Bedroom: Give it the boutique hotel look
Your bedroom needs to be a place that feels relaxing, everyone knows that. But what if it was more than that? What about that feeling you get when you enter a boutique hotel room: these rooms somehow make you stop thinking about deadlines and workloads; the only thing that comes to mind is the wonderful night's sleep ahead of you. Wouldn't you want to replicate this feeling at home?
The boutique hotel look starts in our bedrooms. Forget about living and dining rooms, it's all about the bedroom. Here's how to achieve the look in 4 easy steps.
1/ The Mattress (Support)
Obviously, your bed will make all the difference. That's where you spend a good 1/3 of your life after all. Invest in a bed that has a supportive base and not just a good but a great mattress. Mattresses make all the difference and the most gorgeous looking bed in the world will give you a rough night's sleep if the mattress is bad. Fact.
With 4,950 springs and 7 comfort layers, the Galway pocket sprung mattress from Button & Sprung would be my mattress of choice for keeping a nice neutral position during sleep. That means, no pain and no bad mood the next day, thank you very much!
In addition, all the boutique hotels I have ever been to use a divan base. This makes the bed a little taller, so easier to get in and out of.
2/ The Bed frame (Look)
The photos below are from rooms in Firmdale Hotels around London, decorated by one of my favourite designers, Kit Kemp. Note how she uses a really tall head board even though these are average sized rooms? Upholstered beds are currently all the rage. The bigger the headboard the better. Add curves and buttons and you have a winner. (like the Camelia bed, further down).
Photo credit: Firmdale Hotels
If these headboards make your heart skip a beat then there are two beds you should be considering, both from Button & Sprung: the Rose Divan bed (below) starting at £845 for a single and the Lavender starting at £645 for a single. The Lavender's tall square headboard is ideal if you don't like elaborate shapes.
The Rose Divan bed, Button & Sprung
While all Button & Sprung beds come in a number of their own fabrics that you can choose online, for the real WOW factor you should be visiting their showroom where you can let your imagination run wild with further fabric collections from Designers Guild, KORLA, ROMO, Andrew Martin, Linwood and Harlequin. Then you could really achieve that Firmdale Hotel look!
Korla fabrics have been used on these B&S beds. The Lavender bed frame is similar.
Above and below: The Camelia bed frame features both curves and buttons! Winged frames are HOT right now. See how the accent cushions echo the colour of the flowers (blue) from the wallpaper. Use this trick to bring a scheme together. And you get a choice of having this headboard with a divan or with a frame with feet.
Small room? You may want to choose a bed with legs so you can see the carpet going under - this tricks the eye into thinking there's more space to go around (see below the Peony upholstered bed in navy velvet fabric, £745 for a double, from Button & Sprung).
Photo credit: Button & Sprung, the Peony bed
3/ Lighting (Mood)
My personal preference is to have wall lights next to the bed. Articulating lamps are even better as you can turn them away from you when you want to 'dim' the light. However, bedside lamps can be multi-functional if you choose shapes and colours that are interesting to look at even during the day when the lights are off.
Photo credit: Etsy
Try to create a contrast between your headboard and the lamps. In the photo above (via Etsy), the grey tufted head board contrasts with the gold frame of the wall art and the side lamps. For a similar bed, try the DAISY in 'Seal' soft as moleskin fabric, Button & Sprung.
Below: A Seletti 'Egg of Columbus' lampshade suspends gracefully next to the Lavender bed frame and again echoes the colours of the head board. This suspension lamp will direct light down and away from your eyes creating a perfect little reading nook in the comfort of your own bed.
Photo credit: Button & Sprung
4/ Bedding (Comfort)
White bed sheets and down filled duvets will definitely give your bedroom a boutique hotel feel. You want your bedding to be comfortable but also to feel luxurious. Layer cushions and add a bedspread during the winter months to make the bed feel warmer.
And that's it. The boutique hotel look is achievable. Everything over and above these four steps is a 'nice to have' but won't get you too far. Remember that LESS IS MORE when it comes to boutique hotels. Do not be tempted to fill the room with objects that will only be gathering dust.
