In the bedroom...

Zzzz

For the past couple of years I have noticed a shift not only within myself but also amongst the internet, where we have thankfully shifted away from neutral, minimal, colorless, pompus grass, weird white funky shaped vases and wavy mirror interior design habits and are leaning into more traditional, classic design with patterns, textures, colors and just more overall added life to our spaces.

I am not saying I don’t appreciate a minimal or contemporary space here and there but for the most part I find so much more joy and comfort in spaces that feel lived in, lean into quality materials, architecture, patterns, colors, textures and honestly display the full understanding of how I feel good design should be expressed. Which I don’t feel like those neutral trendy spaces ever really understood.

I think overall our sleeping habits, bedrooms and nighttime rituals have all kind of fallen to the wayside. We can blame our screens for this. Or at least I am going to. Feel free to join me.

However, there are some ways to bring some more excitement back into the bedroom and perhaps make you want to be better about sleeping. Or maybe it’ll just make you want to spend more time in your bedroom and therefore more time on your phone too. I’m not here to solve the social media addiction…but I will try to help make your bedroom feel more enjoyable.

As someone who was born and raised in the American South, I have noticed I’ve found so much more joy and comfort in traditional design. Something I may have kept a distance from growing up but now have such an appreciation for.

There has also been an increase in popularity over the past couple of years to English interior design with patterned wallpapers, drapery, bedding, lamps etc. that has really inspired me a lot. Various American southern traditional designs, Shaker Style, traditional English design all kind of speak to a similar essence. Of course there are plenty of historical explanations behind why they do all feel similar, as they are each influenced by each other and can be drawn back to England and colonization etc…but I’ll leave that for the experts to explain because quite frankly I don’t know enough about that and definitely should.

Anyways, I am really drawn to each of these styles when it comes to interior design and architecture.

Below are some photos to show you what I mean style wise. I also realize that a bit of these have some Italian and Swedish influences as well which I also really appreciate.

I of course don’t like to take any style too seriously or too far one direction. These images all offer lots of different inspiration and influences to push me in the right direction. Then I get to decide how far I want to push it and when and where I mix in other styles and materials throughout the bedroom. You should do the same! Play around with what feels good for you.

Someone on instagram recently introduced me to Volga Linen. They make such beautiful bedding and have lots of beautiful fabrics to play with.

My favorite of theirs is the hemstitch set in really any of the colors they offer. You can also add mongrammed initials to their pillows which I think is such a sweet little detail.

They also have cute patterned accent pillows as well. I love this striped one.

I love a ladder stitch. Especially when the top sheet is folded over the duvet, which I think is a crucial step in making a bed feel purposeful and put together…but I am a hypocrite because I can’t tell you the last time I used a top sheet.

This one is from Rebecca Udall.

This one from Nickey Kehoe is one of my favorites. Especially if you are looking for an all white sheet set but with a sweet little ladder stitch detail. It just elevates and brings some character to a plain white sheet.

This sheet set and duvet cover combo from Serena and Lily is so nice. I love the pistachio green color paired with the crisp white sheets and the coordinating stitching detail.

Duvet cover & Sheet set

For the past couple of years I have been using just simple white bedding from Brooklinen and while it doesn’t have the sweet little stitching details like the others, it’s comfy and a great simple base to add in other colors and patterns. They also have these cute striped sheets that I think would be a great pattern to bring into a more traditional setting and pair with other more traditional botanical patterns.

Accent pillows are a fun way to add in some color and pattern to more traditional clean lined bedding. These are each from different sellers on Etsy. You can find a ton on there.

Pillow with oranges, Blue and red floral , Rose print, Green botanical

Each of these pillows are also a great way to learn about designers who make really beautiful fabrics. Rosa Bernal, Pierre Frey, Colefax & Fowler, & Soane

Soane is one that I have really become a huge fan of recently. They do only sell to designers or people working with designers. That’s the only obstacle if you don’t have a trade account.

With that being said, I must share some of their fabrics I have been crushing on hard recently. All of these would be incredible as bedding, pillows, headboards, lampshades etc. They also have wallpaper. So, if you are into the wallpaper matching your bedding and drapery…which I personally am, then they are for you.

There are so many more. You should go check them out!

I have always had a love for vintage cotton bedding. I grew up with a lot of it in my house. They just don’t seem to make cotton sheets the same these days, so finding vintage ones can be so nice. Sometimes they have monogrammed initials of random strangers on them but I’m not at all bothered by that.

While all of these are from Etsy sellers, you can hit up your local antique shops and find similar ones as well. In fact if you are ever in Atlanta, Kudzu Antiques has a great booth full of vintage linens and quilts.

Top left, Top right, French stripes, Bottom left, Bottom right

The next thing that you need to add to your bed is a good comfy quilt or coverlet. Absolutely crucial for layering purposes but also just added comfort. For some reason a fresh cotton quilt brings me so much comfort and I have a southern association with it.

Top left, Top right, Bottom left, Bottom right

While all of these things would be great things to buy and add to your bedroom, they hopefully all offer you some inspiration or perhaps a formula for creating a comfy bed that feels put together and brings you joy.

I think you can take the mood-boards I created as a way to approach putting your bed together. Play around with prints, pillows, blankets etc. but still sticking with an overall classic and traditional approach to design.

Do it in your own way and always have fun with it!