bedroom Archives - Page 8 of 20

Which is for you? Maximalist, Minimalist or Meditative

home sweet home plaque with dried lavender

Do you live for vibrant colours and bold, eye-catching patterns? Maybe you prefer a blank canvas with clean crisp lines and clear white surfaces? Or do soft neutral colours and touches of nature make you happy?

Whatever interior style tribe you belong to, reclaimed wood furniture will elevate your scheme. We look at each tribe and what reclaimed wood furniture fits…

white kitchen with reclaimed wood table and sideboard

Maximalist

Bold colours, rich fabrics and patterns are just begging for an aged reclaimed wood table or sideboard. The tapestry of life visible in the natural grains of wood will complement rich fabrics and bright colour schemes, by adding a focal point for the eye to rest on. You can also introduce a “bold and bright” element to an otherwise neutral room, by simply adding accent chairs around a reclaimed wood dining table. Consider a velvet dining chair to create a warm and sumptuous atmosphere.

Minimalist

Decluttered, clear surfaces, minimal colour and furniture are what the minimalist loves. This may risk looking lifeless and soulless but adding reclaimed wood furniture adds life to a minimalist home. Keep the wood light or white painted to blend in with the scheme and a natural wicker light fitting for additional texture and warmth in your room. Bedrooms are particularly suited to minimalism. Create a calming and tranquil space by adding reclaimed wood bedroom furniture to your blank canvas, just a few, well-chosen decorative items, will complete a personal and welcoming haven.

Meditative

Linked closely with biophilic design this is a mix of fresh, neutral colours that make the most of natural light and the colours of nature. Natural reclaimed wood really is the obvious choice to complete this theme through your living space. Consider reclaimed wood shelving as a way to display houseplants by adding height and plenty of space, to really embrace a meditative decor style. A reclaimed wood sideboard is not just a place to stand your houseplants on but it also provides handy storage space.

houseplant display in front of large window

5 of the best dark bedroom ideas

Create a Bedroom Both You And Your Teen Will Love

Teenagers can be a tricky bunch, and not just because of their general untidiness and moody tendencies. Not quite adults, but fiercely independent, they are starting to carve their way in the world and a demonstration of this new individuality often starts with claiming their bedroom space.

When it comes to designing a teen’s bedroom there are several factors to consider, but the most important thing is that it has to be a space they enjoy spending time in and is personable to them. It’s their space, not yours and although it is you who will be paying for it, going against their likes and dislikes is a false economy – you’ll only end up redecorating anyway!

Industrial furniture has everything a teenager could want in a bedroom. Natural reclaimed wood furniture with black steel and metalwork gives a Shoreditch loft vibe that teens and parents alike will love. Check out our guide to creating a space where your teen can sleep, study, socialise and just be themselves..

Space to sleep

Sleep is important to all of us, but for a teenager, it is more important than life itself! Jokes aside, during teenage years sleep is vital for their development, and therefore, the right bed is not only central to the design scheme, but to their growth.

Picture features: Standford High Reclaimed Wood Bed

If you have the room, a double bed is a win and for a double win, make that a bed with storage. A reclaimed wood bed frame is ideal, especially for an industrial look; solid enough to withstand a strapping teenage boy, yet soft and warm to blend with a prettier scheme if desired.

And, don’t forget blinds or curtains. Blackouts are the best way to ensure natural light is blocked out as much as possible.

Incorporate a study space

A personal work space will come in very handy over the teenage years. Like it or not, they will be spending a lot of time at their desk and if it can be an area that helps them be more productive, they’ll thank you for it.

Picture features: Oldman Industrial Reclaimed Wood Desk

A slim reclaimed wood desk or even a shelf against the wall can be all that is needed. Pick an industrial desk with black metal detailing for a utilitarian feel and don’t forget space for organising notes, books and pens. Desks with drawers are great to help corral everyday study essentials or consider industrial shelving, a small bookcase or wall-mounted storage if space is tight.

Say yes to savvy storage

Picture features: Zinc Top Architects Cabinet

Of course, the end objective as a parent is for your teen to keep their room tidy. A losing battle perhaps, but storage is key to helping them at least attempt to keep their bedroom tidy. As well as hidden storage under the wooden double bed, doors and draws are the trick here or any closed storage for that matter. A small chest of drawers, wooden blanket box or wooden wardrobe will help keep items out of sight and tidy habits encouraged.

