DESIGN YOUR - Sophie Paterson Interiors

SOURCEBOOK Bedrooms
DESIGN YOUR
dream space
Clever ideas and easy updates for transforming your bedroom into a streamlined
and contemporary area whatever your style and budget Words Emily Peck
Your open-plan kitchen may have the largest
footfall in your home and steal the limelight when
it comes to efficient ergonomics and design, but
since, on average, you’ll spend around a third of your life
in your bedroom, it makes sense to ensure that you design
your snoozing space with just as much consideration as
the kitchen. A few simple updates and clever choices
when it comes to bedding, storage, lighting, gadgets and
window treatments will ensure you create a well-designed
bedroom, which matches contemporary looks with
maximum comfort and minimum clutter.
Add colour with bedding
If you want a simple update with maximum impact, you can’t
beat the trend for vibrant bedding to introduce splashes of
colour to the room. It’s a considerably cheaper option than
changing wallpaper or upholstery. Designers like Margo Selby,
Clarissa Hulse, Orla Kiely and Pip Studio produce bright,
bold designs in patchwork, toiles and block colours making it
easy to pack a style punch in your room using linens and
cushions. ‘My fabrics are woven in a double cloth structure
which creates graphic and colourful three-dimensional textiles,’
says Margo Selby. ‘Layering with different patterns is a great
Choose bright
bedding for an
instant update.
Altuza double
duvet cover
in citrus,
£75, standard
and Oxford
pillowcases from
£15 each, Bedeck
(0845 603 0861;
bedeck.com)
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Remix bed cover (L245xW235cm), £249.95; Geometry cushions (H50xW50cm), £44.95 each; Dotted and Striped cushions (H40xW60cm),
£49.95 each; Herringbone cushions in neon (H40xW80cm), £69.95 each, Ferm Living at Cloudberry Living (cloudberryliving.co.uk). Marseille Coverlet (L218x
W218cm), £178, Anthropologie (020 3119 2907; anthropologie.co.uk). Margo Selby throw, from £295; cushions, from £55 each (020 7242 6322; margoselby.com)
NOVEMBER 2012 123

SOURCEBOOK Bedrooms
This dramatic
blue wall is the
perfect foil for an
otherwise white
scheme. Laslo
double bed in
chalk, £630, Sofa.
com (0845 400
2222; sofa.com)
way to make a statement without having to commit to
a more permanent fixture, such as painting a wall.’
Get creative with your walls
Wallpaper, paint and tiling can all play an exciting role in the
bedroom if applied cleverly. Graphic and textured wallpaper
prints and block-coloured walls provide a confident backdrop to
your bed and can be echoed in accessories such as cushions and
throws to tie the look together. ‘As a general rule, you’ll get much
more style impact if you use contrasting colours, such as a cream
headboard against a dark wall or a strong-coloured headboard
against a light wall,’ says interior designer Sophie Paterson.
Painting a fake headboard on to the wall is also an emerging
trend. ‘Creativity tends to thrive in austerity because we are more
prepared to try out new and inventive ideas that reflect individual
style and a sense of fun, rather than show off how much they
cost to achieve,’ says Marianne Shillingford, creative director at
Dulux. ‘Adding a painted feature in the form of a headboard is
really easy to do for just a few pounds.’
Invest in statement lighting
There are various ways to light up a room, including dimmable
spots in the ceiling, table lamps, wardrobe lights that come on
when you open the door and individual angled reading lights
that come in handy if you want to read while your partner sleeps.
Interior designer Daniel Hopwood from the British Institute
of Interior Design (BIID; 020 7349 0800; biid.org.uk)
recommends opting for several spotlights instead of one central
light – to highlight curtains and other areas of interest.
Using a number of light sources can create a more
sophisticated scheme. ‘Concealed strip lights can be used under
the bed or integrated into the frame of a headboard, or carefully
angled downlighters can create striking patterns of light,’ says
Kasia Drymer from Living in Space.
Lighting up a wardrobe has both practical and aesthetic uses.
‘Add interest with a special finish at the back of the wardrobe,’
says Sally Storey, design director of John Cullen Lighting
(020 7371 5400; johncullenlighting.co.uk). ‘I worked on a project
where the back of the cupboards was wallpapered and we made
it into a focal point with a strip light hidden inside the wardrobe.’
