Interiors: Bedroom Makeover – The Half way Point

January 9, 2017

 

scandinavian rustic bohemian white nordic geometric hygge bedroom urban jungle bloggers

Image: Design Soda

.

One week into 2017 and it’s been quite a big one for me, the house is set to appear on both Apartment Therapy & Style Mutt soon, The Frugality sent interest in my bathroom stratospheric over the weekend, I’ve got some new commissions, and my son spent much of the weekend telling anyone who’d listen (mainly me and Dan) that he is the baby Jesus, little late with the Christmas imagination, I know, but at just two I admire the delusions of grandeur (for the record, we have definitely told him that he’s not the baby Jesus!), plus it’s my birthday at the end of the week and Dan has some time off so we are going uptown on adventures.

.

scandinavian rustic bohemian white nordic plants minimalist hygge bedroom

Image: Design Soda

.

One of the things I love most about the start of a new year is the opportunity clearing out decorations gives you to re-assess the space around you, it focuses the mind to sort out things that don’t work but you’ve been living with absent minded-ly for ages. For me a new year means a fresh set of eyes around the home and a narrowing down of tasks (I know it should mean resolutions, but I’m not really a resolutions kinda gal) this year we have flooring to sought out, some wallpapering in Teds room, the eternal hunt for the right sized period front door and on the more fun side I want more colour and more vintage in the home. The floors in the bedroom and study still need sanding and staining, as such, I don’t have a whole reveal for you today but as we are only missing the floor (OK, I accept this is quite a big thing) I thought I’d share it with you and hope that it gives me the final impetus to hire that sander again! 

.

scandinavian rustic bohemian white nordic mid-century wood hygge bedroom

Image: Design Soda

 .

I’m a little nervous of sharing it, as firstly it’s not finished and I’m not entirely happy with some areas, but also, for someone who loves colour and pattern so much, it’s a bit plain Jane, dare I say even Scandi minimalist? Shh! Pretend I didn’t say that. Truth is I’ve been living with this room for a year and I absolutely love its white-ness. I could never have my whole house like this, it would bore me to tears with what feel like tones of anti-motivation but upstairs I have definitely been persuaded by the slightly Nordic. In my last bedroom there was a fair amount of Scandi white with pastel colour pops so this bedroom reveal is slightly redux if you’ve been reading my blog for a while but there’s definitely some new-ness too, if I don’t mention a product, you will likely find it on this old bedroom post here. 

 .e 

scandinavian rustic bohemian white nordic minimalist hygge bedroom

Image: Design Soda

.

My instinct tells me that in bedrooms you should either go dark or light, nothing in between for me really, either I want to be cocooned by a dark tone or neutralised in a light one, I’ve seen great bedrooms with far more flamboyance but this is the only room of the house I feel quite resolutely pedestrian about in my own setting. We chose white as the room gets a lot of natural light all year round and we wanted to play on that. White affords certain freedoms too, I rather like being able to go to town with powder and pastel pink accents in here which I just couldn’t comfortably do with a masculine tone, I’m less about the tension in the bedroom and more about the easy co-existence of objects. That’s not to say I don’t feel this room needs layers of interest, but layers which don’t jar in ways they usually do in the design soda house!

.

scandinavian rustic bohemian white nordic minimalist hygge bedroom

Image: Design Soda

.

There are great bedroom debates, and great bedroom debates, ours at the moment is what to do with our lovely floorboards (I know, you thought that was going to go somewhere more exciting, didn’t you?!). When I planned the bedroom I envisaged the whitewashed Scandi wood we had in our last place (tutorial here). I merrily pulled up the carpet knowing exactly what the next step was, but to my total surprise I really liked the rustic brown floorboards that are there and even the black edging, which threw me into a conundrum about colour, they would still need to be sanded and have a dark polish put on them but I’m now really torn. I usually stick with my first instincts on design and only tweak little things but seeing this floor has thrown me a little. I decided to live with it for a while and hope the answer became apparent but actually in its unfinished state it has just become the normal, so I really need to get on and decide. I think I will just hire the sander over the next few weeks and make my mind up when I see the lighter wood beneath, what do you think?

