Bedroom makeover: 'We needed a restful bedroom retreat'

Marnie Goodman has transformed her dull, dated bedroom into a calming, Scandinavian-style haven where she can fully unwind. Here, she tells her makeover story...

My story...

We love a renovation project and we bought the house with that in mind. But by the time we moved in last year, I was several months pregnant with our daughter, Polly, so we had to get more organised.

We got to work on our bedroom first so that we would have a calming space that we could retreat to after a hard day, or if one of us just needed a few moments to relax.

We stripped the walls, removed the wardrobes and said goodbye to the grimy carpet. We did consider keeping the wardrobe, but decided against it as it was too bulky, and I really wanted room for a nice big bed.

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Jamie removed all the old shelving in the cupboard and fitted rails to use as a wardrobe.

Because I wanted a Scandi feel, we opted for a pine door, which works much better with the furniture, and I kept the blind simple as I didn’t want it to distract from the natural textures.

We opted for tones of aqua green for the walls and went for a deeper shade on the wall behind the bed. The colour palette works well with the blonde wood Gjöra IKEA bed frame, which I had my heart set on.

I’ve put my own stamp on the room with macramé accessories, a homemade peg rail and the glass ceiling light, which really reflects well, along with the mirrors. I’m so glad I had this space as we waited for Polly.

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It’s still my escape from the madness of the rest of the house.

My style advice...

Make your own peg rail to display accessories

‘I wanted a peg rail to hang pictures, clothes and decorative accessories,’ Marnie explains. ‘I couldn’t find one long enough so, as Jamie is really good at DIY, we decided to make our own. He made small holes in a long piece of soft light wood and then fixed in some dowels for the pegs.

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‘For added interest we fitted loops of scrap leather below the dowels. We’re really pleased with the finished result. It cost very little, provides a great storage solution and is an easy way to jazz up a plain wall.’

Choose clever lighting

Good lighting is essential in a bedroom, but Marnie wanted something fun and funky too. ‘I considered a bamboo or wooden shade, but I wanted something that would reflect the colour and light around the room,’ she explains.

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‘I found this DIY ceiling light that’s made up of 12 glass baubles that can be grouped together in different ways. I wanted something elongated so it would hang nicely over the bed. The overall effect is fantastic and it adds to the softness of the room.’

Layer your bed with blankets for a Scandi feel

Marnie wanted to create a cosy feel for the space by incorporating lots of different fabrics. ‘I love texture and decided to layer the bedding with blankets and lots of light linen bed sheets for that Scandi feel.

‘I struggled to find some nice throws, but I did find a gorgeous checked-linen tablecloth in the H&M Home sale so decided to use that on the bed too. It’s large enough and really works well with the rest of the room’s colour scheme.’

This is a digital version of a feature that originally appeared in Home Style magazine. For more inspirational home ideas, why not subscribe today?