Every time spring rolls around I swear that I am going to redo the bedroom and make it a little more fashionable. And every year spring comes and goes with me too busy with a thousand and one other things around to house and the bedroom redesign gets put off till next year. But not this year! Living and working in the digital sphere means that my first stop for bedroom design ideas is of course the internet. And that is where it all went wrong.
From the first Pinterest Board to those uber pretentious design blogs, there seems to be this assumption that not only should I rip out everything that I have previously had in the bedroom and start from scratch every year, but that I earn roughly the same amount as the Queen of England, Bill Gates. Seriously, for the same amount that one of these bedroom makeovers costs I could probably afford to buy a small Greek island.
The only thing that is more depressing than looking at these uber expensive bedroom makeover sites is looking at the cheap or budget ones. Sure these makeovers might be done on a shoestring, but I am pretty sure that there are prisons cells that have better style.
So where does that leave me when it comes to decorating the bedroom this year? In need of help. Fortunately, having friends that have recently just finished redoing their home means that they have some really great ideas. It is amazing what supposedly good friends think of your home when you have shared a bottle of wine or two. It was refreshing and a little alarming to hear what they actually think of the way in which the bedrooms currently decorated. Apparently my current design is what they would generously call ‘bold’ and my throw pillows on the bed are ‘different’. Moral of the story: if you are going to ask friends for design advice and criticism, have a thick skin and a spare bottle available.
So far the best ideas and trends that I have been assured are going to be ‘hot’ are:
- Green eco bedrooms: While I love plants throughout the house, I am not sure about the bedroom. But I love the idea of having eco-friendly materials throughout the home. Bamboo furniture and upcycled furniture is a must.
- Bold hues: While I think that bold primary colours are more suited for the children’s rooms, there is nothing wrong with having rich and inviting warm hues in the main bedroom. Dark shades might not work in smaller spaces, but they look amazing in larger bedrooms.
- The classic look: Having a chandelier in the bedroom might work in design magazines, but I can’t help but think how difficult it would be keep clean and how ridiculous it would look in any room smaller than an airport. But aside from that there is a reason why the classic look never truly goes out of fashion.
- Modernist: Abstract or creative art and bold statements take a lot of guts, but if pulled off right, they look amazing. Finding the right art could make this an expensive style, but there are so many rising stars in the South African art scene that supporting them just makes sense. Besides, it could turn out to be an investment.
But all is not lost, there is a lot that currently works in the current bedroom, and with a little tweaking and a few select pieces, redoing the bedrooms is not going to be as difficult as I thought. Spring demands a fresh beginning, so the the first thing that I am going to do is to toss out all the old bed sheets and duvet covers. This year I am going to go for clean white bed linen accented with a pastel throws. It seems ridiculous to already be thinking about buying new quilts, but this way I can get the perfect year-round look now.
Redoing the walls is actually quite easy. This year I am going to take the plunge and have get some custom designed wall graphics or some unique wallpaper printed done. Friends have had it done and it looks amazing. The floors are definitely going to be redone with dark wood with a so. But I’m going to start with the kids’ room first. It will make a great testing area.
Complementing this I think that this year abstract art is going to be the way to go, while the kids are old enough now that they can be trusted not to draw on the walls so they might be getting a little input on their theme. Just no Frozen. Or Minions. I don’t think I can take anymore of either.
But you know what, planning what to do is a lot more fun than actually doing it, so I might just invite the friends over again for another planning session. In the mean time I’ll be looking through these bedroom furniture ideas I found on www.bedking.co.za. At least they don’t criticize my favourite throw pillows on the bed.
Originally published on: Beds Cape Town
Originally published on: Beds Cape Town