Flexible furniture

Teens can be fickle and prone to change, so furniture that can be moved or used for other functions is a wise choice. Built-in furniture is perfect if the room is a tricky shape, but isn’t so great when a teen’s quest for change kicks-in. A reclaimed wood wardrobe with black metal feet can be moved to the other side of the bed should a teen decide on a different look, whilst an industrial desk can be used as a dressing table or gaming station at the weekend.

Picture features: Dulwich Reclaimed Wooden Wardrobe

Personal touches

A teenager’s bedroom is the perfect place for them to show off their style and spend time with their friends. Adding elements that make it easy for teenagers to take ownership of the decor will help ensure they are happy with the end result. Notice boards or wooden shelves to display photos, old festival tickets and wristbands and holiday memorabilia works well in a teen room.

Grooming station

Grooming and cleansing may not be high up in an early teens priority, but as they progressive into teenagedom, this is going to become a well-used spot. Not only to ensure the rest of the family gets an opportunity to use the bathroom, adding an area for a teen to get themselves ready gives them a personal space to experiment and express their identity in private. A modern dressing table will be a welcomed addition or simply adding a floor mirror or round wall mirror will help create a zone to get ready.

Final tip

Don’t ever use the word ‘cool’ or ‘hip’ to describe any part of the room or piece of furniture; teens are likely to instantly disown it (and most probably you)!

How a Rustic Bedroom will Help You Reclaim Your Calm

Rustic reclaimed wood bed frame with wooden blanket box and bedside table

Having a sanctuary to retreat to is more important than ever right now and the bedroom is the one room in the home where you can shut the door and find a moment of undisturbed peace. But if you thought calm and zen were plain and minimalist, you’ll be pleased to hear there are other more homely ways to create a pared-back, simplistic zone. The modern rustic bedroom is a cosy escape that brings comfort and tranquillity to our daily life in a natural, pared-back and simplistic way. Want to know how to create this fresh take on the rustic style? Explore our Winchester Reclaimed Wood collection to find out how..

1. The Bed

The choice of bed is without doubt the most important decision in any bedroom and for the rustic bedroom, the quickest way to inject some modern charm is with the Winchester Reclaimed Wood Bed. You’ll be sure to fall in love with the smooth lines and curves of this double wooden bed frame, king size double wooden bed frame or even super king size, as quickly as you’ll want to fall into it (and possibly never want to get out of!). The modern curves fit well with the texture of the old reclaimed wood, which is peppered with natural markings, notches and nail holes, proof of its heritage.

2. The Chest of Drawers

Arguably the next best piece of furniture in the modern rustic bedroom, both in terms of styling the room and the function it provides. The perfect piece to store clothes, sheets and blankets, a large chest of drawers is also a lovely spot to add some personal style to your bedroom. Dress with a table lamp, a plant (Lavender is great as it looks pretty and is known to relax and calm), maybe a framed photo of your loved ones and hang a mirror or piece of artwork on the wall behind. With its elegant curved drawers, the Winchester Reclaimed Wood collection of chest of drawers is fresh, modern and effortlessly rustic, with absolutely no rough around the edges. Go large or go tall with a choice of three sizes.

3. The Wardrobe

A well designed bedroom should always include a double wardrobe and for a calming rustic style, it should be a reclaimed wooden wardrobe. But this large piece of furniture can sometimes be guilty of dominating your modern rustic scheme.

4. The Bedside Table

Believe it or not, bedside tables are one of the first things you notice when you walk into a bedroom. Yes, the bed is an important part, but the right bedside table can balance out the decor in our bedroom. If your modern rustic bedroom is going to become the calming retreat you desire, you’re going to need somewhere to put your relaxing herbal tea, favourite book and reading lamp. We love the three curved drawers and smart pull-out tray feature of the Winchester Reclaimed Wood Nightstand – perfect for lazy Sunday mornings or an afternoon lie down.

5. The Blanket Box

And finally, the finishing touch to a calming modern rustic bedroom is a wooden chest to store your riches, and we can guarantee you will be sure to treasure the Winchester Reclaimed Blanket Chest. Useful for so much more than storing linens, this versatile little gem has been beautifully handcrafted from 100% reclaimed wood and features a curved lid design for a fairy tale treasure chest look.

