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The bedroom is our refuge and the room where, at the end of the day, we undress formality and abandon ourselves to a soft, regenerating embrace.
From my experience, and more particularly from the numerous requests for advice with accompanying photographs, I understood that although the bedroom is the room in which you spend the most hours, it often does not look like you.
Making the bedroom your second skin is child's play: just a simple make over , following some targeted tips, to know how to furnish a bedroom .
We choose the style of the bedroom
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The first thing to consider is the size of the room.
In fact, having a medium-sized room available or owning a very large room could, in the end, make a difference.
On average, the size of a bedroom is about 12/15 square meters. This means that, apart from a suitably sized double bed, there is certainly not much space left for other furnishings. Do not be discouraged: in fact, there are many elements that can still make your room as precious and welcoming as an alcove.
Let's start by defining, as a priority, what kind of style you want to give to your room.
Know that in the bedroom you can allow yourself to dream and to venture a little since, after all, it is your exclusive and private space.
So, do you want it to have a bright and sophisticated look or to follow the classic room full of details ? Or again, would you like it to evoke distant atmospheres of the southern seas or to remember a fairy tale , like the tower of a castle?
We color our environment with the right palette
Once the style is established, I would start by choosing the color palette that gives you peace of mind and that makes you feel good.
Prepare a large sheet , a wooden tablet or a simple box where you can collect samples of fabric and wallpaper, perfect to combine with photos and various objects. I always carry my personal box on construction sites, because I am convinced that colors must blend and dialogue first on the palette and only then on the walls!
Once you've composed your ideal palette , it's time to decide which primary color to give to the walls.
You can get a color swatch from a paint shop, or work together with a patient painter. The choice of the primary color is fundamental, and will represent the basic element on which all the other details of the bedroom will revolve.
Personally, if dark colors do not scare you, I invite you to take a chance: especially in the more modest rooms, sometimes the shaded areas paradoxically make the contours less defined and, consequently, deceive more about the size of the spaces. Furthermore, since dark colors have the power to bring consciousness to a deeper level, they are rightly suited to relaxation areas.
Again, don't be afraid to do several tests on a portion of the wall! Better to choose one that is well lit by daylight or partially obscured by shadow: in fact, the color can be very different depending on the exposure to the lights. Watch the rehearsals even in the evening with artificial lights, making sure to use light sources similar to the final ones.
If the idea of dark tones scares you, opt for a room with light shades , perhaps beige, ivory and sand in all its shades. Often and willingly, this palette meets the tastes of most, always giving the idea of a sophisticated, fresh and elegant space.
Do you think the walls are falling on you? Do not worry and place large floor mirrors on a wall, in order to reflect and enlarge the spaces. Where possible, also try to reflect a window with a beautiful panorama or a view of greenery: it will make light in the room at the right angles!
In any case, the whole room does not necessarily have to have the same color on all four walls.
In fact, you could decide to color only one wall , perhaps bringing the others to a shade in the range but lighter; or again, you might think of keeping the walls around you a little lighter and darkening only the ceilings. You will need to be able to evaluate the height and proportions of the room, because the way of coloring the environment will emphasize the heights and volumes or, again, highlight any stuccoes, rosettes and beams.
Even on the type of paint there would be an entire chapter to open, but maybe we will develop it later!
Wallpaper: because that's a yes
Another chapter that deserves some attention is the use of wallpaper for the bedroom. This little trick will allow you to move the environment with zero footprint.
The great return and, consequently, the incredible variety of wallpapers available on the market today allows us to decorate the walls in a very evident way, creating different and amazing settings every time.
Here are some interesting sites where you will find a great assortment:
- Wall&Decò
- Wallpaper from the 70s
- Sanderson Design Group
- Paris papers
I particularly love the cards that simulate real frescoes , with scenes of woods and clearings able to create a truly ferocious and enchanted atmosphere in the room, expanding the spaces into magical perspectives.
Also beautiful are the papers that reproduce precious and unusual materials , such as colored semi- precious stones , tortoise patterns , eco-leather and woven wicker !
Bed: height, structure and headboard
Once you have decorated the walls like this, just concentrate on the bed and the room will be more than complete and welcoming.
