Our Decadent, Elegant Art Deco Inspired Bedroom Makeover – The Reveal! – A Goodbye

With a couple of days to go before our big move to the coast, it’s a time of reflection and, of course, the prospect of new beginnings. Especially as I get to redesign a whole new home. One room we will definitely find hard to part with is our bedroom. I thought we’d take one last look together of its creation as we move on to pastures new. The question moving forward is, will I replicate this space or will I design something new?

Our Decadent, Elegant Art Deco Inspired Bedroom Makeover – The Reveal!

Welcome back to a New Year and we’re kicking off with the long-anticipated bedroom reveal.

The past couple of months has been a whirlwind of planning, decorating and finalising the final look. The Hubs has been equipped with every decorating tool imaginable, whilst I’ve been busy telling advising what needed to be done. The race was on to complete it before Christmas and the arrival of family and friends. We just about made it by the skin of our teeth. There’re a few minor details to finish off but basically we’ve achieved what we set out to do. Exhausted is an understatement, but before I drop, here’s our bedroom makeover in all it’s glory.

The end result has left us relishing in a bedroom space that offers us a clear, clutter-free zone to rest our minds and bodies. The decor choices are a far cry from the pre-existing mishmash of styles and needless to say an unassuming bedroom space that we loathed to retire to.

We now have a bedroom that literally makes our hearts sing. And to be quite honest, not want to leave. It has become everything we had dreamed of and more.

Not Just a Reveal…

I wanted today’s reveal to be a helpful one, offering tips and advice along the way that you might find helpful for your own projects. And hopefully, inspire you to have the confidence to design a room that is both meaningful and that you’ll love. I’ve included lots of images but I’ve also dabbled with film making of sorts and have included some videos.

Let’s just say I won’t be giving up my day job to become a TV presenter, preferring to articulate through the written word rather than the spoken. If you do happen to click on them, I hope you’ll find some inspiration through my mumblings. Oh, and do forgive the intrusion of my appearance (mainly back of head shots as insisted by myself) throughout this post. The daughter decided it would be a good idea to show myself on here for the first time. I’m not so sure, but we all have to face our inner demons and 2019 is one where I’m challenging myself further.

Right, I’ve digressed enough so let’s get on with the reveal if you haven’t already scrolled down that is.

The Reveal

The All Important Storage -Wardrobes

When you think about it, getting storage right from the off is key, especially when it comes to bedrooms. No matter what decor choices you make, if you haven’t paid enough thought to storage solutions, you’ll have wasted time and money. No matter how pretty it looks. Every room needs adequate / correct storage otherwise it won’t function well and will look messy and cluttered.

Our bedroom spaced lacked storage in a huge way. And looked more like a local jumble sale rather than a place to unwind and rest. Storage was a top priority for us.

Initially, we considered freestanding wardrobes. But since the daughter moved back in, I lost my dressing room and needed to rethink our storage solutions. The end result? We ended up creating the ultimate storage with floor to ceiling wardrobes built to our very own specifications.

After doing our research and receiving a quote for the princely sum of £12k – yes I nearly fainted! It became clear we had to do some rethinking, as this was more than our entire bedroom budget and more.

We decided to look into having bespoke wardrobes made for us. Lucky for us we were recommended, Gleeson Brothers. And received a surprisingly much more realistic and purse-friendly quote of £2,750. This was to build the wardrobes ready for us to paint. And yes I did volunteer the Hubs rather than get a decorator in. He really shouldn’t be so skilled with the paint brush.

We also provided the handles which I had fallen in love with from Dowsing Reynolds. (See further down the post for more details as to why.)

We actually saved quite a lot of money with the Hubs decorating which allowed us to be able to budget on accessories for our bedroom.

Gleeson Brothers built our wardrobes from a quick sketch that I had drawn. Experts in their field, they created the ultimate bedroom storage that fitted in with our needs as well as providing us with professional advice and service.

Hidden Gem…

The gem of the bedroom storage was to incorporate a hidden dressing table/storage area. It hides away the everyday paraphernalia that usually clutter dressing tables and bedsides. As you’ll see when you scroll down (if you haven’t already) we chose minimalistic elegant clean furniture pieces to adorn our bedroom with. The video below provides an insight into how and why we chose to incorporate this area.

