Turn master bedroom into sanctuary
Inspiration is key when it comes to transforming your bedroom into a luxurious, relaxing place to escape to, writes Deb Tapp.
The busy-ness of life is prompting homeowners to create sanctuaries in their master bedrooms. Interior designer Vanessa Webb, owner of interior design business Dress My Nest, is increasingly being called on to help transform rooms into escapes.
‘‘People’s lives are just so busy, the whole overload of technology, people are working long hours, they’re busy with their families . . .
‘‘They want to create a real sanctuary away from all of that, but a sense of luxury as well, it’s a way of travelling vicariously I guess.’’
Creating a luxurious hotel vibe is a common request.
‘‘People love going and staying in hotels, it feels really luxurious but they don’t really know how they can create that hotel vibe in their homes.’’
The whole tropical boho look is also popular.
‘‘They usually either go for dark, dramatic and romantic, or light and airy and open and relaxing,’’ Webb says.
‘‘It all comes down to how you want it to feel, whether you want it to feel glamorous and dark and exciting, or do you want it to feel really relaxed, tropical and soothing.’’
A luxurious vibe is quite simple to achieve, Webb says.
Add some dramatic wallpaper, or a feature wall behind the bed, an upholstered bedhead, some beautiful drapery, a piece of artwork, occasional furniture, luxurious bedding, mood lighting . . .
‘‘I love an upholstered bedhead because it really adds a sense of luxury, it’s really comfortable when you sit up in bed and lean against it and gives softness and texture to the room.
‘‘In terms of furniture, more people are using occasional furniture in their bedroom to create another sitting area – they don’t need a traditional bedroom suite because most have fully kitted-out wardrobes nowadays.
‘‘It might be a chair, an ottoman and a side table with a lamp just to create a nice little nook, or, depending on the size of the room, a built-in window seat.
‘‘It’s really nice to have somewhere else in the room to sit and read a book, or chat to your partner while they’re getting ready to go somewhere.
‘‘Or even having somewhere else other than your bed to sit and answer emails or use your phone.’’
However, Webb encourages homeowners to keep technology out of the bedroom.
‘‘It’s easy to fall into that pattern of watching TV in bed every night, and a TV will only take up space where you could put a gorgeous piece of art.’’
When it comes to colour schemes, there are two ways to replicate the luxurious feel of a hotel room.
‘‘Some people really love a dark colour in their bedroom, so it creates that cocoon feeling that envelops you.’’
In that case, go for the likes of a
black, dramatic wallpaper with touches of copper or brass.
Webb is creating a hotel vibe in one master bedroom that is black and white.
‘‘Contrast is always tricky, if you’ve got too much then that feels quite exciting, and having bolder more graphic patterns are going to feel more jarring and not so relaxing.’’
Instead, she has opted for small patterns, and laying up different shades of grey, with charcoal and white.
‘‘You can get that black and white look without it being really high contrast, and it can still be calming.’’
She’s done another room in black and gold.
‘‘It has beautiful black and gold wallpaper behind the bed, we’ve used both gold and hexagons in other areas of the house as well so it makes it all feel connected.
‘‘Then we’ve done floor to ceiling black sheer drapes, and a black headboard.’’
To get that more ‘‘tropical’’ vibe, layer up pale neutral shades using a botanical kind of wallpaper, be it palm trees or greenery, or use shades of green.
Bright colours don’t fit the bill when it comes to luxurious or relaxing, but muted colours, metallic and various shades of neutrals are perfect.
Lush pinks, pale greens and blues are traditionally the most calming colours, Webb says.
She has just created another room in pale greens and blues with palm tree wallpaper behind the bed, a window seat and shutters on the windows.
‘‘We layered up lots of texture in there, we used sheepskin, linen, velvet, added beautiful wallpaper, and a window seat so you’ve got somewhere to relax, it has all the ingredients.’’
Dusky pinks, or millennial pink, and mauves team up well with metallic too, or opt for largescale floral wallpaper.
‘‘There are just so many options, you can paint the whole room one colour, or you can have one wall of wallpaper or a painted feature wall, all of which can feel really lovely.’’
Another room Webb has completed has a tongue and groove plywood feature behind the bed, painted charcoal, and the other walls are white.
‘‘It still feels light and airy, but
‘‘There are lots of options, and you can layer it up with colour in the throws, cushions and in your bedhead.’’
Often people overdo the cushions, Webb says.
‘‘It’s a fine line between the bed looking inviting and sumptuous and making an effort to it looking over the top.
‘‘You don’t want to spend 10 minutes deconstructing your bed full of cushions before you get into it,’’ she says.
Invest in good quality bedding though.
‘‘A trick to making a bed look nice is good-quality bedding, so really nice feather duvet inners and really good feather pillows, they plump up and sit really nicely so you only need one cushion, not five or six.’’
Drapery is another important component to a luxurious master bedroom.
‘‘If you think about any time you go to a hotel, they generally have floor to ceiling drapery along the wall, which really gives that sense of luxury to the room.’’
Adding motorised roller blinds provides the perfect combo.
‘‘You might have a motorised roller blind that gives you the blockout so you can darken the room, then you can wake in the morning and open them with an app on your phone or remote to let light in but it’s filtered by the sheer drapery.’’
Colour-wise, drapery needs to tie in with the rest of the room.
‘‘A white linen sheer looks beautiful and gives you that tropical vibe, and going for more of a black sheer will give you that dramatic hotel look.’’ Lighting is as important. ‘‘Add beautiful wall sconces on either side of the bed, or a pendant light on either side of the bed.
‘‘If you can’t add a feature light next to the bed, you can put in a two-way switch so you can turn the light off by your bed and even put a dimmer on it, just so you can have different lighting.’’
Creating that luxurious master bedroom sounds easy enough, but it often stumps homeowners.
Inspiration is key when it comes to creating that sanctuary, Webb says.
‘‘Don’t think about a theme, think more about how you want the room to feel and in terms of inspiration, think about places that you’ve travelled to.
‘‘On holiday you’re often staying in a nice hotel, or you’re in a more relaxed place and therefore in a more relaxed state of mind, so it’s creating that in your own home.’’
Inspiration could also stem from a piece of art.
‘‘Find something that really speaks to you, something that’s going to make you feel happy and relaxed.
‘‘I’ve got photos in my bedroom of places that we’ve travelled to that aren’t family photos, they’re of a beach, a forest, just beautiful places that I love.
‘‘If you can bring that vibe into your home, then you can transport yourself to that place every time you step into your bedroom.’’