The Bedroom Tour

Earlier this year we embarked on a huge home renovation project that had been in the pipeline for 4 years. The dust has finally settled and I’m delighted to give you the full bedroom tour after months of updates via social media.

We bought our 3 bedroom 1930’s semi knowing that a loft conversion was essential in order to accommodate all five of us comfortably. At the time we thought we’d do it straight away but the house needed extensive renovation throughout and we had to prioritise our spending. Four years of cramped living conditions and we finally got our dream bedroom!

The concept

Before starting the project I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted to use the space. If you know me, you’ll know that my bedroom is sacred so getting it right was really important. I wanted the room to be a self-contained space that we could escape to with a loft apartment / hotel room feel. Calm, comfort and luxury were the three pillars my vision rested on.

The colour scheme was a big deal, it had to be perfect and in all honesty it is inspired by my brand colours which I adore. I’ll admit it is a little unorthodox but I put my heart and soul into designing the brand alongside Katharina from Seventy Two Studio. In the end it made sense to bring that much loved aesthetic into our home. Luckily Simon gave me his blessing and that’s how blush tones, gold accents and the deepest shades of blue became the basis for the decor in our new bedroom.

The wow factor

I’d say our bedroom has two wow factors: the button-backed bed and the swing chair. Both were top of my wish list, before the room was even built.

I’ve been dreaming of a velvet bed with a button-backed headboard for a long time, the loft extension finally gave me the excuse I needed to replace our oak bed frame with something a little more exciting. It screams opulence and luxury and I love it! Our bed is from Made and has hidden storage beneath the mattress which is brilliant for small spaces.

Bedlinen is something I never scrimp on, always buy the very best you can afford is my motto. I recently discovered The Fine Cotton Company, a brand that alines perfectly with me. They create beautiful products using natural and organic fabrics in a fair and ethical way. I have been gifted the Roma set and I promise you, it’s like sleeping on a cloud.

Hand on heart it is the softest bedlinen I own and it washes really well. The Fine Cotton Company supplies many boutique hotels so the products are made to last and definitely worth the investment.

I have layered the bed with some cushions from Elizabeth Scarlett and a gorgeous pink blanket because creating layers with different textures and colours is what makes a room stand out from the crowd. For me, our bed looks irresistible and it actually makes me smile every time I walk in the bedroom.

The swing chair from House Curious makes the kind of statement I was after, it’s loads of fun too! I wanted one for a long time but it’s not something you can just buy and put up on a Sunday afternoon. It has to hang from a joist in order to support the weight, you may even need the ceiling to be reinforced. We did both of those things and it’s solid as a rock, don’t take any chances, okay?

It’s the small things

I feel strongly that small details make all the difference, especially when you want to create a luxurious feel. It’s a bit like dressing up a simple outfit with killer accessories. It means that you can elevate somewhat cheaper fittings into something a bit more interesting and make it your own.

We bought door handles from Buster & Punch, they were definitely a frivolous purchase but they make our simple MDF wardrobe look a million dollars.

Simon travels overseas for business on a regular basis, consequently he spends an awful lot of time in hotel rooms. Thankfully, his experiences didn’t inspire any decor choices. There’s only room for one creative mastermind in this house! but he did insist on installing those plug sockets with USB ports that you get in hotels. It’s the kind of thing you don’t need but is actually quite useful and makes you feel fancy!

Wall lights, again, inspired by chic hotel stays. Our lights are from Garden Trading, we liked their timeless design and as you know, grey ticks my neutral boxes.

Rugs are a favourite of mine and as we chose a laminate floor instead of carpets they help to add colour and warmth to the bedroom. Mine are from Wayfair and La Redoute which is always my first port of call when I am shopping for soft furnishings.

Art

I suspect this section warrants a blogpost of its own but as art is quite a feature in our room I feel I have to mention it here and I’ll follow up with a longer post soon. For the first time in our entire adult life Simon and I commissioned an artist to create a painting for us. I came across Miranda Carter via a friend on Instagram (where else?) and I fell in love with her paintings.

The art world is intimidating if you don’t have the faintest idea about it – we certainly don’t but I put my brave pants on and got in contact with Miranda who was a dream to work with. We discussed the space and my concept, I sent some photographs of the room and a few weeks later we had our very own piece of art on the wall.

I have also sourced some fabulous prints from a variety of places: Soo Burnell for her Poolside collection – we have a limited edition print. Mosey Home, Wonder & Rah and Junique

Saving money where you can

I’m not going to pretend that this room was built on a shoes string, it wasn’t. We waited a long time for it and worked hard to make it happen so we mostly had what we wanted. However, we did make some savings:

We used basic metro tiles from Topps Tiles in the en suite bathroom. We had them laid in a diagonal herringbone pattern for added interest.

The floor is a laminate from Quick Step nothing special but it is practical and durable. I considered various flooring options but since very little of the floor was actually going to visible once the bed and two rugs where in place, there seemed little sense in splashing out.

Our chest of drawers and my dressing table are probably the cost saving area I am most proud of since I created my very own Ikea hack! Storage in our loft room is very limited, the quotes we had for bespoke furniture in awkward spaces were exorbitant so we got creative. I spent hours with the Ikea catalogue and a tape measure until I found something that would work. I bought four chests of drawers from the Nordli range and asked our carpenter to crate an MDF top that would go around the space doubling up as storage and a dressing table.

I really hope you enjoyed this blogpost, I certainly enjoyed writing it and taking a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come since those stressful days when we were in the middle of the build. However, we are still getting used to the space and I don’t feel that we’ve got it quite right with decorative accessories yet. I’d also like to add a small coffee table to the room but the perfect one keeps eluding me, still it takes time to grow into a new space.

Before I sign off I would like to extend a very spacial thanks to The Fine Cotton Company for kindly gifting me a set of their best selling Roma collection . Fortunately, The Fine Cotton Company are offering you 20% off the entire range, simply use the code TINKER20 at the check out.

Discount valid until 30th November.

If you would like to ask me anything at all about our room or our build just leave a message in the comments box below or via contact me via Instagram.

Antonia x