Study 101

Dear Shay,
I want to turn an upstairs bedroom into a ladies study with a small desk and lamp etc.  If there is no bed in the room what do you use for an anchor piece?
-Trisha

Trisha,
First, think of the room as a study, not a bedroom.  Make the desk the anchor piece for your room. I would use a writing desk; one that is open at the bottom. If you use a desk that is closed in, it will be very hard to balance the room in a small space because closed bottom desks have a very heavy feel to them. Try angling the desk in the room in one corner & place a small club chair across from it. If you have the room, you could place a floor lamp & small end table beside the club chair & use it as a place for reading. You could also use a small desk lamp on the writing desk. Adding built in bookshelves would offer you a great place to store office supplies (have the cabinet maker build doors across the bottom of the built in) & display treasured mementos.  Adding french doors could really help define the room as a home office, but could also get expensive.  If you have the room in your budget, go for it!  To finish off the room, dress the windows with some draperies in a pleasing feminine print & add a few accessories & some art or framed family photos.  Happy decorating!
-Shay