An 80th birthday present to herself.
After several difficult years spent looking after her husband, my client wanted her bedroom to become somewhere entirely for her. A warm, restorative retreat where she could rest, sleep and simply feel looked after.
Somewhere to exhale.
For her 80th birthday, my client wanted to give herself a soothing retreat, particularly for long periods of wakefulness at night. The budget and a palette of colours she loved were set. Everything else was open.
Designing for comfort, not just sleep.
Rather than disguising the room's unusual architecture, I used colour, layered lighting and a considered layout to celebrate it, while creating different places to rest, read, watch television or simply change perspective on a sleepless night.
More than somewhere to sleep.
The room was designed to give her different places to be. A soft loveseat offers somewhere cosy to move to when sleep will not come, without having to head downstairs, while the fireplace adds warmth and flickering light.
Existing storage was made more cohesive, a new vanity created a dedicated dressing area, and favourite artwork was given room to breathe.
Give her something beautiful to look at.
The design began with the ceiling. A delicate mural, softly lit from concealed coving, turned the room's large white angles into something beautiful to look at from bed.
Wall lights and additional layers of lighting highlight the unusual architecture and give her control over the mood of the room, particularly during wakeful nights.
Thoughtful at every turn.
An extra-wide, deeply padded velvet headboard gives her somewhere genuinely comfortable to sit up during periods of wakefulness, with lighting and controls close to hand.
Across the room, the electric fire, vanity and layered lighting make the previously awkward area feel considered and useful.
Light, privacy and softness.
Handmade double curtains add weight and luxury, with a decorative trim tying them back to the room's palette. A gauze layer filters neighbouring views without sacrificing daylight.
The loveseat gives her somewhere else to curl up when sleep won't come, while a deep, sumptuous rug zones the sleeping area and makes the first step out of bed a soft one.
Curtains and custom headboard made by Livesey Design.
A bedroom that looks after her.
Calm when she needs calm. Cosy when sleep won't come. Practical without feeling clinical. And, after years of putting someone else first, a room designed entirely around her.