It's a cover-up

Top tips: How to decorate your bedroom

Bedrooms offer up rest for not just our bodies but for our minds and souls too. Check out our bedroom special full of lovely photos put together by the amazing Bemz design team for tips and inspiration before tackling your own room. But first, here's a synopsis, based on five styles. Which one is yours?

Florö bed frame from Ikea in Moss Green Belgian Linen from Bemz. Ikea Karlstad footstools in Bubbel Brown by designer Bantie at Bemz

Bohemian Chic: The relaxed, yet sophisticated Bohemian Chic Lifestyle is characterized by a hand picked mix of modern iconic designs and antique classics. The bedroom is a peaceful refuge from the day’s stresses. Although a variety of solid-coloured, patterned and embroidered cushions are used, there is no feeling of clutter.

Bed skirt with frills in Rosendal Pure Washed Linen Lavender from Bemz

A sense of personal luxury is created with a subtly wrinkled linen bed skirt. Don’t be afraid to mix colours and textures, these are exciting clashes that will enhance that bohemian look! Read more about Bohemian Chic.

Straight Bed Skirt in Soft White Belgian Linen Blend from Bemz

Simple Life: This is a style that sits as one with nature, taking root in rugged coastal scenery. The typical Simple Life bedroom is discriminating and uncomplicated with a focus on function. A washed linen bed skirt brings a balance of elegance and natural simplicity.

Bed skirt with frills in Rosendal Pure Washed Medium Grey

Various light coloured textiles reinforce the fresh and simple look of this nature-inspired decor. Consider mixing natural textiles with different textures, like linen and cotton, to add character and depth. Read more about Simple Life.

Bemz Bed skirt with frills in Rosendal Pure Washed Soft White

Scandinavian Country: This an interpretation of a romantic past. Create a cosy, romantic, vintage-inspired bedroom using whites and light pastels, ideally in crisp linens. A pleated bed skirt or upholstered headboard paired with cushions and throws underline the tranquil and harmonious vibe. A simple chandelier accentuates the contrasting mix of elegance and rustic warmth.

Florö bed frame cover in Soft White Belgian Linen Blend

Character and cosiness are added through quintessential florals, informal stripes and checks, emphasising the rural expression. Read more about Scandinavian Country.

Florö bed frame cover in Tégner Mélange Ink Blue. Cushion covers in Silver Grey and Tégner Mélange Ink Blue

Urban Living: This evokes a self-confident attitude and a singular character with a chic and functional feel. The Urban Living styled bedroom takes inspiration from hotel rooms. Its function as the perfect retreat from the daily stresses of city living is fulfilled via a coherent colour scheme. Carefully selected designer cushions are lined up while a stylish throw sits at the foot of the bed. An upholstered headboard and a straight bed skirt with box pleats contribute to the sense of serene luxury.

Grimen bed frame cover in Frescati Plaid Grey

The colour scheme is monochromatic, based on either a dark industrial–chic style palette or a lighter modern and elegant palette. Read more about Urban Living.

Florö bed frame cover in Stockholm Stripe Jet Black

Playground: As the name suggests, Playground is all about playfulness. Happy colours and daring patterns mix with Scandinavian design classics and modern favourites. A graphic black and white upholstered bed frame adorned with large patterned cushions in lime, grass green and yellow are lively against white walls.

Fuchsia daybed with scatter cushions in orange, pink and lime from Bemz

The guest room’s fuchsia daybed pops when scattered with pattern-rich cushions in orange, pink and lime. Combine sturdy Panama Cotton from Bemz with Designers Guild and Marimekko to strike the right balance. Read more about Playground.

Sweet dreams!

Top tips: How to dive into the blue

Blue never completely goes out of fashion. This is because it fits into many styles, is multi-functional, practical and beautiful. And it's back at the top of the popularity charts! 

From the coolest pale, powder blue to the deeply warming and intense sapphire, blue reaches from one end of the colour and emotional spectrum to the other. It is the colour of the sea and sky. It is happy thoughts. It is electric and invigorating. It is escapism. It is holidays. It is coolness. It is sadness. It is calming and relaxation. It is distance. It is abstract. And it is this very myriad of shades and the emotions they evoke, that makes blue so powerful.