Dress your rustic bedroom with natural fabrics and a neutral colour palette and it will ooze zen-like calm. What else would you add to make it your natural haven?

Where To Spend & Where To Save with Home Staging

Home staging is an American concept that they have long used to sell properties. In a nutshell, it is about showing your home in its best light, suggesting the lifestyle the buyer could have if they bought your property. It sounds a good idea and simple enough, but spending too much and spending it on the areas can prove a costly mistake. So, what should you be doing to get the best possible price when you sell your home?

1 The kitchen

For many buyers, this is the room that can make or break a house viewing. A kitchen that looks dated and tired is not visually appealing.

The solution is not always to rip out and replace the kitchen, however. Replacing worktops, painting cupboards doors or replacing them, updating the tap and generally decluttering so the work surfaces are clear can make it look far more attractive than it currently is, without too much of an investment.

2 The dining room

Another important area. The dining room lost its popularity for a while with homeowners preferring the more socialable kitchen/diner set-up. However, in recent years its seen a bit of a come back and whilst a tired or dated dining room is not as off-putting as a dated kitchen, there are still some tricks to making it more appealing.

Declutter by getting rid of furniture if needed or putting it in storage so that buyers can see the dimensions of the room. Reclaimed wood furniture is very beautiful but furniture around every edge of the room closes it down.

With your reclaimed wood dining table, add a stunning centrepiece such as a floral display (great for colour and scent too!) and arrange the dining chairs so that the room’s accent is on the important bit – the dining table and the space the room offers.

3 The living room

Like the dining room, you need to place an accent on the dimensions of the space and what potential buyers could do with it if it were their own.

Thin out bookcases and the like so that the range of furniture in the room, from the wooden coffee table to the beautiful sideboard and display units, shine through.

When buyers can feel the space in the room by seeing the edges and the furniture that is in there, it will have the feeling of space and style that they are looking for.

4 The bedroom

Clever home staging is about drawing the buyer’s eye to the points you want them to notice.

Bedroom furniture that has the same style is key as it creates symmetry in the room, but you also want to balance it by clever placement. The large chest of drawers, for example, shouldn’t dominate the room as the reclaimed wood bedframe should draw the eye first – make sure you have the best bed linen for viewing day!

A rug can help draw the eye around the room and with key items such as a wooden blanket box helping to ‘hideaway’ blankets and spare linen, the room will have the feeling of organised space that people want.

5 The spare bedroom

And finally, don’t underplay the spare room by leaving it looking sparse. Make sure that buyers understand this space too. For example, a single bed with sideboard and a wardrobe and a small chest of drawers showcases the room perfectly.

With hallway rugs adding pops of colour and texture, the smallest and cheapest home staging tweaks will make a difference.

10 Items That Are Cluttering Up Your Home

Pile of books with what's cluttering up your home writing

Whether you’re thinking of selling your home or simply want to create a fresh and more ordered space, you’ll need to de-clutter. But what items are cluttering up the space in your home and what should you do about it?

1. Things that are not yours – simple but true, if you have items in your home that are not yours and are just taking up space and gathering dust, either return to the sender or find another home for them. From library books to furniture that friends are storing at your place, now is the time to move them on.

2. Thin out your bookcase – if you are an avid reader, you will possibly have hundreds of books. Thinning out your bookcase is part of the de-cluttering process as is investing in display units that match your interior design style to store your edited book collection. Pass your books forward to friends and family or give them to charity and you will not only create space for new tomes, but share the pleasure of a great read.

3. Small appliances that don’t work or you don’t use – heading into the kitchen, you’ll no doubt find an appliance or two that you either don’t use or are broken. Recycle them (many councils recycle at the kerbside) and free up kitchen cupboard space.

4. Containers that don’t do anything – from baskets to plastic boxes, we buy these containers assuming that they will be perfect for helping us de-clutter and store things. Ironically, the trouble is, they are often aren’t and simply create more clutter! Get rid of these and replace them with other solutions, such as a coffee table with storage or a slimline console table with drawer for the hallway, so you still have places to store your belongings, but in a much more stylish way.

5. Toiletries in the bathroom – often the smallest room in the house, thinning out your toiletries will mean clearer surfaces. Easier to clean and keep clean, less clutter on tops and open shelving will work wonders for the appearance of the bathroom.

