bedroom Archives - Page 5 of 20

10 Ways to Create a happy home

We have all been spending a lot of time within our own four walls of late, but now is the time to brighten your home, bring in the summer and make it your happy space once again. Here we look at some quick fixes to help you create a happy home

1. Embrace warming colours – is your colour scheme a bit dull? Do you want to add some bright accents? Lansford Dining Chair Saffron Dining Chairs could be just want you need to place around your rustic dining table to brighten up the space.

2. Fill your home with flowers & plants – these are proven to lift your spirits. Place a houseplant on a rustic sideboard in your dining room or a vase of fresh-cut flowers on the reclaimed wood coffee table in your living room.

3. Get a pet – we are absolutely not suggesting you dash out and get a puppy! Even a goldfish can have a positive health benefit, research suggests watching fish in an aquarium can help lower blood pressure and reduce anxiety.

4. Make your bed extra comfy – cosy up your bedroom with a mattress topper and new pillows. Finish creating a perfect sleeping sanctuary by getting a new bed throw and some new scatter cushions on your solid wood bed. You can use this opportunity to bring in a new colour scheme to your bedroom.

5. Treat yourself to something you love and that makes you smile – if you have a room that is a bit lifeless, dated or you’ve just fallen out of love with it, then have a good clear out and buy just one new piece of statement furniture. An industrial style dining table in your dining space will give you a whole new look and bring your room right up to date.

6. Create a happy entrance – place a decorative bouquet of your favourite flowers on a hallway console table, add some word art or put a photograph on the wall that makes you laugh.

7. Use a few basic Feng Shui practices to encourage positive energy – declutter the entry to your home to allow energy in, keep windows clean, place sofas and beds in a commanding position in the room, keep pathway clear in the home and bring plants in for energy etc.

8. Keep on top of clutter – have regular clear-outs and look where you can improve storage options around your home.

9. Create a happy corner – somewhere where the sun shines at the end or the start of the day or overlooking your favourite part of the garden. Choose a place that’s cosy and cossetting in any room, even on the landing you could add a velvet armchair to this space and take a few minutes out of your day to sit there and enjoy it.

10. Capture all the senses – as well as things in the home you like to look at think about the other senses – use a diffuser to enjoy a smell you love, invest in a good home speaker system to enjoy your favourite tunes. Surround yourself with tactile cushions, blankets and rustic furniture to touch. Taste: make a point of one night every week, one member of your household chooses their favourite meal and you all sit around the dining table to eat together.

5 interior mistakes that will keep you up all night

Large bed with grey covers and white sheer curtains and drapes

We all know how important a good nights sleep is now – so in this blog we will have a look at some common interior design mistakes and how you can fix them to get a perfect nights sleep.

1. An uncomfortable bed

No one likes waking up in the morning with backache, or tossing and turning all night trying to get comfortable so getting the right mattress for you is so important. It is suggested that those who prefer to sleep on their side get a medium-hard mattress and those who generally sleep on their back or front get more comfortable on a harder one. The only way to really know what’s best for you is to go into a showroom and try a few out. What you put your mattress on is also important – you need good strong supportive slats to hold the mattress well to avoid any sagging. The Dulwich Reclaimed Wood Bed is the perfect solid wood bed frame for this! Another thing to consider is if you like to sleep a little propped up or like to relax and read before sleeping. If so, you should consider a bed with a good solid wooden headboard to help keep your pillows and cushions in just the right place.

2. The wrong colour scheme

It is proven that bedroom colours can affect sleep quality so think carefully about the colour scheme in your bedroom. If you are drawn to bright bold and energising colours as a rule then use these as accent colours and keep the rest of the bedroom a paler, calmer, more neutral shade to balance it. Darker colours are also a great choice for the bedroom – they will give it a more cosy and intimate feel – and coordinate well with rustic bedroom furniture, again you can always brighten some areas with something lighter or brighter. According to studies green, blue, pink, white and beige are great colours to create a sanctuary that is easy to relax and sleep in.

