Michelle Nussbaumer, owner of Dallas’ Ceylon et Cie, has been a longtime favorite designer of mine.  Her global mix speaks to me. When the piece below came out in House Beautiful this month I knew we are kindred spirits.  I mean the orange, the ikat, the layers and mostly the dog are all equal the perfection. I will have another Great Dane in my life one day.

Inside Designer Michelle Nussbaumer’s East-Meets-West Bedroom

Barbara King: Are the dogs in your bed, or are you in theirs?

Michelle Nussbaumer: They think it’s theirs. As soon as my husband gets up in the morning, they crawl in with me.

It’s a cartoon-worthy scene.

Does it make me look insane?

I meant the comical mix of breeds, including a Great Dane that you could saddle and ride the Texas trails on.

I know, Loretta is bigger than anyone else in the family — she takes up half our king-size bed. But so be it. Anyone who says diamonds are a girl’s best friend never had a dog.

Where are their beds?

Here in the room, all done in the same fabric as my bed.

Is that one of your own fabric designs?

No, it’s by Schumacher, and the darker textile is a 19th-century ikat I found in Malaysia. But I designed the ticking stripe on the wall, and the headboard is based on a bed I slept in at the Palais Donab in Marrakech.

What about the panels on the pelmet canopy?

Those are antique saris I bought on a trip to India. I like the whimsy of having two different oranges; it makes it less serious.

You clearly have a yen for far-flung travels.

What I have is wanderlust. I’ve traveled the world, and now that my four kids are grown, I’m traveling even more. I’ve always loved exotica, especially that mesh of cultures and styles where East meets West.

Did any style in particular inspire this room?

Probably Roger Banks-Pye’s rooms in his book Colefax and Fowler: Interior Inspirations. He used a lot of blue and white. I think that’s a combination that feels right in any interior. Leopard print is like that for me too.

Orange saris, an orange ceiling, a riot of blue-and-white patterns: It all comes together in a rather theatrical way.

Well, I do like drama, and I did study theater design in college. I love color and pattern, and I mix them in a way you might not imagine would work. Believe it or not, the room feels calm, maybe because it’s a happy place. Here’s the thing: Your bedroom is your one true private space, so follow your passion — it always works out for the best. Your bedroom should be about love: things you love, people you love, dogs you love. And if those dogs jump on the bed, even better!

Make the Bed…

Wall upholstered in Ticking in Navy: ceylonetcie.com.

Ceiling painted with Eminence in Knockout Orange: sherwin-williams.com.

Canopy top and headboard in Samarkand Ikat in Porcelain:fschumacher.com.

Bedding: peacockalley.com and onekingslane.com.

Multicolor throw pillow: design-legacy.com.

Bedside tables: jfchen.com.

Lamps: ceylonetcie.com.

Lampshades: crateandbarrel.com.

via

I am in love and I am not sure if I can love anything more than a dog but, Michelle’s style comes close.  She is like my “brotha from anotha motha!”

Another very favorite article about Michelle is from Dallas News…”Why are we driving Boring Cars?”  

How cool is her truck with Suzani seats?

I need one in orange. 

Remember to use my KEEP Gift Guides for Holiday Shopping ideas. 

Holiday Gift Guide for the Little Lady

Holiday Gift Guide for the Little Dude

Holiday Gift Guide for the Home

 Holiday Gift Guide for Him

Holiday Gift Guide for Her

and last but not least…my personal wishlist