Interior designer Kathryn Borglund shares why you should never underestimate the power of a bedside table and good lamp. The post Want to give your bedroom a new year refresh? An interior designer shares how to elevate your bedroom...
Arguably, the bedroom is one of the hardest rooms in the house to style. It’s a room that is often the smallest but typically requires the most storage. Our bedrooms are often act as dressing rooms, closets, lounge areas, cinema rooms and more. Yet, a bedroom should be a sanctuary, a place to relax. With all of these competing ideas, how can we balance style and function in a room that we use so frequently – but still want to stay polished, elevated and tidy?
Clearly an expert opinion is needed. We connected with Kathryn Borglund, an interior designer and also stylist for Dri-Glo who gave us her thoughts on bedroom styling. Here Kathryn shares why working with block colours is essential, that searching for durability is key and why you should never underestimate the power of a bedside table and good lamp.
When styling a bedroom, where do you start? Are there any key pieces to buy first?
I love to find a piece or colour that makes me feel inspired and then I build a story around it. A great place to start is with wallpaper or fabric, incorporating elements from the item such as a colour or pattern.
If you’re just looking to update your style and can only pick three pieces to change, what’s going to have the biggest impact?
A good place to start is to update your bedding, fresh manchester in a plain, block colour will give your bedroom a fresh feel. Plain, block colours in quilts are a good base to work off, they allow you to easily update the room with changing trends. Dri-Glo Online has a wide variety of premium bedding available which is the perfect building block to design your bedroom around.
Introduce a series of new decorative cushions to work with your new bedding. I recommend a pair with a patterned design complemented with a pair of textured cushions. A good size is the classic – 65cm x 65cm euro cushions, use a poly/feather blend insert to give the cushions a plush and luxurious finish.
A pair of beautiful bedside table lamps really do a bedroom justice, they bring symmetry into your space which makes the space feel cohesive and impactful.
What’s the easiest way to make your bedroom feel more elevated, even if you can’t replace the bigger pieces in the space?
So often I see bedrooms set out in the complete wrong layout with beds pushed up to walls and corners. Although you may be gaining extra floor space it doesn’t do the room’s aesthetic any justice. To elevate your bedroom the bed should be placed in the centre of the largest wall or the wall you face when you walk into the room. Every room is different so there’s no one size fits all, but place your furniture so you can set it out symmetrically. When paired with bedsides and lamps on either side you won’t even recognise your bedroom.
Balancing function and style can be particularly hard in the bedroom. Do you have any advice here?
This is one issue that as a designer we are always battling, while there are so many amazing products out there, they are not always suitable for everyday use. A common one is with fabric, especially for a bed head. When making your selection make sure it is durable because a bedroom is used every day and will tarnish easily. Select furnishings with high rub grade and ideally can be washed or wiped.
Do you have any interior design rules? Any styling no-nos?
I was once told if you know the rules you can break the rules, go with your instinct but don’t go overboard.
Pick and style and stick to it, with so many exciting products out there it is easy to get lost and put a bit of everything, before you know it you have a hot mess.
It doesn’t mean you can only choose the safe options but everything should speak to each other and have a cohesive look.
What are your favourite styles or trends at the moment?
I can’t go past the textile of the moment ‘Boucle’ it’s the perfect way to add texture to your scheme. Perfect on a bedhead, lounge or accent chair. I have a feeling this trend is here to stay and will stand the test of time.
A monochrome palette is one of this year’s key trends. It’s a classic and gender-neutral way to decorate a bedroom that is timeless. It’s simply an ombré scheme that uses tones to create a cohesive appearance.
Sculptural furniture has taken centre stage in interiors this year. Curved and Shapley furniture creates some quiet drama in a neutral space. There is an abundance of beautiful organic shaped bed end stools or bed heads perfect to add a sculptural feel to your bedroom.
What’s your favourite interior hack?
I love to use an upholstered bedhead and update the fabric when I feel like a change. It’s easy and not costly, simply select a rectangular bed head that you can place behind a bed base. This is cheating but I often use a staple gun to attach the fabric which takes around 10 minutes. A new pattern or colour will bring life back into your bedroom and can create a completely different vibe.
It’s smart to invest in bedding that is a neutral colour or tone so it can adapt to changing trends. Texture is also good to include so everyday scuffs aren’t as obvious. I love to use whites, blacks, creams, and greys, they are a great base to work off. My go-to range to use is from Dri-Glo which features a variety of beautiful and subtle textures.
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