Having read that, it may now feel like using blue is not easy - but it is, and here's how:

- Step one: think about the purpose of the space you are decorating. What kind of feel do you want to create? Do you want it relaxed or invigorating? Do you want to glam it up or keep it simple and rustic? To help you with this we have a few styles and idea palette choices listed after step three.

- Step two: pick the right shade of blue to achieve the purpose you defined in step one and introduce tones of that shade. In descending order, it goes colour, shade, tone. To further clarify - a tone is the varying degrees of a colour that make up a shade. So, if sky blue is a shade of the colour blue, then just as the sky is never composed of a single flat colour but rather a myriad of tones, so is the shade of colour you've chosen made up of a myriad of tones. And it is with these tones you want to work. 

- Step three: layer with the appropriate tones using patterns and texture. The key to success with blue is working with a mix of patterns and tones. This will keep it interesting without ever overdoing it.

Are you ready to dive in? 

Ultramarine and turquoise shades are vivid, versatile and trendy. They are the ones we are seeing most on catwalks and are great tones to use if you want to inject a feeling of spring/summer into your home. Layered tones will provide texture and interest.

If you are looking for a calm, coastal feel, pale aquamarines, denims paired with sandy beiges are the way to go. They are restful and soothing - well suited to rooms made for relaxing, like the living room or bedroom.

At the other end of the spectrum, an invigorating cobalt or electric blue paired with brilliant white is another take on the traditional monochromatic look. This is a great combination for a space that requires you to be productive, like a home office or kitchen. 

If you love glam, opt for teals, paired with turquoise and petrol blues for sophisticated bling. 

If pretty is more your thing, sky blues should be your palette of choice. They can have the effect of increasing a sense of spaciousness.

Whether you're an urban angel or a country romantic, love rustic or retro, there's a blue for you. Check out our collection of 35 blues by filtering colour choice in our webshop.

Photos: all from Bemz

Top tips: How to make your Karlstad go designer

Generally, I share photos that come directly from happy Bemz customers every Friday. This post is slightly different however, as this customer doesn't just transform her Karlstad chaise longue with a Bemz cover (not that that isn't enough) but actually transforms the whole look of the chair, as well as the room. 

The person in question is interior designer (and then some) Cristina from Ireland. Her home is already featured on her own lovely blog called Positively Beauty. And, based on those facts, I decided this was more of a top tips from a designer kind of post!

Everyone loves a before-and-after photo and here you can see how Cristina put her talents to work and transformed her new home.

Cristina took the IKEA Karlstad chaise longue add-on unit and transformed it into a stunning designer piece of furniture. And here's how...

First - choose a fabric for your new cover from Bemz. Cristina was torn between the Absolute White cotton and the Soft White linen blend but went with the linen upon receiving her free swatches. As her chaise longue is the add-on unit, it has two holes so that it may be fixed the sofa. But Cristina wanted to use it as a stand alone unit, so chose the stand alone cover which covered up the holes.

Cristina also replaced the telltale IKEA standard wooden feet with a stainless steel underframe giving it a much sleeker, more contemporary look.

Cristina replaced the red curtains with linen ones in a neutral shade, introduced a beautiful floor lamp (there's a story in that: read more about it on her post!), painted the walls and accessorised with complementary details like plant pots, throws and frames. The overall look was complete!

If you like what you see, read more about Cristina and visit her blog. Thank you Cristina for sharing you creative flair and ideas with us... And for choosing Bemz.

Top tips: It's okay to be blue

Have you ever heard of chromatherapy? Me neither! Apparently, it is the art of healing through colour. And why not? We react emotionally to lots of colours for a variety of reasons. If I say red, you say hot (or Christmas or love...). If I say green you say ecological (or money or jealousy...).

But let's talk about blue. It's associated with cold as well as with sadness but did you know that hues of blue can help soothe pain and promote relaxation?

It doesn't stop there! A blue room is even said to make people more thoughtful and productive!

All this and beauty too. The soothing shades of tropical waters like Oceanic Teal and Crystal Bay will help create a dramatic statement. 

And the fact that many of the names given to the various hues of this colour are derived from natural resources is evocative and telling.

