COMFY CORNER

Create a faux-fireplace nook in your bedroom to reflect on memories or enjoy a cup of tea and a book. Set a wood mantel and surround in place, and give it an impression of authenticity by applying brick-look wallpaper in the opening. Attach accessories, such as a plate rack turned magazine holder and an art-glass panel, to a weathered wire gate to reinvent it as display real estate. Carolynn heightened the comfort level of this seating area with a thrift-store lamp to cast a warm glow, signage with favorite sentiments and a wood chair to hold an extra quilt in reserve. The barn print above the mantel was too small for the space, so the ever-resourceful Carolynn gave it a bigger presence by surrounding it with a frame covered in corrugated metal and a blue-painted frame that coordinates with the armchair.