I thought now would be as good as time as any to talk beds. I mean after returning from our cycling tour holiday of the Loire valley I'm well placed to talk about beds and how they complement our decorating styles, as in the last two weeks I've slept in eight different beds as well as my own at home. The others were all hotel beds, and the rooms we stayed in had a mix of traditional and modern styles.
So it got me thinking, do our beds influence how we decorate our bedroom? Or do we choose a bed to match our decor, I wonder which happens most. Anyway I've been looking on the Carpetright site at their bed collection and I thought it'd be fun to see what kind of theme they inspired, so let's get going.
1. Metal bed frames
There are, of course a multitude of designs available and many are more exciting than having bars top and bottom. The bed below invokes a pretty and romantic tone and I think it's well suited to a country style theme.
CORRINNE METAL BED FRAME
Photo credit: Carpetright
Alternatively if you think a country-themed bedroom is just too twee and cloying and not for you, then this bed would work equally well in a chic French-style apartment look. With crisp bed linen I think it would be easy to make this bed work for two different styles.
We have a metal bed frame at home and I love it. Unfortunately it's more of the bars top and bottom kind but for a hot person like me it's great as when I overheat (often overactive thyroid related but not always) it's nice to have the cool metal frame against my skin!
2. Wood bed frames
The bed below has hints of a Shaker style doesn't it? I think it works well with the pale blues and greys shown in the picture and makes for a calming bedroom. But I also think that this style of bed would work for a more boldly coloured bedroom. Imagine that white just standing out against a cerise, orange or lime green background. The bedroom would have an entirely different vibe wouldn't it?
TUSCANY WOOD BED FRAME
Photo credit: Carpetright
Wooden beds do, of course come in more natural finishes than white and they too would provide the opportunity for a different style of decor. Imagine a pine or ash bed, that would fit straight into a neutral, earthy scheme giving a natural and no nonsense look to your bedroom.But switch the wood to a dark walnut or even black finish, and you might be contemplating an exotic feel to your bedroom.
Isn't it fascinating how one item and its style can influence your style?
3. Fabric bed frames
For me, the bed pictured just screams hotel style decor. Think indulgence and neutrals all at the same time. It's a luxurious feel and I think it would make sleeping in a complete treat, but only with the right bedding. This look needs crisp white bed linen, for me a flowery duvet set just wouldn't be right.
RIA FABRIC BED FRAME
Photo credit: Carpetright
And of course the fabric you choose also influences our decor. Faux suedes, leather and linens would all work well for the hotel look bedroom, but choose a flowery patterned material and once again the look immediately changes. I recovered an old headboard in my previous house in a pink and green flowery trellis material. I loved it, but there was no way I'd pass it off as hotel style.
But what about headboards?
Headboards are ideal if you already have a bed and don't want to replace it but want to give your bedroom a new look. There's plenty of options for metal and fabric headboards, but wooden ones seem harder to come by so you might need to be more resourceful if that's what you've set your mind on.
SOFIA HEADBOARD
Photo credit: Carpetright
The metal headboard above works in all the ways the metal bed frame does, and the fabric headboard below works well if you're after the hotel style of bedroom. And I think you'd be surprised by how different your room would look if you added either of these.
PEARL TUFTED DEEP BUTTONED FAUX LINEN HEADBOARD
Photo credit: Carpetright
This is a collaborative post with Carpetright, but all opinions remain my own.