If anyone should have a bedroom they adore, it’s you, so we’re about to show you how to style the sleep space of your dreams.
In association with Città.
Silent nights
– Make your bedroom a true sanctuary by including only soothing colours and textures. If you prefer not to stick to one scheme year-round, pick a neutral shade for your duvet cover, then simply change your pillowcases, cushions and throws when the mood takes you.
– Choose a palette of up to five colours in tones of different depths so the effect doesn’t overwhelm the senses. Here, the midtones of the rug and throw provide a restful visual bridge between the pale bedding and the richly hued pillowcases and cushions.
– Create a dreamy floral arrangement for your wall by first foraging for long sticks that will bend and not break. Remove any leaves, then use one stick to form a circle as your base. Secure with floristry wire, then wrap additional sticks around the circle, tucking in the ends as much as possible (you can cut off any overhang later if necessary). Weave dried foliage into the wreath from a single focal point, allowing it to extend in different directions for an organic look and securing it with floristry wire. Now tie in flowers, keeping the biggest blooms closest to your focal point.
BACKDROP Walls (throughout) in Resene Settlement, resene.co.nz. Florals (throughout), POA, feelgoodwithflowers.co.nz. TOP, FROM LEFT Dusk bed with upholstered frame, $4910/queen; Sove linen pillowcases (navy and white), $69.90/pair; Inku cotton linen pillowcase (patterned), $49.90/pair; cotton velvet cushion covers, $49.90 each; Linea linen cotton fitted sheet and flat sheet, $169/queen each; Sove linen duvet cover, $289/queen; Washed Velvet Square Stitch quilted throw, $179; Ribbed wool rug by Nodi, from $1900; Compound bedside cabinet, $1590 (painted with Resene Just Right, resene.co.nz); La:Bruket hand cream, $29.90; Torre night bottle and glass, $59.90; Oku storage lids/trays, from $29.90; Arc free-standing mirror, $690, cittadesign.com. (Also on bedside table) Diptyque Eau des Sens fragrance, $190; Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil face butter, $63; Josie Maran 100% Pure argan oil, $76, meccabeauty.co.nz. All other items stylists’ own. ABOVE, FROM LEFT Radial Round side table, $490; Marble bowl, $16.90; Café mug, $29.90; Type 75 Mini desk lamp by Anglepoise, $390, cittadesign.com. All other items stylists’ own. ALSO PICTURED IN ENTIRE ROOM SHOT (VERY TOP), FROM LEFT Aspen upholstered lounge chair, from $945; Florence tote, $199, cittadesign.com. Nude Gauze linen fabric (used as curtain), $110/m, marthas.co.nz. Sneakers by Garment Project, $250, fatherrabbit.com.
Earthy pleasures
– Texture is a great way to bring comfort into the equation, and it comes into play here from the ground up with a nubby woollen rug, a linen duvet, a woven throw and velvet cushions. When selecting a rug, ensure a balanced composition by opting for one that’s big enough to extend either side of the bed by at least 40cm. Keep the head of your bed a rug-free zone, so your bedside table and/or standing lamp rest on the floor, and if you have a bench or an ottoman at the end of your bed, pull out the rug as far as needed to allow their feet to stand on it.
– There are no rules about the number of pillows and cushions a bed should be topped with, but do aim to combine different sizes to enhance the overall structure of the scene. Updating the formal feel of two pairs of pillows, an asymmetric effect is always inviting. Stack a couple of pillows on one side of the bed and just one on the other, with two cushions leaned against it. Or stand a single euro pillow against your headboard with a small rectangular cushion or two arranged in front of it.
– Treat styling your bedside table as an opportunity to enhance your evening self-care routine and make bedtime even better. Choose products that look as good as they feel — a lovely face oil or hand cream, linen spray or a facial spritz — and display them within easy reach. All will allow your bedroom to become part of your wind-down ritual while upping your chances of falling asleep.
– Another key to successfully styling a bedroom is to introduce interest at different levels. Move some of the focus away from your bed by standing a floor lamp beside it or leaning a ladder against the wall. The latter will also provide a storage solution to help you avoid the dreaded floordrobe.
– Take a curated approach to the top of your chest of drawers and decorate it with a chic vignette. Choose a theme, then objects that share that common thread — we were loosely inspired by Japanese craft. Lay your collection on the ground first to find the most pleasing arrangement. Consider using taller items and artwork to extend your vignette up onto the wall, and offset the lot with an organic element, such as a vase filled with sculptural dried foliage (we used muehlenbeckia) for a perfectly imperfect wabi-sabi effect.
ENTIRE ROOM (VERY TOP), FROM LEFT Noughts Weave wool rug by Nodi, from $3000; Linear two-tier sofa table, $660; toolbox by Vitra, $69.90; Scala Tall glass, $12.90; Sove linen euro pillowcase, $39.90; Sove linen pillowcases (pale and raisin), $69.90/pair; cotton velvet cushion covers, from $49.90; Grid linen pillowcase (patterned), $69.90/pair; Grid linen duvet cover, $289/queen; Lazo woven throw, $149; Sove linen valance, $179/queen; Tide ottoman, from $1085; Cila jug with handle, $59.90; Original 1227 floor lamp by Anglepoise, $790; Bella women’s linen dressing gown, $159; Sari ladder, $89.90; Dixon handbag, $159, cittadesign.com. Latte linen fabric (used as curtain), $48/m, marthas.co.nz. Sandals, $180, birkenstock.co.nz. All other items stylists’ own. ABOVE (DRESSER), FROM TOP LEFT Embroidered artwork by Sam van Kan, POA, @samlillianvankan. Print by Hein Studio, $114, theposterclub.com. Yuki lowboy, $2990; Natura glass candle with soy wax, $39.90; Finch dipping bowl, $9.90, cittadesign.com. All other items stylists’ own.
Words & styling Alice Lines & Sam van Kan
Photography Simon Wilson
