Transforming Your Bedroom Space

As mentioned in a previous blog post, buying a bed is a large and significant purchase. The core tips discussed for choosing a bed will be remain the same and will do so for the foreseeable future.
However, unless you are lucky enough to live in a home with a spacious bedroom, the bed itself will take up a significant portion of the room. During the day this space is commonly unused. Wouldn’t it be great to transform bedrooms so they are truly multi-functional?
After attending a recent exhibition in the UK, we were presented with an innovative space saving bed which allows a bed to glide into the ceiling at the touch of a button. This opens up a number of functional uses for the room. At night it can remain a place to sleep but during the day it could be:

• A play area for your children
• A home gym
• An office
• A home cinema!

It’s certainly a cost effective solution compared to building extensions to your home or even moving home if you think your family has ‘outgrown’ it.

Wall Hanging Ideas for Your Bedroom Decor

Wall hangings have a significant impact on the comfort and feel of your bedroom. Deciding how to decorate your bedroom walls starts with finding a theme and getting hold of wall hangings that are calming, peaceful and a reflection of you!
3 ideas for decorating your bedroom wall include:
Quilts
Quilts are popular as wall hangings for good reason. They are beautiful works of art and tend to blend well with other bedroom decor decisions. You don’t have to go traditional with quilt patterns, either.
See quilt below, for instance:


There are thousands of unique patterns out there as well as people who can create a quilt to your specifications, whether you want something old fashioned or a quilt with a science fiction theme.
Photographs
 

Hanging pictures is another way to go. Create a series family photos or nature photos in black& white or sepia to give it that warm, old charm. Place them in similar frames. These can be arranged in a grid, staggered all over a wall, or in a neat arrangement. Don’t worry if you can’t find a dozen of the same photo frame, either. Try visiting a garage sale and use an assortment of antique frames for a more quirky look.
Artwork


Whether you decide on traditional, 2-D paintings or the highly textured works of canvas art that are growing in popularity, it is important to keep a piece of art within your bedroom’s style and color palette. Choose paintings that have at least two colors in common with your bedroom’s decor and it will feel like a part of the room rather than an afterthought.
When it comes to bedrooms, the decor is arguably the most important decision. While the comfort level of the room is high up on the list, the appearance of your boudoir is a part of this comfort. If what you are looking at is not pleasing to your eyes, you will be less likely to spend extra time enjoying what is supposed to be the most enjoyable room of your home.

Tacky, No More: Modern Home Accents with a Retro Feel

Retro style is, by definition, a thing of the past. It is a throwback, an homage, a shrine to the tacky, the outdated and the wood paneling…unless you do it right. Retro can also be part of the modern interior with a little creativity and a lot of daring. Here are three modern home accents that are really retro in their hearts.

The Bubble Chair by Eero Aarnio is perhaps the most iconic item to come out of the ’60s. Made in 1968, this chair has never really gone out of style. However, because it is from the ’60s, it has that retro space-age feel. Get a clear bubble chair and use it to augment the minimalism in your home, or use it as part of a lounge or in-home bar set up.
Image courtesy of Jeff Andrews Design

Aaah, the bead curtain. While once the domain of hippies and dazed and confused teens of the ’60s, they can now be incorporated into modern design without any strings attached. Take a look at the shimmering white bead curtain in the image above – it is subtle (no rainbow beads here!) and compliments the surrounding brown and white color palate.
Image courtesy of Martha Stewart

When going retro with oriental rugs, consider your art and color palate. Oriental rugs can be too bold, so you can offset them with simple colors and minimal patterns. It is usually best to choose tribal-like rugs over floral as well, as the geometric patterns in tribal rugs compliment minimalism and the modern home.

Buying a bed: 5 top tips

Welcome our guest blogger Zoe!
Buying a bed is a large and significant purchase and one that will hopefully give you years of comfort and lots of good sleep. During a seven-year lifespan, you will spend around 20,000 hours on your bed, so it is important to take some time and put some effort into making sure you buy the right bed for you. With so many options on the market you may feel overwhelmed with the choice. Here are 5 top tips that will help you to make the right decision when it comes to picking the perfect bed for you.
Think About Your Priorities
Think about what you want out of a bed and decide on what your priorities are. Factors to consider are the price, access to your bedroom, storage, turning the mattress, standard or electric beds, comfort of the headboard, any health issues, overall size and shape, materials and colour, getting in and out of bed and any other personal needs or desires you may have.

Try Out As Many Beds As Possible
Visit a bed showroom and take the time to try out as many beds as possible. If the bed is for two, you will both need to try it out simultaneously, as it will need to suit you both and be comfortable with you both on it. Wear comfy clothes and remove your outdoor gear before getting on the beds. Lie in a normal sleeping position for several minutes and try turning too. You should be looking for comfort and correct support for your build and weight, not just firmness.
Bed and Mattress
Remember that a bed is a base and mattress working together and should therefore be considered together rather than as isolated items. This is not always possible, however and you may have to select a single or a double mattress, and bed base separately. Ensure that they are well matched, the mattress is the correct size to fit on the bed base and that you are happy that the elements go together. Not all bed sizes are standardized and even with the same name such as ‘King Size’, you may find that different manufacturers make a King Size in different dimensions.
Think Big
Quite simply, bigger beds are more comfortable, especially if you sleep alongside a partner. Having room to stretch out, turn over and curl up without disturbing your partner is key to getting a good night’s sleep. With a bigger bed, you are much less likely to disturb one another, making your bed a more restful place to be and aiding in a quality night’s sleep for you both. Even if you sleep alone, a larger bed makes it easier to roll over in the night without waking or reaching the edge of the bed.
You Get What You Pay For
As with most things in life, you get what you pay for when it comes to beds. This refers to both the quality of the product and the service. Spend as much as you can possibly afford when buying a bed, as you will spend a large proportion of each night lying on it. The more you can afford, the better the quality and your bed should remain comfortable for a long time.

New Additions for Your Space

Now it’s the New Year, you’ll want to accessorise your home accordingly. One of the most popular current trends is moving toward green energy and gadgets and furniture that will allow you to do that will be the focus of this article, with a few ‘cool’ things thrown in too.
• New induction heated ovens are being developed, which, for those unfamiliar with the technology, use magnets to heat pots for cooking rather than traditional gas.
• Espresso machine with biometric capabilities? Though this may sound like a sci-fi fantasy, it is now a reality; each member of the household can program their ‘favorite’ coffee, and then simply place their finger on the machine’s scanner to prompt the machine to consult their coffee profile and make their drink.
• Electric radiators: traditional methods of heating are not as productive as some people think and electric radiators are one direction in which you can move to reduce your heating bills and carbon footprint. Not only that, but they look stylish!
• Mushroom packaging: thought it doesn’t sound particularly appealing, an alternative to polystyrene (a burden on the environment) has been produced that involves shaping fungal mycelium (baby mushrooms) into boxes. These boxes are biodegradable and, as they are stopped from growing fully, free from allergens and unable to ‘go off’.
• A good old fashioned plant: what better way to make your home green than to add a few flowers and plants? Though not ‘new’, they are perennial and can be bought to suit any existing décor and personal tastes. My personal favorite is a conifer tree.