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How to Style the Perfect Bedroom
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How to Style the Perfect Bedroom
16th March 2022

How to Style the Perfect Bedroom

Is your bedroom looking a bit tired and unloved? Or maybe you have a guest room that hasn’t been touched for years and desperately needs some attention. Whatever the case may be read on for our top tips for creating a perfect bedroom. 

Green and White Wooden Bedroom

1 Perfect beds need perfect foundations 

Pink and Yellow Bedroom With Flower Paintings

Have you ever looked at a picture of a bedroom in a magazine or on Instagram and wondered why the bed looks so amazing? The chances are that it has been made to within an inch of its life which takes a bit of time but is surprisingly easy with the right know how. The most important things to start with are good sheets - we always go for good quality white cotton and prefer pillowcases with Oxford edges. Before you go any further make sure you give everything a really good press. Crispness is key and worth taking a bit of extra time over as it makes a big difference to the finished result. Sometimes beds benefit from being made with hospital corners but it really depends on what will be visible once you’ve added throws and/or bedspreads. To create the best foundation for accessories make your bed with the pillows stacked on top of the duvet. This creates an even surface and a useful structure to lean cushions against. 

2 Choosing and using colours in a bedroom 

Blue twin attic bedroom

Most bedrooms benefit from a calm, restful feel but that does’t mean that there needs to be an absence of colour. The key to getting colour right in any scheme is to always aim for balance and harmony. This applies whether you’re using one colour or five - regularly take a step back as you put your room together and make sure that your combinations are harmonious. Basing your colour choices on a piece of art makes this process even easier and helps to create cohesion. We are big fans of monochrome schemes and they are particularly easy to put together. All you need to do is make sure that you split your single colour out into different tones and shades to use throughout the scheme. 

3 Bedspreads, throws, blankets and cushions 

Green and Blue Bedroom with Throw

Fabrics are crucial in any room but they are particularly powerful in a bedroom setting. This scheme is deceptively simple with almost all of the visual interest and impact coming from the bedspreads, cushions and lampshades. To recreate this look at home choose two complimentary colours as your starting point. You could use tones from existing pieces in the room or you could base your colours around a piece of art like we’ve done here.

This bed is styled with two bedspreads - one with a textural design and just a little colour and the other with a much bolder pattern in stronger tones. Aim for similar layering and make sure your strongest colour is on top. Doubling up bedspreads is an easy way to make beds look more luxurious and is also handy if your linens aren’t great and need to be hidden!

The next step is to choose two pairs of matching cushions. The most important thing is to use your strongest colour at the back and then the softer tone in front. This bed is styled with plain velvets at the back and a print on the front but mixing prints and plains also works well. The overarching theme here is botanical but we have carefully interpreted it so that no one design overpowers the other. Using a mixture of small scale, trailing and highly stylised prints prevents the theme from dominating yet provides just enough of a thread to tie the scheme together.

4 Bedside lamps for bedrooms

Red and Blue Bedroom Close Up - Striped Embroidered Cushion Detail

Lighting is really important in a bedroom and bedside lamps are crucial for different reasons. Not only is the right lamp vital for reading but it also helps to frame the bed and provides structure in the scheme. More often than not matching lamps are the go-to but sometimes a non-matching pair can work well. If you decide to give different lamps a go then don’t forget to consider the proportions of each lamp and how they relate to the space. It may be that a taller base would work on one side of the bed but not the other or perhaps a certain shape of lamp reflects the subject of a painting. Whatever the case may be the goal is always balance and harmony.

If you’ve got some great lamp bases to use but need to freshen up your shades then remember this handy rule of thumb: The base diameter of your shade should be roughly the same as the height of your base. This rule is a very useful starting point but bear in mind that the huge variety of base shapes and sizes means that it’s not always infallible!

5 Finishing Touches

Pink and Green Bedroom Furniture Pieces With Fireplace and Lamp

Bedroom Fireplace Styling Focus

Thoughtfully chosen decorative accessories give a bedroom an inviting, homely feel. These final touches are particularly important in guest bedrooms which have a tendency to feel a little cold as they wouldn’t normally be filled with personal ephemera and family pieces. Inject personality into your guest rooms by adding items that delight your guests. These pieces could be carefully selected books and magazines, vases filled with garden flowers, warm throws for chilly evenings or interesting sculptures.

We like to always place a vase of flowers beside the bed and often on a commode or dressing table too. Books can also be used for visual impact - a collection of vintage puffin books or bold coffee table tomes all look great on shelves, tables or even chairs.

If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace in your guest room then don’t forget to pay attention to the mantelpiece. This is a great spot for a sculpture or small collection of decorative pieces.

