My Sanctuary

I have been so blessed to have found this house. It is an old miner's cottage which was once a dark one-up, one-down, but which is now a two bedroomed cottage with a large living area, french windows and lots and lots of light. The skylights are coming into their own now that the mornings are brighter and the white walls throughout are chameleon like in the way that they change colour with the light.

Because I am not used to having quite so much space, my bedroom has been rather neglected in the planning and nesting process. It really is a blank canvas, and I am beginning to turn my attentions to the room, with its high ceiling and almost barn-like space. It is really similar to the yoga studio that I go to in design and I want to capitalise on the potential for it to be a really positive space. The house being a rental property I am reluctant (forbidden?) to change the colours of the walls, but am looking at ways of enhancing the peace of the room. I want it to be nourishing.

The throw on my bed was a carboot find, as were the two ex-military base bedside tables. I was thrilled a couple of years ago to find an identical set on sale for £90 in an antiques shop in Clapham, when I spent a mere £8 on mine. Similarly, I picked up the white chest at the bottom of the bed for about a fiver at the Gloucester Green market in Oxford - it was a nasty lilac colour, but is now painted in Laura Ashley's Twine.

I have been scouring my scrapbooks and copies of Living Etc to find inspiration, as well as googling various tags such as 'French bedrooms' and 'sanctuaries'...

Whilst I clearly want a little more comfort than this, I love how earthy the room is, and the eaves reminded me of my room. I thought a few natural items - the pebbles I have collected from beaches, snowdrops from the garden and ceramics - would really add to the vibe. If I could combine this earthiness with the glamour of the room below, I might well be striking the balance I am after....