Dreaming in Black and White

One of the frustrations I've found in shorter-term rental living is the ubiquitous white walls. Landlords sometimes don't allow painting, but even when they do, the effort required to paint a particular space may just be too great for the limited length of time it will be used.

I reached a bit of an epiphany last year, however, when I realized how much of the design I favor features white prominently. I say "epiphany," but it was really one of those moments when I slap myself for missing what had been sitting right in front of me. I think I like the cleanliness and "blank slate" of white, but most of all, I appreciate its relationship to light, and the fact that only translucence or transparency does more to help light reach the darkest corners of a space. And light--especially natural light--is perhaps my highest priority when it comes to evaluating a space.

Several months ago, I ran across the following photograph on one of the style blogs I follow. All the elements I describe above were present. Moreover, I knew I needed to buy new bedding for the oncoming summer anyway, and the photograph looked so cool...figuratively and literally. It wasn't difficult to imagine waking up on a bright Saturday morning and feeling the coolness of those cotton sheets.

Photo from:
http://www.lily.fi/blogit/likainen-parketti/pallukka.

So, at the beginning of the summer, I decided to use the photograph for inspiration. I bought new Egyptian cotton sheeting and a cotton throw in the whites, greys, and blacks. Due to space constraints, I couldn't use a trunk for a nightstand, but I found a laddered bathroom shelf that fit the space available, and a black architects lamp to place on top. Finally, I printed off a few favorite photographs I had bookmarked in my web surfing to hang above the bed. The result:

Now, these photos were taken at night, and I don't have quite the natural light available as in the original photograph, but I can report that waking up on Saturday mornings this summer has been every bit as good as I'd imagined. Even too good, perhaps--the light around the room has created a cheerfulness that makes it difficult to stay in bed once day fully breaks, even when the night before is not long past.