6. Spare bed linen, duvets, blankets… – from piling on top of the wardrobe to piling them in boxes under the bed, spare bed linen and the like are bulky and take up space. Consider a blanket box for the bedroom, which can also serve as an occasional seat or even update your bed to one with underbed storage drawers.

7. Magazines in the living room – there is something about reading a printed glossy mag that is a real treat, but you’ll soon find that they pile up in inconvenient places. The solution is to recycle or opt for storage solutions such as a coffee table with drawers.

8. Stationery and ‘stuff’ in the home office – it’s your work space which means you’ll be surrounded by the things you want and need, but if you’re not careful, it can look messy and unappealing. Clear surfaces by recycling items you don’t want or need and opt for home office storage solutions that allow for easy storage of items.

9. Out of date technology – we all have them; phones from years ago or chargers that we are no longer sure what they are for… streamline these tech bits and bobs and consider adding something like an open shelving display unit for charging phones and other tech.

10. CDs and DVDs – like books, CD and DVD collections grow over the years, but with todays streaming services, how many times do you ever put a DVD or CD on? If they are now obsolete in your home, ask yourself if you need to keep them. If you can’t bear to lose your favourite album or movie, consider sliming down your collection and how you are storing them. A reclaimed wood TV unit with cupboards and drawers is a perfect solution.

6 of the Best Coloured Armchairs

The quickest route to show off your interior design confidence is with a bold colour. A pop of unexpected colour in a room not only adds personality, but let’s the world know you’ve got this interior styling thing sorted!

However, if, like most of us, you don’t exude that confidence and are wary of any other colour of the rainbow other than white and grey, here’s an interior trend that you can jump on and be brave with…..the jewel hued modern armchair.

Coloured fabric armchairs exude sophistication and add an instant wow-factor to your space, whether that’s the living room, hallway, bedroom or open plan living/dining room.

1. Ava White Armchair

With its soft shade, upholstered in faux sheepskin, this chair will inject glamour into any room.

2. Edward Leather Armchair

We love this armchair for its shape as well as its colour. It’s solid oak frame, this stunning brown leather armchair is a perfect addition to anyone’s home.

3. Reeves Rattan Armchair

This wooden armchair with a black painted finish will liven up any dull corner in any room. Crafted in super strong ash wood, rattan back and wide armrests provides both comfort and support.

4. Grayson Fabric Armchair

A modern fabric armchair providing both comfort and sophistication. With it’s retro shape and it’s slim metal frame, adding a touch of modernity to the overall design. Small occasional chairs are a great choice for the home as they can be easily moved around and placed wherever needed, whether that’s the living room, bedroom or even a home office.

5. Oswald Armchair

The Oswald Armchair showcases an elegantly minimalistic design, making it a versatile fit for various interior themes. Cloaked in premium top grain full leather hide, its inviting warm brown tone harmoniously complements the ash legs.

6. Preston Armchair

Dive into the epitome of comfort and sophistication with the Preston Armchair. This lounge chair, designed meticulously for those seeking a blend of style and relaxation, promises unparalleled serenity. Whether you’re indulging in a book, catching a quick nap, or just unwinding after a long day, the Preston ensures every moment is cloaked in luxury.

What’s your favourite?

Sleep with an eco-friendly clean conscience

We are all trying to do more to live a lifestyle that doesn’t impact negatively on the planet now or in the future. This includes the choices we make about the furniture we buy, where it comes from, whether it is sustainable and recyclable when we no longer need it. When it comes to furnishing the bedrooms, there is a growing choice of products that allow us to sleep with a clean eco-friendly conscience.

Eco-friendly mattresses

The pictures of tropical seas blanketed in a floating layer of plastic – from bottles to fishing nets – are truly heartbreaking.

But, plastic can, with vision and the right process, be broken down into material that can be reused in all kinds of applications, including mattresses.

The Seagreen Collection is made from a range of plastic products, such as bottles that fisherman ‘catch’ in the open seas. Made to a high standard, the pocket spring mattress is both comfortable but also at the top end of the recycling game.

The fabric covers and pockets are also sustainable materials that have wicking properties – in other words, you’ll be cool as you sleep, essential for a full night’s rest.

Hand tufted and hand stitched, these mattresses come with an impressive 9-year warranty and a 12-month guarantee.

