How to Create The Perfect Bedroom According to a Designer - The Gloss Magazine

How to Create The Perfect Bedroom According to a Designer

American designer Katie Ridder shares her creative approach to bedrooms with tips on furniture, colour, upholstery and pattern …

When I worked for House & Garden magazine in the 1980s, one of my jobs was to scout projects, many by the design greats of that era. In one house, I stayed in a bedroom designed by Mark Hampton that left a lasting impression on me. A slipper chair next to the bed was stacked with well-read books; the walls were upholstered in a floral-print linen. The bed was layered with pillows, and the windows had both shades and curtains for the various gradations of sunlight and darkness. No detail was overlooked: the carpet had a border, and all the upholstery was trimmed with a contrasting welt, calling out the shape of each piece. This bedroom also taught me about the “toile effect” – the use of the same fabric for walls, upholstery, and curtains.

Not every bedroom lends itself to the enveloping atmosphere of the “toile effect”, but master bedrooms should be soothing and serene while also reflecting a personal style. They should be as inviting during the day as they are at night, so that they are more than just places to sleep. One of my clients would open her laptop at the desk near a window in her bedroom and spend half the day there, and our own bedroom has a desk where I write notes and catch up on work. Perhaps most important is a comfortable upholstered chair and ottoman with good light for reading. For families, a sofa in the master bedroom is great for reading to and hanging out with the children.

In the bedrooms I design, softness applies to texture more than form. There is nothing ruffled or billowy in my bedrooms. I am partial to tailored shapes, especially for the bed, which dominates the room. Rather than skirted beds, I prefer the clean lines of a tightly upholstered box spring. I augment the crisp, tailored lines of my bedrooms with embroidery, trapunto, and other decorative, ornamental details that add delight without fussiness. Guest bedrooms should be comfortably accommodating above all else. Where to unpack my bag? Where to put my laptop? Where to read my book? The furnishings of a guest bedroom should answer all of these questions gracefully.

For children’s bedrooms I encourage my clients to think long-term. Though built-ins to organise clothes and toys are practical, there is no reason that a child’s room can’t include an antique dresser or desk. Juvenile furniture is often less sturdy and quite ephemeral. But a Queen Anne dresser that has survived for 150 years will certainly take any punishment a child can dish out. The right pieces of furniture may end up in a child’s own house someday. It really happens! Likewise, I choose fabrics that are sturdy but attractive, and I avoid schemes that are geared to a narrow range of childhood years.

An extract from: Katie Ridder: More Rooms by Katie Ridder with Jorge Arango.

Photography by Eric Piasecki, published by Vendome Press.

LOVETHEGLOSS.IE?

Sign up to our MAILING LIST now for a roundup of the latest fashion, beauty, interiors and entertaining news from THE GLOSS MAGAZINE’s daily dispatches.
Choose Your Categories

Newsletter

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This