Looking to create a place where you can relax and unwind at the end of the day? Picture this: a colourful bedroom with an adjoining dressing room and a stylish ensuite. Sounds dreamy, right?

Renovator Sam Stern-Gillet, from @21_holmfield on Instagram, shares how she has created a colourful bedroom with a boutique hotel feel…

Sam, what did the bedroom look like before the renovation?

“We moved into our house four years ago, and the bedroom was a blank slate. Everything was magnolia – even the fireplace was covered in thick cream paint. I wanted to inject colour and style into the space and took on the project with gusto.

“There was another smaller bedroom next to the master colourful bedroom. We decided to knock through to create a dressing room with wardrobes and an ensuite. By adding pocket doors between the two spaces, we can close them off whenever needed.”

How did you come up with the design?

“I wanted to create a master colourful bedroom that felt like a room in a luxurious boutique hotel. The inspiration came from House of Hackney’s Artemis wallpaper, which I discovered a few years ago and fell in love with as soon as I saw it.”

“Initially, I had planned to use the wallpaper in our ensuite. However, after mulling it over, I decided to place it on the main wall of the bedroom instead. It was a bold decision as the wallpaper is very colourful, makes a big design statement, and has a good bit of pink, which my husband initially wasn’t too happy about.

“I pulled out the blue and the pink shades from the wallpaper and looked for paint colours to match. I knew I wanted to add gold accents, so we went with gold wall lights and the perfect matching ceiling light. I’d also always dreamt of having a small sofa in the bedroom, which we placed at the foot of the bed.”

How have you found the process?

“We absolutely love the space. Walking into the bedroom feels so luxurious and it’s the perfect oasis away the chaos of a busy household with two kids and a dog. The process was a lot of fun, albeit a bit stressful at times. Sometimes when making bold design decisions, it’s normal to doubt yourself and think, ‘what if it looks rubbish?’. But, overall, I was really pleased with our decisions to join the two rooms and create the space.”

Sam’s pearls of wisdom for a colourful bedroom

• Don’t worry if you need to change some of your decisions as you go along. Instead, be flexible and think up new solutions.
• Measure your space so you know exactly what will fit into the space. I always had a measuring tape in my pocket to make sure I didn’t overfill the bedroom.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment with colour. You may need to push yourself out of your comfort zone, but trying out lots of tester pots really works.
• Always shop around. We tested several mattresses in lots of big stores before finally deciding on the one that was right for us. 
• Look around for second-hand bargains. The vanity in the ensuite cost less than £100, and something similar new could easily have cost over £1000.
• Plants brighten up your space instantly. I like to use a mix of faux and real.

Enjoyed this feature? Make sure to grab your KBB magazine July issue in newsagents nationwide – on sale on 2 June 2023.

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