It’s All In The Detail…

As much as we wanted the wardrobes to blend in with the walls, we also wanted to add the perfect finishing touch and that meant choosing handles that were not only a pleasure to look at but also the feel of them too.

TIP: Choosing every day objects such as hardware makes life more pleasurable to use.

Walls

Feature Wall

As you may recall from my surprise bedroom update a few months back, we completely and utterly fell head over heels in love with Woodchip and Magnolia’s Va Va Frome wallpaper by Pearl Lowe. It became the inspiration behind the whole of our bedroom design as well as combining my love of the Art Deco era (a result of my obsession with Agatha Christie books from a young age to this very day).

Woodchip & Magnolias wallpaper is a paste the wall wallpaper which means it’s incredibly easy to put up. Even the Hubs has overcome his dislike of wallpapering since. And it’s encouraged him to consider wallpapering other areas of our home already. I’d say it’s a win-win on my behalf.

TIP: When choosing wallpaper for any room it’s important that it fits the rooms dynamics in terms of proportion if using a patterned design. You’ll also need to give considerations as to how you want a room to feel as well as look in terms of style and purpose. You can read more about choosing the right wallpaper for your homes here with my Ultimate Guide To Wallpaper and Your Homes.

Paint

Our master bedroom, like so many suburban homes isn’t particularly large in size. To help create a sense of space, we decided to paint the walls and brightwork (including the wardrobes) in one colour.

We chose Overtly Olive by Dulux. It also happens to be the same colour we have in our kitchen but in this room it actually looks and feels very different. The natural light is stronger in the afternoon and combined with pink provides a completely different look.

You’ve only got to look at Mother Nature to see how versatile green is. It’s a colour that compliments all others and allows you to play with pattern and colour.

The reason behind painting the woodwork including the wardrobes was to create the illusion of space as visually you don’t see any defining lines. The only part of the room that I couldn’t persuade the husband to paint were the coving (which I’m not a lover of and the radiator, of which he now wishes he had done so is on his list to do this year.

Flooring

When it came the flooring we had considered sanding the floor boards and putting down a large rug. In the end we decided to go with carpet. For one, it added a layer of comfort underfoot and two it also added sound-proofing qualties that meant noise such as the tv in the living room below wouldn’t be heard.

We decided to support our local independent flooring specialist Finishing Touch to provide and fit out carpet rather than go with a high street multiple. And we are so glad we did. Not only did they offer great customer service, but they were also able to work with us and our tight deadline/schedule. They also offered invaluable advice when it came to choosing the right carpet.

We opted for a silk Satino Royce in misty pink to lighten the room and add an additional layer of silk-like reflective texture that contrasted well with the other design elements.

Furniture

The Bed

Like the Va Va Frome wallpaper, the Wallis bed from Heal’s was a must for our bedroom. Both I and the Hubs fell in love with it when we visited Heal’s Kingston-upon-Thames store and just knew it was the one for us.

Considering this was a huge investment for us, I have to say that Heal’s surpassed themselves throughout the whole process. From receiving invaluable instore advice on choosing the right mattress from their bed expert Tyra-Jade to keeping us up to date with the beds manufacturing progress and delivery date of our bed. We had peace of mind throughout the whole process so if you ever consider parting with your hard earnt cash and need a new bed, I’d highly recommend Heal’s as your first point of call.

Shopping for a bed is much the same as shopping for clothes. If you think about it, your bed is accommodating your body pretty much like your clothes do. Your ideal size of bed should be one that fits your body’s size, weight, and height as well as being comfortable enough to move around in.

The Ultimate Guide To Choosing The Perfect Bed – The Interior Editor

Bedding

We’re incredibly grateful to Square Flower who sent us a set of their beautiful supersoft organic fairtrade cotton bedding. As someone who sleeps a minimum of 12 hours due to my M.E., I have to say I have never slept in/on more comfortable bedding such as this. We’ve washed it a couple of times since we’ve received this natural bedding and its softness has improved each time.

