Bedroom Transformation

To help with the bills, I used to rent out my front, and biggest, bedroom, I did it for years, then it got to the stage where I had had enough, so the last lodger left and I decided to completely overhaul it and make it really special. I had to do some fairly hefty remedial work first however......

So this is how it was left - the blinds were broken, the mattress had a bin bag full of dirty crockery and cutlery in it, the carpet was FILTHY and oh the mould.....black mould everywhere - around the windows, in all the wardrobes, on the walls. Hard to imagine how bad it was. My own fault I suppose for not checking regularly, but there you go. And that is the thing with outside walls, unless you put a barrier up, and there is air flow, condensation creates mould......for my top tip on how to prevent this, see below.

So the only way was up! I started by cleaning all the mould off as best I could, took down the blinds and cleaned the windows, then took the carpet up. The mattress went to the tip with the old carpet and I gave the bed away. Then I had to tackle the old wardrobes. The lodger had spilt something on the floor, not cleaned it up and the runners had rusted, so the doors didn't slide anymore, also the veneer was bubbling on the fronts. I had never liked the wardrobes, so I wasn't sorry to see them go and I got a man in to take them down and strip out all the fittings. He then filled the many holes where things had been taken down or damaged, and repaired the cracks on either side of the bay window. TIP A while ago, in another room, I discovered a good way to prevent the mould from re-appearing, - a thin, foam wallpaper that creates a barrier between the heat of the room and the cold of the outside wall and stops damp, and the mould, from coming back. Its cheap, easy to put up and does the trick, you can find it in any diy store or online. Wallrock thermal liner from toolstation.com

As the biggest job, the wardrobes were next. Fitted wardrobes or free-standing? Its a tricky one, but I like to put stuff away, and fitted wardrobes always give you the most amount of storage. You can choose what goes inside with regards to hanging rails, shelves etc. and they fit the space perfectly. I chose these ones from spaceslide - they are painted glass with a grid design which I really liked as it adds a contemporary look, and I chose a taupe colour that would go with everything. Statement lighting is a must and I think this one from maisonsdumonde is lovely. Brass adds a touch of luxury which I used elsewhere too.

Now for the fun bit, choosing the colour scheme. I had seen a lot of wall murals on instagram and particularly liked a forest scene in deep green from Feathr. That was my starting point. The mural fades from green at the bottom to pink at the top, which looks lovely, I then picked pink for the other walls and for the accessories. I also painted the back of the door in Amsterdam Green Chalk Paint from Annie Sloan, and I am so glad I did, it really adds the right note and suits the age of the house.

Window treatments are so important, especially in a big room like this, but 1930's bays are tricky. Full length curtains look dated I think and I had roman blinds before, so it was time for something completely different. I have always loved shutters, so now was the time to indulge myself. These ones from Hillarys look amazing and fit perfectly. You can alter the light levels by opening or closing the slats and the whole thing opens so you can open the window. As its quite a large room, there is space for a chair, which is a nice addition in a bedroom, and this velvet one is from Atkin & Thyme and I added fake plants in ceramic planters from Oliver Bonas.

Bedlinen is so important as its so prominent, I am a bit obsessed with linen bedding at the moment, it doesn't need ironing and feels great to sleep under, this is from the Secret Linen Store. And there are some great colours around too, so plenty to choose from. Mixing linen cushions with velvet makes it tactile and I chose pink and green but also citrine which really lifts the whole scheme. The triple frill ones are from Morgan & Wright and the others are all Also Home

The finishing touches are oh-so-important and I thought marble and brass bedside tables suited this look perfectly and picked up on the ceiling light. These ones are from Rose & Grey, and the lamps are also in marble and brass from Maisons du monde. The frame and mug are Oliver Bonas.

Marble and brass also pops up on a console table against the forest scene wallpaper, again from Atkin & Thyme with another brass lamp from Maisons du Monde (no longer available). The frame and jewellery box are from Oliver Bonas.

And I couldn't finish without mentioning the bed - or Princess bed as we call it in our house - its huge and the most important thing in the room, from Button & Sprung. I kind of wish I had been braver and chosen a bolder colour, but there we go, its still fabulous and its eco too - something that was really important to me, I hate seeing all those mattresses at the tip on their way to landfill.