3. The wrong window coverings

Window coverings that are too thin will disrupt your sleep pattern. In spring and summer when it gets light earlier there is a good chance that daylight spilling in will wake you up prematurely. Likewise, at night, moonlight or a street light may be able to creep in and keep you awake longer or disrupt your sleep. You can layer your window coverings – maybe some thin blinds – great if you live in a built-up area and don’t want people to see in and then have some heavy curtains to use at night. Heavy curtains are also great if you work shifts and like to have a sleep in the afternoon and of course, can help keep a room warmer in winter.

4. Too much clutter

A cluttered room is very unlikely to be a restful sanctuary! So clearing clutter is an essential point on this list! Make it an effortless task by clearing and donating or recycling items you no longer wear or use and bringing in the correct storage for your room. A wooden under bed storage drawer is great for bedding, and a wooden bedside table or chest of drawers for those little things you like to have handy when in bed. If your room is a little dark and you want to keep it light then consider light coloured furniture such as a white painted wardrobe.

5. The wrong scents

If you are a fan of the diffuser then think about the scents that you are using with it. In the bedroom, you will want ones that help you relax and drift off to sleep, these scents include lavender, rose, chamomile and jasmine.

Spotlight: Introducing new additions to our Dulwich collection

Our gorgeous range of Dulwich Reclaimed Wood bedroom furniture has always been a hugely popular choice with our discerning customers…. now that some new pieces have been added to the range we just couldn’t wait to share them with you.

Dulwich Reclaimed Wood Bed

If you are looking out for an impressive and sturdy, solid king size wooden bed frame (or super king) then look no further than the Dulwich Reclaimed Wood Bed. It’s simply styled to let the beauty of the salvaged wood shine through the medium or natural wax finish.

Just a reminder – our Dulwich range is handcrafted right here in the UK – all the pieces in this collection started their lives well over 100 years ago as parts of old buildings that have been demolished. Rather than just going to landfill or being burnt they are skillfully crafted into statement pieces of furniture equally perfect for the modern or more traditional home. This saves new trees being chopped down and machined for furniture production making the Dulwich range the perfect choice for the eco-conscious buyer.

Additional items from the Dulwich range

The Dulwich reclaimed wood furniture range includes other items for the bedroom – such as different sizes of solid wood chest of drawers and bedside tables.

Caring for your Dulwich rustic bed

Caring for your reclaimed wood bedroom furniture is super easy too! When you first get it, to help it acclimatise to its new surroundings, we recommend a monthly wax for the first three months and then every month or so to keep up the beautiful lustre of the wood. Then the usual day-to-day stuff applies, use coasters, wipe up any spillages as soon as possible, don’t drag the furniture along the floor when moving it – pretty much the same as any other wood furniture you have in your home. Full details are in our care guide.

Re-vamp your guest bedroom for overnight guests

White bedcovers with gold and white cushions and ornaments on shelf behind

Now we are finally allowed people over to stay you may be looking for a few ideas to get the guest room ready for overnight guests….seems like ages doesn’t it! With the spare room being used for a completely different purpose, or not at all over the last year or so, it may need a bit of a freshen-up, clear-out and re-vamp.

Always number one! – clear the clutter

De-cluttering can completely transform a room, the clear space will make the room feel less claustrophobic and will give a much more relaxed feel for your guests. You will also be able to keep it cleaner with fewer dust catchers around – making it quicker to clean and prepare for your next overnight guests!

Spoil your guests with indulgent touches

It’s been so long….. spoil your guests a little. Add some fresh-cut flowers in a vase or a houseplant or two. Use scented candles or a diffuser to give the room a fresh or relaxing atmosphere. Put together a little basket of treats for your guests to enjoy in their room, you can include some fruit, snacks, a chocolate bar or two and some soft drinks like water or orange juice.

Bring in some character with reclaimed wood furniture

A wooden super king bed with a good mattress will be a treat for anyone to sleep in. Get the bed all cosy and inviting looking with different textured cushions piled up against the headboard and add some throws to create a layered look. If you want to give the room a whole new look you can add other pieces of rustic furniture – a large chest of drawers so there’s plenty of room for your guests to put away their clothes – and a narrow bedside table, an essential addition for them to place a drink, book or charge their phone overnight. Check out our Winchester range for this – stunning reclaimed wood furniture hand made to order right here in our UK workshop.