Eco-friendly throws and blankets

Using the same materials – plastic bottles from our oceans – these throws are ideal for any bedroom. Adding a layer of warmth for chillier nights, the plastic is recycled and, using an environmentally friendly process, it weaved into a beautiful blanket that you’ll use time and again.

Adding texture and detail to the bedroom, these recycled plastic bottle throws are available in three beautiful colours – duck egg, blush and grey.

Reclaimed wood furniture for the bedroom

Hardwood was often used in buildings to add structure and strength as well as detail, and was used in the railways to build tracks. As modern life has evolved and alternative materials created, the wood has been salvaged and repurposed for our homes today. Master craftspeople turn it from an ordinary looking piece of old wood into something truly spectacular.

A heavyset bedframe bursting with personality, there is a uniqueness to each Beam piece that makes it perfect for the bedroom. Mellowing and developing over time, age creates a beautiful patina the older it gets.

Eco-friendly pendant lights and shades

Rattan and wicker bamboo are two similar materials. Rattan is a solid material whilst bamboo is hollow and can be flattened to make long, lithe pieces which can be tied together into a pattern.

When knotted and tied, these strong materials become even stronger, which is why they are used in everything from outdoor furniture to conservatory furniture, and light shades too. But, what makes them high on the eco-friendly stakes is that they are a genuine renewable source as they are naturally fast growing. Also, the manufacturing process of rattan and bamboo is quite simple, meaning it doesn’t require so many chemicals or energy.

Our Fenshaw Mango Wood Storage Bench with its hinge lid provides discreet elegance to a bedroom, not to mention a great place to store bed linen and blankets. Position at the end of your king size wooden bed frame or in the bay of a window and channel that colonial cool vibe. This eco-conscious accessory blends with any style room, from rustic or industrial to a modern farmhouse scheme.

Along with natural bed linen made from sustainably sourced fabrics, you can have a stylish bedroom and sleep comfortably, knowing you have worked with and not against the environment.

How to Arrange your Furniture Around a Rug

Grey sofa with grey floor rug and coffee table

For many of us, the rug is the item we have most agonised over when it comes to picking items for the home. It brings warmth, colour and texture to a space and so it’s no surprise that from a stylistic point of view, you want it to get it just right. But how do you make sure the rug remains prominent, without creating a ‘hole’ in the room’s décor?

The round rug

For square or boxy rooms, the round rug is the perfect way of adding a change in motion;

For larger rooms try adding more than one round rug, but keep them the same design and style otherwise it will look too choppy. Place them randomly in the space or better still, allow them to float around the room as you use it (but make sure they aren’t a slip hazard!).

For smaller rooms when you don’t have a huge amount of floor space, getting your round rug noticed can be difficult. Placing it under a piece of large furniture so that its rounded curved peep out is perfect. In the bedroom, for example, put the bedroom rug under the bed so you have it to welcome your feet as you get out of bed but with plenty of rug on show at the foot of the bed.

In the dining room, use a round rug in the centre of the room, even if you decide to off-set your dining table.

The square or rectangle rug

They are, by far, the most popular shaped rug that people opt for. There is a comfort in the pleasing angular, lines of the rectangle or square rug that draws our attention. Our belief is that with this shape, a large living room rug could be easier to accommodate in any room, from the bedroom to the living room.

We can still make fundamental errors, however, which means that the rug becomes lost beneath our feet…

Not applying the four-two-none rule – when furniture doesn’t feel anchored in a room, it and your cherished rug will feel lost and floating in space. If this is happening, address it by applying the four-two-none rule. With your furniture dotted around its straight edges, either all four legs need to be on the rug (only advisable for big rugs), or two legs of each piece or none. If you have a side table on the rug and the two legs of one sofa but none of the other sofa, it will not look right.
Mismatch colours – when you want to add a rug to a room, it is best to start with the rug, matching the wall colour to it rather than the other way round. This way, your vibrant red rug or stylish blue rug won’t be jarring against the room’s décor.

Irregular shaped rugs

Irregular shaped rugs can be a welcome note of change in a room but it’s important to understand how best to use them. With rectangle and round rugs, the dimensions of the room and size of the rug will dictate whether you place furniture on it or not. With an irregular shaped rugs, designers suggest keeping furniture off it, opting for a suitably sized rug that fits the floor space you have available.