Natural bedding that allows the body to breathe without overheating with no chemical nasties ensures a better night sleep.

The attention to detail and the quality of Square Flower’s bedding is obvious from the moment we opened the box and will definitely be ordering another set maybe in blush.

Dressing The Bed

Bedding is an easy way to introduce texture and interest as well as colour and pattern. We dressed our bed by layering it with a Moss green velvet throw from Maison Du Monde as well as a faux fur throw. Both of which contrasted beautifully with the natural organic cotton bedding from Square Flower.

TIP: Decorative throws and cushions allow you to play with colour and pattern when it comes to dressing your bed. I’ve kept it simple, but already have my eye on an illustrative cushion that will add more interest and detail.

Again, take time to live with your bedroom spaces to see how and where you can introduce detail with accessories.

Dressing Table

Our Senzo dressing table is from Swoon and is a minimalistic Art Deco-inspired piece. Choosing this dressing table as with the bedsides allows the eye to travel further adding to the illusion of space within the bedroom.

TIP: If you want to make your rooms appear larger than they actually are opt for furniture pieces that allow you to see more through them. The further the eye sees, the more we are fooled into thinking a space is larger than it actually is.

TIP: Also consider the form of the furniture piece – heavier more solid forms impose on a room more than simple and minimalistic pieces as they are less intruding on a space. They can take up the same amount of space in the room but have a completely different effect on how your room feels and looks.

Joan Beauty BAA Stool

This luxurious Joan BAA Beauty Stool was gifted to us by the wonderful people at BAA Stool. And I love how it adds another layer of texture to our bedroom. This UK independent company are definitely one to consider when looking for exceptional, sustainable design right here in the UK.

You see Joan in her full beauty by viewing the video below.

Bed Side Tables

These Biella bedsides again from Swoon were an obvious choice when it came to choosing our bedsides. They compliment the marble and brass of the Senzo dressing table. Again allow the eye to travel that little bit further creating the illusion of space and openness.

Lighting

Lighting is such an important element to get right in any space no matter how large or small. It’s pretty simple to achieve. Layering your lighting at different height levels helps create interest and highlights areas you want to. I’ve included a video to show you how we achieved the correct lighting in our bedroom space.

The Decorative

The star of our lighting show has to be this handmade Juliette light shade from Coldharbour Lights. It was an early Christmas present as I just couldn’t resist not having her adorn our bedroom.

Soft delicate feathers combined with delicate gold bead detail add to the Art Deco vibe. It’s luxuriant and glamorous in every way. We absolutely adore our Juliette light shade. I’ve even found myself just popping my head around the bedroom door to take a peek at her.

The appeal of not having to rewire and incur electricians costs for installation was a bonus. Although, I am contemplating adding a pop of colour to the pendant flex by changing it up for a pink one I’ve seen. I’ll also be researching decorative bulbs just to add a more refined look.

Bedside Ambient Lighting

Lime Lace happen to be one of the best one-stop- online interior shops when looking for homewares including lighting. I have to say they’re one of my favourites and have featured quite a few of their products over the last couple of years. They very kindly sent me two of their beautiful Barcelona Lamps to adorn our marble and brass bedsides.

We adore their simple globe forms perched on-top of a brass base. They contrast beautifully against the pattern of the wallpaper. They offer the perfect solution to bedside lighting; adding soft diffused ambient light which is easy on the eye. As an avid reader, these Barcelona lamps couldn’t have been a better choice to curl up with a good book with as they emit such a comfortable light.

Floor Lamp

This elegant floor lamp was a brilliant find from our local Princess Alice Hospice charity shop. At £20 it’s an incredible bargain too.

It adds a mid-height level layer of lighting to our bedroom. It’s elegantly angled lamps highlight the dressing table area as well as the feature wall and the soft velour curtains from JD Williams.

Accessories

Diving Man

Every room in your home should have something that makes you smile and this diving man from Rockett St George does exactly that every time I look at him. His decorative art deco form adds interest and character too. He really is an exceptional addition to our bedroom space.

