My bedroom makeover update

Almost, almost there

A little while ago, I asked for your help. The plan: redesign the main bedroom. The vision: a calm, relaxing space to retreat to (read: collapse in) at the end of a busy day. You kindly shared your views on some of the design decisions. In fact, if you didn’t, you still can here. Crowdsourced décor ideas, what’s not to love?

Progress has been made and the room has had a coat of paint which I am enjoying immensely. I truly believe in the transformational power of paint. The shade of choice: Mountain Hideaway by Valspar. The aptness of the name isn’t lost on me either – perfectly befitting the feel I wanted to create. It’s quite a ‘muddy’ shade and at first I worried that it would be too dull when painted all over (including the double doors of the built in wardrobe), but with dual-aspect windows and light filtering through from the ensuite, the effect is cocooning but not dark. Plus, it’s a lovely warm base to build the scheme around.

Mountain Hideaway matt walls & ceilings paint by Valspar.

One of the ideas I pondered was whether to paint all of the doors in the space (all four of them - yes, really) the same colour as the walls. There are two full-size doors for the wardrobe and then the door into the room and one into the ensuite. They take up a fair amount of the overall space, so my feeling was that leaving them all white would actually mean the impact of the new wall shade would be subdued, particularly when you factor in the two windows. At the risk of making the room sound like a sprawling suite, I must say that it measures around 4x4 metres, so sprawling it is not. The decision was made to paint the wardrobe doors in Mountain Hideaway (in a wood formula) and keep the entry and ensuite doors eggshell white.

As well as the transformation brought on by paint, new carpet has been laid throughout the upstairs of the house and stairs so the bedroom floor has been revived from a rather tired-looking basic beige carpet to a Berber loop design in a warmer beige shade with flecks of natural tones for a bit more interest. The difference to the whole of the upper floor is amazing. And there’s something special about that new carpet smell and the feel of it underfoot – love.ly.

A lesson learned: we painted the woodwork, including the wardrobe doors, before the new carpet went down. Annoyingly, the wardrobe doors were scratched by the carpet base (as in the webbing underneath) during fitting, so now need to be touched up. Admittedly, they could have done with a primer so the plan is to take them down and start again with a good sand, prime and paint to maximise longevity. Away from the fresh carpet, I might add. Frustrating, yes, but every day is a school day and all that.

One of the things I have taken on board through speaking with interior designers over the years is the importance of considering lighting early. So, ever the star pupil (I jest), I decided on the style and position of bedside lamps and an overhead shade promptly. I actually found the perfect lamps via a post by @grillodesigns – the below La Redoute ones which have a bit of a Japandi style to them. They’re the Setto, but seem to be out of stock. Some similar ideas here. Since the Setto is wall hung, careful attention was paid to the position of each of them in relation to the bed, leaving enough space for bedside tables (when I eventually decide on a design I like).

Wall hung bedside lamps were one of the first buys for the room.

At the time of writing, 86 per cent of readers voted in my bedroom decorating poll for a contrasting pendant light overhead. I found a large round cream textured shade for under a fiver in a local charity shop that I couldn’t resist for the pure bargain that it was. Although I haven’t ruled out a raffia, rattan or wooden style later down the line should I want to change things up. I love Fettler’s wooden creations.

The other big factor to get right was storage. It was seriously lacking before. Despite the fact there’s a sizeable fitted wardrobe, half of it is really awkward to access thanks to parts of the stud wall being in the way and the doors not spanning the whole width and height. The hardest to reach areas are resigned for lesser-worn occasion outfits, coats that aren’t the right season and suitcases. And no drawers, which I think are a must in a bedroom.

A double drawer unit for ample storage.

I decided on a double drawer dresser to fit along one wall, creating plenty of additional spots to keep clothes/accessories/hairdryer/straighteners and the like, plus that other stuff we seem to accumulate (like foreign plug adapters of which I seem to have many – mostly because I always forget to pack them and end up buying more!).
Style-wise, the dresser has a Mid-century vibe, a bit like the bed, and it’s a lovely warm oak in a light honey finish. It stands on legs which give the air of more space and opportunity for baskets underneath if needed.

I’m laughing as a write this as I’ve looked back at the product listing and re-read a part that says ‘Note! Please check that all access points are large enough to accommodate your delivery (doors, stairs, lifts).’ You see, it comes fully assembled. Yes, the access points are big enough. No, my muscles are not. Getting that bad boy up the stairs with two of us was, to put it lightly, a huge challenge. My steering technique left a lot to be desired and the sheer weight of it instantly broke a sweat. My arms and back ached for a week. I feared it wouldn’t make it to the bedroom. It did, but it’s never coming out. PIVOT.

Bargain shelves from B&M - around eight quid each from memory.

I added some picture rail shelves for trinkets and photos – another surprising bargain find in B&M of all places – and I’m still on the hunt for bedside tables. Suggestions please.

Like many of the rooms in the house, I’m taking my time to find the right artwork, mirror (I missed out on the River by M&S which I’m still miffed about) and extra finishing touches, picking things up when I spot something that works. Although I am getting rather impatient about those bedside tables.

Still to do:

Remember what I said about slow renovations? Here’s my list of outstanding jobs for the bedroom.

• Find bedside tables stat

• Find a great mirror

• Repaint wardrobe doors

• Paint radiator and window sills

• Add the fun finishing touches

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