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Room Tour: A Bedroom Suite Gains Warmth and Functionality
A sage green dressing room complements a bedroom revived with the clever use of colour and texture
This bedroom with en suite dressing room lacked character and cohesion. Its palette was also not complemented by its north-east-facing orientation, which left the space looking cold. There were also “too many doors”, according to Natasha Burton of NB Interiors UK, who renovated the space.
Read on for before and after photos showing how Natasha opened up the room (yes, doors were ditched), transformed the owners’ clothes storage with beautiful bespoke joinery (you’ll enjoy the secret built-in laundry basket), and added warmth with texture and colour (soft corals, sage green and creamy neutrals).
Read on for before and after photos showing how Natasha opened up the room (yes, doors were ditched), transformed the owners’ clothes storage with beautiful bespoke joinery (you’ll enjoy the secret built-in laundry basket), and added warmth with texture and colour (soft corals, sage green and creamy neutrals).
When Natasha first visited the house, the bedroom had heavy, dark window dressings. The effect, combined with the cool north-easterly light, was that it felt cold.
“My first thought was to add colour,” Natasha says. “The owners had commented that the curtains felt dark and heavy at the windows, so it was about looking at which colours would make it feel lighter and brighter and give it the contemporary but timeless look they were after.”
She took fabric samples and paint swatches along to the design meeting and gave the owners two different options colourwise. “One was bolder, one was softer,” she says.
Find the perfect interior designer to help you renovate your home in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
“My first thought was to add colour,” Natasha says. “The owners had commented that the curtains felt dark and heavy at the windows, so it was about looking at which colours would make it feel lighter and brighter and give it the contemporary but timeless look they were after.”
She took fabric samples and paint swatches along to the design meeting and gave the owners two different options colourwise. “One was bolder, one was softer,” she says.
Find the perfect interior designer to help you renovate your home in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Which did they choose? “This is the softer option,” Natasha says. “They liked the corals, peachy colours and sage greens.”
Changing the colours in the room had a dramatic effect: the space now looks warm and inviting. Natasha chose a pale pink paint with a warm umber undertone for most of the walls.
A richer coral accent adds more warmth and is dotted around the room – in the curtains, armchair, cushion and piping around the edge of a new, bespoke fabric headboard, which can be kept clean with a quick vacuum.
Walls painted in Julie’s Dream, Little Greene.
Changing the colours in the room had a dramatic effect: the space now looks warm and inviting. Natasha chose a pale pink paint with a warm umber undertone for most of the walls.
A richer coral accent adds more warmth and is dotted around the room – in the curtains, armchair, cushion and piping around the edge of a new, bespoke fabric headboard, which can be kept clean with a quick vacuum.
Walls painted in Julie’s Dream, Little Greene.
Sage green is also an accent, seen here on the new shelves in a reading corner created by Natasha. “They had a chair here before, but it was bigger and this one allows space for the shelving,” she says.
Because of the large dressing room (more of which shortly), the only storage the owners needed in the room itself was for books and bedside paraphernalia, so, along with the bedside tables and a console unit opposite, these shelves work perfectly.
Shelves painted in Sage Green, Little Greene. H Lis Fox easy chair, Rose and Grey.
Because of the large dressing room (more of which shortly), the only storage the owners needed in the room itself was for books and bedside paraphernalia, so, along with the bedside tables and a console unit opposite, these shelves work perfectly.
Shelves painted in Sage Green, Little Greene. H Lis Fox easy chair, Rose and Grey.
This is the same corner pre-renovation. Natasha also switched the radiator. “It was something that was always going to be visible, so we changed it for one that was nicer to look at,” she says.
Natasha also made sure to layer different textures. “I find when rooms are bigger, you need to add in more details, more textures and more finishes, as it can otherwise feel bland,” she says.
Foliage is one such detail. “Plants really soften a space and have the power to turn something sterile into something that feels like a home,” she says.
Foliage is one such detail. “Plants really soften a space and have the power to turn something sterile into something that feels like a home,” she says.
The curtains and blind also add a lot. “If I’d just put plain curtains here, it could have felt quite flat, so I wanted to add some detail, but nothing overly patterned,” Natasha explains.
