How To Create A Luxe Bedroom You Love To Relax, Sleep & Wake Up In!

When I moved into my apartment last summer, it was really important to me to  make my flat feel like a home as quickly as possible.  I’m an anxious person who can easily become overwhelmed when theres mountains of boxes around and a to-do list a mile long so I knew that I had to get unpacked and organised quickly so that it didn’t get on top of me and never end up getting done!

Since I was on a tight budget, I knew that it would be unrealistic to think that I’d be able to get the whole place completely finished straight away but I gave myself two weeks to get all of the upstairs, hallway and bathrooms painted, unpack all of the boxes and have my bedroom, or more specifically my bed, finished to a comfortable standard.  I’d not been getting a lot of sleep at the time so creating a really comfortable, peaceful sanctuary that I could go to to switch off from the world was high on my list of priorities.

Perhaps one day I’ll share a full room tour but for now, I’ll show you the five main things that I did when I first moved in and decorated my bedroom to create a relaxing place to sleep and wake up!

1. Painting and Windows
A light, airy, open space is really important to me as I find it motivating and calming in equal measure.  I was really spoilt in the last place that I lived in as my bedroom window was south facing and almost the size of the whole wall and the windows in my office were fromVelux Roof Window Shop.  They were our first and only choice when it came to converting the loft because, aside from being the best quality, Velux had so many different options to choose from to enable us to create the light, bright living space that we wanted, with great noise reduction from the road when the windows were closed.

While I cannot change the windows in the place that I’m renting, I wanted to mimic the light, bright feel that my previous home had.  I did this by painting all of the walls a bright white with silk paint.  The room is fairly large anyway but the white walls open up the space even more and keep it looking really fresh and clean.  I wanted a calm space to go to sleep in and the white walls definitely help with that.

To save on costs, I kept the roller blinds up at the windows and chose not to add a curtain pole and curtains.  I prefer a blind anyway and although the ones I have might not be the colour I’d like, they serve their purpose and I keep them open the vast majority of the time anyway as I find looking out at the view to be really relaxing.

2. Bed & Bedding

Once the painting was complete, I moved onto creating the most comfortable bed I could.  While I completed the rest of the apartment on a tight budget, the one thing I didn’t scrimp on was my bed and bedding; if you’re going to be spending a lot of time in something, then I think that you should allocate a larger chunk of your budget to that.

When I moved, I didn’t take my bed with me as I’d had it for almost 11 years and it was in need of taking its final voyage to the tip.  The flat that I moved into came furnished and there was two single beds in the master bedroom.  I didn’t have any need for a single bed but two singles pushed together creates a superking, albeit a few inches shorter.

After consulting with the experts at Linthorpe Beds, I was able to order a superking size mattress topper that would sit over the top of the two single beds, joining them together to create a superking.  I chose a memory foam one from Kayflex who make premium roll up mattress toppers and once it had settled out of the vacuum pack, I just cut the extra few inches off from the bottom of the bed.  I can now starfish in luxurious comfort until my heart is content and I cannot feel the join between the two single beds at all!

While the colour scheme in my room is mostly white from the walls to the furniture that I brought with me from my old bedroom, I wanted to bring different shades of grey with light pink and accents of rose gold to the room as well.  I did this firstly with the upholstered headboard that I picked out, again from Linthorpe Beds.  I love how luxe the dark grey looks with the deep buttoned, fabric headboard.

I continued the grey and white theme with my bedding.  Buying for a superking size bed will always mean added cost but if you shop around like I did then you’ll often be able to find a great deal.  I got all of my bedding from House Of Fraser when they had a sale on, although it still wasn’t cheap but high quality bedding never is.

I invested in two sets of bedding so that I could have one on the bed and one in the wash.  I’ve had the luxury of a tumble dryer my whole life so having a next to useless washer dryer takes some getting used to and I’m trying to see the clothes horse as a work of art rather than as an eyesore getting in the way!

After deliberating for what felt like hours in store, I finally settled on the Luxury Hotel Collection 1000 Tc Supima Cotton Bedlinen Range because it felt so soft, luxurious and had a lustrous finish.  I picked out two fitted bottom sheets in the slate grey and two sets of the Oxford pillowcase pairs.  I always have two pillows on either side of my bed and I wanted the darkest set to be at the back as the ones that I’d actually sleep on so that if I had any excess makeup or products on my face or hair then they’d not show up as easily as the lighter bedding set that I had on top.

