5 Ways to style your bedroom this Winter!

Growing up in a very neutral home where the entire house didn’t stray from half a shade of ‘Spanish White’, I find myself always looking to brighten up my home with bold colours everywhere and sometimes it just becomes a mess. We talked with Freedom Furniture‘s very own Debbie Ridling about how to style your bedroom not just this Winter but all year round.

When building on the foundation of your bedroom, what are some good tips for big ticket items? What would you consider an investment piece?

On average each person spends 2,920 hours a year sleeping – that’s a third of your year spent in bed. In order to set the scene for a great bedroom and a great night’s rest, it’s important to start with the bed. Invest in a good bed, quality mattress and quality, high thread count cotton or linen sheets to enhance your sleeping experience. Once these are down pat, take the liberty of dressing the bed to suit the season or your mood with inexpensive cushions and throws to change up the look as you feel.

How to style the basics?

Styling the basics is as easy as 1 2 3!

Get inspired. Don’t be afraid to jump on Pinterest, interior blogs or head into store and check out how the pros do it. If you love it, do it – styling has endless possibilities. Freedom Furniture’s new Style By blog offers styling tips using its products for you to recreate yourself.

Get Layering. The cooler months bring with it the perfect time to add interest with texture! Start with a muted colour palette and add layers with chunky knits, smooth silks, and textured waffles. When spring comes knocking ditch the layers and add interest with bold colours and quirky prints.

Make a statement. Ground your creativity with a statement furniture piece to act as the focal point in a room and define the space. Whether this is an occasional chair, a simple dresser, a fun retro chair or bed-end ottoman, this piece starts the story you want to tell and highlights your personality.

Low cost change outs that will refresh a room?

It’s amazing what a rug can do to a space. The foundation of a room, the type of rug you have can affect the type of space you want to create. A heavy shag or textured rug can make a room feel cramped and enclosed in summer but warm and cosy in winter. Swapping a shag pile to a woven natural material rug makes a huge difference by opening the space and providing a lighter, more airy setting perfect for summer. Rotate your rugs around the house depending on the season – the larger the scale the bigger the impact.

What is the most popular trend for bedrooms this season/this year?

Upholstered headboards are well and truly trending this season. With such a variety to choose from including different heights, textures, buttons and studs, there really is a headboard out there to suit everyone.

Should I stick to basic colours and only have a hint of new season colour, or if I prefer to have a bold colour in the room will this date? What bold colours can be used that won’t date and can still be refreshed.

Though it’s normal to get the urge to get the paintbrushes out and create a statement feature wall, I often advise against this unless you have a clear idea of the environment you are trying to create. As colour can affect a person’s mood so easily I recommend surrounding yourself with calm neutrals, like white, beige and cool grey on all walls. This then allows you to use brighter, bolder colour in the furnishings and décor accents which, if you get sick of, can be replaced much quicker and easier without the need for drop cloths and overalls.

However, if it is colour you are set on then you can’t go past cool mints, rich teals and deep blues, all of which won’t date and can be easily refreshed with an update to decorative pieces.

What is the best way to curate a bedroom with your partner? How to create a gender neutral room?

It can be a balancing act when it comes to decorating the bedroom with your partner. By starting with a clean palette and simple bedding this invites each party to offer suggestions as to how best to decorate the rest of the room. It’s best to make joint shopping ventures to interior stores and see which pieces you are both drawn to (plus sitting on all the sofas is always fun!). It’s important to remember that the bedroom is a sanctuary for you both so big decisions on decorating need to be made together. If your partner doesn’t give a hoot, then go crazy and get that copper lamp and fluffy throw by all means.

1. Cool, calm, collected NavyRoom Screen Shot 2015-06-05 at 3.35.58 pm