Neutral bedroom decor with touches of elegance

Hi everyone,

Getting  the bedrooms ready for visitors this week has meant finishing the things that need doing.

Both daughters still have their bedrooms at home & this is the youngest bedroom that is used for visitors this week as she is away at university so won't be joining us.

Both girls have fab style & the starting point for this room was the two beautiful Ralph Lauren Polo banners we found some years back.  There was no doubt that they would frame her bed. At one time, the banners were probably from a runway or shop, but they look just lovely in this setting with their gold & royal blue details.

I have just painted a new mirror for the room as the previous one has found a home with A Wondering Star daughter in her gorgeous flat in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter.

The bedroom has a calm, neutral look - painted in Dulux Natural Calico which is a soft cream that provides a lovely background for the other items.

The solid bed, side cabinets and chest of drawers are all cosy painted furniture. The opposite wall has large built in wardrobes to keep the room clutter free.

The window has a roman blind made out of neutral Ralph Lauren fabric which is edged in an matching blue band;  the window is framed by generous cream curtains, tied back by chunky blue & gold tie backs - a lovely bedroom that is often used for guests.

Great grandma's bench came to us last year & it fits perfectly at the bottom of the bed with a new cream cushion I made for it. The girls have fond memories of squashing up on it for family meals.

Some lovely vintage suitcases provide under bed storage - I love the rich colour of the leather as it  contrasts with the cream colour.

Two more vintage cases - one leather, one not but very useful as storage & they look good too.

I always put several cushions out for visitors so that they can decide which ones to use. We have all had the experience of not having the right cushion & a restless sleep so a selection of soft & hard lets visitors choose.  I love this Laura Ashley bedding, teamed up here with IKEA cushions with pin tuck details ...  The feather lampshades soften the look ...

I think the bedroom is ready for visitors. Do you go around & do the additional jobs before visitors arrive?  Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have enjoyed the glimpse around my home,
Dee ~♥~

IKEA hacks

Are there any other IKEA fans out there?

Ikea remains a fabulous place to get inspiration from - I love their candles & fabrics because they are just so pretty & their cushions are also always right on trend without breaking the bank.

When we moved in some years ago, this was the guest bedroom of the previous owner …

I love colour but that just had to go.  The coloured wallpaper & borders were too much - I couldn't live with something so vibrant when bedrooms are meant to be calm spaces to unwind.

The riot of colour soon gave way to my favourite Dulux Natural Calico & Fired Earth Ivory. We decided that since we had 3 other double beds that this one would have twin beds for visitors.

This is our  guest bedroom after much Dulux Natural Calico & Fired Earth Ivory paint. I have had some requests via my flickr/photos/deirdr/ for additional photos of my IKEA hack so here they are ....

The space between the two twin beds is not huge & so I used an Ikea RAST pine cupboard I already had. However,  I knew the cupboard was way too plain for the purpose.

The starting point was the two lovely vintage French design headboards. They were tired & dated with a gold rub so we painted them in Fired Earth Ivory to show off their beautiful shape. We needed something to match them.

I found some good wooden moulding decorations at a local hardware shop, glued them in place then put a thin nail through each to secure it properly before painting it in Fired Earth Ivory.

Clear glass handles just finish it off nicely. It looks more at home now with the vintage (painted) headboards & the vintage chest of drawers which was also painted ivory instead of its dark wood.

I shared this hack on 25-ikea-hacks-diy-home-decor & have had several requests for more photos so I hope this inspires others to just do it.

We all love the calmness of the room & it is perfectly suited to all guests without being too girlie.  Because it is a completely neutral palette, I can find any duvet covers we like to change the look & suit the guests.

Are you tempted to paint furniture & do you like neutrals?

Thanks for stopping by, always pleased to return the visits
Dee ~♥~