To create contrast, I kept with the same bedding range but opted for the white in the superking duvet cover and housewife pillowcases.  For the second set of bedding, I chose a light grey in the Sheridan Columbus Quilt Duvet Cover Set which came with two pillow cases included.  While this 400 thread count set is still really high quality, it is noticeably different to the 1000 thread count which feels far heavier and thicker as well as softer and more luxurious.

That level of comfort comes at a price though; it is an absolute NIGHTMARE to iron, creases in an instant and makes you feel much more warm in bed on a hot summers night than you’d perhaps like but it is mega comfortable and keeps you warm in the winter.  Hey, its all swings and roundabouts but all in all, I’ve created a bed that is the height of comfort and I can honestly say, I’ve never slept better.

3.  Soft Furnishings

Decorating my bed to bring together my colour scheme and to make it look and feel comfortable and luxe was next on my agenda.  This was where I was able to spend and save my money; I bought two of the Sheridan Haden Cushions on sale in House of Fraser (one was at the dry cleaners when I took these snaps!) and the matching throw.  They’re knitted in a gorgeous light pink, chunky cotton yarn; the tag denotes the colour as ‘peach’ but don’t be fooled, these are definitely a light pink!

Then I added two grey and rose gold geometric cushions, two pink fluffy faux fur cushions and a small pink and rose gold square cushion from Primark which were all really inexpensive but have a luxe look and feel to them.

I never used to enjoy making my bed but now I do and it feels so welcoming when I come home.

 

4. Lighting

As you’ve probably guessed by now, I’m really into mixing high end with high street and getting a luxury look for less.  I love the whole hotel room chic look and wanted to create that in my bedroom with matching bedside tables and lamps.

These bedside tables are from Ikea a few years ago when I bought them for my old bedroom and I’m in the process of upgrading their look with crystal drawer knobs.  I only had two left out of the pack that I bought and I’m waiting for the new pack to arrive from eBay so I’m a bit mismatched for now.

What really pulls the hotel vibes together though are the matching table lamps that I picked up from The Range.

The Elegance Crystal Table Lamps certainly look as the name would suggest, elegant and far more than their price tag.  They have a gorgeous pale grey fabric shade, a luxe crystal base and look even more beautiful when they’re switched on.  All of my friends who have seen my bedroom so far have complimented me on how gorgeous they look and they can’t believe they were from The Range!

They provide just the right amount of light and I love having them on when I’m winding down for the evening, relaxing before bed and reading.

I sat each of them on a mirrored plate that I picked up for only a couple of pounds in a craft wholesalers.  Mirrored pieces are a great way to give a luxe look to your room while helping to open up the space by reflecting light.

5. Home Fragrance

The final part of my bedroom that I made a priority to focus on when I moved in was the fragrance.

I had been collecting home fragrances from candles and wax melts to diffusers and room sprays for so long before I moved out as I’d always dreamed of having a home that always smelt gorgeous and luxurious.

Home fragrances really add a beautiful, clean and luxe touch to your home and makes it feel inviting and memorable.  There’s a reed diffuser and candle on the go in every room of my home and in my bedroom at the moment, I have the Amber and Frankincense scent by Monsoon.

Both the reed diffuser and the candle are housed in stunning glass containers with metallic gold lids and emblems on the front that depict an iconic Monsoon metalwork pattern.  They’re weighty, luxurious and serve as a decoration themselves and as such, are always out on display around my room.  I tend to save burning the candle for nights when I’m having a pamper or reading in bed before going to sleep.  It burns evenly and cleanly so it still looks pretty in the jar as it burns down.

The reed diffuser and candle are both in the Amber and Frankincense fragrance which smells incredibly warm and opulent.  This rich, woody scent opens with guaiacwood, patchouli and cedar blending into a heart of amber and the spicy frankincense base.  The scent is noticeable when walking into a room without being overpowering or too heady; perfect for any bedroom or sitting room I’d say.

This duo is part of the first ever home fragrance collection from Monsoon which comes beautifully presented in gift boxes that are almost too pretty to throw away!  You can find them in store and online at Monsoon.co.uk as well as from Argos, The Fragrance Shop and Debenhams.

From scent to light and fabric to style, these were the key aspects of my room that I focused on when I first moved in and they definitely helped me to feel more at home and get a peaceful nights sleep.

How would you create a bedroom that you’d love to relax, sleep and wake up in?