Dear Leanne: We bought a round bed for our teenage daughter but are having problems placing it. We tried it in the centre of the room, but that didn't feel right and we couldn't place all her furniture back. Then we put it in a corner, but since it doesn't have a headboard, it felt as if it didn't fit. The same thing happened when we placed it against a wall. How do you make these beds work in square rooms?
ANSWER: Ah, the old 'how to fit a round peg in a square hole' dilemma. A bed without a head-or footboard has good points as well as its challenges.
On the one hand, you are free to orient the bed in any direction you choose. On the other hand, this ambiguity can make the bed feel imbalanced unless you create a purposeful placement for it.
Round beds are whimsical. They are not obtained for their 'practical functionality' but rather their uniqueness. That idea is what you will need to continue to make this room feel like the bed belongs.
Decide on a theme for the room. Does your daughter want it flowing with a fairy-tale feel or the sophistication of old Hollywood or a modern-contemporary feel? Each can be accomplished, but a theme needs to be determined to proceed to the next step.
Placing the bed in the centre of the room is likely going to be avoided; as you have noted, you cannot replace the furniture when it is in this configuration. Functionality wins out here. Your remaining options are to place the bed in a corner or against a wall.
Walk into the bedroom and evaluate your options. Place the bed as far from the entrance as possible -- for instance, the adjacent corner or the farther side wall. Avoid the need to walk directly into the bed.
Of course, your options will be also limited by the existing closet, ensuite bathroom and windows. In a corner arrangement, develop the corner to accommodate the roundness of the bed. This can be accomplished with fabric and a ceiling-mounted, bendable drapery track. By draping fabric behind the bed you create a headboard effect.
To create solid curved doors for such a unit is a little more of a challenge, as this requires a lamination and steam process to create a solid curved door.
However, attaching several solid surfaces together can also create an illusion of a curved surface.
The advantage to the hard unit is that you can use the corner for storage.
Leanne Brownoff is an Edmonton interior design consultant. Visit her at www.leannebrownoff.com.
