Nashauna Drummond, Staff Reporter
NETOLLIA FAIRWEATHER-SIMS made no bones about it: she wanted her cold and uninviting bedroom gone. In its place, she wanted a room that would fan the flames of passion.
However, Fairweather-Sims who entered the Lifestyle/CETv bedroom makeover contest, advertised on January 18, wrote: "My husband and I have been married for almost 15 months and our financial constraints have prevented us from creating our dream home.
"We are now desperately trying to conceive and I strongly believe that a transformation of our bedroom into a love palace would create an atmosphere conducive to this."
Well, with a letter like that how could we not rush to help the cause?
Sims, a records officer at the Registry at the Institute of Jamaica on East Street, downtown Kingston, and her husband Peter, co-owner of a computer sales and services business in New Kingston, said they had thought about painting but couldn't agree on a colour.
"It (the bedroom) was too bland. It was not comfy and just had the basics -- you just sleep and leave," she explained.
BEFORE
The walls were cool almost to the point of being cold -- white walls; white curtains with blue flowers, white cloth on table, white light fixtures. There was a cluttered and unattractive makeshift table that served too many functions. There a standing fan and a radio that was on the floor.
The bed, the main feature in the room was pushed against a wall. Although the sheet was an interesting pattern it did little to send the pulses racing or set the mood for love.FROM DRAB TO FAB:
Interior decorator Francine Chin of Adam's Designs (an event planning and decorating consultancy in the Corporate Area) said the bed was her starting point for the makeover.
"Their bed is not fitted on springs it's fitted on a wooden frame so that gave me the idea and I started with that."
THE BED
The bed head was custom built by Oral Miller of Complete Joinery and Furnishings in Portmore. Chin said she wanted it to have that circular look.
A thick padding gave it character. It's also pleated at the top and roped in the middle. "I didn't want to use the same colour as the wall so I chose a grey shade so that you can see the details. That way it doesn't fight with the wall," explained Chin.
A box-pleated bed skirt gave the bed the finishing touch.
THE WALLS
"I wanted to use a solid colour (Sienna Sunset) on one wall as an accent wall to give it a feeling of warmth, excitement, intrigue and romance," explained Chin as that was the feel the Sims was looking for.
She used Desert Sun on the remaining walls and ragged on the paint with cheesecloth instead of just painting it on. "I knew I couldn't do the other walls solid because then the room would start to close in on you because it's a very small space. It's all about romance and to me romance comes in movement. Hence, I ragged the walls in an almost semi circle to get the flow going. I also watered down the paint so it wouldn't be so dark. The Sienna Sunset was also lightened because the base coat was white."
FURNITURE
"I knew she (Netollia) wanted a vanity so I got one with a mirror from Azans SuperCentre in Cross Roads. I find a vanity to be a very feminine and sexy piece of furniture and they can use this just to display a photo or two."
The Sims also got two circular end tables with three levels each. "They mentioned that they sometimes read in bed so they have something that they can rest a book or two on."
LIGHTING
There was only one wall socket. To enhance the lighting and give the room a romantic glow, Chin found an ornate up lighting, also at Azans' SuperCentre. "It's very ornate with burnt metal finish and the shades are frosted so it casts a hue on the wall."
FINISHING TOUCHES
A wooden moulding, stained with mahogany and then varnished for that regal look. It also gives a clear finish and goes well with the furniture.
The ceiling was painted in Soft as Cream.
THE SIMS REACTION
"My first reaction was shock. My husband was more shocked than I was, he couldn't stop talking, he especially loves the paint job. There is nothing that he does not like, which is strange because he is very picky. Peter hugged Francine like a million times."
Said Peter Sims: "I expected the end result to look good but it goes beyond just looking good," he told Lifestyle.
His wife continues to gush: "I was apprehensive (not knowing if he would like it); I didn't want it to be done so that it felt very feminine but I'm more than happy with the end result.
"I love the bed head, the pillows, like the moulding. Its a more regal colour scheme. The bed is now the focal point of the room. When the light is off and you light the candles the effect is really nice. It makes the room look bigger now you get this feeling like you actually have space," Fairweather-Sims beamed.
"Now we just come in and admire it every five minutes."
The Sims valentine's was completed with a gift certificate from VMBS.
