I'm fairly certain most of us would tire of this overly fussy bed from Horchow quite quickly. It's a bit much, right? But for the first few days its easy to imagine sitting at staring at it forever. How can you not feel like royalty crawling into this bed? The trick to using ornate Rococo pieces such as this is to "man it up" a bit elsewhere in the room. That means no shabby chic bedside tables (gag!) no floral bedding and whatever you do - please - no royal purple bedding. You'll look like you've been sipping the Crown Royal a bit too much. No. You've got to create a modern contrast with clean lines to play the foil in this environment. How about simple Lucite tables on either side and an Egg chair? Saarinen tables might also work. The point is you've got to keep the surroundings in check. You need to give this dramatic centerpiece sleek surroundings and modern accents in order to pull it off.

Where's the fun in that, you ask? Ahh.... here's the payoff. If you can exercise restraint elsewhere in the room (think ebonized hardwood flooring) you can top off the room with a jaw-dropping chandelier overhead. (I like this one) Then, through the genius of your careful planning and deft strategy, guests to your home hardly notice the over-the-top bed. Instead they are so taken aback by the sheer beauty and drama of the room that they'll find it difficult to pinpoint exactly what makes it so gorgeous. Instead, your subjects are rendered speechless and feel compelled to bow down in homage to your design prowess, thus making you feel like the royal princess you long to be. How's that for clever?

{Found at Horchow}