Philippe Starck once said, “If you are depressed, you put some bright yellow in and suddenly you are happy.”

I wasn’t feeling depressed but wanted to add a touch of summer to our bedroom. I have realised for a long time that there is a whole market there for a good bedlinen designer! The choice is limited to hotel white, stripes or flowers. Not easy for a couple to choose and avoid looking too gender specific. I have run the gamut of hotel chic blanc, Chinese intense silks and have recently gone for an Art Deco look.

A bedroom is one of the key rooms in a space and it is a room you should want to connect with. If you are interested also in Feng Shui practice, you can check out my other post. Avoid having your office, exercise machine, TV or computer in the bedroom – designers would talk about aesthetics and Feng Shui talks about bedrooms being for rest and repose, not work.

Questions to Ask

  • Who is sleeping there and what style can you both agree on?
  • Does it need to be painted, what about the floors, light, noise?
  • What is your budget?
  • What can you recycle, paint, strip or reuse?

But I Live in a Studio!

If you can, try and delineate a bedroom space by separating with a screen, bookcase, cupboard or a curtain. Think of the studio as a whole and look for an overall style. Then add different tones and hues of colour. Remember the 60% dominant colour, 30% secondary and 10% highlight. If your studio is tiny with white walls and you are renting, go for combinations such as aqua, lemon and a touch of grey or black, white and metal, or lime green, sky blue and a hint of orange. If you have more space, ask your owner if you can paint a wall or the studio.

Colours

Of course I am going to say, check your Bagua Map! See what sector your main bedroom is in and partner elements and colour accordingly. In our past tiny French studio, our bedroom was in the Travel and Helpful People sector and the colours were white, dove grey with metal framed art work. Faux crocodile skin lampshades added a chic touch in a tiny room and the bedlinen was white with Zara Home cushions in dove grey to soften the look.

 

Our past Berlin apartment, was an avant-garde apartment that becomes a tree house in the summer! Lots of wooden windows which lended a bit of a plantation feel. The issue was that it was in the Relationship corner for Feng Shui which means pinks, rose and white. Fortunately, soft yellows are acceptable as well as neither of us is a fan of pink. We first went for hotel chic white but it looked wrong. Pattern was needed and I am not a pattern girl. We compromised and had a lovely winter Art Deco look but we wanted something lighter and summery. This was the compromise, birds and plants and hints of lemon.

 

The Bed & Furniture

If you are buying a bed, go and fling yourself on various beds, buy the most expensive mattress you can afford. Check out my previous post. You won’t regret buying the right mattress, pillows and style. You spend 1/3 of your time in this room. Wardrobes are also important, make sure you measure the space. This seems logical but a friend miscalculated and had to return a new wardrobe due to a 5cm difference.

Lighting

Look for lamps that match your style and what you want to say in the bedroom. We made a mistake of getting side tables that were too low and when we moved, we changed them to taller stands. Consider a dimmer switch if the lights are too bright.

Curtains vs Blinds

While I love floaty curtains, you need to block out light for a good night’s sleep here. Consider blinds that have total blockout. If you prefer curtains, there are easy expandable curtain rods that are quick to put up and plenty of curtains to choose from. Just make sure you measure correctly. Don’t forget your local DIY store, they also have curtains that are often as good as IKEA and other furniture stores. If you are renting, take down the current curtains and put up some new ones to add an instant change.

Final Touches

Rugs – not being a fan of carpet, rugs can also add an accent to the room. Choose artwork carefully – look at what it is saying to you. Feng Shui practice would say avoid aggressive pictures, too much water, single images and depressing panoramics. You get the picture! Too much aggression, emotion and loneliness.  Add ornaments that make you happy and make the bed in the morning!