How To Decide Where Your Lucite and Cherub Lamp Will Go

My friend and former roommate Erin, whom I dearly love, is nearly driving me crazy. She’s actually the inspiration for this blog – I began sending her suites of furniture (This couch, with THIS rug, with THIS coffee table…) to buy off Craigslist, because she has been sitting in an almost empty apartment for two months, and it's nearly impossible to get her to commit to anything because she has a hard time seeing how individual pieces go together.

So I was looking for some pieces for her today (I sent about 20) and came across this awesome bent willow canopy bed. I love willow furniture – it transports me back to my 10-year-old self who dreamed of living in a forest with gnomes (that book was popular then) and blue birds lighting on my shoulder (Snow White made an early impact).

Anyway: it sent me off on a Craigslist tear – how does one decorate around such a statement piece? Such aggressive style – all that movement, busyness and twiggishness? (Full disclosure: I decorated my college dorm room wall with a giant tree branch, so twiggishness in anything, to me, is a plus.)

Obviously let the bed star. Don’t bring in ANY OTHER natural wood tones. And keep everything else solid and simple. Because: look! You'llscratch your eyes out if there is anything else complicated in the room.

And for God's sake, please use solid linens. This bed screams for white or grey, or a greyed out blue.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/fuo/1948223752.html

I tried some mid-century modern dressers for contrast, but they just didn’t work. This simple wood dresser – appears to be painted black – offers the room a solidity to balance the beds craziness.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/fuo/1942895292.html





And put this mirror over the dresser -- maybe resting on it, vertically.





http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/fuo/1949115698.html

It similarly needs a simple, modern rug. If you went with something country – a rag rug – it would start looking Kountry with a K. (350 or best offer.)

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/fuo/1948865048.html

Now: something soft and upholstered. This couch is perfect, if a little expensive.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/fuo/1949005813.html

with this side table
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/fuo/1948848907.html

and this table next to the bed. Its important to have both metal and glass in the room.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/fuo/1948546209.html

and one each of these lamps on the tables.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/fuo/1948505871.html

and then , because every room needs something totally bananas:

Elegant Lucite & Brass Table Lamp... with Cherub.

How can you NOT buy it? It will go on the dresser.

Here's another view!

Snap it up before I do because I need need need it.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/fuo/1936861256.html

The best part: all three lamps have those pleated, cream-colored shades, so they look intentional, and will tie the room together.