Mad About … White Bedrooms

There’s nothing like a white bedroom for a really cool, serene space. Too often we clutter them up with stuff so that sleeping is the last thing you feel like doing when  you walk in at night. One of my favourite bedrooms was in a flat I rented about 15 years ago. It was painted completely white and we didn’t have a bed – just a mattress on the floor – with a white duvet cover. The only piece of furniture was a wooden chair and, occasionally, a bunch of flowers. It was almost monastic in its simplicity and always a good place to sleep. For those of you with a practical mindset, the clothes were kept in the cellar, which was billed as a walk-in closet and was, in reality, just as damp as you might have imagined.

Ever since that bedroom, I have tried to keep that space as simple as possible. Well there was a brief flirtation with blue but it didn’t last long.

And to be honest, all the white space in the world won’t help you sleep when a baby arrives on the scene. But perhaps that makes it all the more important the keep the colours serene and peaceful.

The key, if at all possible is to keep the clothes behind doors, or elsewhere if you can. I don’t even really have any books in the bedroom these days. Partly because I have a kindle admittedly, but also because I prefer to keep stimulation to a minimum in there.

I love this white child’s bedroom with the dinosaurs stalking the beams and the swing hanging down. Who needs colour when you can have a room like this?

This room does have a desk and a computer but it’s a massive space. Having said that I would probably have taken it through to the gorgeous room next door.

Another view of this room.

Wouldn’t it be lovely to have all these windows in your bedroom? Although there don’t appear to be any blinds so that might be less fun at 4am on a summer’s day.

Finally this lovely bedroom from photographer Paul Massey is a favourite of mine.

So there you have it. White bedrooms. Add texture with layers of different materials – velvet, cotton and linen (and perhaps the odd bit of fake fur  in winter). Remove tension by taking out the computer and some the books and make sure the clothes are hidden behind doors. It can also be bad feng shui to have a mirror in a bedroom so try tucking that out of sight too.

Sweet dreams.