Archive for January 24th, 2009

A Backyard Bedroom

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

Create extra space with a fanciful take on a guest house. This outdoor bedroom optimizes one-room living with space-saving solutions, abundant light, and well-planned storage. With room enough for a bed, desk, and dressing area, the confines of a tent never seemed so sumptuous.

bedroom backyardArchitectural wisdom says that a good design must be well built and useful - and offer a large measure of delight. This tiny warm-weather bedroom, built as a permanent tent with removable canvas walls, incorporates much to delight in, with all the comforts of its indoor equivalent. Despite its small size, the room conveys a remarkable sense of spaciousness, thanks to its use of efficient organization, small-scale furnishings, and whimsical decor.

To make any room appear larger than it really is, the first trick is to use effective lighting and a pale, subtly varied color palette. Fitted with glass windows and a French door, this tent also receives plenty of illumination through its fabric walls, which fill the space with light during the day. Although fabric isn’t generally an option for indoor walls, you could achieve a similar effect with pure white walls and sheer curtains or linen shades in any room with good sun exposure. The daytime effect of light filtered through canvas walls repeats at night, when lamplight filters gently through the canopy of mosquito netting hung above an iron bed. A kerosene lantern, hung outside from the eaves, lights the entry and serves as a welcoming beacon to visitors.