Make your bedroom a haven

 

 

I love my bedroom. Located at the very top of my house, as it was an attic conversion, it’s a little haven of tranquillity to retreat to at the end of a hectic day. The windows look out above the rooftops of the surrounding houses and I feel somewhat in my own little piece of heaven.

I designed the layout which was going to work best for us. We had a great size to work with and the result was more than I could have possibly wished for. The bedroom of my dreams. One evening per week, I like to treat myself to some pampering. I have a long bubble bath, hair and face masks, do my nails and then I do my weekly tanning. They’re usually tanning Thursdays, preparing me for the weekend ahead. I like to light some candles in my bedroom afterwards, watch some TV and relax up there completely alone whilst the kids are asleep and my husband has peace downstairs to watch Narcos.

To be able to have a special place to relax, it’s important to keep on top of keeping your bedroom clean and tidy. You won’t enjoy that time if your husband’s socks are strewn across the floor! If you need some tips and advice to create that beauteous bedroom then this is the blog post for you!

Make your bed a statement

Big beds are on trend! Whether you choose a bedstead or a divan, you can give your bed the ‘wow factor’ by choosing a sumptuous base or a huge eye-catching headboard. If possible, have your bed in the centre of the room facing you as you walk in. It should be your main focal point. Our bed is the Elise in French Grey. Our latest addition is this gorgeous Morris bench from House of Brissi. There’s currently 20% off too!

 

You can create layers to make your bed look inviting as well as beautiful. Drape a throw over it. I love to mix textures here, so if you have some sparkly cushions, I’d choose a luxurious faux fur throw to contrast this. If you have it all glitzy it can become a bit too much. You want your bed to look comfortable too! Choose a bedding that compliments your bedroom theme. Try and stick to a palette of colours that appeal to you and mix well. I’m a huge fan of calming neutrals, especially in the bedroom. Choose silvers, greys, beiges, golds, creams. No matter what colour you opt for, crisp white bedding will always work well. I love this gorgeous Next bedding but it has since been discontinued despite its huge popularity! Bring it back Next!

Try and look for bedding with the highest thread count. Thread count refers to the number of horizontal and vertical threads per inch. The higher the thread count, the softer the bedding. A good sheet will tend to be numbered between 200 – 800, but you can buy over 1,000! Have you ever wondered why the beds are so comfortable in hotels? They tend to use the highest thread counts. This includes pillow cases too!

If you’re putting your bedding on straight from the packet, remember to iron out those awful crease lines where it has been folded. They’re my pet peeve! Ironing your bedding is a tedious job, so I do it when its already on the duvet! I remember watching the presenter doing this on 60-minute makeover and I thought GENIUS! I simply plug the iron into the socket behind my bedside tables and lightly run over it to keep it looking fresh.

 

I do love a good puffy duvet, and beautifully laundered bedding makes the whole thing feel and look special. I also like to give it a quick spritz of some linen spray. I also  spray my pillows with This works deep sleep pillow spray. It leaves the most relaxing, delicate lavender scent in its trail and I swear by it, it really helps me sleep. (The plus version is even better!)

You want to look forward to slipping into the sheets at night. Isn’t it funny how the one thing we hated doing as children, becomes one of life’s simple pleasures in adulthood?

Buy for the biggest sized bed you can. One of our biggest regrets is buying king sized when we had plenty room for a super king! On the weekends when are rudely awakened by two excitable children who insist on jumping in beside up to watch Paw Patrol at 6.30am, we always grumble to each other in a fog of sleep ‘why didn’t we buy the Super King?’ Do not buy a smaller bed just because it’s a little cheaper – instead think about all that stretching out you can do when being forced to watch Cbeebies at dawn! Priceless.

 

Choose a good quality mattress

I remember reading a quote which said
‘Invest your money in your shoes and your mattress, because if you’re not in one, you’re in the other’.
How true! When we chose a mattress for our brand-new bedroom, I knew that I wanted to spend and invest in comfort and a good night’s sleep. We went to our local Next Home store on a quiet afternoon and made sure we could properly try out all that they had to offer. We decided on the Sealy 2200 Pocket Hybrid Mattress. I cannot begin to describe how comfortable it is.
It’s how I imagine being cocooned in a marshmallow and floating on a cloud might feel like!
Going to bed is like coming home. No matter where I lay my head, nothing compares to my own bed.

 

Soft lighting

Lighting is key to creating a relaxing atmosphere in the evenings. Do you ever notice when you’re out at night, there are people are relaxing in their homes with their ‘big’ lights on? I want to scream ‘put some lamps on instead and create some atmosphere!’ Matching lamps on both sides of the bed finishes off that statement as you walk into the room. You can also install a dimmer so that if you do choose to use your main light in the evenings, you can still have it on low and keep the tone of the room soft. A statement chandelier is perfect for the bedroom. I have the ever-popular Venetian chandelier also from Next.

 

Soft Furnishings

A bedroom just isn’t complete without the little details such as soft rugs and cushions. Have a soft fluffy rug beside your bed to sink your toes into on those frosty winter mornings and bundle some cushions of differing sizes and textures onto your bed to add character. Choose beautiful curtains to fit with your theme such as crushed velvet and always have black out blinds. What a difference this has made to the quality of my sleep.

My black out blinds, made especially for Velux windows are by vale blinds and they are completely black out. My husband falls, without fail, at least twice a week during the night when going to the bathroom because he can’t see a thing! I’ve never fallen, what does that tell you? Slow and steady wins the race!

 

 

 

Scent

Oh, how I adore it when my house is filled with sweet fresh aromas. I have spent a lot of money on achieving this. I have a Scentsy wax warmer in every bedroom, living room and hallways. I recently bought an oil diffuser too! I like to use different scents on different floors so that my nose doesn’t become used to it and you get a pleasant surprise as you come up stairs. Change your wax melts every two days as whilst the wax may still be there, the scent will be all but gone. In my bedroom I choose softer fragrances such as more floral and sophisticated notes to help me relax. Choose candles specifically for your bedroom that have names such as clean cotton and soft blanket. My very favourite candle for my bedroom is white tea by yankee candle. It is divine. It smells like your favourite spa! This one below is also perfect for a bedroom with the delicate scent of grapefruit and peonies (how apt)  Bee Happy by Katie Loxton.

For more photos of my bedroom click here to go straight to my Instagram feed.

Here’s to a goodnight sleep!

 

Love