Making a bedroom better

Southern Living, Jul 2002 by Jernigan, Sarah

The luxurious bedding and serene palette may be enviable, but the real delight comes from many adaptable ideas.

At first glance, Kappi and David Craddock's Jackson, Mississippi, bedroom is just what you'd expect in a designer's home. The bedding is perfectly coordinated, the color is soft and soothing, and the accessories create a restful and inviting ambience. The best parts, however, are the hidden rewards. These creative ideas from Kappi make the most of any budget.

Rather than walking into a furniture store and buying things to suit the moment, Kappi carefully chose bedding and accessories that could be built on for the future. "I wanted balance without having a bedroom suite," she says. Clean, simple lines complement each other.

Kappi symmetrically placed glass-- top, skirted tables beside the bed. For interest, one table is a standard round while the other is square. To mimic the hemstitched pillow shams made by David's great-grandmother, Kappi used sheets of a similar fabric design for the table skirts. "I had them made with box pleats because the bedskirt had a gathered ruffle. It's different but balanced," she explains.

Lamps were made from pottery vessels. Their grand scale is appropriate with the bed and length of the wall, providing additional balance. Crisp white shades offer a clean, modern look, contrasting with the traditional upholstered headboard.

Although the tables, accessories, and bed were in proportion, Kappi still felt something was not right. "The headboard is actually an old footboard that we elevated so it's seen just above the pillows," she says. "But even with the height of the bed, I still needed something above it." There was too much space to leave blank, but not enough for art because anything large enough would have appeared too close to the ceiling. Her solution: Frame the bed with a canopy of sheer, embroidered organdy panels. The panels also hide any evidence of the frame built to raise up the bed.

Beauty lies not only in the balance, but in Kappi's skill at layering fabrics and ideas in a soft, subtle palette. But she is quick to add that the real key is taking the time to try several combinations. "Sometimes it takes a while to find the perfect piece."