After a long day at work and once the chores are done, there is truly nothing more satisfying than getting into your bed with crisp sheets, plush pillows and looking around a room that combines the holy trinity of style, function and comfort. Unfortunately, for most of us this is a mere bedroom dream, in reality, our bedrooms often look like a mish-mash of assorted furniture with old magazines lying around and a pile of clothes hanging off the backs of chairs because, well, creating a functional room that’s both stylish and comfortable can be really difficult. Now we’re no saints, but we do know a thing or two about homewares and love creating inspired spaces.
Therefore, here a few key factors that we feel are guaranteed to help improve your room:
1. Pick a theme and stick to it. When choosing decor it’s best to start with a theme whether it’s modern, rustic, glamorous, relaxed or eclectic. It’s important to create a collection when choosing decor not just an assortment of random pieces that we like. Even an eclectic room can have a certain flow. While the theme of a room doesn’t need to be rigid, the pieces in the room should match or at least appear as though they’re from the same family – cousins at the very least.
2. Colours; these are very important. Colour can bring so much life into your bedroom BUT too much colour can go very wrong, very quickly. So, this seasons new styles are here to help bring the calm to your storm. Neutral tones and deep blues are here to bring Zen and style back into our lives. Using pops of colour will help to lift the room, for instance touches of yellow or gold will help to compliment blue hues (our Empire Cushion is perfect for this).
3. Comfort. Your bedroom first and foremost should be a comfortable space to relax and get a good nights sleep. Make sure your bed is comfortable, start with a nice and thick mattress topper, beautifully soft linen, and finish with a warm throw. Those extra little touches are all things that can make your bedroom feel that much more inviting.
4. We’ll throw this last one in for free… MESS. Yes some of us may feel more at home when surrounded by a lot of stuff and a little bit of a mess. However, for most of us clutter and messiness can add stress and in fact be more time consuming than if it was clean. Ever lost your keys in a pile of clothes? Not fun. And of course mess is hardly conducive to creating a calming & stylish bedroom. Easy storage solutions will help to minimise clutter. (Top tip: bedside tables with drawers are a huge help).
Creating good habits this year
Since it’s the beginning of 2018 (if you don’t do it already) make it a habit to start making your bed every morning. It means you’ve completed your first task of the day moments after waking up, helping cement a good mind frame for the day ahead.
Now to the bed itself..
Arguably the king of the bedroom, the bed. Great beds start with good quality sheets, because we all know that there is no greater pleasure than getting into a well-made bed with fresh sheets.
Here are some tips for giving you a bit of that new sheet feeling everyday.
1. Use a top sheet. Top sheets make your bed look that bit more fabulous and can help to add interesting contrasts or a modern monotone look to your bed (such as the Hampton Linen Bedpack as featured above). They also make your bed easier to keep clean because it’s not as necessary to wash as often if you have a top sheet. So, forget about the hassle of having to frequently wash your duvet cover, never mind the exhaustive task of putting your cover back on (yay).
2. Renewing pillow covers every six months is an easy way to keep things looking fresh and is much better for your skin.
3. Avoid wrinkles (in your sheets) by putting them back on the bed when still slightly damp – skip the ironing!
4. Always wash sheets on a cold wash. Hot temperatures cause the fibres to break down a lot quicker and sheets will start looking old before their time.
Getting that plush, get-me-in-right-now, look:
Layering is the easiest way to make your bed look all the more dreamy. Pillows, sheeting and throws are the best way to achieve the look of a bed fit for a royal, or Meghan Markle.
1. Start with base pillows. These are your ‘sleeping’ pillows, so make sure they match your sheet set and are really good quality.
2. Secondly, add two European pillows. This will create height and oomph to your pillow arrangement. There is room for creativity in the European pillows but I would veer to far from the existing colour scheme. Think texture!
3. The third set of pillows should be regular pillow size but can be voluminous as you won’t sleep on these. These should match the duvet cover.
4. Decorative smaller pillows can now be the icing on you perfect pillow cake. But be careful of too many, they’re annoying to take on and off and can look dated. 1-2 will do.
Now add a throw and your good to go! Throws belong on the bed, the couch or a nice chair. A throw instantly makes a room feel more inviting.
BUT, If you’re still after a little more direction, our handy Essential Guide to Bedding will see you right!
Now it’s time to kick back and enjoy. Because there’s no better feeling than snuggling into your throw, on your (well-made) bed, with a book and a cuppa!
