How to turn your bedroom into a sanctuary

You know that moment when you step into your room at a nice hotel and instantly relax? Yes, partly that’s because you’re on a break and you know you’ll be dining rather than cooking and chilling out rather than cleaning, but it’s also because a hotel room is uncluttered, calm and tidy. Here’s our guide to recreating that feeling in your own home.

1. Declutter

A bedroom knee-deep in magazines, straggling electric lamp cords and general debris will never feel calm or welcoming. Start by stripping everything out of the room that’s not conducive to an air of sanctuary. Anything to do with work, or things like cookery books that belong in other parts of the house need to go.

Everyone has to mix the ideal with the practical, and if you’re short on storage space then you may not have much option for storing things in the bedroom, but try to get them out of sight. Invest in some under-bed storage or a blanket chest to sit at the foot of the bed. Tack loose electric cords down or coil them out of sight, and move phone and appliance chargers downstairs.

2. Picture this

We tend not to hang our favourite artworks in bedrooms as we like to display them in more public areas of the house. That means that the pictures that end up in bedrooms can be a pretty mis-matched collection of oddments. Be ruthless about existing pictures, and start again with one statement piece that you love. You can then build your colour scheme around this.

3. And so to bed

The main feature of a luxury hotel bedroom is the bed itself. It might be four poster, half tester, sleight style, modern or traditional, but it’s sure to be of a good size and excellent quality. Good hotels never stint on a decent bed, which should be the focal point of the room. If yours is looking a bit past its best, then it could be time to invest.

While the bed frame itself may be fine, mattresses need replacing around every eight years. Finally, think about some new bedding. For that luxury look, it’s got to be white Egyptian cotton. Go for the highest thread count you can – the thread count is the number of threads to the square inch, and the higher the number, the denser and finer the material. Add a textured, coloured throw in wool, fake fur or velvet and some scatter cushions in a variety of colours and textures for the final touches.

4. Let there be light  

Getting the lighting right is the difference between making your bedroom feel like an office with harsh strip lighting and creating a soft, welcoming atmosphere. Try to keep overhead lighting to a minimum, and use wall lights and downlighters to give extra light where it’s needed. You can also add table lamps and standard lamps to create pools of light for a cosy feel.

When you’re thinking about window treatments, remember they need to be practical as well as decorative. Hotels often have blackout blinds as well as curtains to frame the windows. Having slightly over-long curtains that ‘pool’ onto the floor gives an impression of luxury – just don’t go mad and create a trip hazard!

5. Colour me calm

It’s important to make the right colour choices throughout all the rooms in the house, but in the bedroom it’s vital. Very bright colours, such as primary reds and yellows, won’t create the right relaxing atmosphere. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to steer away from strong colours if that’s your taste – rich, deep purples, plums and blues are calming colours that work well in a bedroom.

Otherwise, a neutral palette of greys, taupes and creams will help create that sense of luxury – use colour touches in cushions and ornaments to lift the overall feel. If you’re playing safe with the colours, you can go to town with texture on wall and floor coverings.

6. Finishing touches

Our sense of smell is a vital ingredient in forming impressions, so add a scented candle or room fragrance bottle to your room. A reed diffuser will help release scent slowly, whilst a scented candle will produce a beautiful fragrance when you light it.

By Sara Walker.