Robyn Donaldson (@around.robyn) is an ardent maximalist, and that refers to all areas of her life. From clothes to carpets – colours have to be bold, patterns have to be big and the general vibe has to shout ‘look at me’.
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I’ve lived at Foxberry Towers for three years. It’s a tiny terrace house with zero personality, not a single original feature and no natural light. That means clever décor is the key to making it feel like a palace. I’d lazily copied the theme for our bedroom straight from the last flat we lived in and with all the trials and tribulations of 2020, it was feeling a bit overstimulating and low on the luxe elements.
All the big pieces needed to stay put but I headed on over to La Redoute to stock up on transformational accessories for ‘Operation Nest’ – the makeover with minimal effort and maximum impact. I’ve diffused this down to an easy-to-follow formula for giving your bedroom an overhaul without actually expending too much energy. It goes a little something like this:
Beautiful bedding
Confession time, I’m really whack at bedding. Like I just don’t get it. Or I didn’t until now. I failed to understand the importance of layering, of getting the most luxurious set for your budget and playing with prints and hues. I’d just get a simple duvet cover combo but those days are firmly gone. Starting with a nice, neutral base using the Scenario Plain Cotton range, I added a little colour with a geometric, Indian inspired Mashita Flat Sheet folded over the duvet for a wink of turquoise. Then to top it all off, I went for the heavenly Salernes Microfibre Duvet in a different but complimentary pattern. This second duvet deployment solves three problems: It creates massive visual impact, it keeps your toes toasty AND you can untuck to hide all the stuff you stash under your bed. Bring all these elements together for a really easy way to make your bed look and feel like the kind of luxurious hotel affair you long to sink into.
Conceal your crap carpet
If you don’t have a crap carpet, skip to lighting but If you do, you’re going to want to take notes here. When we moved in we couldn’t afford new carpets and the ones here were, in the loosest possible sense, fine. But they’re big and beige and deeply unappealing. If you too are stuck with abominable flooring, I have the answer. Big rug. Yep, it’s as simple as that. A big rug changes the feel, zones a room, feels fantastic underfoot and if you’re renting, living somewhere you don’t plan to stay for long or like me, can’t face moving all the big furniture to get the carpets replaced, you can just roll it up and take with when you make your next move. I went for the Mutanya Rug because it’s got bags of texture and interest but isn’t actually patterned and relatively neutral making it really versatile if we do redecorate.
Let your lighting do the talking
Nothing creates mood and drama, or a sense of cocooning calm like cleverly curated lighting. It’s the key to making a room sing. And the bedroom is the absolute most important room to get lighting right in because anything other then perfection will knock your relaxation lobe right out of kilter. Imagine just the big light in a bedroom. Shudder. You’ll want reading lights, standing lamps, and beautiful little numbers for bedside tables and chest of drawers alike. I went for the Amoris Glass Table Lamp for its vintage feel and slightly oversized proportions. It’s a real scene stealer. So, get to work taking the glow up or down, it’s an easy way of creating your desired vibe in the bedroom and can be shifted in seconds if you fancy a change.
Bring the outdoors in
Flora and fauna make a space feel comfy, cosy and connected to nature like nothing else. A few cleverly deployed plants are they ideal finishing touch to a room, creating interest and adding in a human element. But what if, like me, you have a room that boasts almost no natural light. That dooms any plant placed in it to a slow and painful death? Fake it of course. La Redoute has a massive range of artificial plants and flowers for the resolutely un-green fingered amongst us. Then go to town on your pots, whether you theme them for a zen effect or mix and match for an eclectic vibe, they’re an area where you can really add some personality. I got a big, black Blompot to add some drama without dominating the already busy sideboard.
So there you have it, a few simple things you can tweak in your bedroom to maximalise its potential for peace and relaxation. Hope you create the cosiest sleep space known to man!
