In my third and final post for this partnership with Livingston Designer Outlet, we decided to show off the outlet’s interior design section – perfectly timed for me as I have genuinely been hitting ‘refresh’ on my home decor lately!
I’ll be honest – most of my time spent at LDO has been in Tommy Hilfiger, Kurt Geiger, Next, GAP and Marks & Spencer, and a lot of it spent in Lindt and Costa. Until this most recent visit I hadn’t taken much time to peruse the interior design section (all the shops are located in one area which makes life so much easier when comparing pieces and prices).
My top recommendations are Pagazzi lighting and mirrors where I fell in love with the most gorgeous golden lamp of which the base reminded me of the end-of-summer sun, and an industrial round mirror, and Murmur for Scandinavian-inspired (but cosy) accessories such as woven baskets, beautiful throws, wooden chopping boards and bowls, and scented candles. Finally, Graham & Brown was just the spot for luxurious wall papers and paints and if I hadn’t already re-painted the bedroom I’d have been tempted here! What I did find was the perfect finishing touch for my new bedroom. Let me explain.
When we found out we were expecting Nathan, we gave the nursery a makeover and our bedroom a fresh lick of paint late in 2016. The nursery was lovely, but unfortunately the colour of our room actually looked like someone had thrown up all over our walls; instead of a sophisticated cappuccino hue, we found ourselves surrounded by an orange-tinted taupe. (Scroll down for the ‘before’ photo.)
It was ghastly but we were stuck with it for a year. Finally, just after Christmas, we covered up Puke Stain with bright white, choosing a deep sea blue as the feature wall. It cost us barely anything, and the difference was instant. Even our old oatmeal curtains look better.
Due to a lack of budget, the rest of the bedroom had to rely on accessories – we weren’t replacing any furniture, so I was super excited to work with LDO on my bedroom refresh. I scheduled a trip to Livingston to see what the Outlet had to offer – I was looking for either a long mirror or three matching square frames to hang above the bed.
The Outlet delivered, with this trio of gold frames which were from Graham & Brown, which I knew instantly would look so chic against our new blue wall. For just £39 for all three frames I couldn’t say no! I took them home in a great hurry and I’ve been delighted with them – they’re truly the perfect finishing touch to our ‘new’ bedroom.
The blue wall and gold frames are quite clearly the feature point of our bedroom, and this was the plan from the outset – so it was around this concept that I based the bedroom accessories. I knew that white, dark blue, and a third contrasting colour would work really well for the cushions, while a stylish vase of fresh flowers and a small selection of family photographs make it feel like home.
Instead of simply being a place to sleep – which lacked inspiration and colour – our bedroom is now where I like to relax in the evening with a good tv show or book before bed. A cup of mint tea, a schoosh of lavender room spray, and our loving dog Jake at my feet means our bedroom is a sanctuary for us to totally chill out and wind down after what can sometimes be a long, hard day.
Investing a little love into our bedroom has been good for the soul. Somehow, I feel more relaxed – and proud of myself – for having transformed it into a room I’m happy to spend time in. What made things easier was having a starting point in my mind, and searching for that on my shopping trip to the Outlet. There were so many things I wanted to buy, but I couldn’t take them all home – but finding that one feature piece was enough to lift and inspire the entire room, and my mood too.
Picture frames, Livingstone Designer Outlet; bed sheets, Sainsbury’s; white cushions, Sainsbury’s; navy cushions, Matthew Williamson at Debenhams; yellow pom-pom cushion, The Collection at Debenhams; vase, Debenhams; white lamp, B&Q; grey throw, Primark; sheepskin rug, Dunelm.
Images: Kris Miller.
With thanks to Livingston Designer Outlet for sponsoring this post.
New room looks lovely and just shows that for little output you can transform a room.