The master bedroom, where do I begin?
We decorated this room before even moving in a few years ago, and I use the term ‘decorating’ rather loosely because we really just needed to get it plastered and painted so that we could move into the house and have somewhere – anywhere – to live and relax, ahead of the renovating journey we were about to embark upon. So when I say decorated I mean we ripped out the old broken fireplace, ripped up the mouldy floor to expose the floorboards and gave the walls a lick of paint before adding our piles of stuff.
Now, after spending all that time on the remainder of the house, we’re ready to give it a makeover that we really love. A room which we can spend time in, not just out of necessity, but out of wanting.
It’s been a long time coming.
Other rooms have taken priority since then, but it’s given me a heck of a long time to do lots of planning, and SO much pinning.
After taking a long hard look at my bedroom Pinterest board – which you can see here by the way – there are some patterns emerging of the things I really want.
Wallpaper
Remember how I said we had the bedroom plastered only 3 years ago? Well for crying out loud, it’s already COVERED in cracks. This bedroom and our lounge were done by the same plasterer and they’re the only 2 rooms that look shocking. It just emphasizes wholeheartedly that a good tradesman is not only hard to find, but it is also worth paying for. We found one eventually for the rest of the house, but sadly our bedroom is left with more cracks than a builder’s arse. Luckily, the walls are sound and there is no way I’m plastering AGAIN so textured wallpaper it is. I’m thinking something really thick. I went to a restaurant in Chester earlier this year (Upstairs at the Grill – you must go!) and ADORED the panelled walls. Doing this with real wood is out of our price range right now and probably won’t suit the era of our house, but if we can find a paper which can mimic that effect, that’d be lush.
Source: rilane.com
Paint
Even though it needs lining somehow, I still love painted walls. If we end up going for a white paper, I know I won’t like the colour. It’s just me. I can’t quite feel at home with white walls. I’ve ALWAYS wanted black walls in my bedroom, since I was a kid. The best compromise I managed with my mum was a navy blue and yellow room with glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. Gangsta. I know that for most people, master bedrooms are light and airy and fresh and all that jazz. For me though, we have all that gorgeous light in the rest of the house – where I spend my time in the actual daytime. Besides, sun shines through the front of our house meaning it’s not often dark in our room. (I know this is me rambling to try and justify a dark bedroom). The truth is though, I feel much more at home in a really deep dark bedroom. For the first time in my life, I’m considering red as an alternative to black, because I don’t think I’ll persuade the hubby to dungeon it up. I’m thinking a wine-type shade, where it’s not quite burgundy but not really plum. I haven’t found the right colour just yet, but I’m on the hunt.
Source: benjaminmoore.com
Monochromes
I want to keep our bedding, pillows and throws – in fact, all upholstered items in this room – completely neutral. I’d love white bedding with a black border. I think it’s so classic and yet grown up at the same time. And I’d quite like something budget too. I’ve read time and time again that if you should have one investment for your bedroom it should be in the sheets. Well, I’ve tried that. I’ve splashed out over £100 on bedding from Next in the past, and also from Marks & Spencer, and sadly they are both the most discoloured and tatty bedding sets I’ve ever owned. Whereas my cheapy “spares” from Dunelm have lasted longer than the rest. You live and learn! Besides, you just can’t go wrong with black and white bedding can you?
Source: Niche
Warm metals
I’ve always been a bit of a cold metal kinda gal. The brushed chromes. The silvers. The aluminiums. I know a lot of interiors bloggers will tell you they’re cold and a bit clinical, but I just love them! Saying that, the copper explosion which doesn’t seem to be leaving the high street anytime soon certainly turned my head and made me reconsider. I don’t know whether it will be brass, a bit of gold or maybe the copper itself (heck, maybe I’ll whack them all in there) but I’ll definitely be throwing some shiny warm accents in there. If I had a few extra grand flying around, I would have considered this absolutely incredible light (okay, no I wouldn’t. No way would I ever spend that much on a light fixture, but still, it’s pretty gorgeous.) This is a budget project though so might have to accent with picture frames and the like instead.
Source: Louis poulsen
Update Old Furniture
We have overhead storage above our bed for our “summer/winter” (delete as necessary) storage but no doors on these. We also have a wardrobe in here, again with no doors. Let’s get some god damn doors on this furniture!! Our bed is also starting to look really sad. Our mattress is incredible (this one if you like a firm mattress) so this is with us for the long haul but I do wish we could upgrade our bed frame. I think this step isn’t likely to happen during this particular makeover because it’s costly, but it’s firmly on my list for the future. For the most part, the furniture in here is Ikea and is in great condition, so rather than unnecessarily replacing it all, it’s time to get some Ikea hacks on the go. I’ve been lusting over Malm overlays with greek key patterns which make the furniture look so much more sophisticated.
Source: costinm.com
So that’s pretty much my dream bedroom! Of course we’re not going to be able to do it all. Some of it may not go well with the style of our house. Perhaps a dark colour will be too much for our mid-sized bedroom. Perhaps we’ll just run out of cash! I’m not sure what it’s going to look like when it’s finished but I’m excited to find out.
What do you think of my dream bedroom? Are there any features that you’d have in yours?