The dressings are made from three differently textured fabrics: herringbone, velvet in the middle, and soft cotton.
The dressings are made from three differently textured fabrics: herringbone, velvet in the middle, and soft cotton.
The wall behind the bed is covered in a textured wallpaper. “It’s such a big room, we wanted to break it up rather than have all the walls painted,” Natasha says. “This detail also adds a bit of a hotel feel.”
So, too, does the artfully dressed bed, which Natasha says can be hard to get just right. Here, she combined the owners’ crisp white bed linen with a throw that’s broken up with a knitted blanket. There’s a generous but not excessive number of cushions, all in the same neutral shade so as not to compete with the bespoke fabric headboard, but in different fabrics: linen, velvet and cotton.
The long coral cushion at the front ties in with the headboard piping and the velvet strip in the window dressings. “On a bigger bed especially, this can all really help to soften the expanse and, again, gives the room a hotel-y feel,” Natasha says.
Headboard fabric, Christopher Farr.
So, too, does the artfully dressed bed, which Natasha says can be hard to get just right. Here, she combined the owners’ crisp white bed linen with a throw that’s broken up with a knitted blanket. There’s a generous but not excessive number of cushions, all in the same neutral shade so as not to compete with the bespoke fabric headboard, but in different fabrics: linen, velvet and cotton.
The long coral cushion at the front ties in with the headboard piping and the velvet strip in the window dressings. “On a bigger bed especially, this can all really help to soften the expanse and, again, gives the room a hotel-y feel,” Natasha says.
Headboard fabric, Christopher Farr.
Natasha added adjustable wall lights and brass controls for all the lighting next to each side of the bed. Again, the feel is hotel-y and luxurious. “The couple can turn off or dim the main ceiling light from here on both sides and control each wall light independently,” she says. They’re big readers and like to read in bed, so this was important.”
Brass switches, The Soho Lighting Company. Marlow mango wood bedside tables, Atkin and Thyme. Lint Wide Width wallpaper in Nude, Harlequin.
Brass switches, The Soho Lighting Company. Marlow mango wood bedside tables, Atkin and Thyme. Lint Wide Width wallpaper in Nude, Harlequin.
The brass in the striking new overhead light fitting adds warmth and movement to the top of the room.
The only (tiny) layout tweak in the space was that Natasha bumped the bed a couple of feet to the right, which created a better sense of space for the reading corner and entrance to the dressing area as well as centring the bed.
To break up what could have felt like a flat expanse of new, warm beige carpet, Natasha added a gently patterned cream, black and sage green rug.
Carpet, Alternative Flooring. Cotton Rug Lenny Green, Benuta.
Carpet, Alternative Flooring. Cotton Rug Lenny Green, Benuta.
A small detail, but one worth noting, is the curtain pole, which adds yet another texture to this many-layered space. It’s tipped with fabric from a selection that can be chosen to order.
Curtain pole, Walcot House.
Curtain pole, Walcot House.
Natasha says it felt as if the room had too many doors. Here, you can see the doors to the landing and the en suite bathroom (which Natasha didn’t work on, as the owners were happy with it as it was).
Another door, seen here on the right, led into the dressing room. This was the door that got the chop (see below).
Natasha not only removed the door, she widened the threshold. “It opened up the whole room and added extra light into the space,” she says.
“We did have a big debate about whether or not to add a new door, but this was the right decision. It would also have been a shame to hide all that beautifully made sage joinery,” she says.
The clean, angular lines of the console echo the design of the dressing table and stool. Its surfaces provide another opportunity to add character to the room with books, ornaments and plants.
The floor-standing mirror was also purposeful. “When you have a big room, if everything is up against the wall, it can feel flat, so always bring things into the room where you can and it will feel cosier,” Natasha says.
“We did have a big debate about whether or not to add a new door, but this was the right decision. It would also have been a shame to hide all that beautifully made sage joinery,” she says.
The clean, angular lines of the console echo the design of the dressing table and stool. Its surfaces provide another opportunity to add character to the room with books, ornaments and plants.
