Favorite Room Feature: Peonies & Brass

Who is in the mood for a bright, cheerful and eclectic aesthetic? I would expect nothing less on a Wednesday. Today, Elyse from Peonies & Brass is sharing her bedroom with us. Let me just tell you, the lyrics to the cheesy 80's song "Take My Breath Away," come to mind when I see this room. And although cheese, the room honestly takes it right out of me. If you do not read Elyse's blog, you need to get on board.  Let's just say it. Design genius. 

Hey there Sadie & Stella readers! I’m Elyse, Montreal native and blogger over at Peonies & Brass, the little corner of the web where I share my love of all things design, d.i.y and small space living. Like all of you, I'm a huge fan of all things S+S & Lindsay, so to say I'm excited to be visiting today . . . well, it would be a bit of an understatement.

To be honest, picking a favourite room in my place was an almost impossible task. In the end I decided to go with my bedroom, because it's where I go to unwind after a long day and where - laying in the morning sun that streams in my window - I feel most at peace.

It's also the most "me" centered space I've ever had. With marble, pinks, golds and an entire side of the room devoted to nothing but getting dressed, it's an unadulterated celebration of the fact that for the first time I'm living alone, and there is no one's needs to meet but mine. It's surprisingly freeing. At 500 sq ft my apartment is admittedly pretty small, but to me this room feels borderline luxurious.

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I just can't leave well enough alone. For as long as I can remember I've had an incessant, borderline obsessive need for a project, and it's why I've created, hacked or modified almost every thing in my home (at least once). The headboard in this room was one of the first big d.i.y projects I took on, and while I'd love to cut a few grooves into her à la Moroccan style, it has a strange sentimental value for me I can't explain. It was the beginning, and there's no end in sight.

I don't know what it is, but to me a story like that - no matter how big or small - has the power to make anything so much more special. Take my bedside lamp for example. It used to belong to my grandparents (big ups Grandma), and I discovered it one day while rummaging through my parents attic. With a new shade and some gold-leafing, it quickly became my favourite result of what my best friend refers to as my "lighting problem".

The little marble desk that I use as a nightstand made the trip all the way from Paris when it's previous owner immigrated, and found it's way to me when she had her first baby and desperately needed to free up space. It meant so much to her that I truly appreciated it. Even my La Fiorentina pillows are made all the more awesome by the fact that they used to belong to Christine of Bijou and Boheme - she mentioned she was making a change and I pounced!

The Plateau - my neighbourhood in Montreal - is full of apartments featuring what they call "double rooms", which are essentially just one big room divided by an arch. This design feature is what allowed me to create my distinct little "dressing room", complete with uber-feminine dresser, gold hardware and a plush vintage persian (my best ebay find to date).

Can you have too many ways to store and display jewelry? I think not.

The gold branches on top of my wardrobe are remnants of a styled shoot I did, and were surprisingly just what that space needed. Isn't it funny how you often find the perfect solution in the most unexpected places?

Finally, my favourite accessory of all: this guy. At the end of the day, the best room in my home will always be the one he's in. And given the pillow top mattress, I think you can guess which one that usually is . . .

Thanks so much again for having me Lindsay! I had so much fun participating in this awesome series! If you have any questions about sources, or just wanna say hello, you know where to find me! xoxo