.

velvet emerald and blue cushions, pink washed linen duvet

scandinavian rustic bohemian white nordic geometric hygge brass pineapple sconce pastel colours bedroom pink duvet

Images: Design Soda

 .

One thing I’ve invested in in the bedroom is a new king size bed (Warren Evans Venice bed in elm) and linen to match (I’m beyond happy after years of tiny bedrooms to be able to fit a king size bed in!). I love how much a well chosen duvet changes the vibe in the room. So far one of my favourites is this one (pictured) from Habitat, especially in the winter, it feels so luxurious and soft. I also highly recommend the ranges from West Elm, La Redoute & Urban Outfitters. One of the things I think we’re lacking in this spot is woven textiles, a knitted blanket, soft cushions etc (I’m sure the cat would agree if I asked!). The little bookshelf above the bed is only supposed to contain books we want to read imminently, so far my husband is shaming me in the ratio of books we are getting through as a couple, so if I’m making a resolution this year it may just be to read more, each week I find new things I want to read when I’m at work (I work part time in a library) and they all seem to collide in what amounts to no more than a pile of aspiration! The wood and marble mid-century style bedside table was picked up a few years ago at West Elm, its called Penelope and is now on sale (you lucky people!). I have just picked up (yesterday) one of the Lizzie for Smug trays I blogged about in November and this is going to go on this wall above the bookshelf which I’m adding trinkets to all the time, and I’m slightly tempted to hang the Tom Pigeon poster ‘(mentioned & shown  below) over the glass bedside drawers.

 .

White simple minimal Scandi style bedroom bedside table detail

scandinavian rustic bohemian white nordic geometric hygge bedroom urban jungle bloggers

Images: Design Soda

.

The other thing so much space affords is a functional dressing table, so I no longer have to be a teenager applying make up and styling hair on the bed or the floor in my thirties! I love this area, it feels so grown up to me, like I’ve properly arrived in adulthood. An official dressing table would scare me a little, and probably age me, but this console by Lene Bjerre from Houseology is just the ticket. I absolutely love its Scandinavian lines, and I’m pretty smug about having kept the beautiful plant next to it alive despite all the blow drying around it. The chair has been re-homed from our old study and is brilliantly versatile within both settings and with adjustable height, it is the Gunmetal Machinest stool from Cult Furniture. The lamp on the table is Ranarp, £29 from IKEA and the terrarium (which is usually full of hair products and brushes when I’m not lying for the sake of taking pictures) adds a great touch of vintage but wasn’t at all.

 .

scandinavian rustic bohemian white nordic geometric hygge bedroom

Image: Design Soda

.

So far the art work in here is all modern geometric, I love this Flying Toy Box poster (above) £28, from Lane by Post, it strikes just the right playful cord in here stopping the room from being overwhelmed in minimalist aesthetics. I also really love the hot pink Harbour 1 screen print by Tom Pigeon behind the pink chair (image lower down) which was one of the first things I bought for the room. The marble shelf (above) is not supposed to be here, I bought it for the bathroom and although it came with plasterboard screws i’d imagined it to be much thinner and didn’t really have the confidence to hang it on any surface other than an outside wall. But although it wasn’t planned, I’m super happy with it, its small enough that I can change the styling on it all the time to add fresh spots of interest, but design wise it really feels like it was just meant to be here. I bought mine from CB2 as it was really cheap and just before the marble trend took off here, but I’ve seen a few since, this one at Graham & Green springs to mind. I’m trying to bring some nature indoors in the bedroom but in more sculptural ways than simply adding plants (which I’ve done too), I really like collecting dried flowers (which I’ve also got in the fireplace below) and have saved some of my favourites cuttings for one of the Ikea vases on this shelf (above).  The tree branch, also in IKEA smoked vase, was clipped from the garden just before Christmas and I’m keeping it going with the less Christmass-y looking ornaments until the spring when I’m intending to make some Easter decorations to hang on it. The concrete candle is H&M Home (find similar here), the smaller candle is a cheap purchase with washi tape decoration, the Gunnar Florning designed teak sparrow is one of my favourite things ever and the geometric wooden blocks are called Twin Blocks by Hay.