Photo featuring: Winchester Reclaimed Wood Bed

Add a rug to cover up worn carpet or flooring

A new floor rug not only makes a room feel cosier, but it’s also a great way to reinforce your colour scheme… and also perfect for covering over worn flooring or carpet. In a bedroom with a wooden floor, I would definitely add a rug to both sides of the bed so your guest has something nice to step on when they get out of bed.

Add some personal touches

Add some pictures to the wall to give the room some personality. If you are not a fan of paintings or prints you can hang up family photos or get a feature wall mirror.

Buy a blanket box

A blanket box at the foot of the bed is perfect to keep spare bedding and pillows in. If you have guests to stay during a warm spell you can pop the heavy duvet away in there. But we all know it could be much cooler in the next few days so it’s a great place to keep it handy for them. Spare pillows can also be put in there. And of course, the top provides another surface in the room to put things down like their travelling bags or a tray of tea or coffee.

How to make an industrial bedroom feminine

Industrial metal bed frame with industrial wooden bedside tables with pink and green covers and curtains

If you are thinking of updating your bedroom and would love to go with an industrial-inspired theme then you may feel that the overall look might end up being a little cold or even masculine. However, an industrial bedroom can be warm, cosy and feminine. Here’s how to get the perfect balance…

Let a reclaimed wood bed be the feature

There’s no denying natural wood instantly adds warmth and character to a bedroom and a reclaimed wood bed brings history and individuality with it too. This is the perfect way to soften and contrast the straight strong lines of an industrial foundation. A king size wooden bed frame made from reclaimed wood will definitely become the shining star in your bedroom!

Dress the bed with feminine colours

Get your bed looking super feminine, cosy, warm and inviting by using pastels. Apart from the obvious pinks and lilacs, you can choose from other great bedroom colours like soft mint, sky blue or lemon. Add some floral print scatter cushions or bed throws for a touch of patterning. You can also mix in some tactile textures to add interest choose from faux fur throws, velvet, chunky knits and silk cushions. This will add real femininity and softness to the room.

Add industrial accents

If you want to add a little hint of industrial to your bedroom then you should consider just accessorising in industrial style. Go for industrial bedside lamps, changing door and drawer handles to black ones or swapping some furniture pieces, like a small bedroom table, for items with steel legs or frames.

Embrace contrasts

Experiment and mix old and new, light and dark. Don’t be afraid to combine modern furniture with older or retro styles. By doing this you are giving the bedroom a warm and inviting feel as well as adding interest. Pair a wooden dressing table with an industrial style chair or hang a mirror with a black metal frame over a large chest of drawers, you can soften this by adding a houseplant on the surface of the drawers.

Add some nature

Nothing brings a serene and calm mood into a bedroom more than nature. Hanging indoor greenery be it real or faux will add instant softness to your room, we love this industrial shelving, absolutely perfect for displaying your houseplants. Fresh cut flowers are also an option – if you don’t want to run the expense of flowers from the florist every week or so then you can go for meadow flowers, dried or faux flowers. They look pretty as a picture anywhere in the room, from on a painted chest of drawers to a wooden blanket box at the bottom of the bed.

Calming colours for a bedroom according to Feng Shui

White bedroom with king size wooden bed frame

Feng Shui is as popular as ever – developed over 3,000 years ago as a way to bring peace, positive energy and harmony into the home environment. Here we look at some of the colours you can use in your bedroom according to Feng Shui to bring calm and balance. Reclaimed wood furniture fits into Feng Shui principles as it brings the wood and nature element into the home. Let’s find out more…

Brown

Brown walls make it sound as if you will end up in a slightly dull and uninspiring bedroom. However, according to Feng Shui, brown is associated with growth, vitality and endless vision – so find the right shade for your space, and it is actually a perfect colour for the bedroom. To make the most of this colour scheme you should have a good solid wooden headboard on your bed as this, according to Feng Shui, gives your head support and backing.

White

White is a great colour to use if you want to create a restful bedroom. Clean, fresh, crisp and clear, white will help you get a great night’s sleep. Using white means you are bringing positive energy into your bedroom and symbolises a bright future. Crisp white bedding, crisp white walls and natural solid wood bed work together to bring nature and harmony into your room for a restful night.