But what kind of bed height to choose? Here too a world opens up!
Personally, I prefer high beds, because they are more comfortable and beautiful to look at. Not surprisingly, this type of bed is always the choice for the ' hotellerie of high level.
So, choose a super and, I repeat, SUPER mattress , because the quality of your sleep will depend on it.
The standard height of the mattresses is around 20 cm, but I advise you to test the mattresses with hooded springs mixed with memory form , high between 30 and 35 cm. On the market you will find many hardnesses and with a thousand different characteristics, all to try!
An experience not to be missed is the one that many brands offer today, which even offer short stays of a few hours in rooms created ad hoc to be able to sleep and personally test the quality of their products.
Of course, we are talking about quite important investments that can reach up to many thousands of euros. To get an idea, I suggest you take a look at the sites of Hasten s and Simmons , even if by now almost all manufacturers have the so-called American mattresses among their models .
Furthermore, the mattress can be completed with a stopper : especially if you choose a mattress of standard height, the stopper could significantly improve comfort.
As for the bed frame , I prefer container beds because they offer the great advantage of hiding a large wardrobe in an otherwise unused space.
I also solved the inconvenience of the very small space under the bed, which did not allow easy cleaning, asking the upholsterer to mount beech feet at least 10 cm high: follow my advice and you can easily pass a vacuum cleaner or a cloth antistatic.
I particularly love storage chests because I'm not crazy about wardrobes, least of all in the bedroom. Where possible I always try to get a walk-in closet and, perhaps, I will dedicate a separate chapter to this topic as well
For the rest, I think that the bed structure should be very simple, smooth, with removable and easy to clean fabric . Eco-leather banned: I hate it and remember the idea of "I would like but I can't". If you want the skin better take it real, otherwise nothing!
I give a lot of importance to the headboard, which I have my trusted upholsterer made on my model, using the most varied fabrics. In fact, I find that the headboard sets the tone not just to the bed but to the entire room.
In short, I tend to dislike the walls behind the bed that are completely bare or unadorned. This does not mean, however, that the headboard must necessarily be made of wood or fabric . In fact, there are many who prefer the slightly retro wrought iron beds , even if I don't love them very much, unless they are an authentic period bed.
For me, the fabric headboard remains a beautiful and versatile choice. There are many different styles, and they can be dressed in such a variety of fabrics and finishes that they never get boring.
Recently, I made some in herringbone fabric for men's jackets , then finished with rows of small burnished studs; still others I created using a very fine natural raffia fabric , of great value, which somewhat recalls the colonial aesthetics of the end of the 19th century; moreover, when the wall has allowed it, I have repeatedly made headboards in velvet and lined with wallpaper , such as to incorporate the area of the bedside tables. The headboard was curved at both ends, creating an elegant screen effect. In these cases, a minimum footprint of 290 cm or more is calculated.
A valid alternative, if you want to remain minimalist, is the creation of a wall headboard made of plasterboard , which creates a shelf between 15 and 20 centimeters deep and a height of about 120 cm: here it is possible to allocate bedside lamps and lamps. table , books and objects, leaving space underneath to place lots of soft cushions. The headboard wall must protrude from both sides of the bed and, possibly, fill the entire wall behind the bed itself.
I have adopted this type of solution in several cases where the space on either side of the bed was so narrow that placing bedside tables would have been difficult or ugly to see.
A similar solution to this was adopted when I decided to place the bed diagonally on a corner of the room. In this way, I obtained in that corner space behind the bed a large shelf with a triangular shelf, with a height between 190 and 100 cm. This beautiful maneuver allowed me to place a large lamp, but also many objects. At the same time, I created a simple headboard suitable for hosting the numerous cushions that, with me, are never lacking!
Sometimes the corners are also suitable for the creation of multiple shelves stacked up to the ceiling, with dimensions to scale from the largest to the smallest: a real bookcase to be furnished!
Then, inside the shelves it is also possible to insert integrated LED lighting and one of variable intensity, which will constitute a beautiful lighting base for the room. In this regard, on the subject of bedroom lighting I have developed a separate article, which you can find at this link.
The corner head shelf also solves another problem that arises when putting the bed in the corner: the lack of space for the bedside tables!
