Create a boutique hotel feel in your bedroom with simple touches to make your space feel more luxurious. From the right wall colours to a powerful piece of art, Annie Blackledge, part of the Interior Design team at Holloways, shares the tricks she uses to make clients' bedrooms look and feel dressed and elegant.
"Carefully-chosen lighting, a soft palette and beautiful bedlinen are at the heart of a beautiful bedroom scheme," says Annie. "And while furniture is of course hugely important, don't underestimate the power of a small change – a painting, a beautifully-crafted lampshade, textured cushions...
"Sometimes these little touches can have the biggest impact on how a space looks and feels."
1. Choose colour carefully
"Bedrooms call for a soft, neutral palette," says Annie. "Peaceful shades and a light touch are key to creating a soothing and restful space. Colours that evoke the natural world are full of warmth and comfort, from pale greens to pinks and cool blues."
Annie suggests painting fitted wardrobes and drawer units in a shade to tone with your walls to make your bedroom look more spacious. Discover planet-friendly botanical paints from Edward Bulmer, plus Neptune's range of natural paints, in our showrooms.
Holloways loves: Neptune's new-season Potters Pink is calming and elegant in a bedroom. Surprisingly neutral, yet delicate and warm, its coral tones lend an air of quiet luxury to your sleeping space without making it overtly feminine.
2. Home is where the art is
A striking painting in an otherwise understated scheme lends a luxurious feel to a bedroom.
Neptune's new collection of prints, from these Abstract Scene prints with accents of russet and charcoal, to the Caledonia series – the rich blues of Scottish lochs and autumnal skies juxtaposed with swathes of purple heather and the verdant greens of wooded slopes – are bold pieces which are the perfect starting point to build a whole scheme around.
"An heirloom oil, a beautiful watercolour framed well – art adds depth and personality to a room," says Annie. "I love to use the colours in the painting to inform key pieces in a scheme – an upholstered headboard, a textured throw, the valance."
3. Let there be lighting
Multiple layers of light in a bedroom work together to create a feeling of luxury. Mix different types of lighting, from spots to lamps, classic wall lights to centrepiece pendants.
"The right lighting immediately elevates a space, particularly a bedroom," says Annie. "Dimmable spots on the ceiling are practical, and teamed with decorative wall lights and lamps, they create pools of light which add depth and drama to a scheme."
The Holloways showrooms are full of lamps, traditional and contemporary, and shades ranging from simple linen shades to hand-painted pieces and pleated silks. Explore a carefully selected range of our lighting collections online.
Holloways loves: Keats wall lights in metallics from bronze to nickel
4. Beautiful upholstery
An upholstered headboard, beautiful cushions tactile throws all bring a sense of luxury to your bedroom scheme and will pull a scheme together. Add a luxuriously textured rug, large enough to let you step out of either side in comfort.
Egyptian cotton bed linen, beautifully ironed, with plump pillows and generously-sized feather duvets and quilted throws will make a bedroom feel expensive and luxurious.
"A selection of variously-sized cushions on the bed in fabrics which tone with the wallpaper and curtains give the boutique hotel feel in your home," Annie says. "And an upholstered accent chair in the bedroom is a lovely place to relax from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the house, to have that first cup of tea or to get ready for the day ahead. An elegant ottoman makes for useful storage, as well as providing a place to sit and dress."
Holloways loves: Neptune's Beatrix and Grace cushions, upholstered in subtly textured linens.
5. Wallpaper
"A subtle wallpaper can be used all over a bedroom very successfully," says Annie. "It can provide the perfect backdrop for some beautiful artwork or an eye-catching clock. Choose gentle colours or an understated pattern if you're using it in large quantities in your space – it's more discreet than a bold pattern."
Some rooms lend themselves to a dramatic statement wallpaper.
"Ideally, this should be limited to one accent wall or maybe two thirds of the way up a wall with a coordinating paint colour above or below it so it doesn't dominate the space too much," Annie advises.
"In loft bedrooms or rooms with low ceilings, decorating is more of a challenge," says Annie. "Wallpapering the walls and sloping ceiling can create the feeling of more space as there is no clear divide where the walls start and end."
In bedrooms where windows don't boast beautiful views, or ones which have skyward-facing Velux windows, Annie suggests a botanical wallpaper. "It gives a feeling of the natural world, of the changing landscape outside, and creates a focal point you'll enjoy waking up to."
The Holloways Interior Design Studio stocks paint by Edward Bulmer and Neptune, and has a huge collection of wallpaper books by the following brands.
- Cole & Son
- Romo
- Colefax & Fowler
- GP & J Baker
- Sanderson
- Harlequin
- William Morris
- Clarke & Clarke
HOLLOWAYS INTERIOR DESIGN SERVICE
Looking for inspiration? Our expert team of professional interior designers are always on hand to help and advise. From help choosing a sofa to whole room redesigns, they'll talk through your project with you, understanding your life and style, and suggest fabrics, wallpapers, paint colours, furniture and accessories to create a home you'll love. The Holloways Interior Design Service is FREE. Explore our showrooms pick out some key pieces you like and book your initial design consultation on 01886 884665.
OUR SHOWROOMS
Visit our showrooms in the glorious Worcestershire countryside where you'll find elegant room sets designed to inspire you. Our Neptune store-in-store is home to a carefully-curated collection of living and dining furniture, plus a bedroom room set featuring the Francis bed base, George upholstered headboard, Scandinavian-inspired Larsson collection of bedroom furniture and Matilda occasional chair.
Victoria Twinberrow is our Neptune design specialist. Book a design consultation on 01886 884665.