Photo featuring: Dulwich Reclaimed Wood Bed

Grey

Grey represents the metal element in Feng Shui and is used to bring calm into a room, making this hue perfect for a Feng Shui bedroom. It is often used in places where people meditate or reflect. Grey is a very popular colour in home decor at the moment, making it an easy colour to work with. Scandinavian furniture and its interior decor style lend itself perfectly to the principles of the Feng Shui bedroom, with the focus being on creating light, clutter-free and functional living spaces. Contrast the grey with white bedroom furniture such as a white wardrobe, white bedside table and white drawers or choose reclaimed wood furniture with a hint of grey finish, such as the Dulwich collection above.

Photo featuring: Winchester Reclaimed Wood Bed

Blue

Even without using the principles of Feng Shui, blue is a top colour pick for the bedroom. It is widely believed that blue is seen as the most relaxing of the colour spectrum. Blue in Feng Shui is connected to water, gentle, graceful and soothing. You sleep to wake up refreshed and revitalised and blue in a bedroom cools and calms you to get the best night’s sleep. This means it is a great colour not only for an adults bedroom, but also a perfect colour if you are looking to create a relaxing space for younger members of the household. Getting the furnishing right for a relaxing night is a must in a child’s bedroom – places to put toys away on shelving to avoid distraction at sleep time – a kids toy box or wooden blanket box is perfect to stash bits and bobs away in.

Get Airbnb ready – what to do with your belongings

Hessian doormat with words welcome and two pairs of grey shoes

Summer will be upon us before we know it and with no certainty that international travel will have opened up by then, it looks like a holiday in the UK may be the safest option. We will all be looking for a lovely bolthole away from home for a week or two, and if you’re thinking of opening up your home to Airbnb, now is the time start planning.

Figures suggest that over 260 million guests have stayed in Airbnb properties around the globe making this the obvious place to market your property or guestroom. If you want to let your home whilst you’re away for the summer months, or even whilst you’re still there, then it really doesn’t make sense to box up and store all your personal belongings and favourite pieces of reclaimed wood furniture for this relatively short period.

Whether it is the spare room you are letting or the whole house, you have to find the right balance for your guests. A mix of homely and ease of use. Feeling at home is one of the main reasons that guests opt for an Airbnb rather than a depersonalised hotel room. But your guests will want to be able to put their things away and won’t want to be moving your items out of the way all the time! Think about where you can store your personal items in the house – maybe you have a lockable spare bedroom or can make some space in the loft or garage for storage.

The rule of thumb is if you don’t want guests to touch or use it then get it out the way! Ideally, you should let your guests know what they can or can’t use – so make it clear in the guest book to save any misunderstandings later.

A large sideboard in the living room is a great place to clear your stuff into – books, family photos and other personal items can all be put away. We would suggest that in another cupboard you could leave jigsaw puzzles, board games and playing cards for your guests to use during their stay. On top of the wooden sideboard, you can leave a selection of books for them to read and information about the area they are staying in – such as flyers from local takeaways or restaurants and details of local visitor attractions etc.

The bedroom is one of those places that can be a bit cluttered. If you have a bedroom chest of drawers you can move all your things to the bottom drawers and leave guests two top rows to use during their stay. Section off large wardrobes – push your things to one side and leave them the other side clear with plenty of hangers. If your guests are only staying for a week or two they won’t need too much storage space, but think about other items of furniture they might need. A wooden bedside table to put a reading lamp on or somewhere to put a glass of water and charge their phone is a handy and stylish bedroom storage addition.

Children’s bedrooms are another space that can be a bit cluttered, if you have a family home then you would, of course, expect families to rent it off you. Children love looking through new books and playing with different toys! So things you don’t want them to use and play with, should be put away completely. Toys they can use can be put in a wooden toy chest in the bedroom – your guests will also know exactly where to tidy everything away.

How to make a white bedroom cosy

White bedroom with bohemian hanging rope chair and collection of green plants on shelf

White always provides the best blank canvas to style your rooms against – but with white walls and ceiling, you risk the bedroom looking a bit cold and clinical – here, we look at how beautiful, reclaimed wood can add instant warmth and style to a white bedroom.

Photo featuring: Winchester Reclaimed Wood Bedroom Furniture Collection

We all now know how important a good night’s sleep is. A king size wooden bed frame, handcrafted from reclaimed wood is one of life’s little luxuries – invest in the best quality mattress you can afford and you should enjoy restful sleep for many years to come. The sturdy frame of the Beam Sweet Dreams bed looks amazing in a white room – the old beams used to craft it are functional and will be a stand-alone feature in your bedroom.

