We chose to use the office area for the main bedroom. It was larger and faced the balcony with lovely dappled sun pouring in during the warmer months. We ripped up the old carpet to discover concrete, we filled in hundreds of small pin pricks where photos had been displayed and had an interesting panel of glass that looks in to the spare room!
8 Key decorating tips:
- Don’t be afraid of large furniture in a small space, if the room is small, it is small – so make it have a presence
- Try to add a wow factor or one piece that stands out
- Keep clear of clutter and avoid making it the dumping ground
- Get the best bed you can – you can always swap mattresses in the future with your spare bed if you have one
- Buy or create a bedhead
- Buy two matching bedside tables and lamps
- Use linen, cushions and throws to add colour, pattern and texture
- Keep to the colour ratio of 60% – the main colour, 30% – second colour, 10% a hint
Colour
Being in the Relationship sector of the Feng Shui Bagua map, the key colours are usually pinks, white and possibly yellow. Not being fans of pink, we chose a soft buttermilk tone for the walls from Farrow and Ball and a warm white for the ceiling. We looked for over a year for suitable bed linen and found nothing. There is a design opportunity here as it seems bed linen is either masculine navy or claret stripes or checks, girly flowers or plain hotel white and not a lot in between. We eventually found a multi-coloured bed linen set that echoed the Art Deco style we wanted.
Is It a Bedroom or An Office?
If this is the main room, Feng Shui would say no to working in your bedroom. This also includes exercise machines and weights. If it has to have a dual purpose, consider buying a sofa bed or a big day bed. If you have a studio, try to zone the bed and area next to a solid wall. There should be no TV or electronics in the bedroom.
The Bed
The positioning of the bed is a key Feng Shui point. Ideally, it needs to have a solid wall behind. Avoid the ‘coffin’ position with your feet pointing towards the door. You should not sleep under a beam or ceiling fan and you should have a solid headboard. Not a lot to ask! Of course, not all of this is possible at times. Let’s start with the headboard, I bought a cheap one via Wayfair and it works, a friend made one out of an old door and painted it, another from MBF board she bought in a hardware store.
The ‘coffin’ position is sometimes unavoidable. Our tiny French apartment had this classic issue. A remedy is to put a trunk or sideboard at the end of the bed but not higher than the bed as you need to see who is entering the bedroom. We chose the classic crystal hung between the feet and the door. Our New York apartment had three beams and draping a lovely paper cutout canopy addressed this.
Furniture and Mirrors
A big negative is when people push the bed against a wall, which says you are single. For a couple, you need equal space on both sides of the bed and the same bedside tables and lamps. Don’t clutter the room, be able to move around. It is supposed to be a room of rest and relaxation. And get the gym gear out, put it under the sofa or in a cupboard. We found a pair of French female and male antique chairs that no one wanted and they were perfect for the bedroom.
Mirrors are a contentious topic; if you can see your reflection in a mirror when you wake up, old Feng Shui practitioners say it is like seeing your ghost! Others say use warm skin tones and relaxing colours to achieve a sense of balance. I have seen children’s bedrooms in bright red and yellow and then the parents wonder why the child is bouncing off the walls. We have chosen buttermilk and soft caffe latte elegant wardrobes.
Light
As you would know by now, I am not a fan of curtains and prefer blinds. We added full blockout blinds to keep as much light as possible out. We had two lamps that give enough light. If you live in a studio, consider dimmers as it is likely you have down lights.
