Blog 2: Style the bed - two ways.
One of my favourite spaces to design in the home is the bedroom. Coming home at the end of a long day and seeing your bed waiting for you with open arms, all inviting and cosy, is one of the best feelings. In my opinion anyway. I think I could have been a bedbug in a former life, that's how much I love being in bed.
Some of the most common questions regarding the bedroom are how many cushions should I have? How many layers should there be? How do I make it all look cohesive? And the answer is, there is no magic answer!
Whenever I style a bed, the first step is to take into consideration what kind of vibe/mood is suitable for the space. Whether that's light, bright and simple, or cosy and dark with lots of layers, or somewhere in-between. Once you have that nailed down, you've already done half the work.
Light and Bright:
If you are going for something' light and bright', the key is to make the space feel weightless and calming. To do this, you want to minimise the number of layers and accessories. The trap that people often fall into with this scheme is that it can become very flat looking with little personality. By using fabrics and materials with textures, you can add back in some of the depth and character back into the space. Try not to overcrowd furniture or cushions as it can take away from the 'light' and weightless feeling of the room.
Image Credit: Indie Home Collective
What I love about the above bedroom is that there are so many light, neutral textures that it adds a lot of character to the space. Although the room looks summery and bright, this could easily be transformed into a wintery look by adding in a rich, charcoal velvet comforter (see products below), putting down a darker plush rug, you could even swap out the curtains for a heavier linen or have a slip made for the head board in a deep, rich colour to transform the look completely.
Products:
Black Sheepskin - from Indie Home Collective
How incredible would this black sheepskin look at the end of the bed or over the bench seat at the end of the bed - an instant winter transformer.
Ulster Floor Rug - Mulberi
Swapping out the light woven rug in the above bedroom for this 70% wool rug during the winter months will make the room feel extra cosy and give a more grounded appearance.
Washed Linen Curtain - Citta
In summer the whimsical white linen curtains would be a dream, but in winter when you want something a little heavier, you could swap them out for something like these heavier natural linen ones from Citta.
Ready made and with a loop top means they are super convenient to swap out your self and a cost effective option compared to custom made.
Cosy and Dark:
Cosy and dark would have to be one of my favourite schemes to put together in a bedroom. So often we have white walls and very neutral furnishings throughout the home. It can be a lovely touch to create a space that is entirely separate and has its own little colour scheme and mood.
This scheme is also the perfect opportunity to layer up the bed with comforters, throws, cushions and more cushions, the more you add, the cosier the room will feel.
Image Credit: via Pinterest
Image Credit: via Pinterest
What I really love about the above bedrooms is that they can both convert so easily between summer and winter schemes. Using the same summer base, with just the addition of some beautiful jewel tone cushions and throws, the space becomes instantly warm and cosy. To achieve this you could try the following:
Products:
Cotton Velvet Quilted Bedspread - Citta
How divine does this dark green, velvet bedspread look from Citta?! This bedspread could be added to either of the above bedrooms to add a dark, cosy layer. Not to mention this shade of green would look stunning with the beige and blush pink colour palette.
Coconut Husk Tassel Throw - Kip & Co
The deep red shade of this tassel throw compliments the existing schemes already and adds a lovely weighted feeling using oversized tassels, a perfect addition to take this winter look one step further.
Painting walls can be one way to drastically shift the mood of the space. It is also a really cost-effective method, especially if you get stuck in and do a bit of good old fashion DIY.
In the middle of winter, raining and blowing a gale outside, imagine your bedroom with dark inky blue walls, heavy charcoal linen on the bed with crisp, thick cotton sheets. The warm glow from your bedside lamps, what more could you want at the end of the day!
Why don't we have both?
(please don't sue me Old El Paso)
As the famous advert once said, "why don't we have both?". And too right she was, why don't we have 'light and bright' in the summer and 'dark and cosy' during the winter?
People often spend more than what they need to on creating two whole different schemes for the bedroom for the different seasons. But for those of us who want to be a little more budget-conscious, there are some simple tricks to update your bedroom seasonally and not spend a fortune.
Using the same base duvet cover - Duvet covers can be expensive for a high quality textured one. I think people make the mistake of thinking 'If I'm going to make a dark and cosy bedroom I need a dark coloured duvet', you don't! Instead of buying two duvet covers, one light for summer, one dark for winter, just by one good quality cover. Choose one in a light neutral shade, but make sure it has some texture! The texture could be minimal like textured linen, or something more detailed like a deep set waffle. Then, for the winter months, invest your money into a cosy comforter or bedspread that can go over or under your duvet to add that extra layer of detail, colour and warmth.
Select season-less furniture pieces - Personally, I am not a fan of that traditional, dark wood bedroom furniture. It can look cumbersome and often weigh down a space, especially if you are going for the light and bright aesthetic. That's not to say all wood is bad. There are some lovely contemporary wooden pieces around that are minimal in design and create a beautiful canvas for a summer bedroom scheme. And during winter, they give so much warmth and texture to the bedroom when creating a cosy look. Investing in furniture that's trans-seasonal and timeless will mean you will be able to keep these big-ticket items for years and years to come. They won't become a hindrance for whatever colour scheme or aesthetic you wish to use in future.
Cushions - why oh why are some cushions so expensive! One of my favourite tricks for indulging in an expensive cushion is first to buy yourself a set of feather cushion inners. Perhaps 3-4 in varying standard sizes, such as 400x400, 500x500, 600x600 etc. Then, when you see a cushion you like, ask the store if you can buy just the cushion cover. Often cushions are sold to include the inner, but you can actually ask for without a lot of the time! A feather cushion inner might add on $50 to $100+ to the price tag depending on the size of the inner. This way, you can buy a set of cushion covers for each season and just swap out the inners, not ending up with dozens of cushions exploding out of the linen cupboard. Instead, just store the covers which aren't in use, taking up much less space and potentially saving you hundreds of dollars on inners that you don't need!
