Buying a new home is the most exciting thing ever. You’ll probably window shop for furniture and look for interior design themes even before exchanging contracts, and your bedroom is probably at the top of your list.
Planning your new bedroom is a fulfilling project, but it can also sap your time and have you overthinking things. To help you out, below, we’ve listed five things to plan for your new bedroom. Hopefully, we can inject some clarity.
A new bed will transform your bedroom style, while a new mattress will change your sleep. Both go hand in hand to give your bedroom a great foundation.
Beds come in four styles:
Which you prefer is a matter of taste; divan beds and ottomans have in-built storage, but low beds take up less visual space, making small rooms look bigger.
In terms of mattresses, there are also a few types:
Most bedrooms only need a bed, a chest of drawers and a wardrobe. You can use a chest as a dressing table, and many wardrobes have drawers, so there are plenty of ways to kit out your bedroom without using up loads of space.
If you are lucky enough to have a big bedroom, the world is your oyster. It’s good to match your bedroom furniture to your bed in colour and style. So, for example, if you have a white bed frame, get white bedroom furniture.
Look for ways to increase storage without eating up floor space, like a taller but narrower chest of drawers and floating bedside shelves instead of bedside tables. This way, you will always have a spacious and airy bedroom.
Selecting a colour scheme for your new bedroom will help you make good furniture and decorating decisions. Ideally, you should choose colours you enjoy, but don’t be afraid to try new colours that are slightly different and bold.
A good rule of thumb is the 60-30-10 rule:
If you think three colours is too little, check out these colour schemes with five colours. The trick is to pick complementary tones.
If you don’t like the flooring in your new bedroom, it’s easy enough to change. Old carpet can be ripped up and replaced for as little as £10 per square metre, including fitting, or you can lay down laminate or hardwood flooring.
The cheapest option is vinyl, but gone are the days when vinyl offered a soft feel underfoot and a shiny, fake appearance. Premium vinyl flooring mimics the appearance of wood, and it costs significantly less, saving you money.
You’ll need an empty bedroom to replace the flooring, and you might also like to replace your hallway flooring to match it. We’d also plump up the extra money for a 10mm underlay with carpet or a high-performance underlay with a hard floor.
Your bedroom windows play a crucial role in the look and feel of your bedroom; too little light means a dark, dreary space, and chunky curtains can also give the illusion of a darker room and decrease visible area.
Most bedrooms are better off with window blinds. You can get some fantastic window blinds in wooden or aluminium finishes. The beauty of blinds is that they offer privacy and also let you play with light during the day by tilting them.
If you must have curtains, look for pencil-style curtains that fold and don’t take up too much space when not in use. If you have a cold bedroom, thermal curtains will help trap heat, and blackout curtains are suitable for south-facing windows.