Between the Sheets with Capella Kincheloe!

I am so pleased to have Capella Kincheloe contribute to our "Between the Sheets" series.   I've had the pleasure of getting to know her over the past six months and enjoy her genuine and warm spirit.  Capella was working in L.A. with Michael Smith before she headed east and landed in Atlanta.  She has an amazing eye and tends to follow an approach to design that is more "undesigned" than expected.  There are great things to come from this designer and Atlanta is lucky to have her as one of its own! 

With that, I give you Capella's take on creating masterful Master Bedroom...

The most important part of a bedroom is that it be comfortable, many people say serene, but to me, serene = boring.  Bedrooms are very personal and should reflect that this is a great place to design singularly for the person sleeping there.  You have a bit more freedom in the bedroom because it is a private space, the designer and homeowner does not need to be concerned with the rest of the family, house guests, friends, etc.

I have very few rules when designing a bedroom; 1. It must be comfortable 2. No TV or office desk 3. Multiple lighting sources.  That’s about it.  I learned bed composition from Michael Smith:  white duvet with colorful throw/blanket/quilt at foot, four standard pillows, 2 euros, and maybe a decorative pillow.  A tailored bed skirt if necessary, but unlike Michael I prefer to mix patterns and solids, color and white sheets together.  I rarely keep sets together, you should have at least three sets for the Master Bedroom.  You have to have the right combinations to keep you comfortable while in bed, cool on summer nights and warm during the winter.  Everything should be easily washable, I have two dogs and most people I know who have dogs let theirs on the bed at least occasionally.  That is why I avoid too many decorative pillows or fussy bed dressings. 

The rest of the room composition depends on the space available, in my apartment in Los Angeles, I had to mount shelves to the wall parallel to the bed for bedside tables – there was only that much space.  If you have a large space, go for a King bed, otherwise Queen works just as well.  Ideally, there should be two bedside tables with table lamps, two wall-mounted reading lamps and then lamps as necessary for the rest of the space.  If your bedside lamps match, go for different bedside tables and visa versa.  Nothing should look too perfect.  I really find rules too restricting in design and the minute I think I have found a good one, I can think of a time it should be broken.  Televisions are too distracting and unromantic in a bedroom, it just doesn’t seem healthy.  The same goes for having an office desk in the bedroom – unless you are using the desk only for beautiful handwritten notes or journal writing.  If you have space for a sitting area, or a reading nook, a spot to have morning coffee, things like that I take the cue from the homeowner and how they use their space.

The feel should be lush and luxurious, nothing too stark.  The linens should be fine, the window coverings should have multiple “settings” to adjust the light, the flooring should be soft and the space should include the homeowners most treasured art, photographs, and books.

Thanks Capella!  What great inspiration.  If you are left craving more inspiration from Capella be sure to check out her blog, A Curated Lifestyle.  You will be glad you did!