Beautiful Bedrooms for Dreamers
From dreaming of them all day long to dreaming in them all night long, the bedroom is a special space in the home. (Murphy bed lovers may disagree here.) The best of bedrooms are like private little retreats within the swirling shared spaces of the kitchen, dining, and living room. Bedrooms are a spot for rest; they are spaces that magically transform today’s problems into tomorrow’s problems. Kidding – sort of.
In small spaces, it can be difficult to prioritise the bedroom since, even though you spend so much time there, you usually aren’t awake to really know that. (Now we’re speaking the murphy bed lovers language.) Nonetheless, there are many for whom they are a non-negotiable: a beautiful bedroom is a must. In this second iteration of our Beautiful Bedrooms collections, we’ve put together some recent show stoppers from across Never Too Small episodes – flexing some simple tricks for prioritising the sleep space while working with a little space.
Cosiness Customised
While IKEA has its many positive sides, there’s no denying that its dimensions are not bespoke. Customised furniture or joinery comes at a bit of a cost, but it can be one of the best ways to create a comfortable, functional bedroom that meets all your needs in a small space. Architect Antonio Mora and Eduardo Tazon of Studio Noju took this approach while designing Casa Triana by creating a one-of-a-kind headboard with cosiness in mind: “We custom made an upholstered headboard, with integrated reading lamps and bedside tables. The sides of the headboard angle in toward the bed to make you feel cosy. The angle also provides a bit of a division to the bathroom and entrance”. Watch Casa Triana.
Cushla McFadden was on the same page in the mezzanine bedroom within Coledale Beach House, the retrofitted garage she lived in for a spell with her husband and kids. For McFadden, storage, rather than cosiness, was the first priority. She explained: “The queen-sized bed has built-in joinery on both sides of the bed, with wardrobe on top, bedside table on the bottom, and lighting on the bed head. It has two big drawers underneath where we stored all of the kids’ clothes”. Watch Coledale Beach House.
Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Doors
Creating a comfortable bedroom area can be as easy as going door free. This approach is great for people who live alone or in a couple and can be applied in ways that span the privacy spectrum of fully open to somewhat secluded. On one end you’ve got EG112 Simple Dwelling, the studio home of architect Jacobo Valentí, who managed to achieve a comfortable bedroom area that is right in the middle of the rest of his home. We attribute it to his careful spatial planning that designates this as a zone for sleeping. Watch EG112 Simple Dwelling.
In the centre of the range is The Shrine by our friends at Studio Edwards. The Shrine distinguishes the bedroom by its charcoal walls and a small step, “like stepping up out of the living space into this little nest”, said architect Ben Edwards. While entirely exposed to the living area, the bedroom has the option for privacy by way of a retractable cardboard wall by the company MOLO. The best of both worlds. Watch The Shrine.
Coming in at top doorless privacy is Hidden Garden House, where the bedroom is tucked away on the second story of the terrace house alongside a bathroom ensuite. Timbre wardrobe units were added to serve as dividers between the two zones, allowing for both privacy and spaciousness. Watch Hidden Garden House.
There’s Nothing a Good Wardrobe Can’t Fix
When life doesn’t give you storage, you create it. Simply put: a small bedroom feels a whole lot bigger when the storage game is strong. Good storage does so much more than store your stuff – it can also create the illusion of space. Take Menta, for example, by gon architects. Mirrors rule the roost in this home and the bedroom is no exception. A wall-to-wall closet was given floor-to-ceiling mirrors to reflect the natural light and create an overall bigger feeling room. Another less obvious example of how to create the illusion of space with a wardrobe is including some open shelving like they did at Koka Studio. It may seem counterintuitive because people usually want to hide things away, the use of open shelving can add some texture, depth, and dynamism to an otherwise flush wall which gives the eye more to play with. Watch Menta and Koka Studio.
