It was my first trip to the Berkley Lake area of Atlanta. It was a beautiful early spring day, a time of rebirth and renewal. And we were on a mission, an important mission. Our mission that day was to quickly transform the master suite of one of the lovely lakeside homes, luckily at the end of the lake that still has water. As we walked into the room for the first time, my cohorts and I surveyed the project at hand. What would be the fastest and most aesthetic way to dramatically change the room for the better?

Luckily, the painters had been in the day before and done their handiwork, transforming the space with a soothing pale aqua. We had a clean slate to work with, and that is exactly what we began to do: work. We re-oriented all of the furniture, moving the bed to a more prominent wall, flanking it with nightstands and newly acquired lamps with mother-of-pearl cylinder bases. A pair of rectangular baskets to hold reading materials were placed on the shelves of the nightstands. New crisply-ironed bedding in shades to complement the walls was placed on the bed, along with a custom-made rectangular pillow of velvet and silk. A curtain rod was installed above the sliding-glass doors overlooking the lake, and four drapery panels with a banded bottom were hung with care, softening the harsh lines of the glass. A favorite family landscape print was hung above the bed. Meanwhile, a quick but thorough cleaning and reorganization of the bathroom was underway as well. But looking around the two rooms, even after these improvements, we could tell we needed more.

And so it was time for us to go back to our animal nature, time to do a bit of hunting and gathering like our ancestors. A glass rose bowl from the kitchen was perfect holding cream roses by the bed. In the office, a wooden multi-picture wall frame was found feeling unwanted in the corner. Hung on a small wall beside the bed, it pulled in the warm tones of the bedroom furniture. Two small framed pictures appeared, one a seascape and the other a portrait. Luckily, the colors matched the tones of the print above the bed perfectly. These were hung beside the mirror above the dresser to counter it’s weight and create a more pleasing arrangement. A couple of art books, also found in the office, were placed beneath the pictures, their covers and spines matching the prints above and creating yet another layer. A clock, a couple of small statues, a few smooth polished stones, a starfish, and a miniature cream teapot completed the peaceful tableau. The only thing missing was something for height, something with another texture. Thankfully I had noticed some fresh bare-branch prunings in the yard on the way in…perfect when trimmed to the correct lengths and placed in a vase atop the highboy, giving a final touch of interest to the room.

A thorough vacuum, a practiced dusting, a final tweak of the curtains, and our goal was completed. I only hope the end results were as pleasing to the customer as our efforts had been enjoyable. From what I hear, they were.