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Bed makeover: How to vamp up your bedding

Samantha Chew

Mon Sep 25 2017

pexels-photo-545012

A bed is the focal point of any bedroom so you should want to give it a nice presentation to liven up your living space! And since we all rely on our own bed for sleep and comfort, we should all give it a bit more appreciation too.

Not sure where to start? Consider what components actually make up your bed: quilts, sheets and pillow covers as well as additional blankets, cushions and decorations all make up the kind of bedding options that you can customise. From there, plan your colour scheme and see where your inspiration will take you.

While sstudents may struggle to find cute and stylish bedding options that are affordable and suit their tastes, we tried our best to re-decorate one of our own bedrooms at a student-friendly budget which resulted in the below before/after photo!

Before and after – Image supplied

As you can see, there’s definitely been a huge difference and an improvement made to this bed! So to help students achieve similar results, here is our small guide on how to vamp up your sleep space.

Plan your colours

Image by : Goldontheceiling and Steamshowerdealer respectively

The first step to any change of interior is planning. Decide on a colour scheme and overall style before heading to the shops. Ideally, you’d want a palette of colours that will provide an easy canvas to accommodate other items or decorations in your room. Because your bed is the focal point, you can make it stand out and set the tone of the style for your bedroom.

If you are feeling uninspired, check out Pinterest! Look up bedroom colour palettes and it will provide you with various colour schemes. We decided on a pink and red focused theme as the rest of the room is black and white. This will brighten up the room.

Bed linens

Bed linens are a long-life item so while the upfront cost is a little higher, it will last you years. As shown in the picture above, we bought a soft pastel coloured set from K-Mart. By opting for a softer pastel coloured linen set, this gave us the option of adding even brighter colours later on with decorations. Lighter colours also make a bedroom feel more spacious and light which is ideal for a student who will most likely be studying in the same room.

Take note of the size of your bed, pillows, and quilt before going shopping too. You want your bed linens to fit perfectly to avoid any extra cloth that will wrinkle and lead to a messy bed.

Head over to your local bedding store for more affordable options, otherwise, check out K-Mart and Target. Most of their bed linen sets are affordable and cost between $25 – $35. They’ve got patterned bed linen sets as well as plain ones for those of you who prefer a more minimalistic approach.

Additional throw or blanket

In addition to a quilt, having a throw or blanket can really cosy up your bed and room in general. For warmer days that do not require a quilt, curl up underneath a blanket. It can also be used on your lap to keep your legs warm while you study.

We decided to buy a cute Mermaid Blanket from Rosegal, an online shopping website that has free shipping worldwide. The website has a lot of sales through which you can get items you want at a reduced price!

Throws are also cute additions to the overall style or your bed and can be laid on the quilt or folded up at the foot of the bed. If you do not want to spend money buying these items, you can put a table runner or scarf on the quilt like the pink throw shown in the picture. This can not only decorate your bed but make your bed look tidy and neat.

Decorations

To make your bed homelier, add fairy lights for a mystical effect or even a teepee! We hung some fairy lights above the top of our redesigned bed which helps to provide good mood light as well. Check out your nearest IKEA or K-Mart for affordable decoration options.

For those of you on a budget, making a DIY headboard is an easy project that will vamp up your sleeping space. For some easy ideas and tutorials on how to make one, here are some options from Industry Standard Design.

There are so many options available that are suitable for people want their beds to reflect their individuality and surprisingly, it does not take much effort! You might be surprised by how changing up your bedding just might help you adjust to a foreign setting.


This story was produced by Media and Communication students at Trinity College Foundation Studies as part of Meld’s community newsroom collaboration. Education institutions, student clubs/societies and community groups interested in being involved can get in touch with us via meld@meldmagazine.com.au.

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