Your cozy bedroom has called, and it wants to be loved. While we meticulously arrange (and re-arrange, and re-re-arrange) the rest of our house, bedrooms are sometimes overlooked, perhaps because they are more private and less likely to be noticed by judgy houseguests, or perhaps because the primary activity that occurs in them is (you guessed it) sleep.
Whatever the case may be, it’s a well-known fact that rearranging your bedroom may boost your mood and even your sleep cycles—so there’s no reason to treat it any differently than the rest of your home. Are you working with a strangely shaped plan or a small footprint? We asked two of our favorite designers, Aly Morford and Leigh Lincoln of Pure Salt Interiors, a firm that has become synonymous with a brand of approachable yet elegant chic design, for their thoughts on the bedroom layouts they return to time and time again… for both large bedrooms and small guest rooms.
The Primary Suite With Sitting Area
“We wanted to play with scale and acquire pieces that would allow the layout to be fully utilized while yet feeling clutter-free,” says Leigh Lincoln of Pure Salt Interiors, “given the room’s wide floor plan and vaulted ceiling.” “Because the fireplace and built-ins were a natural focal point of the room, everything is focused on them! This arrangement is one of our favorites because it exemplifies how the scale of each element, from the furniture to the lighting, plays an important role in creating a practical space.”
The eye is drawn upward by a king-sized bed with a four-post type frame, which highlights (and makes use of) the vaulted ceiling.
This space (and the built-ins and fireplace’s existing architectural characteristics) made it a logical fit for a modest conversation area in front of the bed. A modest round rug anchors and “defines” that space without feeling clumsy or impeding the rest of the room’s movement.
The In-And-Out Primary Cozy Bedroom
Designing for a room that is encircled on three sides by doors might be challenging, but the end result is well worth it. “While we didn’t have a vast floor plan to deal with here,” Aly Morford recalls, “the vistas outside this primary bedroom were fantastic.” “We also used pendant lighting to maximize the functional area in the room due to the tiny size. The overall result is a light and airy haven!”
The attention is kept on the view by keeping the bed frame basic (but yet invoking the natural elements outside with a tinge of warm-toned wood). (There’s no obstructive footboard here.)
“The original location of doorways and windows didn’t allow for the bed to face out to the ocean, so we put in a small seating area & custom floating mirror opposite the bed that took advantage of the view and created the appearance of a wider room,” says the designer. No matter which way the homeowners look, they now have a magnified ocean view.
The Perfect Kids’ Bunkhouse
This two-beds-in-one layout is designed for the most memorable sleepovers, and it supports growing kids as well as guests. “Because this is the client’s holiday house, every room had to be planned to accommodate additional people,” adds Morford. “We opted to bring in a bunk bed to maximize sleeping space in this kids’ cozy bedroom because the floorplan was modest. We kept the room’s furnishings to a minimum to avoid making it appear congested, but we did include these charming cane bedsides for a little more storage outside the closet. We believe that less is nearly always more!”
This innovative bed serves a dual purpose: it provides extra sleeping space for guests (and their children) while also growing with the family—a youngster can begin on the top bunk and progress to the full-size bed as he or she matures.
Cane nightstands add a touch of beach-chic, while palm print wallpaper is playful for kids but graphic enough for adults. Underfoot, a resilient woven rug serves to warm the space without creating a sand trap.
The Corner Entry
An angled doorway in the corner generates an unexpected flow through this bedroom, but because of the enormous square footage, even many furniture pieces won’t cause a traffic jam.
Morford adds, “Any bedroom with high ceilings deserves furniture and decor that celebrates it!” “To draw your eye up and show the vastness of the room, we brought in this lovely canopy bed with linen pendant lamps on either side.”The addition of a seating area elevates the room’s opulence. “We included the accent chairs since there was extra space at the end of the bed,” Morford explains, “to make this room even more of a peaceful retreat for the homeowners.” You can review a beautiful range of bedroom furniture here
Note: This article was adapted from part of an article at mydomaine.com