 .

 

scandinavian rustic bohemian white nordic geometric hygge brass pineapple sconce pastel colours bedroom

shelfie bedroom styling bohemian modern eclectic bedroom

Images: Design Soda

 .

Now this fireplace is one of the areas I’m not too sure of, it looks a bit mad at the moment, too much pink? I painted out the shocking purple jeweled tiles in the hearth (think Changing Rooms for style reference point) with white and then went to town a bit on the girly here! Should the garland (which I love, from Tea & Kate) and the pineapple (an old purchase from Caravan Style) be somewhere else? I’m quite tempted to put a French New Wave poster here as it’s something that has meaning to me, perhaps one with Anna Karina or A Bout de Souffle. I definitely feel the area needs more pictures in some form so will be thinking on that in the coming months.

.

scandinavian rustic bohemian white nordic hygge cotton flowers pastel colours bedroom

Image: Design Soda

.

The cotton flowers add height to the mantelpiece but they actually look better on the chest of drawers so I need to find something else with height in its place, something vintage I think, will be adding that to my list of unsearchable things to source! Actually, I really love that about interiors, the question marks and possibilities, spaces are best when they evolve over time and aren’t pulled together with one influence, who knows what will fill that spot, when I see it I will know it! 

.
mid century natural wood, colourpop, donna wilson textiles bedroom design

Image: Design Soda

.

My gosh, the sunshine in this room is such a delight, in these dark days of winter I’m longing for the brighter days where light dances across the walls like this. I took this shot 6 months ago and the area is filling out nicely over time, I will update when the sun shines again (can’t wait for more light, even a stark winter day would do right now). My investment piece is this glorious monochrome Henry pouffe by Donna Wilson which I picked up in the summer sales at SCP and handily is on sale again now, I just can’t resist high end knitted patterns. Also, check out the palm trees in our next door neighbours front garden (through the window) on super summery days it always makes me think of L.A, especially with the hot pink tones in this corner.

.

scandinavian rustic bohemian white nordic geometric hygge bedroom

Image: Design Soda

.

One final shot (below), as I always like to share before shots where I can, this one is from our first day in the new house, Ted is so tiny here! But looking past my little person, and despite the elements of the room I’m not sure of, I can wholeheartedly say that the lavender paint, those carpets and that wallpaper had to go! I can’t believe it was only a year ago that we were sleeping in that room, where does time go and how is that baby with hardly any hair now a proper boy with loads?!

Share

6 thoughts on “Interiors: Bedroom Makeover – The Half way Point

  1. Lins @ Boo & Maddie

    Oh I’m SO jealous!! I love your style and it just looks so effortless!! And how wonderful to have such a great start to 2017, I think after 2016 we were all so looking forward to a new year and new start 🙂 I really love your bedroom and agree to have such a light space is a winner. I admire all the darkness floating around Instagram at the moment but Pete would never have it and whilst I love it for winter I couldn’t imagine sitting in an entirely midnight room in the height of summer. So excited to see what you end up doing and very envious of what looks like a lovely grown up space. Roll on next house project…! Xx

    Reply
    1. Design_Soda_Ruthie Post author

      Oh Lins! Thank you very much, that’s really sweet of you to say, especially as such a stylish lady yourself ? yes, definitely glad we’ve shut the door on 2016 just hope all our worst fears aren’t realised on the world stage! Yes I think dark can be a bit overwhelming in a bedroom, we are super dark in the study and I love it’s masculinity but it’s definitely not me in a bedroom. Looking forward to seeing the developing changes afoot at yours ? xxx

      Reply
  2. Pingback: Scandinavian bohemian muted interior with natural elements and soft tones. How to use Scandinavian design in your home

  3. Claire Cook

    Hi, have come across your blog via pinterest and absolutely love your style! Giving me a lot of inspiration for our new extention as unfortunately I don’t have the eye to put a look together like this! Anyway just a quick question…the mirror in your bedroom with the round wooden fixing and gold hanging is amazing, exactly what I have been looking for but so far unable to find…be very grateful if you could let me know where you got it, please say it’s not years old?!!

    Many thanks,
    Claire

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Claire Cook Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.