Home Ideology

It’s official – I’m a home owner!! I can finally make holes in any wall I choose. It’s crazy to think after years of renting in London through my 20’s, I’m finally in a home that I can fully invest my time and money into without wondering how long I’m going to be living there for. I also lived in Dubai for nearly two years from 2011, which I loved but I never had a home that was all mine, until now! I’m really excited to show you the progress of my new build home and all of the ups and downs that comes with being a first time buyer.

Everyone says buying a home is stressful, especially as a first time buyer and yes it is, but it’s not as daunting as everyone says. The thing I learnt from the get go is; act fast, when paperwork comes through do it that day and send it back quickly, because there are so many people involved you have to wait on, if they aren’t waiting on your paperwork it moves a lot quicker.

I wanted a new build as my first home. Mostly for the blank canvas and the guarantees that come with the house, like no hidden costs that can sometimes happen with older homes. I’m really glad I waited till I was moved in before I made some key decisions. For me, living in the space for a while helped me understand the flow of a rooms a lot when deciding on decoration and curtains/blinds.

My master bedroom is so light and airy, meaning from a decoration perspective it could handle any colour, bold or subtle. I chose to keep the palette light and fresh, making the room feel welcoming and warm.

I’ve decided to not wait until the room is nearly complete to give you a progress report, mostly because so many decisions have gone into this room, it’s definitely going to need two blogs.

The wall behind my bed is going to have farrow & ball wallpaper, which I’m so excited about, but it’s not going up for a few weeks and I thought the room is looking pretty dapper finished or not, to give you some details!

I put lots of thought into the colour palette and it took me weeks to make the final decisions on paint, furniture finish and blinds. I’m so happy I didn’t make any rushed decisions, even though I had Ikea temporary blinds up (which are a god send if you’re a procrastinator like me) for what felt like forever. It was worth it because I’m so happy with how everything works so well together now.

I’m going to give you a run down of everything I’ve used so far in my master bedroom decoration, so if you’d like to take some inspiration for your own home, then please go for it!

My first decision was carpet. Seems simple enough but not for me! I shopped around and decided Carpetright had the most choice, best in store customer service and a great sale event on the carpet I loved the most, meaning I got a very good deal! Rob at the Rugby store in Elliot Fields was amazing and took me through so many different options and underlays, it was easy for me to make a confident decision. They have boards with different underlays on and put the carpet samples over the top so you can feel exactly what it will feel like at home.

The carpet I’ve used for in my master bedroom is called Atlanta Saxony Carpet in ‘Shodowberg’, click here to view. 

It’s grey but has a slight champagne undertone so it works well with neutrals, like my bedroom and true greys (my sofa downstairs which I’ll show you another time). It’s a really versatile grey that looks incredible. I also chose the thickest underlay as I love a squishy carpet underfoot.

The next big decision was the walls!!! The walls would then determine the windows, bed and furniture. It was a hard decision between cool greys and warming neutrals. As I wanted a cosy, welcoming bedroom I went with light neutrals that have a purple undertone, so it still feels cool and not too cream.

The paint I’ve used on the walls of my master bedroom is called ‘Skimming Stone’ by Farrow & Ball, click here to view.

I am going to be having Farrow & Ball wallpaper behind my bed also, which I’ll give you more details on once it up!

Skimming Stone is the perfect colour if you want to add warmth to a room with a purple undertone. It keeps it cool and not yellow at all. When I look at it, it reminds me of the Aden filter (my fave in insta haha), a random comparison but it just adds that little something to the room while still letting it speak for itself.

The blinds I’ve used in the windows of my master bedroom are from Make My Blinds and called Faux Wood in colour ‘Gravity’ with ‘Mist’ tape, click here to view.

I cannot tell you how close of a match to the paint they are, honestly they are exactly the same colour (link to the paint above). I was nervous choosing a coloured blind over clean white, but I’m so glad I went for it as it’s made the room look so cohesive. Make My Blinds sent me about 20 samples to choose from and they came by post the very next day. I gave them the measurement and they posted the blinds to me by courier. Delivery was smooth and they came on time. And guess what??? I put them up all by myself. The directions are so easy! It’s lovely when I look at them now, I feel so accomplished that I was brave enough to give it a go and did it successfully. I cannot recommend this company more, they are so affordable and professional.

The fitted furniture I’ve had installed in my master bedroom is from Hammonds Furniture in the Harpsden range in colour finish ‘Light Praline’, click here to view.

As a first time buyer storage, storage and more storage is a must. Every inch must be utilised to its maximum potential. And yes, even though storage was the biggest factor when choosing what furniture to have, I still wanted beautiful, well designed facias. Hammonds Furniture has given me both! Fantastic storage and luxury design. The first person that came round just after the wardrobes and bedside chests had been installed said it looked like a show home. The investment in fitted furniture has completely elevated my home and it’s the best decision I’ve made in the house so far.

The bed I chose for my master bedroom is from Brissi called Chelsea Bed in ‘Ice Linen’, click here to view.

The bed is kingsize and I’m absolutely in love with it! I wanted a feature that pulled the eye in as soon as you walk in the room. The super tall headboard is perfect and feels so luxury. It’s great quality and I’d defiantly recommend it! Most of the bedside accessories are from Brissi also.

The light I’ve had installed in my master bedroom is from Laura Ashley, called Southwell 5 arm chandelier, click here to view. 

This contemporary showstopper has made my room feel so complete. It’s modern yet traditional, exactly the feel I was going for in the bedroom. It was so easy to fit (by an electrician) and shorten to my desired height above the bed. It’s perfect and so luxury! Laura Ashley has so much beautiful lighting it was so hard to decide but I’m glad I went for this one. I love the idea of a chandelier but I’m not keen on old fashioned. This 5 armed Southwell light fitting is the perfect balance.

The full length mirror I have used in my master bedroom is from William Wood Mirrors called Milan Silver Glass Frame, click here to view.

This beautiful full length mirror is the perfect finishing touch to my master bedroom. It looks great, simple yet sophisticated and is so practical when getting ready. It reflects the light and makes the room feel bigger when you walk in. Delivery was smooth and customer service was great! There’s so much choice on their website, with lots of different styles. Highly recommended!

The candle I have on my bedside chest is my FAVOURITE from Made by Yasmin, click here to view.

It smells similar to an aftershave called Creed and I recommend this candle to EVERYONE! It fill the house and smells divine!

I’ll check back in with you soon with an update on the feature wall another day, on different blog as this one is very length haha. I’m excited for you to see the bedroom transformation completely finished when the wallpaper is up and possibly some nice frames on the walls.

If you have any questions, please leave me a comment below (it notifies me by email) and I’ll respond as soon as I can.

If you’re not already following me on social, please take a looks at my instagram www.instagram.com/home.ideology. I’m also on Facebook if you search me on there.