Designing a bed and how you can too
The bed is an integral part of any bedroom, and not only do we want it to be comfy and practical, but when an item takes up that much space in a room, it also needs to work with the rest of the colour scheme. When it came to redesigning my guest bedroom I chose a restrained, some would say, colour palette of blue and yellow. The feel was fresh and joyful and not my usual in-your-face maximalism, but a beautiful space for guests none the less. I had my palette of blue and yellow fabrics and wallpapers organised but when it came to the headboard, I wanted something a bit special.
I chose to work with Naturalmat, because while they offer a selection of headboards in different fabrics, they also offer the opportunity to go more bespoke. I excitedly sketched out a design with dimensions, complete with feel good curves, and their team of craftsmen made it in my chosen fabric. It involved me taking a tape measure to the room and deciding how high I wanted the headboard to be and then working to the dimensions of a kingsize bed for the width. Every bed is handmade in their solar-powered workshop in Devon so many details can be tailored to your needs, like the height of the headboard, or even a handy cut out to sit over the top of your skirting board so the headboard sits flush to the wall. I just love this detail which stops the headboard sitting away from the wall. They have a wide range of natural fabrics you can choose from, however if you would like something more bespoke, you can give them a ring to discuss the options. I chose a solid beech base with beech legs and the fabric is Saffron Plush Velvet from my Harlequin range.
The custom made headboard was covered in my choice of fabric, along with the bed base.
The mattress I have chosen is ‘The Superb’, which, like all their mattresses, is handmade from entirely natural and organic fibres with no nasty chemicals. It’s a favourite with hotels, and I actually got to try it out in The Rose in Deal when we stayed there a few years ago so I was confident it would create the conditions for a perfect nights sleep for my guests. They’ve replaced sweaty synthetic foams with pads of organic coconut fibres bound together, meaning not only are they good for the planet, but they are more comfortable to sleep on too. Everyone who has stayed so far have all commented on how comfy it is, so you don’t need to just take my word for it!
You give Naturalmat the dimensions of your skirting board and they create this clever cut out detail which allows the headboard to sit flush on the wall.
Naturalmat also offer a fantastic service to help recycle your mattress when you have finished with it. You can have it collected and they will either refurbish it or recycle the materials within it to go towards new mattresses, giving you credit towards a new one. Or, you can choose to donate your mattress and they will collect it and put it through the world’s first mattress washing machine, (that’s a thing?!) before giving to one of their chosen charities to help alleviate sleep poverty.
The bed comes in sections so the Naturalmat team can easily assemble it
If your home has narrow stairs and landing like mine, it’s also worth ensuring you will be able to fit the bed up the stairs and easily into your room. Thankfully, many of the beds at Naturalmat, come with a split base, making all the manoeuvring a lot easier and less stressful.
The rest of the room is looking resplendent in my usual vibrant colourways, with beautiful florals and contrasting stripes. With a headboard like this, I think an off-centred art display is the way to go and I love these paintings by artist Sophie Abbott. Life has been very busy whilst we’ve been finishing the kitchen, the snug and the bedroom, and this bed more than ever is looking super tempting! Will anyone notice if I go and have a lie down?!
With the countryside views out the window and the pops of blue in the rest of the room, this headboard feels like the sun setting as you get into bed, I am completely and utterly thrilled with it.
Bedlinen is the Wonderland Floral from John Lewis. Wallpaper is Daisy Chain Trellis, Blind made in Ribbon Stripe, Harlequin x Sophie Robinson. Seagrass herringbone flooring by Alternative Flooring
5 things to consider when designing your bed:
- Scroll through Instagram and Pinterest for head board inspiration.
- Think about the height of your headboard and how it will look proportionate to your room – give it a measure and you can always mark it on the wall with decorators tape. Take into account the mattress and pillows will cover a greater part of it so you may need to go taller than you think.
- Consider how you use your bed, do you sit in bed on a Sunday morning with a cuppa and need something tall and comfortable to rest against?
- Order fabric samples and see how they look early in the morning, in the evening light, and under artificial light, as that is when you are most likely to be in your bedroom. make sure your headboard fabric matches in with the rest of the fabrics in your scheme.
- Check out the Naturalmat Mattress Guide to work out which firmness will work for you.
- Don’t forget storage! Some beds come with storage inbuilt or look out for designs that have a usable space underneath. And if you can have the bed base covered in your choice of fabric then all the better
This blog post is part of a PR collaboration with Naturalmat. All words and views expressed are my own.
