One of the most exciting (yet admittedly, daunting and stressful) junctures in our lives is when we move into a new home. And yes, once we’ve first endured the whole initial process (estate agents, mortgage lenders, removals companies, utilities switching, etc) which adds years to our general appearance, then the time is upon us to sit back and finally enjoy our new, immediate surrounds. Providing we’ve sourced all the furniture that wasn’t included in the original fixtures and fittings audit. So we actually have something tangible to sit on to take stock. Relax and breathe a sigh of relief now that you’ve been handed the keys and you’re in. And besides the essential furniture considerations (take existing items or source a new look and feel for the new home), there’s the bigger room pictures to address too. All of which should represent a fun period, where we can channel our inner Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen/Nick Knowles and go for broke, in terms of interior design.
And one of the main blank canvases in any new property, is the master bedroom. And the good news is you can create the perfect bedroom on a budget if you set your mind to it. Let’s face it, once you’ve settled all the outstanding payments, charges and taxes with all those third parties who habitually want their 10% or more, as part of the funds-sapping business of relocating (or buying your first home), there won’t be that much money left in the kitty for interior styling. However, and unless you’re planning on a ground-up re-design rather than the stamping of your identity on individual rooms, making your mark on the living space needn’t cost another mortgage to achieve. On the contrary, as there’s various cheats and hacks you can follow to afford the overall impression that you’ve been splashing the cash when you haven’t necessarily been so. Take for example opting for great value wardrobes. Yes, simple, well thought-through furniture choices can transform a room at a fraction of the cost of a comprehensive re-jigging of the entire space.
Below we save you the time and trouble by sharing with just a few of the best hacks for creating the perfect bedroom on a budget. Suggestions that are so simple you’ll be wondering why you didn’t think on them before. But then simplicity itself is so often the key in these matters. People tend to sweat the small stuff when instead they should be embracing it. Although we’re not advocating minimalism you’ll be relieved to hear. No, we’re merely following the tried and tested advice proffered by interior styling experts and bibles, who/which routinely help us shape our living spaces. Take a look beneath to see exactly what ‘cheats’ we mean;
- Heads Up on a Headboard – One of the simplest changes you can make to the overall look and feel of a bedroom in a new home is to adopt a headboard. Contemporary design tends to often forget about the impact a headboard can make on a bedroom per se, creating as it does a focal point. The bigger the better in most scenarios too
- Flower Power – Especially dried flowers or some sizeable houseplants. Failing that, invest in a bowl of artificial flowers; which are way more realistic than they were a couple of decades ago when they stood out a mile. Today most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Until they bent down to smell them that is
- Sofa, So Good – Don’t be shy about introducing a sofa to the bedroom – Yeah, the world and their partners have long been inviting chairs into their bedrooms (which usually end up being resting places for wardrobe items, let’s face it), but who’s ever thought about taking the downstairs upstairs? But trust us when we say it will instantaneously transform a bedroom (providing it can accommodate it) by adding a touch of regency class
- Scent-sational – Nothing lifts the ambience of a re-styled bedroom more than the presence of a scented candle. In fact, few things in life both look and smell as good for such a small price. Providing you avoid Jo Malone candles, just to clarify
- Mirror, Mirror on the Wall – Make a room seem twice as large/grander simply by facilitating mirrors. Immediately adding a sense of light and space, not only this but mirrors can easily lend a touch of opulence to a bedroom in the right setting. And depending on the themes you wish to adopt, naturally
- Get Under Your Own Feet – Forget all about under floor heating, as old skool rugs are where it’s at if you’re operating to a budget in your new-look bedroom. Describe a better feeling than walking barefoot on a deep pile rug? Go on?! You can’t, can you? Irrespective of the style, colour, pattern, etc, bringing a rug upstairs is always one way of giving your bedroom more than a hint of decadence
- Dress the Bed – Yes, don’t just drape your PJs across it, think cushions, pillows, throws, the works when making a bedroom more than merely a dumping ground for clothes which never quite make their way back to the wardrobe nor the laundry basket. Symmetry is key here though, as eclectic doesn’t really cut the mustard
- Make a Statement – Be it an upcycled dressing table, large artwork above the bed, up or down lighters in the floor/ceiling respectively; consider creating an immediate impact in the bedroom. None of which need cost an arm or a leg if you source via recycling websites or even supermarkets here in 2018.
