PLANS FOR THE BEDROOM

View of the bedroom from the hallway

There are a few rooms in our flat where I know exactly what I want to do – the two most solidified in my mind are the hallway and the bedroom. The hallway is easy to figure out because it’s such a small space. Add a single piece of furniture, some artwork, a mirror, and a few accessories…. and bam! Done!
The bedroom is similar in that it is dominated by one piece of furniture – the bed. It takes up so much of the room that it becomes simple to determine the items required to finish the space. Here, I’m thinking lots of texture and a sort of nomadic world-traveler sort of vibe. (Is that a vibe?!)

Plans for a cozy and inviting bedroom | Hello Victoria

The room has two large windows with great moldings, but they let in a lot of early morning light

Plans for a cozy and inviting bedroom | Hello Victoria

Here is the bedroom just after we moved in. The bed frame was left behind by the previous owner, and the little tables beside the bed were stools that Richard brought home from Nepal. They’re just temporary, but they were a great solution to our lack of… well.. anything

The only thing we really did to the room was add some simple IKEA roller blinds to block out the early morning light. Again, kind of temporary, as I would love to layer some woven bamboo blinds and curtains. I really want that warmth and texture in here. The only thing is that we don’t have room to the left of the windows, to add a curtain there. Would asymmetrical curtains look too weird?

Layered window treatments inspiration | Hello Victoria

Layered window treatment inspiration via

The color that was here before wasn’t bad and is actually quite similar to the paint we did in the living room, but it was a bit darker and a bit more purple in tone. However, I really didn’t want a light, bright, bedroom – I wanted something moody and dark. Enter Hague Blue by Farrow and Ball. You can see the swatch I tested on the wall below (still a bit wet when I took this photo).

Plans for a cozy and inviting bedroom | Hello Victoria

I already have the paint done (photos to come), which is a huge part of the feel for the space. It’s cozy and dramatic and just needs the right furnishings and accessories to bring it to completion.

Since our flat is small, storage has always been a big priority in every room. In here, the closet provides plenty of storage both inside, and in the alcove above. Side note – Personally, I hate mirrored doors on closets, and would love to make it all look more custom, but we’ll see what I can do. I’m not about to replace the doors, but don’t know how I can DIY them better.

Plans for a cozy and inviting bedroom | Hello Victoria

Now, we don’t need more clothes space (big closet), but we do need space for all the other stuff (Christmas decorations, hiking gear, etc.). To that end, I have plans for a bed with plenty of storage, and the best candidate for that is an ottoman bed. (I can’t remember what they are called back in Canada, but over here in the UK that’s what you call a bed that you lift up to access storage underneath.)

Initially, when I was imagining the bed, I had a light grey tufted headboard in mind. However, tufted headboards remind Richard of dated beds from the 80’s or something (what’s wrong with him?) so I had to brainstorm other options.

Tufted headboard inspiration | Hello Victoria

Tufted headboard inspiration via

I’m thinking I will go DIY on this project because as much as I like some of the beds at made.com, they are still out of my price range.

I had thought I might make a headboard that was somewhat modern in design, using straps of leather. I was inspired by Emily Henderson’s bench in her last master bedroom, as well as the headboards at our resort in Rhodes, but have since thought against it. My plan is to introduce lots of textures and patterns in the artwork, bed linens, and side tables – so maybe a bed that is simple and classic will be the better supporting character?

Simple upholstered headboard inspiration | Hello Victoria

Upholstered bed inspiration via

I absolutely love the simple bed that Orlando Soria used in his previous apartment (above), and would like to use it as inspiration to hack an IKEA Malm bed. (I just have to see if the quality of the bed is worth the effort.)

After we have the bed in place, we just need a couple side tables to flank it.

IKEA bedside table hack inspiration | Hello Victoria

Bedside table inspiration via an IKEA bedside table via

I fell in love with these West Elm tables a few months ago, and have been trying to imagine a way to DIY something similar. I think that these IKEA ones could be a good candidate to try, wouldn’t they? I love that they have a drawer (to hide unsightly things) as well as a shelf to have books etc. on display. I am thinking of using painted balsa wood strips to mimic the bone inlay? Paint everything else black? Make the legs look metal?

Once I have those pieces of furniture, all that’s left is to add a couple brass sconces (as opposed to table lamps), artwork, decorative pillows, a throw blanket, woven bamboo blinds, and a vintage rug… it’ll look amazing! I already have a great set of pillows and a duvet cover from West Elm (on sale!), and just need to add pops of color and texture to the bed with some accent pillows and a cozy throw.

Plans for a cozy and inviting bedroom | Hello Victoria

Our lovely textured duvet cover and pillowcases via

Here is my final mood board with everything pulled together (minus the rug – still debating). Thoughts?

Textured nomadic bedroom inspiration | Hello Victoria

bed frame // sconce // woven lamp // nightstand // feather headdress // pillow 1 // pillow 2 // pillow 3

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