And how timely: Bemz has just added a new colour to the Tegnér Melange texture fabrics collection. Mineral Blue (pictured above). It's a stunning dove-blue with a hint of sand and spot on trend for this ever-popular mellow yet intense colour palette. 

As with all nine shades included in the Tegnér Melange textiles, Mineral Blue is a yarn dyed fabric from Italy, made from a blend of cotton, viscose and linen. By mixing these natural fibres in different colours, a stunning weave with a unique structure and a soft, comfortable surface is created.

Credit: Elle Decoration, November 2011 issue; Photos, except Bemz: House to Home

Top tips: How to upcycle a pallet

No, that is not a typo. I meant pallets! Just the other day I spied six or seven pallets piled outside a coffee house and was overwhelmed by the urge to take them. I didn't - and now I regret it. When I came home I decided to do a little reseach and discover just what one can do with the lowly pallet, and look at all these fab ideas I came across.

A headboard, and a beautiful rustic one at that! Thumbs up for Norwegian Stylizimo. These following two also came via Stylizimo's members.

A painted pallet as the base of a daybed or one piled on the other with casters attached as a rustic coffee table.

If you want your coffee table to be a little more sleek and contemporary, add a lick of paint and a glass top and the added brightness and reflecting surface give it that cool clean modern edge.

Here a discarded pallet has been transformed into a beautiful plate rack: an eye-caching centrepiece in the kitchen. Made by German designer Katrin Arens who uses "materials from derelict country houses, cellars, and carpentry studios" in her designs.

Found these deck chairs made from pallets on Remodelista, made by (and available to purchase from) Studiomama.

Photo c/o Apartment Therapy

I came across a few that were used for daybeds, like this one pictured above. Just remember that pallets are made from the cheapest possible wood and are pretty rough, so I don't think you'd want to have it as a permanent, everyday sleeping solution! But sand it down with an electric sander or have it as an occasional and you're set to go.

This one I'd seen before and absolutely loved it. It's from Under the Sycamore and I desperately wanted to copy the lighting idea for our nursery (not pictured here) but alas, our room was too small. Notice she also used a door as the headboard. So clever!

A shoe rack - why not? I also saw pallets used as bookshelves and a games table.

Well I never... A pallet garden? Brilliant. Thanks Life on the Balcony.

This endeavour reminded me of two things: no item is too lowly to upcycle (as long as you can add a dash of creativity and perhaps a dollop of elbow grease), and of the incredible number of wonderfully creative people out there. Thank you blogosphere for bringing them to us!

Top tips (from renown designer Tricia Guild): How to sell your home

With the economic downturn (yes, we're still talking about that. Sigh...), it has become harder than ever to sell your home. Gone are the days of popping bread in the oven and placing a well known designer labelled liquid soap on the bathroom sink to ensure you get the best price possible. It's time to pull out the big guns and get creative. And who better to provide you with some top tips on how to make your home so enticing that a stranger will love it enough to pay top dollar, than top designer Tricia Guild?

Photo of Tricia Guild by Heathcliff O'Malley

Tricia Guild's £50 million-a-year global empire grew from humble beginnings: a small shop on the King's Road in London back in 1970. This is a woman who knows business, knows how to sell and knows interiors. And here are her top ten tips:

1. Be bold: Tricia Guild's designs are known for their larger-than-life patterns and bold, vibrant colours so it perhaps comes as no surprise that this tip tops the list. But I think she makes a valid point: who really wants an impersonal, beige home? Through your personality and design choices you will give your home an identity and style which can only enhance the look of it.

2. Camouflage defects: Accept your home's weaknesses and find solutions that work for them. If you have low ceilings, long low-level furniture will make the most of the height available to you. Along the same lines, if the rooms are small, choosing furniture you can see through, like wire, perspex or glass will open the room up.

3. Rein in those rafters: If you have big solid beams, painting the ceiling between the beams in a soft pink will soften and warm the look.

4. Don't be ageist: Modern interiors benefit from the odd antique just as a modern piece or two in a period interior will give it an individual edge. This rule goes for colour choices too!

5. Get inspired: Inspiration can come from so many sources - museums, theatre, even the outdoors. See what others are doing and take from it the bits you like.

6. Give your hall a chance: Transform them from a practical walkway to a space of their own, with colour and personality.

