Help! Need some advice for my bedroom in a flat-share

2 years ago

Hi everyone! I'm in my 20s male and have very recently moved into a terrace house sharing with two friends in London, and am in need for some advice with regards to where I should start with decorating my bedroom. In all honesty I have not paid much attention in the past to interior decor however seeing as we'll be here a few years, I would like to put in some time, money and effort to transform this room to make this into a personal space I can really call it my own and move beyond the student-bachelor days.

It is a large room (13'6 x 11'4) with a high ceiling, but no windows aside from a skylight; so in particular it would be nice to know if there is any way to maximise the natural light inside as I work from home. I also would like to do something with the walls - my landlord is fine with me painting it / putting in hooks. I am a bit of a fan of antique maps so would love to hang my collection up. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

Featured Answer

Wumi

2 years ago

Personally, I would

-Move the desk out of the corner, especially if you’re working from home. You’ll appreciate some daylight for your mental wellbeing!

- Shift the wardrobe to where the desk is and the chest of drawers besides that. Mirror above the chest of drawers

- Shift the bed and beside tables over to the left and pop your desk where your chest of drawers was with some shallow shelves above and maybe an underdesk drawer.

- Make a feature wall behind the bed with some colour. Doesn’t have to go all the way up the wall. I would suggest light colours that will help reflect light rather than absorb it.

- Slim shelf above the radiator with trinkets and some succulents and a nice large mirror above to help bounce light around the room.

- Get your maps properly framed in some good quality frames appropriate for the artwork.

- Invest in some good quality white cotton bedsheets and pillow cases and a good quality pillows if you haven’t already. My preference is down.

- Swap put your duvet for a larger one. My rule of thumb is for a duvet to be one size larger than the bed size. Looks much better visually and is more comfortable for bedmates :-)

- If you’re struggling for space, it may be worth getting a storage bed.

- Create a home for everything. For example you could leave a gap between the wall and the wardrobe for your golf clubs and install a shelf above with a nice storage box for golfing paraphernalia.

You don’t have to do this all at once! Start with arrangement first and go from there.

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Comments (11)

Bethan Oakes
2 years ago
Any colours you like/dislike?
Any styles you like/dislike?
Have a look on this app, there are some great images you can save to an idea book.
kazzh
2 years ago
Hear are some thoughts-

I see there are cases on the wardrobe. make use of them for storage- put items such as linen, extra pillows and off season clothes in them, or anything else that needs storing! A thought could be to place some stick on hooks onto the side of the wardrobe to take towels, and seasonal jackets, to keep items being thrown over desk chair or draws. If you can find them in black then the hooks won't look so temporary and will tie into the suggestions below.

A perfect place for a framed map would be over the bed, either a single large one or multiple smaller frames. Frames could be wood or a simple black frame. You can use stick on hooks these days to avoid wall damage.

Taller bedside lamps, i know there are the sconces but they seem a bit high to be useful as bedsides. You could go with a dark anglepoise style - a little industrial to tie in with the metal beam.

Bedding - invest in a more appropriate size doona. If the bed is a double, you could go queen or even king size for the doona to drape well down the sides and properly cover the bed. If nothing else this will shift the feeling from a student room! Doona cover - a simple one colour but textured cover would keep the scheme simple - cotton is the flavor of the moment. A dark charcoal, darker silver gray? My male other half can never see the point of additional pillows but I'm sorry, a couple of dress pillows does help to fill out a bed, even though they are moved for sleeping! And a bedhead. You can buy a simple one without buying a full bed frame.

It looks like you have additional space on one side - the left as you face the bed head wall. If possible i would see if the chest of draws fit in this space to free up the other side from clutter. If it doesn't fit it might worth considering a taller, narrower set - if so, look for the same wood color and style. Alternatively the desk might work in that position, and the drawers could move to the desk location. Actually, the more I think on it , the desk there would keep the desk area from feeling tucked into the corner. Keep the drawer top clear of things- a leather box on top can be the go to place for things like phone, wallet, watch etc.

And keep tidy!
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rinked
2 years ago
Placing the bed in the corner might not look grand, but would provide more floorspace, open feel. So imagine having custom 'fillers' in the niches, boxed in lower half with shelves above, for example. And panel curtains under (or in front of) the steel beam, where all your stuff can go behind; clothes, the suitcases, the books, the dresser with deodorants, etcetera. A bigger desk would be lovely (and ergonomic!).

Maps could go on the wall opposite the door, if you'd like a pop of color might want to paint that wall first, personally I love a dark mossy green as a background for framed collections, as it has some drama to it, but never too intrusive (calm color). And when painting the wall, tape off the niche wall line downward, hope you understand what I mean.
rinked
2 years ago
Inspiration. Think of a feature wall with that gentlemen's club feel. And perhaps one large one above the radiator or on the chimney(?) wall.
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rinked
2 years ago
Nifty idea: I lived in a studio flat for years, bed against the wall. Had a spare matress (for guests) in a cover standing sideways next my bed, so it looked like (and could be used as) a really deep sofa.
kazzh
2 years ago
As always, Rinked has some brlliant ideas!
rinked
2 years ago
Awww, thank you :)
HU-29309451
2 years ago
A few years ago, I came across a very similar room whilst house hunting. It could not legally be called a bedroom as it had no "proper" window, but it could have been made legal by fitting an escape ladder to the skylight.

Assuming that there has been no change to building regulations (in my experience they usually get more strict rather than less so!) this room cannot be legally used as a bedroom as I cannot see the ladder. This might have implications for your insurance etc.

I hope I'm wrong, but please check.
88wj88
2 years ago
Adding a large mirror will reflect light coming in and you can also check yourself out before going out
Auriol Oriole
2 years ago
Do you have space to do something like the attached photo?

Like other comments, I would recommend putting the bed against the wall, but if you want to keep both bedside tables you could use the alcoves. A headboard for the bed will make the room feel more grown up - you can buy one separately, and some have storage. Definitely get the desk out of the corner - maybe try next to the door for more light and connection to the outside world. Put the wardrobe and chest of drawers in the corner under the lower ceiling. I would also recommend buying some shelving to help keep things organised and for display. A modular corner unit like Ikea Ivar shelves would let you use a corner alcove and build the shelves around the wall sconce. A full length mirror next to the chest of drawers or at the end of the bed will be useful and help add light. If you are allowed to put up a row of pegs they are very helpful for preventing a "floordrobe" situation! A few table/floor lamps with warm bulbs will make it feel snug!