accent wall sounds so pretty!
First of all...
ReplyDeleteWait, you're pregnant?! *sigh* This is what happens when I walk away from the internet for a while, everyone waits until I'm gone and then makes exciting announcements. CONGRATULATIONS!
Personally I think they both look pretty hotel-esque. But then again, they're not going in my bedroom, so what does my opinion matter?
Hotels wouldn't have pretty turquoise accent walls (unless they were in Santorini), so I don't think the lamps will look too hotel-y. I also like the ones on the right.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSorry to be a day late and thus probably totally unhelpful...I also like the one on the right, and I think it would look nice against turquoise. Also would LOVE to see the wall.
ReplyDeleteAlso, is Lassie the same douchemonkey who used to comment under a different name?
Ooh, I love the one on the left! I tend to err on the side of looks over practicality when it comes to things like home decor though (except for couches because there is no way I'm lying on an uncomfortable couch) and I just think the one on the left is way prettier.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think you should go for the wall-mounted lights because you don't really have any other alternative and you need something! I don't think they will be all that hotel-y if you personalize the rest of the room. Add photos, non-generic artwork on the walls etc. I think the cool wall colour will help on that front!
no
ReplyDeleteI like the one on the right!
ReplyDeleteSorry to be late commenting, still haven't figured out how to comment via my crackberry :S
Every room in our house is half-painted, so I can totally relate. Have you checked CB2.com? They have very cute affordable lighting also.
ReplyDeleteEvery room in our house is half-painted, so I can totally relate. Have you checked CB2.com? They have very cute affordable lighting also.
ReplyDeleteI have the light on the right next to my bed...and I LOVE IT. It actually moves...so you're able to direct light wherever you want...i don't know much about the one to the left...and WHO CARES IF IT LOOKS HOTEL-y.
ReplyDeleteI like HOTEL looking rooms anyways! LOL