Sunday, November 16, 2008

Playing in Tents!

With summer in full swing, I am reminded by my children the fun of spending the night in a tent. The billowy canvas sides create a secret retreat. Let's look at some more luxurious ways to spend the evening and ways to create this atmosphere in your own home. Hunter Hotels
This is a tented suite from Marataba Safari, part of the Hunter Hotel Group, in the magnificent Marakele National Park, north of Johannesburg in South Africa. This exotic tented suite is a beautiful mix of canvas and stone, furnished and decorated in an African style. I love the way the tent fabric billows above the bed, so luxurious. Notice the en-suite stone bathroom with copper tub. Each of the 12 suites each have their own private deck overlooking the sweeping plains.

Let's look at another opulent resort for inspiration.

Aman Resorts

Here are the lovely tented suites of Aman Resorts in Rajasthan, India. The 10 air-conditioned tents, have soaring six-metre canopies above draped cotton partitions.
They are designed and decorated in a clean modern style. The subtle hues of creamy canvas, swathes of airy-white cotton, khaki cushions on toffee coloured leathers contrast the soft elegance of the tented exteriors.
Here is another "bedroom" in the tented suites. Notice the dressing table, comfortable chairs and animal hide footstool. What luxury in a tent!
Amanresorts
Lovely at night and so romantic at sunrise.
The tented suites are enchanting and exotic ways to spend an evening, but lets look at some ways to bring this feeling into our everyday homes.

Marie Claire Maison
The simplest way of course, is to drape mosquito netting over the bed. Here it is done very romantically with the addition of the crystal chandelier above and crisp white linens on the bed .
Marie Claire Maison

Another bed is simply dressed with a gray silk - It becomes more dramatic by lowering the bed almost to the floor and adding romantic sconces.Marie Claire Maison

This room is draped in a simple airy-white cotton, but what makes this room so interesting is the draped, gathered fabric ceiling over the bed. A very traditional bed and side tables, but with the addition of the fabric overhead it becomes a more exotic retreat.


Marie Claire Maison
Here a beautiful canopy is built over the bed and draped with a lovely embroidered sari. I love the purple velvet duvet and the dressmakers' mannequin wrapped in a pretty shawl. The walls, painted cream above and gray below wraps the room in an interesting way.

Marie Claire Maison
White linen creatively hung above low to the floor twin beds. Bright linens cover the beds and a dark accent wall lends a more mysterious feel.

Marie Claire Maison
Here is a more middle eastern feeling room done in bright silks. I love the hanging lantern inside the canopy. Notice the silk screen used behind the bed as a headboard. Deep magenta walls and darker trim add to the luxurious atmosphere.

Marie Claire Maison
Here is a much more modern take on the canopy. I love the crisp, nautical feeling of this bed. The canopy is tied like a sail, bed linens are a soft sun-faded blue. This room is restful and fun at the same time.

Marie Claire Maison

This room also has a nautical feel. A simple way to include a canopy without a custom bed or structure is hang it above the bed with wire and a small rod. I love the bold, blue striped fabric canopy and matching headboard. I also love the bench at the end of the bed. The green stripe on the bench adds freshness

Marie Claire Maison

This attic room uses the angles of the room's windows and fabric to create a tented feeling. Soft quilts and comfy chair add to the cozy cottage feeling. Lying in this bed at night you could easily spend hours wishing on stars.

Marie Claire Maison

We end with a serene outdoor room. Crisp white linen bedding and pillows, airy-white cotton billowing on a deck that overlooks the ocean. Now this is an exciting tented retreat anyone, young or old, would enjoy!

27 comments:

  1. I'm in love!! Beautiful blog!!
    Count me as one of your most frequent guests from now on! ;-)
    /Nathalie

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  2. You are so sweet! Thanks for your kind comments!

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  3. I suddenly have an urge to go camping! What gorgeous retreats you have found and some great ideas for translating the elegant 'tent' decor into the home.
    Clare

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  4. Thanks for visiting Mondo! ANd, thanks for your comments!

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  5. Oh my gosh so many lovely homes and bedrooms, the last picture is just amazing!

    I am a swedish woman living in Singapore, feel to visit any time:_

    Hugs Gunilla

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  6. Oh lovely to meet you... onto my blog list you go! How serene are these beautiful images... what an escape this blog club gives me! You have inspired me to do something soft and 'billowy' in my bedroom.. when it's built... in 8 months time! A-M xx

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  7. Oh Gina, I just stopped by to wish you a happy weekend, but I've been stopped dead in my tracks by this post!

    I'll be back at the first opportunity this weekend for a long, relaxed look.
    Millie ^_^

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  8. Great post! I love it! Screaming Meme

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  9. Thanks everyone for your kind comments!

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  10. Loving the canopy's and tents,doesn't it create such a romantic feel, gorgeous images

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  11. I could spend a month Aman Resort! Beautiful images and great post.

    And thank you for the link..the favor has been returned.

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  12. What a fun post--and a lovely blog. Thanks for stopping by to say hello :-)

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  13. Great post and photos. Tented beds are so romantic and dramatic!

    -Lana

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  14. Great blog...thanks for visiting! I love all of these photos. Great ideas.

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  15. Edward and I are happy you paid us a visit, so we could find you here!

    Lovely, inspiring photos. We shall return!

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  16. Thank you so much for your lovely comment. I'm also enjoying your tent post. Can't you just imagine the sounds you would hear in the night and the birds in the morning? I've got the attic and the porch tents as my favorites, I think.

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  17. Wow! When you all like something you really let me know! Thank so much for all the positive comments!

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  18. Hi willow decor. First of all, let me thank you for visiting my blog, and the nice comment! I followed you back here to yours, and this tent feature has brought back so many childhood memories. Here in Texas, which at least when I was a child, definitely considered itslef a part of the South. I grew up just beyond the last generation to enjoy sleeping porches. I had a couple of relatives with sleeping porches and as children, we were allowed to sleep on cots on them, but I've never had the pleasure of sleeping on a screened sleeping porch in the luxury of a fully made comfortable bed. I dream of my own sleeping porch all the time, with a ceiling fan. It's not really practical, but we can dream. The attic room is great, and I'd call that nap central! The sleeping porch is of course to swoon over. Great blog! I've added you to my blog list!

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  19. Cara,

    I happened to stumble over your blog, googling.... Really interesting. I am a Swedish expat in Italy. My heart is in Umbria - and my roots are Swedish - Swedish Grace, Gustavian, Scandinavian Modern. I would like to open a dialogue w you, and I think my viewers would appreciate a link on my blog. I have just started blogging - about housing, my Life in Italy, culture & cuisine. My blog address is wwwricciericicom-ingridj.blogspot.com Hope to hear from you. Tanti saluti, Ingrid

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  20. Beautiful blog -- the photos you have chosen are great!

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  21. I like the third one from the bottom. I would imagine that it could be fairly inexpensive to make and what a dramatic effect for the room. I just posted a similar post on creative headboard ideas. Heres the link http://twoliablog.com/dwellingsanddecor/2008/08/13/decorating-advice-creative-headboard-ideas/

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  22. What a terrific post - love all the tents and tent effects.

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  23. I absolutely adore tents, tons of fabrics and canopies. Great post! I did a post on canopied beds but I always enjoy seeing other examples of using them. Fantastic post!

    Karen

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  24. I must have missed this! I remember the Asher house so well, that kitchen!!!

    this post was beautiful = I love all the tented beds, so romantic!

    thanks for the comment today,
    JONi

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  25. nice collection keep it up

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