A Charming Bedroom Makeover

Even with decent furniture, it was difficult to find a great way to arrange it in the awkward space.

Now the room feels polished. We added storage-savvy furnishings, such as high-capacity nightstands, to keep things neat and tidy. The dramatic high headboard frames a collection of pretty pillows to create the room's focal point.

Bamboo blinds layered with orange panels control of amount of light streaming in. The chest serves as storage for blankets and linens and also acts as a window bench.

A generous dresser is not only good for storing clothes but also offers a great place to display shapely accessories. A trio of framed prints hung above the dresser takes the eave from awkward to elegant.

The entire playful palette comes together in this little corner of the room. To conceal the television, we used a large armoire, which, like the blanket chest, came unfinished. To give a more custom look we painted the armoire and upgraded its hardware.

Stenciling lent the armoire the charm of hand-painting without a lot of fuss. If stenciling isn't your thing, cover the recessed or raised portion of door panels with wallpaper. Select a pattern that fits well within the panel.

A plain accent pillow takes flight with pretty felt butterfly embellishments. Find an image of a butterfly or other flying creature in a book or online. Print or copy the image in the size you want from a printer or copy machine, and then use the image as a pattern for cutting the shapes from coordinating colors of wool felt. Stitch the center of the felt shapes to the front of a pillow, leaving the wings free.

For a twist on the traditional floral bouquet, float flower heads in a wide vase or bowl -- in this case, a glass lamp base. Snip off the stems and enjoy bobbing blooms for days. To match flowers to your color scheme, use florist's spray, which comes in a range of pretty hues.

To protect surfaces, set water-filled vases and planters atop a delightful base like this easy-to-make glass trivet. Find a large glass tile at a hardware store and use epoxy to adhere glass mosaic craft squares to the top of the tile and rubber feet to the bottom.

This underutilized space was transformed into a reading retreat and a delightful spot to greet the day. New soft Roman shades control sunlight, and woven sea-grass armchairs add natural texture.

Forget the wood and nails -- create a chair rail using a paintbrush instead. On a painted wall, use painter's tape to mask a straight line and paint the wall below the tape a darker shade. Stencil along the paint line, using the color from the upper portion of the wall to soften the transition between the two hues.

We topped an existing sconce with a modern linen shade boosted with a decorative orange ribbon band. Previously a lonely fixture on the wall, the sconce becomes part of the overall art arrangement, and it can be turned on to illuminate the prints.