7. Avoid clichés: Predictable furniture choices and interior decor, like the black leather sofa in a loft, lacks personality and means your property will not stand out.

8. Take the indoors outdoors: Use any outdoor space to create more indoor space, weather permitting! According to Tricia, you can erect a simple metal frame and hang lengths of linen fabric to create an extra cozy and intimate area.

9. Bring the outdoors in: Reflect the garden by introducing details that mimic the outdoors like leafy wallpapers and green and yellow colours in rooms that overlook the outdoors.

10. Dare to discard: If there is a piece of furniture you don't like, get rid of it. There's no point working on making your home beautiful if you have to do it around a piece that you don't like. Of course, if it's a sofa or chair you could also give it a facelift with a new slipcover*.

You may well find at the end of it all that you are the one in love with your home. And, maybe that's just what you needed... Good luck! 

*You can find a wonderful selection of Tricia Guild fabrics in the Bemz Designer Collections. 

Credit: The Daily Telegraph Property, May 16, 2001

Top tips: Discover your inner designer!

Don't get depressed as summer draws to a close. Get started on some autumn inspired projects and turn those long awaited interior dreams into a reality. And, if that's not enough to inspire you, we've got a special summer sale on whites to get you motivated (ends August 18, 2011)!

The secret to success for interior decorating projects is the same as for any project: planning, planning and more planning.

1. Take stock. Go through your home and take note of what you want to change and what you like as is. Keep a list of furniture and accessories. A ”simple” rearrangement, moving things from one room to another, can often create a wonderful metamorphosis. And, don’t forget the basement and attic! You may find that a lamp you put away a few years ago now fits beautifully into your new decor.

2. Floorplan. Make a simple floorplan of your home and use post-it notes for cut outs of large furniture and objects - that way they can be moved easily when trying different layouts. At Ikea's website there are several planning tools to play with, some of which relate to specific sets of furniture and others are for more general use.

3. Inspiration. Gather ideas and inspiration in one easily accessible place. Save anything that depicts the feel you are after: from newspaper clippings to website addresses, from fabric samples to string. Don’t forget to browse through the Bemz Lifestyles which are full of inspiring images there for the taking.

4. Be consistent. Sort and organise ideas and look for trends and colours that repeat throughout. Here’s a list of some helpful programs that do just that – and, they’re free. You’ll find other programs of this sort online.

• Evernote is a simple "notes program" which allows you to save web pages, images from the Internet, your own photos and written notes. Helpful tags like grey, colorful, kitchen, etc, can be added to easily identify trends within your choices.
• Mydeco.com has several excellent tools for creating moodboards (of which you can read more on the Bemz blog), as well as decorating whole rooms. Registration is free and you can use your own images, or images from other users.
• Kuler.adobe.com is a great resource when researching colours. It allows you to explore, create and share colour themes with thousands of other members. Themes can be based on a specific colour or on your own images.

5. Budget and schedule. To succeed, give yourself a realistic budget, draw up a timeplan, then stick to it. It may not be as exciting as flipping through inspirational photos but it is certainly as important. You definitely do not want to bite off more than you can chew when it comes to time or money!

Done? Great - now you’re ready to go! What changes are you hoping to make to your home this autumn? As always, we would love to hear from you: click through to our Facebook page and fill us in.

Top tips: Decorating with a soft palette

Kivik sofa in Lavender Belgian Linen; Kivik chair and footstool in Sand Beige Raffia, from Bemz

With pastels being so hot on the radar here are some top tips on how to use those beautiful soft shades in new and exciting ways.

Modernise a country scheme by throwing bright yellow into the mix. The dip dyed tablecloth along with the hand-painted lamp shades shown above create a soft, yet unexpectedly edgy setting. (Remember to keep into account that the dye will seep up the fabric a little when dip dying. And don't forget to add salt...).

Use an oversized motif to add depth and structure. By sticking with the blues, pinks and mauves the tones are established - then broken with the pop of yellow curtains. 

Use a piece of artwork as the palette for your decor. Like a painting, layer fabrics so they blend with each other. Keep the walls pale to frame the painting and highlight the furnishings.

