Sarah 101: Episode Four

Tuesday night's episode of Sarah 101 on HGTV saw Sarah and Tommy take on the design of a bachelor's bedroom, assigned the task of adding warmth and personality to an industrial loft. The first step was to select a key fabric which would provide a jumping off point for the room's colour scheme. The fabric Sarah & Tommy selected was none other than Schumacher's Chiang Mai Dragon. (What are the odds that the star fabric of this bedroom would be the same print I wrote about in my previous blog post?!?!) Pulling colours from this inspiration fabric, they chose a secondary print, Schumacher's Conundrum. The dragon print would be used for an upholstered head and foot board, while the celtic/gear conundrum print would cover a wing chair.



Since these Schumacher fabrics were a splurge at $150/yard, it was necessary (and practical) to save on the drapery fabric. Sarah was able to find a suitable woven solid for just $5.99/yard, and considering that the windows would require almost 60 yards of fabric, it was a bargain to come in at less than $500.00 for all of the fabric and lining. To quote Sarah, "Keep stuff this big neutral."


With fabrics pinned down, it was time to choose paint colours. Again, using the Chiang Mai Dragon fabric as her guide, Sarah selected teal blue and mustard yellow for the walls. When changing from one paint colour to another in an open space, Sarah's advice is to make the colour change at any sharp corner. She also points out that it is easiest to change at an inside corner rather than an outside corner, since it can be difficult to achieve a razor sharp edge where the two colours meet.


The concrete floors add to the industrial vibe in this loft bedroom, but in order to give the room more livability and bring it down to a human scale, Sarah and Tommy decided to bring in a rug. They selected a vibrant semi-antique rug, explaining that older rugs tend to have better colour sense and more saturated colours than new production. With the bed on the main focal wall, Sarah positioned the rug perpendicular to the bed. This gives more space to walk on the carpet on either side of the bed.


Diverse and unique accessories with patina and age add a touch of soul to the space. An overscale ladder and mirrors framed with vintage tire moulds add to the industrial loft feel. To add nostalgia and personality, Tommy advises taking treasured heirlooms out of the box and displaying them where they can be appreciated every day.



Sarah's secret to creating a balance between the industrial and fine elements in this space is to use both styles in equal amounts. The same concept is applied to achieve balance between the masculine and feminine elements:

Industrial= Fine
Ladder = Wing Chair
Side Tables = Carpet
Console = Bed
Concrete Floor = Patterned Rug

Did you enjoy this episode of Sarah 101?

All photos courtesy of HGTV Canada.