Can you share a design tip that you think every home owner should know?

As a designer, so many people come to me because they struggle to know how to put colours together.  The result can be either a clinical room (through fear of using colour and therefore avoiding it) or, at the other end of the spectrum, a chaotic room that feels disjointed because too many colours have been thrown into the mix.  Pinterest and paint retailer websites are such useful resources to find colour palettes and pairings – the hard work is done for you.

What key elements do you believe are essential
for a well-designed interior?

Flow!  Having a common thread that runs through your home so that every room feels connected is key to me.  The other element that I consider critical is a well thought out layout. Having clear zones in large open plan spaces, positioning furniture appropriately and not overloading a space with furniture and decor is also important.  

Who are your biggest influences and inspirations in the design world or on social media?

I am constantly being inspired – both in the real world and the digital world!  I tend to find that my inspirations and influences are less from specific individuals but more from the places I visit.  I love to travel and I know my personal style, use of colour and pattern have been influenced by time I’ve spent travelling in Europe, Africa and South America.  Some of my favourite content creators on Instagram are @jackkinsey, @nicolahuthwaite and @patriciarodi but I could
also name hundreds more!

What is your favourite homeware piece?

Another tricky question to answer! I have an obsession with art prints and I think they’re a very easy and affordable way to bring personality and interest into a room.. I have a house full of them!  However, I love investing in characterful pieces of furniture that carry a wow factor and provide a real focal point in a room.  I bought a gold ornate antique mirror many years ago and it is definitely my favourite item.

How would you describe your design style?

I find it very hard to describe my design style because I am drawn to so many different things. What unites every room in my home though is the use of rich colour and natural materials.  I love décor that has character, texture and depth and tend to steer away from sleek, contemporary, minimalist styling.

What is your favourite room in your home and why?

My kitchen has to be my favourite room in our home because it is a space we dreamt about long before it
became a reality. When we bought our house it needed a complete renovation. We lived with a dark, scruffy kitchen with cabinet doors falling off their hinges for 5 years before we were in the position to be able to rip it out and knock down structural walls. It is now a lovely, bright spacious area and definitely the heart of our home!

What's your guilty pleasure when it comes to choosing home decor? 

Cushions!  I seem to have an addiction to buying them!  I think soft furnishings provide such an easy way to refresh
room and experiment with patterns and prints.

If you could swap homes with any celebrity for a
week, whose home would you choose and why?

My dream home would be a hacienda bursting with charm in the Spanish hills; I’d gladly swap homes with any celebrity who has one of those!

Do you have a favourite design trend from the
past that you wish would make a comeback?

Well, because of my obsession with colour, I secretly hope that colourful bathroom suites will come back with a bang and we’ll all be lusting after avocado coloured toilets and baths again but I’m not confident this will happen!

What are your future goals and projects you’re excited about?

I set up my interior design business at the start of 2023 and I haven’t looked back.  I am so passionate about interiors and helping my clients find happiness in their homes. So, my goal is to keep growing my business.  It is also my dream to launch my own homeware range but life is far too busy right now for me to do anything about this!

What is your favourite way to spend time off, a long weekend or a holiday destination?

I love being in nature and feel most relaxed when I’m on a beach or walking through a forest so renting an Airbnb in a remote location (preferably somewhere with sunshine!) is my favourite way to spend time off.

Can you tell us about why you chose the Pavilion Headboard for your bedroom and give us a brief overview of your styling process?

I fell in love with the Pavilion Headboard as soon as I saw it.  I think it’s important for every room to have a focal point and it makes sense that it should be the bed in a bedroom. The Pavilion Headboard is such a unique, detailed and beautiful design and I think it has a real ‘wow’ factor.  I love weaving nature throughout my home so I was drawn to the green colourway and the use of rattan. I recently painted the room yellow but didn’t want it to feel too overpowering or childish.  I think the sage green helps to offset / tone down the yellow.  I then added plants and other touches of green and pink florals to create a cohesive, nature inspired scheme.

Your favourite Birdie Fortescue piece you’ve got your eye on next?

I have several pieces on my wish list at the moment, including the Twisted Floor Lamps and various cushions – there are so many beautiful prints!

By incorporating the Pavilion Headboard into her guest bedroom redesign, Becks showcases her expertise in effortlessly blending style with functionality. Her thoughtful selection of accessories and soft furnishings, along with her keen attention to detail, continues to inspire her followers with fresh ideas on how to elevate their home design. Becks’ approach highlights the transformative power of well-chosen design elements, why not follow @the_interior_lens for more inspiration and updates mastering the art of home decor.

You can find more information on her website here.

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