Art

What can I say but choosing artwork for the bedroom was an easy choice for us as I’d recently purchased these decorative vintage plates from Alijoedesigns at a pop-up shop at West Elm in Kingston-upon-Thames.

I’ve featured Debbies fabulous designs before here and I’m thrilled to be able to include this design in our bedroom. They’re aptly named ‘Driving Me Crazy’ from her Twisted Leg Collection which the long-suffering loving Hubby can relate to. The perfect wedding anniversary gift from me considering the demands I’ve put on him to get the bedroom done.

With regards to finding other art for our bedroom, we have decided to wait until we find something that has meaning rather than just serving the purpose of filling a gap on the wall.

TIP: It’s easy to have a kneejerk reaction to try to complete a finished look to a room. My advice especially when it comes to art is to wait unless you already have a piece as we did otherwise you could end up wasting not only money but also your time having to fill in holes and repair especially if you have wallpapered like ourselves.

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall…

Mirrors are a great way to help reflect light but in this instance, the mirror we chose was mainly for decorative purposes. Although we could have chosen a larger mirror, to adorn the feature wall, we wanted to leave space for artwork/decorative shelves either side. We just haven’t decided yet.

Something Old…

Not everything has to be new when you decide to redesign a space. Often it’s personal treasures, no matter how large or small that actually help define a room. My Art Deco Dancing Lady statue has been with me since my childhood and I have fond memories of trying to emulate her dancing stance as a young child. It may have even instilled my love of dancing of which I went on to do professionally as a young adult.

Older objects offer more interest and are often conversational pieces that intrigue and provides a space its uniqueness.

Meaningful Objects…

Having meaningful objects allows us to connect with our spaces on a personal level. For me, that can include books, a childhood favourite ornament, or a charity shop find like this Oriental lady that I bought at a carboot many years ago. It’s worthless in terms of its value, but I love the elegance and simplicity of her.

Flowers have played a massive part in my life as a former florist. Introducing them even in the form of silk brings a smile to my face and are more practical in a bedroom setting.

Window Treatments

I have to say, the Hubs wanted shutters installed to our bedroom, but I held my guns when it came to choosing the window treatment for our bedroom. And I’m so pleased I did. These beautiful velour lined curtains are from JD Williams and were inexpensive for their luxurious quality. They’re super soft to touch and drape beautifully.

Opting for longer length curtains added to the elegant feel of the bedroom and although they covered the radiator, it wasn’t really a problem for us in terms of heating. This room is incredibly warm and as we turn the heating off at night time, we didn’t necessariy worry about heat being emitted and lost from longer length curtains.

Lessons Learnt…

We had wanted to change the existing chrome light switch to match the rest of the hardware in brass and found this beautiful one from Swtch. Unfortunately, we hadn’t realised that the back box to the light switch was small at 1.5cm and the switch that we would have loved to have gone for only fitted a back box of 3cm.

Tip: If you want to change your light fittings to fit in with your new decor design scheme, check out your back boxes before you undertake decorating any space as this may entail you having to chisel out a larger box and then replastering. Also with so many varieties available now, such as round switches, you may need to alter the back box altogether.

Still To Do..

Is a room ever complete? As much as we have achieved the perfect sanctuary for us to sleep and unwind from our day to day, it is far from finished.

• We are on the look out to add a layer of interest to our bedroom floor with a rug/rugs.
• Change up the white plastic plug sockets that are visible behind the bedsides to brass ones.
• Door – change handle to a brass one so it’s in keeping with the rest of the room’s aesethics.

There’s always room to improve even a newly redesigned room. Once you have set down the foundations of a rooms design and your decor choices, you then have the pleasure of actually playing around with different elements such as pattern, layering additional textures and experimenting with decorative objects such as artwork, cushions, throws etc.

Wowzers That Was A Long Post!

Hats off to you for reaching the end of this rather long post. I do hope I’ve inspired or at least helped in some way when it comes to decorating/redesigning your own spaces. You might want to bookmark or Pin to Pinterest for future reference.

It would be great to hear from you and if you have any questions hit me in the comments box below!

As always thanks for stopping by.

Maria xx