IVORY TOWER; Snowy Reverie

I have spent the weekend acting on my plans to winterise my bedroom and I couldn't be happier with the results!  This was the last room in the house that I needed to bring into my overall snowy winter theme, but I didn't want it to be an exact replica of the main room downstairs, where I have lots of ornamental silver stags and wintry trees, like an enchanted forest.  

For my bedroom I wanted a white winter rose theme, as I live in Yorkshire and the white rose is the emblem of this county.  I was also inspired by images of beautiful swans in snowy settings and the blush pinks and purples of a frosty sunset.   I adore swans and I have befriended them on my visits to the highlands -  I love their strength, grace, beauty and purity.  They are symbols of true love and fidelity, so as a totem animal they are perfect for a bedroom.

I was dreaming up a vision of an enchanted hidden glade in wintertime, with a sparkling pond, white roses growing nearby and a pair of loving swans gliding on the water. I think I have managed to achieve the essence of this dream in the decor items I have chosen to spruce up the room.  Everything I bought is creamy white and has a shimmer or a glowy finish.  The cream crushed velvet curtains literally gleam and look very glamorous set against the voile blinds that sparkle with silver sequins, like a sprinkling of snowflakes. The crystal tie-backs hold it all in place and catch the sunlight shining through the windows.  White roses and lilac thistles on the windowsill finish it off perfectly.

I had a particular image in mind when it came to the bed. In series one of Once Upon a Time there is a scene where Snow and Red are sitting on Red's bed chatting.  It is a four poster bed, hung with cream drapes and the bed is covered in lots of snowy white fur and sheepskin.  It looks warm and cosy and very wintry and I wanted to recreate that look, as I already have a four-poster bed with a cream lace canopy and drapes.  So I covered the bed with a cream faux fur throw and added scatter cushions in white faux fur and cream faux suede with diamante trim. It looks like the kind of bed you would never want to get out of...a dreamy wintertime retreat.  It makes me think of Anna Karenina snuggled up in furs on a sleigh and dashing through the Russian snow to meet her lover Count Vronsky.

I have a lovely white rose picture that is hung above the bed and the briar rose trellis of tea-light holders going up the side of the bedroom door, brings in the winter rose element.  I am also getting a white rose rug for the centre of the room.  With all the ice-fairy and snow-angel ornaments I already have, and a fresh scattering of dainty white swan ornaments, the room is now a picturesque vision of an enchanted winter wonderland.  It is delicate, pretty and feminine, while still having the bright wintry feel of a snowy day.  I'm very happy with how it has turned out.

So tonight I plan to have a long hot bath and then retreat into my winter rose bedroom with a glass of mulled wine, a good book and my ambient snowy DVD playing, which has relaxing scenes of winter woodlands and snowy rivers, with nature sounds.  With this DVD and my lovely winter themed home I can now enjoy the beauty of snow all year round, whether it be in the silvery forest downstairs or the enchanted swan glade upstairs.  And all this without having to get cold and wet! 

BB