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.
1 Perfect beds need perfect foundations
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
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
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
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
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.
