Inspiration

Even though you might not sit down in your bedroom that often, it’s still good to have the odd chair around for when you need it – or just get pleasure from looking at it. They add atmosphere and they’re useful for laying clothes over when you’re dressing.

Think of them like soft furnishings that introduce texture or a colour contrast – as they’re quite a small feature, you can afford to be a bit bolder. Our printed linens and plush velvets are great whether you prefer patterns or plains, and thanks to our made-to-order service, you can upholster any of our armchairs in a fabric that works with your headboard or curtains.

When it comes to shape, it’s often better to choose chairs a bit smaller than you would in your living room. Our Madeleine, Matilda and Amelia designs are dainty enough that they’ll tuck neatly into a corner or sit at the end of the bed.

Soft, warm fabrics are so important in a bedroom, where you should always be surrounded by comfort. Generally, the fewer hard surfaces you have here, the more relaxed you’ll feel. And like armchairs, upholstered benches and stools are great ways to add softness.

With a dressing table, upholstered chairs and stools are more forgiving than wooden ones (try the Milo small stool). They’ll also make this part of the room feel more polished.

A bench or footstool at the end of the bed is even more versatile. You can use it for extra throws (they’ll be easy to reach if you need them at night), or for breakfast trays.  

As for fabric choices, think about mixing and matching all the seating in the room – a printed linen on one piece, and a plain velvet in a matching colour on another.

An upholstered headboard is a sure fire way to make your bedroom feel indulgent – and it’ll help keep you warm, buffering away any draughts.

Because they’ve got some padding, fabric headboards are also great for layering pillows and cushions on top – this makes them especially cosy if you love to sit up and read in bed.

You’ll need to choose the fabric carefully though, as unlike a cushion or throw, you probably won’t want to change it each season. Linen works all year round, as do our cotton Isla velvets.

The print and colour are likely to set the tone for the rest of your room, so that’s worth bearing in mind when choosing other textiles (especially bedding).

Whether or not you choose to have carpet depends on lots of things besides looks. Carpets have the advantage of muffling noise and making your bedroom warmer, plus they’re comforting to walk on if you like to go barefoot.

Even if you opt for fitted carpet over wooden floors, though, you might want to add a soft rug or two. Our Elgin and Tolsey plaid rugs are both plump, cushioned weaves that toes will sink into; a sheepskin or two is also lovely in winter. Put them by the bed so you can step onto them whenever you get up.

We tend to prefer curtains to blinds in a bedroom, purely because all that fabric feels warmer and more luxurious (as long as curtains are well-lined).

There’s no reason you can’t have a mix of both, though – a semi-sheer blind with a thicker curtain on top; blackout blinds with lighter curtains; or even a double set of curtains, with sheer fabric for daytime and a heavier one for nighttime (this looks very glamorous too).

Curtains are an easy way to add pattern and texture, and with our made-to-measure curtain and blind service, you can combine fabrics in any way you like – in the bedroom pictured, the linen curtains have a deep border in our Isla velvet in Fox, which makes them much cosier.

Having a few smaller cushions on top of pillows makes a bed look smarter – you could pick out a shade on a bedding print or piping, or match cushions to throws.

If your bedroom is decorated in calm neutrals, cushions are a great way to stop it looking flat – if a bright colour is too much, try a subtle print like our Emma or Francesca linens instead.

With throws, it’s more about choosing textures that feel good, like cashmere and lambswool in winter, or a soft, open-weave cotton in summer. If you like your bed to look crisp, fold one neatly at the bottom, or for a more relaxed feel, drape a couple loosely across the duvet.

There are other textile touches that can easily get forgotten, but help to make a bedroom more interesting. Such as bedside lampshades, like our Oliver in Angus Flint wool for cosiness or one of the gathered Henry designs for texture.

Dressing gowns draped over the bed, slippers on rugs and even contrast piping on white bed linen are other ways to play with fabric – if they tone with the rest of your colour scheme, they’ll feel even more indulgent.