Mantels as Headboards and Attainable Inspiring Bedrooms

This is totally how I feel...

Able & Game via Moderncat

And since my last topic was headboards, how do you feel about a mantel as a headboard?

Leah Moss of http://www.mosseclectic.com/

http://www.abodelove.blogspot.com/

And a beautiful bedroom to inspire you. This one looks perfect for a home on the water.

http://www.greigedesign.blogspot.com/

And a bedroom that seems suited to a home on the outskirts of town.

Hilary Thomas via Patrick Cline Photography in Lonny Magazine

And another one that seems like it should be in a posh European townhouse.

Michael Smith via Cococozy

Might I just say, though, that none of these rooms are unattainable in an average suburban home, nor would they look ridiculously over the top. In fact, the mantel-as-headboard is a cheap way to make your bedroom look classy and elegant, possibly even with a vintage flair. You can usually find an old headboard at any antique store (or request they save one for you) and put a fresh coat of paint on it or leave it be for vintage appeal. And while you may not be able to fit nearly as many pieces of furniture in the last three bedrooms shown above, you can certainly achieve the same look. I'm telling you -- king size sheet sets are always about $40 at TJMaxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods. (While you're there pick up table lamps, pillows, rugs, accessories, pots and pans, and even food. You'd be surprised at what they carry.) Sometimes Target has a good sale. You can get a great quality chandelier online at http://www.gallery804.com/. Second-hand furniture is actually in style.

Forget art, accessories and lighting for now, the first thing you should do is invest in luxurious textures. Not luxurious as in expensive, but luxurious as in comforting, exciting, and visually interesting. Velvet, patterns, layers, silk, lace, egyptian cotton, etc. It's the best thing you can do for a space, and it gives the room interest. In the pictures above, which are undeniably gorgeous rooms, you'll find velvet, stripes on a rug, a damask patterned duvet cover and a pintuck duvet cover, varying accent pillows, extra blankets that complement the colors in the room, materials in different shades of the same color family, and window coverings in fine textures and colors. Not to mention comfy, beautiful floors and rugs.