Simplify your window treatments
There are several alternatives to classic curtains. For a clean
contemporary look, opt for Scandinavian-style shutters with
easy-to-control slats to let in more or less light. Blackout blinds
can be added to the back of the shutters if you want to block out
more light. Choose cream or white finishes, which will go with
most bedroom schemes, or opt for pastel shades of blue or green,
which are soothing and easy to match with accessories.
Roman blinds can be bought for as little as £35 for a H120x
W60cm size on the high street, depending on the material you
choose. ‘One advantage of blinds is the significantly smaller
quantity of fabric required compared to curtains,’ says Living in
Space’s Drymer. ‘Also, if you’re using a patterned fabric, the
design is on show – with curtains it can get lost in the folds – so
blinds can provide a focal point in the same way as a work of art.’
Update your technology
Integrating technology avoids clutter and saves you from bright
gadget lights glaring at you in the middle of the night. If you
want a TV in your room, but are struggling to find one that will
blend with your decor, look for one that can be hidden away
when not in use. ‘This can be done by enclosing the TV in a
cabinet with fold-away doors or through a motorised mechanism
to hide the TV completely out of sight when it is not being used,’
says Chris Knight, Perfect Integration founder (020 7002 7766;
perfectintegration.co.uk) and CEDIA (Custom Electronic and
Design Installation Association) member. ‘The most popular
mechanisms conceal the TV in a cabinet at the foot of the bed at
the click of a button, or for something a little more James Bond,
the TV can drop down out of the ceiling. It’s possible to take
the same approach with audio equipment, hiding speakers in
the ceiling. There are also some very versatile solutions that
allow you to control lighting and window treatments all from
the comfort of one control panel,’ continues Knight.
If built-in technology is beyond your budget, you can’t go
wrong with a docking station that doubles up as an alarm clock
and lets you play music while charging your smartphone.
Upscale your storage options
Most people underestimate just how much stuff they own, so it
pays to fit more storage than you think you need. Streamlined
solutions, such as fitted wardrobes, help to create a minimal
look, and can be tailored to fit even the most awkward of
Contemporary
louvred shutters
from Shutterly
Fabulous,
£270 per sqm.
(0800 012 6615;
shutterlyfabulous.
com)
Bedside lights
are ideal if you
want to read while
your partner
sleeps. Cliveden
throw in natural,
£120, and cushion,
£45; Dotty Knit
cushion, £55; Tonal
Edge cushion, £35;
Ercol loveseat in
natural, £665;
Savoy standard
pillowcase, £20
each, and Savoy
double duvet
cover, £100,
all The White
Company (0844
736 4222; thewhite
company.com)
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Wall in cherry chocolate matt paint, £24.69 for 2.5L, Dulux (0844 481 7817; dulux.co.uk). Connaught wall light, £60, John Lewis
(0845 604 9049; johnlewis.com); for similar table lamp, try Silver Ball lamp, £43.99, Lightsworld (0844 620 5938; lightsworld.co.uk); design by Sophie Paterson
Interiors (020 7370 2210; sophiepatersoninteriors.com). Cygnus floor lamp (H224xW215xD70cm), £931; Supersoft bed, £2,300, Calligaris (calligaris.com)
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Elm wood shutters in walnut stain, from £181 per sqm, The California Shutter Company (0845 123 5661; californiashuttercompany.
co.uk). Blind in Bark smoketree fabric, £93.60 per m, De Le Cuona (020 7584 7677; delecuona.co.uk); design by Living in Space (020 7722 3131; livinginspace.co.uk).
Mink high-gloss shutters, from £300 per sqm (including consultation and installation), Kelly Hoppen (0845 017 8995; kellyhoppenshutters.com)
124 NOVEMBER 2012
NOVEMBER 2012 125

corners and sloping roofs. You can create a unified style
by choosing similar headboards and side tables. Many
companies offer a range of door finishes including wood,
colourful gloss, glass or mirrored, which can be mixed and
matched to suit your needs. ‘If you have a small bedroom and
worry that large built-in wooden wardrobes will dominate the
space, go for mirrored door finishes to make the room feel
larger,’ says Sophie Paterson. ‘Or use panels of hardwearing
vinyl wallpaper on the door fronts for an affordable and effective
way to add interest.’
