The Cottage Remodel – A Moody Cottage Bedroom

Blindsgalore, Loloi and Studio Pillows provided products for this space.

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know we are currently revealing our cottage remodel room by room, so far we’ve shared the kitchen, dining room and living room. Today we are revealing the main bedroom. In case the story of our shared family cottage is new to you, you can catch up here, and see a full tour of the cottage before we began the remodel here.

I loved the entire process of designing and decorating the interior of the cottage, but this little bedroom was definitely the hardest space to work with. It’s extremely tiny and has a small jut out on one wall to accommodate the bathroom shower which made creating a functional layout for the room really difficult.

While we removed the ceiling tiles from the kitchen, dining room and living room, we opted to keep them in place in both bedrooms and the bathroom for privacy and noise reduction purposes. We also continued a similar hardwood laminate flooring into both bedrooms to help create a seamless transition from room to room.

The Furniture

Our goal while remodelling the cottage was to create a comfortable and inviting space for our entire family to enjoy. Ideally, we would have loved to create a large primary bedroom boasting a queen-sized bed, antique dresser and lots of space to move around. In reality, we had to get creative and make the most of this tiny space.

We tried different layouts to make a queen-sized bed fit but it just wasn’t possible, so we bought a very comfortable double bed again. While it’s not ideal, we had to work with the space we had.

Once we had a new mattress it was time to create a layered and cozy bed. We mimicked the look of a bedframe by using a linen bed skirt and creating a custom headboard from the coordinating duvet. This is one of my favourite tricks for creating a clean streamlined look without the cost of a bedframe, we did the same thing in our primary bedroom at home too.

I created a layered look with a simple white sheet set, a classic gingham duvet, two beautifully patterned pillows and a vintage grain sack lumbar from my favourite pillow shop.

We also added two small black nightstands beside the bed. I chose a design that felt open so that it didn’t close in the bedroom. I stacked books and small baskets on the bottom shelf for visual interest and a little bit of additional storage. I also added two simple textured lamps for ambiance and a couple of small decor pieces, like a vintage ceramic duck and a small scalloped dish to place jewellery in before bed or a swim in the bay.

The Rug

Just like the living room, we added warmth with a plush vintage-inspired rug under the bed. This beautiful rug is from the same Amber Lewis x Loloi collection as the living room rug, but I loved it so much that I wanted to repeat a similar option in the bedroom. This rug leans more towards a warm colour palette of cream and gold, which is perfect for adding warmth to the greys and blacks I used in the bedroom.

The Window Treatments

One of my favourite ways of creating consistency and cohesion in our spaces is by repeating certain elements, like colours, patterns, shapes and textures from room to room. For the cottage remodel I used a mix of linen drapes and woven wood shades on the windows.

Not only do these beautiful shades add so much texture and warmth to the cottage, but they are also practical, providing much-needed privacy for the bedrooms. In our home, I chose light-coloured woven shades, while I thought this dark material really suited the feel of the cottage. The material I chose is a grass called Walpole Cypress, and I added the privacy liner in white and chose the cordless option for additional peace of mind. We also decided on an outside mount in order to create the visual effect of larger windows.

So while this bedroom may be tiny, we tried to pack it full of charm and cozy layers, and it’s been a great reminder that sometimes you have to make the most of what you have.