Photo featuring: Beam Sweet Dreams Reclaimed Wood Bed

Different shades of white can add texture to the room – this way you can introduce shades that complement solid wood rustic furniture. You can do this using paints. Our friends at Earthborn Paints and Little Greene offer a vast range of environmentally friendly off-white paints in different finishes that you can use, safe in the knowledge that no one in your home is being exposed to nasty chemicals.

Adding a neutral colour will also complete a tranquil white bedroom – grey is a great colour – you can introduce different shades of grey and choose fabrics with different textures like faux fur throws, chunky knits and velvet scatter cushions. Place a reading lamp either side of the bed on a small bedside table to give the room a cosy and warming glow at bedtime. Even though your room is grey and white (generally cooler colours) you will be bringing in warmth by using reclaimed wood and warming textiles.

House plants are wonderful in the bedroom, purifying the air and releasing oxygen during the night. Studies have shown some scented plants like Jasmine and Lavender can help reduce stress levels and participants in the study enjoyed a better quality of sleep. Of course, they also look great and really tie-in with the natural element of reclaimed wood furniture – pop your plants in natural wicker baskets to keep to the natural and earthy theme. Adding houseplants to your bedroom also brings in another colour which you can use in your bedroom. Just a few pale green accents will bring the room together to create an aesthetically pleasing and healthy sleep space.

Photo featuring: Worcester Reclaimed Wood Bed

If you have a small or slightly dark bedroom and feel that natural wood may look a bit dark you can opt for white painted bedroom furniture. The Worcester range is a perfect choice as it still has some parts left in natural reclaimed wood to bring in warmth and character. You can see how great the wood looks on the top of the white blanket box….. it adds a little more warmth and contrast (not to mention storage) when placed at the foot of the Worcester white wooden double bed.

How to create more space without extending

Open plan kitchen and living room with black wooden bar stools

If you don’t have the budget to extend or if you live in a property where it would be hard to get permission, there are lots of tricks that you can do to add some more useable space or simply bring more light into your room to make your room appear bigger.

Make use of dead spaces

Under the stairs is definitely the main contender here – this space can be transformed into a hidden storage heaven – a place to pop away coats, gloves, scarves, boots, shoes, school bags…the list goes on. You can even squeeze in a home office!

A storage bench seat is also a quick and easy way to create a feeling of space in a hallway by hiding away clutter. The landing is another area with potential for adding space – a small console table or a wood bookcase can help take books and other items out of another more cluttered room.

Knock through rooms

This is a great idea if you have a separate but adjoining kitchen and dining room. A wall means you lose space in both rooms and restricts where you can put furniture pieces, but by removing it, you will instantly have the feeling of more space, especially if this lets in more light to a small or dark room. If you are creating a kitchen-diner then you might want to consider using dining benches around your reclaimed wood dining table – as a bench is lower than the table, the space appears less interrupted with no taller chair backs.

Photo featuring: Parquet Dressing Table

Multi-use rooms or layout changes

Many of us have a spare room, but how many nights a year does it really get used, a total of a month? This space can be used for something else, something like a gym or a home office. A home office desk can double as a dressing table for guests and you can use a chest of drawers to put your office bits and bobs away in. Switch your everyday office items on the desktop to some house plants to make the room more inviting to guests.

Zoning rooms

You can easily zone a room to make it more multi-purpose using furniture such as a large sideboard, a bookcase, sofas or floor rugs – the great thing is you have the flexibility to easily move them if you need to change how the space is being used.

Furniture choice

Choosing the right furniture for your room also plays a major part on whether your room feels a bit crowded or light and airy. For example, smaller pieces of furniture, like armchairs, will make a room feel more cluttered than one light coloured 3 seater sofa.

White living room with white fabric sofa, wooden coffee table and shelf with white painted wooden letters spelling Home

Change doors

A really simple but effective thing that you can do is change the doors to rooms – Using a sliding door to lead to smaller rooms such as an en-suite or dressing room will enable you to use make the most of space otherwise taken up opening and closing a standard door.