Make Room To Dream

Apr 27 2008 Justin And Colin

PLAN OF ACTION

In small rooms, walk space is crucial so choose the right size of bed with proportional bedside tables. Tip - measure twice and buy once.

Ensure your bedroom can cope with a king or queensize bed before shelling out.

Get the dimensions of your proposed bed then map it out on the floor using newspaper laid to the exact size to see how it will look.

LEGGY LOVELIES

To maximise the feeling of space, we opted for leggy, open-framed bedside tables.

The skeletal nature of their construction allows light to pass through and lets us see the wall behind - both elements help increase the feeling of space.

The Occa 2001 tables are similar. They cost £259 from Bo Concept, Glasgow, or log on to www.boconcept.co.uk

POST-MODERN

Four-poster beds are synonymous with luxury and romance and can look fab.

If your bedroom is short on space, make sure the bed isn't too bulky. Choose a thin, modern-framed design like this one.

This type of bed looks expensive but isn't - IKEA, Next and even Tesco Direct stock four-posters from as little as £169.

THE DRAPE ESCAPE

The old hankie hanging on the single-glazed door did nothing for this room so we put in a larger, frosted glass pane. This increased the amount of natural light and lifted the room from gloom.

We flanked it either side with full-length drapes to give the impression the glazed door is wider than it is. Wickes have glazed exterior doors from £229, www.wickes.co.uk

WONDER WALL

We're all familiar with the concept of wallpapering one feature wall - generally the one behind the bed in a bedroom. But we have two ways to use the rest of the roll to spread the pattern further.

Use a single floor-to-ceiling strip then frame a section of paper and hang it opposite (as we did by the sideboard).

This picks up the pattern without covering all walls.

The paper is Byron, Amethyst, by Osborne and Little. Visit www.osborneandlittle.com

BRIGHT IDEAS

We hung a chandelier to introduce a curvaceous element in this otherwise boxy modern room and to help soften the effect of the large bed.

When putting together your look, use an occasional lamp or accessory that seems at odds with everything else. That's the thing about trends - there's always someone to buck them.

For a great white glass chandelier, try the Glamour 5-Light Pendant, £85, from Cotterell Lightcentres in Glasgow and Edinburgh or online at www.cotterell-light centres.co.uk