Which furnishing fabrics to choose for the bedroom
Once you have decided on the bed and the colors of the walls, start selecting a range of fabrics in the chosen colors to give life to your wonderful nest, full of duvets and pillows.
Here, the number one secret to having a 5-star room is just sheets and blankets, which must be soft and swollen.
Put the duvet accompanied by a duvet cover and, possibly, also a folded quilt at the foot of the bed.
Personally, I also keep a blanket always ready if I want to lie down for 10 minutes without unpacking the bed.
If you want a princely effect, you can opt for the Edredòn model , the very puffy duvet also called foot warmer to be placed at the foot of the bed, which can be rectangular - two meters by one meter - or square 150 × 150 cm.
Against the headboard, I always put pillows , at least:
- two square cushions 65 × 65 cm
- two pillows 50 × 80
- two rectangular cushions 30 × 60
- two decorative squares 45 × 45.
I know, there are a lot of cushions and, just think, I'm not even finished as I generally also put two rollers 60 cm long and 20 in diameter, right against the headboard.
I already know your objection: "And when I sleep where do I put them?".
Precisely for this reason, I always place a large basket, a trunk or even a bench at the foot of the bed in the rooms, where I move all my pillows in the evening. It is a gesture that takes just over 20 seconds but, believe me, the secret is all there!
For the choice of sheets , I recommend you try linen , because not only is it beautiful but it is by far the fabric with the highest level of patterns .
For example, you can opt for simple and linear models or you can indulge in a model with ruffles , like our Gitane sheets . Create sets that maybe mix slightly different shades in the same range: this touch will make everything more interesting and sophisticated.
So, at this point, you will have to choose some fabrics that have the colors of your palette and that will play on the different weights of the sheets: matt or satin effect , embossed or smooth ?
Personally, I always work on a basis of linens and gladly I match some heavier fabrics like velvet , the jacquard of linen and cotton , patterned prints like stripes and small geometric designs.
Other options: bedside tables, lamps and rugs
How much space is left around the bed? Can I place bedside tables ? Do they have to be the same or could they be different?
Let's face it: there is no rule and, indeed, I recommend that you use your imagination to transform any element you like into a bedside table.
I don't like very much the furniture that you buy pre-packaged and combined with the beds, because they remind me a lot of the aseptic hotel rooms. In my opinion, a little more creativity would be better because, sometimes, just a small support is enough to make a room your room, even without a drawer.
Over the years I have used some crazy ideas: I have used stone millstones on iron bases , trunks , boxes , suitcases and baskets . Once, I even used a large drum on the floor and stools full of history!
If you don't have two identical ones, put them different!
And the bedside lamps ?
This is a chapter that I have covered extensively in another article and, therefore, I will limit myself to telling you that they can be floor lamps, table lamps or even ceiling lamps, but only if they are suspended low on both sides of the bed.
What other elements will bring a special touch to your room?
I always wear large soft rugs , but I'm not referring to simple rugs. I mean real rugs that cover a good chunk of floor, all around the bed. Believe me, there is nothing more pleasant than putting your bare feet on soft wool when getting up or going to bed!
Of course, it is better to choose it in the tones of your palette : you will have a thousand options between modern , rustic and colorful monochromatic rugs like Berber rugs or silky and elegant rugs like Persians .
Prices, of course, are variable: there are from a few hundred to many thousands of euros.
Finally, let's be clear about curtains!
Finally, choose the curtains , which can be light linen gauze in neutral and delicate colors of your palette or, alternatively, act as real window dresses in elegant furnishing fabrics.
The length of the curtains ? On the ground, of course.
Let the curtains rest a few centimeters and to calculate the correct width, double the width of your windows. You can also use multiple systems for tents matched: packet and sliding , roller blinds and Venetian blinds in raffia , heavy linens and softly rubbed.
Need anything else? In my opinion no, and the only exception is if you want to have a television in your room.
In fact, in this case you can decide whether to hang it on the wall in front of the bed or place it on a low and sufficiently narrow piece of furniture, in order to accommodate it without unnecessarily tightening the living space of the room.
In this case, however, to stay proportionate to the bed, do not choose a piece of furniture under 150 cm in length!