A room of my own – a serene neutral Japandi-style bedroom makeover

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you might know that I’ve been redecorating my bedroom, transforming it into a serene Japandi-style bedroom retreat. This room is the last piece of the puzzle in renovating my Victorian home in London – a long, slow project that has taken me almost eight years to complete. This house has seen me through one chapter of my life to another – from youthful buyers excited by the prospect of their first home together, through lockdown and having a baby, to separation, divorce, and now, a fresh new start in my late Thirties.

With my life feeling somewhat chaotic, having torn everything I knew upside down, I wanted to create a true sanctuary, reclaiming this space as a ‘room of my own’. This perhaps reflects the tone and feel of the space – the colour drenched soft beige walls, the harmonious colour palette and the lack of unnecessary ornamentation. I wanted it to feel tranquil and restful, a place where I can escape my worries, find peace and contemplate my thoughts. It feels a bit like a blank slate in its neutrality – a space that comes to life with life itself; with piles of my favourite books, a tactile bedspread thrown over the bed, the beautiful dappled light that pours through the south-facing windows. It might seem a bit bland to some, but that’s exactly what I wanted: a neutral space I can slowly make my own over time, as I step into the unknown in front of me.

You can see a previous iteration of the room here, which was lovely in its own way, but somehow following a big extension project, the room didn’t quite match up with the feel of the rest of the house. While work was being done, the room was used as a storage room for all our stuff, and the builder’s too, so it had its fair share of wear and tear, and scuff marks. Not to mention the hairline cracks that had appeared since we last decorated, something that you can’t seem to escape in an old Victorian house (I sometimes feel the house shake when a bus drives past!).

I had also grown tired of the green feature wall, which as a design feature seems to have had its day. Don’t get me wrong, you know I love the colour green, it’s just the idea of painting one wall a different colour that doesn’t appeal so much now. It makes for a more disjointed room, whereas colour drenching creates a more cohesive, expansive feel in a space. Colour drenching is when you paint the walls, ceiling and woodwork all the same colour – it’s an elegant way to create a cosy neutral backdrop that will help unify everything you put into the space. It’s a particularly useful tool in small spaces (or indeed old houses where the walls are wonky) because your eye can’t tell where the walls finish and the ceiling begins; that line becomes less obvious.

So welcome in Portland Stone, the perfect neutral. I’ve used the same colour throughout my home, using different shades of the same colour to tie the spaces together. That’s why I love Little Greene, because they offer varying shades in the same family group: light, pale, mid and dark versions. So in my north facing spaces I’ve used the lighter version Portland Stone Pale, and here in a south facing room I’ve used the darker version, Portland Stone. Portland Stone is perfect because it’s neither too yellow or too blue, adding just the right amount of warmth without the room becoming too dark. It has a slight green undertone, which ties beautifully with my pale green accents, creating that soothing, tranquil feel.

I also installed new carpet, changed the sockets and switches to matte white ones, and swapped the door handles to tactile beehive versions. It’s all about the little details or touch points that help elevate a space from ordinary to refined.

This Japandi-style bedroom now evokes an elegant, grown-up feel. All my furniture before used to be white and from IKEA. I’m still as in love with IKEA as ever – a lot of the room is still from IKEA, whether it’s the wardrobes, the pendant light or the curtains. But it felt very grown up replacing some of my furniture with more solid, long-lasting designs. Take Bisley’s Rowan Midi – a four drawer dresser with coloured drawers and oak legs. I didn’t even need to worry about getting out my tool kit – it came completely pre-assembled and ready to put in place. It seemed made for this little alcove by the window. And I’m still getting a gleam of pleasure every time I gently push the soft close drawers shut.

The colour – called Regent – is a new colour for Bisley; a fresh pale green that complements the pistachio trend of the moment. I’ve picked out the tone with the pillowcases and bedside lamp too, helping to bring everything together. If you want to create a calm feel in your space, I always recommend limiting your colour palette to two or three tones – think of the 60:30:10 rule. The majority of the space – the 60% – should be your background colour, 30% should be your complementary colour and 10% should be your pops of accent colour (here pale green).

Another new addition is my vintage chair, a steal from eBay at £199. It’s by Danish designer Finn Ostergaard and was designed for Skipp in 1985, around the same time I was born! I wanted a chair that would actually be practical and useable – so often chairs in bedrooms just become dumping grounds for a pile of clothes. But this one is comfortable enough to use for reading or writing a few emails on the laptop. I’ve positioned it in the sunniest corner of the room and it’s lovely to sit there with the window open and the curtains blowing in the breeze.

Finally I have a restful sanctuary all of my own; an investment in my mental wellbeing as much as my home. When I describe interior design, I always talk about designing a space for how it feels, as much, or if not more than, how it looks. And this room is a good example of that. I don’t know if that comes across in pictures – but as soon as I step through the door, I breathe a sigh of relief, I feel like I’ve walked into a place of pure peace, a balm that envelops me in its soft beige walls.

Source list (*ad indicates a press sample or gifted product):

Wall and ceiling colour: Portland Stone, Little Greene (intelligent emulsion on walls and ceiling, intelligent eggshell on woodwork)
Sockets and switches: Dowsing & Reynolds
Radiator and valves: Milano Windsor column radiator, Best Heating *ad
Carpet: Scirocco Cream level, Tapi carpets
Wardrobe: PAX, IKEA
Bed: Poppy Ottoman bed, Button & Sprung *ad
Bedding: By Mölle duvet, H&M Home pillowcases (similar here)
Bedspread: Secret Linen Store
Bench at the end of the bed: NORRAKER, IKEA
Chest of drawers: Rowan Midi in colour Regent, Bisley *ad
Footstool used as bedside table: CH53, Carl Hansen & Son *ad
Bedside lamp: Habitat *ad
Pendant light: Zangra ceiling rose and cable, RISBYN shade, IKEA
Curtain pole, blind (similar here) and curtains (discontinued, similar here): IKEA
Bookshelves: BERGSHULT/PERSHULT, IKEA
Armchair: vintage, eBay
Vase: H&M Home (sold out, similar here)

Any other questions, just ask away!