Relaxed Modern Bedroom Makeover Part 1

Remember I said I had some exciting news? Well here it is! I have stepped outside the comfort zone of Number 69, and into the GORGEOUS home of Graham and Hazel. Through the wonders of social media (and a lovely friend in common), Hazel got in touch looking for help with their master bedroom.

Now, this isn’t a couple lacking in style. As I said, their home is GORGEOUS… a picturesque wee farm house in the centre of the city!!… and decorated beautifully throughout. It’s just that their tastes, like most folks, have changed over time. Having two young children, both Graham and Hazel felt that they wanted something with a more youthful, contemporary feel. They both have great taste, and a good idea of what they like… but just needed a little help pulling it all together. After a Pinterest brainstorm and a lovely chat, we decided on the style of ‘relaxed modern bedroom’. We’ll keep it fresh and airy, working with the fixtures of the room that were already in place.

Bedroom Before

Within the room, there was very little that Graham and Hazel wanted to keep. The chest of drawers wasn’t practical as a lot of the chest was taken up with framing. For such a large piece, there was very little storage. Bought to co-ordinate, the bed has a hard frame with sharp corners…not really suitable when there are wee ones running around!

The bedroom itself, is at the top of the house, and although under the eaves, it doesn’t by any means feel cramped. This could also be due to the really good use of ‘unusable’ space through fitted mirrored wardrobes; not a hugely popular design feature normally, but they really work in this space. I actually think the brass frames could work really well.

Graham and Hazel had already sorted ‘the bones’ of the house, so really, this makeover is mostly cosmetic. Luckily for me (and our budget!) they had already fitted beautiful shutters. These helped to determine the relaxed modern bedroom style. The only other thing to stay is the carpet. Again, luckily, it is relatively neutral, and helped to tie down a colour palette.

Relaxed Modern Bedroom Inspiration

What did we do before Pinterest?!

Hazel made my job very easy by pinning a good range of images, with a strong theme running throughout.

Image by Loombrand via Pinterest

Image by Wooninspiratie via Pinterest

Image by Istome via Pinterest

Fresh, layered looks, with very little colour, utilising texture to give depth. Artwork resting casually on shelves, natural fabrics and materials and touches of warm metallics and wood warm it all up. Detail through touches of pattern on textiles and typography/imagery add interest to what could easily become a bland scheme.

Relaxed Modern Bedroom; The Mood Board

It’s all very lovely ‘shopping’ Pinterest, but I’m sure many of you have found that when it comes to finding the ‘thing’ or a ‘similar thing’, we’ve all struggled at one time or another. As many of the images are international, or worse, expensive, finding alternatives became my mission.

The idea was to work with the existing carpet colour by embracing this seasons hottest colour ‘blush’…remember, DON’T CALL IT PEACH!

A palette of light greys will act as a backdrop to warmer tones of brass, wood and blush, making the most of texture to add depth. Tiny ‘spots’ of pattern should stop the room feeling too busy. The introduction of black metal (keeping it very linear and to a minimum) will help to ground the scheme. The soft framed upholstered bed has a lift-up mattress so will provide heaps of extra storage, whilst being child friendly.

Relaxed Modern Bedroom; The Plan.

With very little storage space, I decided to add shelving to the alcove, which will extend right across the wall above the headboard to provide a narrow picture ledge. This will have the added benefit of lengthening the wall, giving a more fluid look. Swing-arm wall lights help to free up bedside space and can be easily moved to the side when not being used. Under the window, a simple radiator cover with a built-in drawer shelf provides a dressing table space without eating into the room. Lots of lovely textures add a bit of luxury, with the carpet colour being reflected in a single cushion. The wood tones of the louvre-style chest are echoed in a hewn-wood bedside table in the narrow space at the wardrobe side.

Facing the bed, we have the gallery wall! …but do you see what’s hiding in there? The television! A cunning way to disguise the much loved TV, is by surrounding it with art! A series of personal photographs and family artwork, framed in slim white, black and brass frames, should have the added bonus of drawing the eye away from the television when it isn’t in use. To maximise storage, we went for a bank of Ikea Malm chests. These have clean lines and like most Ikea storage, make the best use of space. An added shelf above the door will give a heap of extra space for clutter hidden in pretty boxes.

Do you utilise the space above your doors? If you have an awkward nook, then I totally recommend shelving it. I’ve done it myself in the past and it gave so much extra space for stuff like seasonal clothes. Anything to discourage me from wearing my bikini in winter…

Lighting-wise, I’ve opted for lots! A beautiful, simple glass and brass ceiling lamp from Habitat, Industrial style task lighting, and simple, contemporary decorative glass lamps, as well as strings of tiny copper wire LED’s, draped around shelves. At night, these will look like twinkling stars. Just lovely.

I can’t wait to see the finished room!

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