If you cover every surface from top to toe, floors, walls and furniture in one colour will create a soothing effect. Like these softly graduated blues that leave you feeling like you're on a grecian isle.

The scale of this dramatic mural, created by a graffiti like painting in washed rich pastels gives the softness and charm of the colours a gritty edge. To achieve this look sponge on a light coat of emulsion and then run a brush across the image. This will tone down the colours. Once dry - apply the watercolours of choice.

Credit: Livingetc June 2011 issue; Photos: Emma Lee

Top tips: Decorating with roses

Roses have never looked so modern and cutting edge!

Ginerva wallpaper from Osbourne & Little, Anda chair from Ligne Roset; IKEA Stockholm older model chair in Baronessa - Pink, Lisa Bengtsson, Bemz

Embrace layers of oversized, edgy coloured and contemporary shaped florals to get a modern take on the traditional chintz.

Designers Guild Flamingo Park and Coconut Grove

Blast any vestiges of nostalgia with super-sized motifs.

Wallpaper Elocie, Harlequin; sofa in Baronessa - Green by Lisa Bengtsson; shades in Melrose Greenstone, Natural Hatley Black and Temptress

Who says roses have to be pink? Explore the edgier side of florals with steel greys juxtaposed with acid greens for a modern take on a traditional look.

Sofa in York Heather, curtains in Salcombe Rose Pale Aqua; IKEA Henriksdal chair with long skirt slipcover with box pleats from Bemz in True Rose - Caffe Latte

These monochromatic roses are the reverse of your usual chintz giving traditionally styled schemes a sassy spin. Use them in the usual places - on the sofa and the curtains then jazz the room up with splashes of coloured accessories, especially favourites like hot reds and bright pinks.

Vivienne Westwood's Absence of Rose wallpaper; IKEA's Barkaby armchair in Baronessa - Green by Lisa Bengtsson at Bemz

Go floral punk with a largely monochrome look, black blooms against a hint-o-pink to keep the look clean. Or dark modern florals that are gutsy and beautiful all at once.

Credit and Photos (excluding Bemz photos): Livingetc, July 2011 issue

Top tips: How to get tickled pink

It's been chosen as the colour of the year for 2011 by shade experts Pantone. It is energising, uplifting and confidence boosting. It sets pulses racing and is reminiscent of everything good - from flowers to sunsets. It is pink.

Karlstad chaise longue in Sagrada Blossom from Designers Guild at Bemz

Pink is optimistic. Pink is self-assured. Pink is fresh. Pink is vital. Pink says candy and ice cream and I love you. Pink is all about feeling good. Here are some top tips on how you can pack a punch this summer with this shade of choice. What's not to love about pink?

Photo c/o Bentheim

Think outside the box: by painting the doorway a bright pink not only adds energy to an otherwise dark space but also is unexpected and fun. How can you help but smile when you walk through that door?

Tylosand sofa in Tegner Melange Fuchsia from Bemz

Modernise you sofa in one fell swoop by choosing a vibrant fuchsia for it. 

Photos c/o Bisazza

Who says the bathroom has to be blue or white. So predictable! Make a statement with lustrous pink mosaics in a variety of shades, interspersed with whites along with specks of gold to create a stunning and bright backdrop to the white sink and toilet while still maintaining warmth in the space.

Photos c/o Dulux

Partner pinks in several shades to make an impact. Soft pinks work well with pale greens or throw deep colours together for a statement.

Klippan 4 seater in Bayshore Magenta from Designers Guild at Bemz

If you want to add a pink vibe without changing the whole room, use pink accents on accessories like a pink floor lamp, pink cushions in all its wonderful shades or why not even a vibrant pink carpet?

Barkaby chair in Gustavian Flowers - Dusty Rose

The palest of pinks keeps the scheme subtle yet feminine keeping the look personal and cosy.

Tomelilla armchair in Fandango - Red by Marimekko at Bemz

Soften a space and any hard edges using elegant, pretty motifs on fabrics.

Klippan sofa in Flamingo Park Fuchsia from Designers Guild at Bemz

Pink gives florals a contemporary edge. Go graphic and choose inverted tradition - where the design is monochromatic set on a pink backdrop. This makes the design more graphic looking and gives an overall more modern effect.

Credit: Livingetc, June 2011 issue