Bedroom therapy with Amanda, boho chic
Bedrooms come in all kinds of styles, shapes sizes and choosing the one that’s right for you can be nerve-wracking. If you choose wrong, your beautiful bedroom will fail on the very thing it’s supposed to do best – deliver a healthy night’s sleep.
As part of a new series – Bedroom Therapy – we’re taking a peek at the inner sanctuaries of interior designers and design enthusiasts. If you haven’t met Amanda Kinney, you’re going to love her fun, quirky style. She’s a partner at the Antique & Design Center of High Point Market (A&DC). A favorite venue of the world’s hippest retailers and leading-edge designers, A&DC features antiques, original works of art and one-of-a-kind finds in a turn-of-the-century furniture factory in High Point, North Carolina.
Easy, relaxed elegance begins with…
“I believe that interiors, like most things in life, evolve organically as we discover the perfect pieces to fit our spaces,” said Amanda. She currently surrounds herself with understated and simple design but revels in the varied and quirky flare of bohemian chic as well, which she feels represents her evolution as a person and interior designer.
While recruiting talented exhibitors for the Antique & Design Center, Amanda explores antique markets all over the country, also in hopes of finding little treasures that will breathe new life to her home. “A mermaid lamp or a sparkling crystal dish, to toss my earrings into before drifting off each night, sooth my soul,” she shared. “But I’m also inspired by flowers, birds, or a sunrise over the ocean and love incorporating shells or stones collected on morning walks at the beach and fresh flowers. Fresh flowers make me very happy.”
Because our bedrooms are the most intimate spaces in our homes, they often shelter what’s closest to our hearts. Amanda loves original art and her favorite pieces include the artistic mastery of her nephews, who are four and seven years old. She recently visited her Mom and says her bedroom is one of her favorite places. The bed is piled with feather pillows, the perfect space for snuggles, story time and sacred conversations before sleep.
“Her dresser is covered with little boxes full of treasures punctuated by photos of my Dad,” reminisced Amanda. “Her bedroom walls are lined with keepsakes of a life well lived, a newspaper clipping, photos of her children and a letter my Dad wrote before he passed, all framed and neatly arranged.”
When less makes room for more
Amanda loves the thrill of an antique hunt, and admits she’s choosy about what she buys. She owns less stuff now than when she was younger. “Moving several times in the last few years and just getting older has taught me that I don’t need all the stuff, just a few treasures with deep meaning.”
Amanda reserves her bedroom for snuggling with the two loves of her life, her significant other, Michael, and their Boston Terrier, Parker. She keeps the TV and her computer out of the bedroom but admits to checking email before she signs off for the night. Her favorite place to snuggle, her bed, is a sandwich of pillowy soft sheets and a down comforter stuffed in a linen duvet. It’s no surprise her mattress choice is soft and luxurious.
‘I’m a light sleeper and have completely earned the nickname of the Princess and the Pea,” she quipped.
In the morning when Amanda wakes up, she wraps herself in a warm blanket and heads out to her bedroom balcony to commune with nature while sipping her first coffee. She makes her bed after her coffee but on the weekends it remains unmade so she can crawl back in for an afternoon nap.
We like the way you think, Amanda.
