When it comes to designing bedrooms, I try to have a clear idea of the mood my clients are looking to achieve. With master bedrooms, generally they’re looking for an oasis – a space away from the busyness of the home, a retreat. Something a little bit luxurious, warm, comforting, and most of all relaxing. It doesn’t have to be overly fussy, but of course it can be if you love colour and pattern! Think of it as taking a mini holiday every time you escape to your bedroom.
Kids rooms are so much fun to design. I start by encouraging clients to think about their child’s personality and what they love – hobbies, interests, and favourite colours. From this I like to build on the theme to create a cohesive, interesting room; a space that is fun yet practical, allowing space to play. Of course, it often features wallpaper and always includes excellent storage.
BEDHEADS
Whether you’re designing a master bedroom, a spare room, or a child’s room, bedheads are essential. They not only help anchor the bed, but make the room feel complete. Without them, there’s no focal point in the room, which tends to make it look unfinished.
The style of bedhead you choose will help create the look and feel of the room. A round or fluted bedhead is contemporary and fun, while a rattan bedhead is more rustic and boho – giving off a Balinese, resort type vibe. If you want to achieve the feel of a luxury hotel in your home, you might want to consider getting a bedhead made that reaches wall to wall.
One cost-effective option in a child’s room is using paint to create a bedhead. Pick a colour they love and paint a shape on the wall behind the bed, or paint the lower half of the room a different colour to the upper half at bedhead height.
At Hello Saturday we like to customise bedheads to suit the look and feel of the room. We’re careful to consider the fabric options, shape, size and style. And, with lots of New Zealand companies now making custom bedheads, there are options to fit every room and taste.
LIGHTING
Lighting is one of the most important accessories in any room, and bedrooms are no exception. Think of it like jewellery for your home! We’re starting to see lots of interesting lighting shapes and forms emerging, and the choice you make can really enhance the style of a room or create a wow factor.
Pendant lights are ideal in bedrooms. In the master bedroom, a feature pendant should be positioned directly above the foot of the bed, in the centre, so it’s out of the way of the room’s open space.
If you’re renovating or building, consider hanging pendant lights or positioning wall lights directly above bedside tables. Wall lights have made a huge comeback in recent years thanks to their practicality. They create the perfect light for reading in bed, and can be used at night to create ambience rather than turning on the main light.
WALLPAPER
Wallpaper If you are a lover of pattern, go wild with wallpaper to create a point of differencein a bedroom. In kids’rooms it adds playfulness,while in a master bedroom it can create a feeling of luxury. Generally, we only use wallpaper on one feature wall in a bedroom, typically behind the bed or on the wall you see from the door, to create the biggest impact.If you take a look at our projects on the Hello Saturday website, you’ll see that wallpaper often plays a key part in our designs–whether a feature wall, or one that creates a striking statement with coloured grass cloth on all four walls.
COLOUR
Colour choice is so important in the bedroom. You want to create a restful mood, so try using a soft colour pallet that’s peaceful and calming. I typically suggest steering away from primary colours or bright secondary colours, like bright orange, instead bringing more colours of nature into the space. Think rusty, burnt autumnal colours, or shades of the sea and sky in soft blues and green.
Furniture
It’s important to consider the other furniture in the room, besides the bed. If you’re building or renovating, try to put as much of the clothes storage in the wardrobe as possible. Incorporating drawers into any custom-made wardrobe system is a must. Bedroom furniture must be well made. If you can’t fit drawers into your wardrobe, make sure the set of drawers you use work well! Unless they’re actually antique (or you really love them), it’s worth updating that old decrepit of set of drawers you were given from your parents when you went flatting! The runners won’t last forever, and using drawers that won’t open easily can be frustrating. If you’re buying something new, matching furniture isn’t essential, but I do prefer the bedside tables to be the same. If you have the space, I love adding an occasional chair to the room. It shouldn’t be used as a dumping ground for clothes, but rather asa space to sit, rest, relax, mediate. A quiet moment away from the busyness of the rest of the home.
Proportion
For a bedroom to work, you need to think about proportion. Balance is created when all aspects of a room are in proportion, so if your bed looks too big or your bedside tables look too small, they probably are! When you’re laying out your room, check the size of the bed. Draw it on the wall or floor if you can. At this point, check where you want the bedhead to be in relation to the wall lighting if you’re using this.
If your child’s bedroom is big, don’t push the single bed right into the corner. Leaving even a small amount of space (20 cm) between the bed and the wall will allow you to make the bed more easily, and will also help the room look in proportion, as your eye can drop behind the bed rather than hitting the wall and running up.
Pattern
Pattern can add depth and interest to a room, but should always be carefully considered. My general rule of thumb is that duvets should be plain, with pattern added through pillows, cushions or throws. A plain duvet gives a room a cohesive look, as your eye will more easily take in the whole room rather than fixing on a polarising duvet.
Wardrobes
Every bedroom needs a decent wardrobe, so if your home doesn’t have any, think about having them built into the renovation budget. You’ll get this money back in spades on resale, and you’ll probably find your built-in wardrobe is one of your favourite additions to your home! Having a functional wardrobe system makes such a big difference. Think about what the wardrobe will be used for (this will be different for kids ’vs adults’ bedrooms) and get a system to meet your needs. I often go to clients’ homes and find wardrobes with just one rail and not a lot hangin gor storage space. In kids’ rooms especially, most belongings can be stored in a wardrobe. Create shelves in their wardrobe for books, toys and all their other stuff! Kids don’t tend to have as many clothes as adults, so you can use this space to make the bedroom less cluttered. Add some built-indrawers too, to make it easy to store clothes away.
Flooring
Personally, I think your feet need to land on warm carpet or a rug when you wake up in the morning! I love loop pile wool carpets in the bedroom for the extra layer of luxury and comfort. If you’re lucky enough to have a large bedroom, a rug under the bed will help ground the room. But make sure you steer away from using a rug over carpet
Layers
Once you have theother elements of the room right (headboard, proportion, and pattern), then layers are the key to success -taking your room from plain to sophisticated. This is what interior designers and stylists do best! Incorporating layers doesn’t just mean adding a couple of throw pillows. Try using a quilt at the end of the bed, a sheepskin thrown on the edge, euro pillows at the back as well as standard pillows. Varying the colour of the pillows creates depth and adds interest to the room
Tip - Changing Seasons: As the seasons change, it’s so nice to refresh your bedroom. Adding more layers to the bed in winter can add the feel of warmth and comfort. Changing the colour of the pillow cases, maybe going darker in winter, is also a great option