Inside your wardrobes, opt for clever storage solutions, such as
pull-down rails to make it easy to reach your hanging clothes,
and deep drawers and shelves for towels and linens. Dedicated
footwear, trouser and tie sections will keep things neat. You can
also consider creating a space to hide away your laundry baskets
and your gadgets such as your TV. Installing LEDs that
illuminate the interior when you open the doors is a nifty,
practical touch, particularly on dark winter mornings.
If space is limited, furniture that has several uses is key. ‘We
try to make new elements multifunctional, so that one piece of
furniture could serve both as a home-office desk and a dressing
table for example,’ says Emlyn Conlon, senior interior designer
at BIID member SHH (020 8600 4171; shh.co.uk). ‘Flexibility
is always the key so that the design can evolve with you.’
Many divans have built-in drawers for storing bed linen
and out-of-season clothing. You can also have furniture
custom-made to fit your room, such as a freestanding trunk in
which to store bed linen. ‘While most blanket boxes are fairly
modest in size, a bespoke one can be made to the same width
of the bed for increased space,’ says Kasia Drymer from Living
in Space. ‘If possible, a window seat with an opening lid will
also serve to hide away clutter.’
Fitted storage
helps to keep all
your clutter behind
closed doors. Add
drama with bold
finishes, such as
this design from
the Pure bedroom
collection,
from £3,000,
Neville Johnson
(0161 873 8333;
nevillejohnson.
co.uk)
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT White lacquered storage bed (H35.5xW171.5xL213cm), from £1,169; natural teak wood stool, £199, BoConcept (boconcept.co.uk).
White ash and silver dado sliding wardrobe, prices from £1,500 for bespoke designs in a range of finishes, Sliderobes (0800 454 465; sliderobes.com).
Limo white lacquered bed (H25xW206xL213cm), from £739; white metal stool, £149, Work black metal table lamp, £159, BoConcept (boconcept.co.uk)
NOVEMBER 2012 127

SOURCEBOOK Bedrooms
Beds – buy the best
In terms of contemporary design, you’ll be spoilt for choice on
the high street, where low-slung bed frames are equally as
popular as divans. Always test the mattress before you buy and
choose the best that your budget allows. ‘I maintain that the best
money spent is not necessarily on the bed itself, but on the best
quality mattress and the best bed linen that you can afford,’ says
Conlon. ‘Try out different mattresses to see if you are a soft, hard
or memory-foam person. Good bed linen, such as breathable
cotton, will make the biggest difference of all.’
One of the most popular mattress types is pocket sprung, in
which the springs are sewn into each pocket – this varies the
pressure on your spine and the more springs, the better the
support. A continuous-coil mattress is a cheaper option, made
from a single loop of wire, which means that the springs move
as one unit, so you’re more likely to feel the movement of your
partner next to you at night. Memory-foam mattress are the
latest big thing but tend to be pricey; the foam reacts to heat
and moulds to your body offering good support.
There is a range of mattress fillings to choose from, with some
higher-end brands including materials like horse hair for
ultimate comfort. Natural fibres are breathable and absorb
moisture away from the body, while foam and latex are good
choices for allergy sufferers.
Indulge in some finishing touches
For that beautiful boutique effect, finish the bed with cushions
and throws. ‘Layering gives you that luxurious quality and helps
to avoid the clinical feel you can sometimes get in a hotel,’ says
interior designer Sophie Paterson. ‘It’s a good idea to balance
minimal window treatments with sumptuous bedding, using a
throw at the end of the bed and lots of cushions with varying
textures and patterns.’
Finally add mood-lifting accessories such as candles, or an
infuser, mirrors and artworks. Scented candles can instantly alter
the mood; try Diptyque (0800 840 0010; diptyqueparis.co.uk)
and Jo Malone (0870 034 2411; jomalone.com).
Add modern style with
a graphic headboard.
The Vi-Spring Coronet
bed with Prestige
shallow-sprung divan
and Muses headboard in
Hexagon black and white
costs from £5,115 for
a king size. (01752 366
311; vispring.co.uk)
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Washed lace bed linen, from £22; Crochet throw, £175; Crochet cushion, from £55 each, all Toast (0844 557 5200; toast.co.uk).
Bed in brushed steel and Sazza fabric in brown (H95xW175xL222.5cm), from £1,826, BoConcept (boconcept.co.uk). Lyell bedstead (H127xW154xL207cm), from
£799; Starley Dawkins Valet (H126xW50xD5cm), £349, Conran for Marks & Spencer (0845 603 1603; marksandspencer.com)
128
NOVEMBER 2012