The floor-standing mirror was also purposeful. “When you have a big room, if everything is up against the wall, it can feel flat, so always bring things into the room where you can and it will feel cosier,” Natasha says.
The dressing table location was carefully considered so as to benefit from the natural light.
Under the window there had previously been a radiator, which stopped the wall being useable for anything else. Natasha had this removed and installed underfloor heating instead. Bench seating was just right for the low window, and push doors on its front conceal shoe storage.
Natasha cleverly designed around the tricky and potentially dead corner by building a lidded cabinet for the owners’ laundry basket.
Under the window there had previously been a radiator, which stopped the wall being useable for anything else. Natasha had this removed and installed underfloor heating instead. Bench seating was just right for the low window, and push doors on its front conceal shoe storage.
Natasha cleverly designed around the tricky and potentially dead corner by building a lidded cabinet for the owners’ laundry basket.
There are three wardrobes in the dressing room: two closed cupboards either side of the entrance (the door of one is just visible on the left) and this open one, which fills a corner. “That made it tricky to cover with doors,” Natasha explains. “And the owners liked the mix of open and closed storage.”
Woodwork painted in Sage Green, Little Greene.
Woodwork painted in Sage Green, Little Greene.
These Selections Boards were just one of the Houzz Pro software tools Natasha used on this job. These allowed the owners to accept or reject potential purchases with a simple click.
She also used the Houzz Pro Schedule tool to map out the trades and let the owners know the timeline of the project.
And how did the owners find the whole experience? “The Schedule was really helpful to show the clients how long the project would take, and it makes it clear on the whole process – which dates trades would be on-site and the order in which things had to happen, so they could be prepared and plan accordingly,” Natasha says.
“They also really liked being able to view the items in the Selections Boards,” she continues. “As the project progressed, and we were picking out the accessories and finishing touches, I added visuals of how the room was looking, so they could picture this alongside the suggested finishing touches.
“In general, I find the software easy to navigate and my clients really love the usability and the fact that everything can be in one place. It really sets a good impression and I find it streamlines communication.”
As for the room itself, they absolutely loved it. “They said it feels really calm and peaceful,” she says, “and they were really happy with the dramatic transformation of the dressing room and how changing the entrance has made the whole space feel bigger and brighter.”
Tell us…
Do you have a favourite detail in this redesigned space? Let us know in the Comments.
She also used the Houzz Pro Schedule tool to map out the trades and let the owners know the timeline of the project.
And how did the owners find the whole experience? “The Schedule was really helpful to show the clients how long the project would take, and it makes it clear on the whole process – which dates trades would be on-site and the order in which things had to happen, so they could be prepared and plan accordingly,” Natasha says.
“They also really liked being able to view the items in the Selections Boards,” she continues. “As the project progressed, and we were picking out the accessories and finishing touches, I added visuals of how the room was looking, so they could picture this alongside the suggested finishing touches.
“In general, I find the software easy to navigate and my clients really love the usability and the fact that everything can be in one place. It really sets a good impression and I find it streamlines communication.”
As for the room itself, they absolutely loved it. “They said it feels really calm and peaceful,” she says, “and they were really happy with the dramatic transformation of the dressing room and how changing the entrance has made the whole space feel bigger and brighter.”
Tell us…
Do you have a favourite detail in this redesigned space? Let us know in the Comments.
Who lives here? A couple with two young teenagers
Location Coggeshall, near Colchester, Essex
Property A three-storey detached new-build in a Georgian style with five bedrooms and three bathrooms
Room dimensions Bedroom, 3.6 x 4.6; dressing room, 2.7 x 2.4m
Designer Natasha Burton of NB Interiors UK
Project year 2024
Photos by Kezia Tan Media
The brief the owners of this bedroom suite gave Natasha was that it should feel contemporary and uncluttered. “They didn’t want anything too ornate or fussy,” she says. At the same time, the room was lacking character and warmth. “The colour they had before had a blue undertone and it made the room, which is north-east-facing, feel really cold,” she continues.
The result is a masterclass in how to completely transform a space without really changing its layout.