This room has an excellent traffic path around the room and on each side of the bed. It is a large
Bedroom, which certainly makes it easier. I love that in this room, they have really created a retreat with a
fireplace and two comfortable chairs across the room (but facing the fireplace).
The bench at the foot of the bed is a nice addition and comes in handy when putting on and
taking off shoes. The recessed detail in the ceiling is painted a darker color than the rest of the ceiling
to make it stand out more.

Exercise 5a

Step One: Same as other rooms, you will draw a floor plan of your existing Master Bedroom and Bath on graph paper or the grids in your furniture package, based on the lesson from lesson Two on measuring.

Be sure to measure exactly where all doors, windows and built-ins are located. Refer to measuring a room in lesson 2 if you need to.

Step Two: Place your furniture, using the Furniture Layout Kit

Step Three: Using the red pencil, determine your path of traffic through the room. Does it flow easily without too much in the way? If it doesn't could a simple arrangement of furniture allow you to have a direct path?

This master bedroom in a log home has a bed made of logs as well. The formal portrait over the headboard
gives additional attention to the focal point of the room - the bed. Notice the track lights on the ceiling which
provide plenty of light for reading in bed.

Exercise 5b

For this Exercise, go through your room and looking at the page on Bedroom Necessities & Wish List, see which of the Necessities you have and which you don't. Some can be simply and inexpensively added to the Suite, some of the "Wish List" you may never want to add to your bedroom.

Exercise 5c

If you are going to remodel your Master Bathroom, you can include fixtures and their finishes in this exercise. If you are just wanting to update your bathroom, you can collect paint colors, wallpaper, towels, etc.

Begin thinking about extending the color scheme of your Master Bedroom into the Master Bath. If you were to repaint or repaper, what would you put on the walls. Find some samples that you like at the paint store and put them in the back of your notebook. Then go shopping and compare towels, rugs and shower curtains to the wall samples that you have. You shouldn't select a paint or a wallpaper for the bath without first considering what color the accents will be.

Store this info in your notebook for future renovations.

Exercise 5d

Now that you have read the information this lesson and looked at all the images, what ideas did you get for your own Bedroom and Bath? Go back and look at the photos and read the captions again with the sole purpose of how you can apply some of these ideas in your own Master Suite.

The red carpet in this Bedroom makes quite a statement. Once you have added this strong of a color
to the Bedroom, you really only want to add more of it as accents, as done here.

 

Exercise 5e

Step One: Same as other rooms, you will draw a floor plan of your child's Bedroom and Bath on graph paper or the grids in your furniture package, based on the lesson from lesson Two on measuring.

Be sure to measure exactly where all doors, windows and built-ins are located. Refer to measuring a room in lesson 2 if you need to.

Step Two: Place your furniture, using the Furniture Layout Kit

Step Three: Using the red pencil, determine your path of traffic through the room. Mainly from the door - to the bed and closet. Does it flow easily without too much in the way? If it doesn't could a simple arrangement of furniture allow you to have a direct path?

 

 

Exercise 5f

This is a great time of year to do some decorative projects for the home and your children will love their rooms even more because they created them!

First, you and your child can journey through your attic, or even Grandma's, wherever cast off furniture and accessories might have ended up. Chances are, there will be something there that they would enjoy in their rooms. Find an old piece of wood furniture and let them have fun with an easy polka dot creation!

The Polka Dot Project is easy to do:

• Select two non-toxic paint colors, one for the background and one for the polka dots. I personally love this look with lime green polka dots on a bright pink background.
• After painting the furniture one color, let it dry thoroughly.
• Purchase a round sponge or foam paint stamp at a craft store and use it to apply the polka dots. Pour a little of the polka dot paint into a sturdy paper plate or dish.
• Press the round stamp in the paint and press randomly on the newly painted furniture.

This old dresser was painted in a Faux Marble Finish for a little girls room.

 

Exercise 5g

Moveable Murals

Besides traditional wallpaper and borders, consider designing your child's room with wall appliqués. There are designs on the market that cater to a child's imagination and fun. One company that supplies very reasonably priced and easy to apply self-adhesive stickers is Walls Of The Wild. You can visit their web site at www.wallsofthewild.com and view the polyester stickers that they have available. They range in size from small (a cute robin at 9" x 5") to a delightful giraffe (at over 5' tall.) With these wall decorations, you and your child can decide where the murals will go and apply them yourself. Place a sleeping chimpanzee over the door frame, a goldfinch next to the light switch plate, or an eagle flying across the wall. These wall appliqués would be a enjoyable and inexpensive alternative to a painted wall mural. They are easily moved and repositioned as needed and will not harm the wall underneath if you do decide to move them!

Accessorizing A Child's Room

Exercise 5h

• Go through the family picture albums together and let them select their favorite picture. It might be themselves as a child or a picture of one of their pets. Have it enlarged into a poster sized print and hang it on their wall.
• Locate an old lamp (have it rewired, if needed) and purchase an inexpensive lamp shade that matches the color and style of their room.
• A discarded plain beige or white bedspread can be dyed or even tie-dyed in several colors to give it new life. You may even find your "pop-corn" chenille bedspread from the 60's. They have become very popular again and your children would love it!
• They can also do some fun craft projects that will bring cheer to their rooms! To update their window treatments, let them select some plastic beaded fringe in colors that will compliment their room. There are dozens of different styles and colors available at fabric stores. All they need to do is glue the beaded fringe onto the bottom edge of their curtains or shades. If you have a young child in the house, be sure to apply the beaded fringe above the child's reach!
• Make big handmade tissue paper flowers (remember making these as a child?), and then place in a colorful vase. They will have lots of fun and will be delighted with their rooms and their creations!