Thanks to all the comments on my recent romantic break post, I’ve been spending a lot of time on the internet looking at luxury hotels recently (I know, poor me). James and I are 99% certain we’ll be heading to the Cotswolds I just need to find a hotel that isn’t über expensive for a Saturday night.
With the clocks changing last weekend I know the dark nights will tempt me to slope off to bed earlier. All this hotel room inspiration has made me think about how to achieve the five-star look back at home. I feel I’m half way there in my own house but could definitely do with a few additions (as well as a butler and a mini bar).
A couple of weeks ago part of the RMLtd team were invited to stay over in the stunning Georgian setting of Iscoyd Park. The country house bedrooms are absolutely gorgeous and ooze luxury. I think there are a few ideas we could all steal to bring home a tiny bit of their opulence to our own houses.
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Luxury Bed Linen
No self respecting hotel would make their beds with anything other than the crispest white linen.
My current white bedding set is from Morrison’s! Who knew you could pick up such classic basics with your cornflakes? It washes so well and doesn’t require any ironing but it’s coming to the end of it’s life. I would adore a 400-thread count Egyptian cotton set from The White Company. A friend of mine has similar ones and I struggled to get out of her bed when I stayed over as they sheets were so smooth against my skin!
A certain budget hotel chain likes to lay a flimsy bit of silky fabric over the bottom of the bed spread. I don’t understand its purpose? I prefer a tactile throw or a quilted bedspread and have a few from Homesense.
Upholstered Furniture
While most of us aren’t going to be able to swap our double for a four-poster, an upholstered headboard adds an edge of glamour.
People still send me emails to find out where my upholstered headboard is from so I’ll mention it in this post just in case you’re interested. Mine is a mink linen sculptured version from an eBay seller. If you have space to squeeze in a luxurious chair then you’ve added another element to achieve the deluxe look.
Chandeliers
Lavish lighting is essential to create the luxe look. I found my vintage crystal drop sconces in an antique shop in Rutland and love the old school glamour they bring to the room. The very nice folk at Homebase recently introduced me to their chandelier collection* and it’s definitely worth a gander if you’re considering adding some elegance to your decor.
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Florals
Fresh flowers are a must for the luxe hotel look but I’m actually really warming to good quality silk flowers. A friend bought me some roses from an interiors shop on Northcote Road and I love that I don’t have to constantly change them.
Luxury Robes
If anyone has a bath in the middle of their bedroom then you are super duper posh. The closest I can get to creating a spa in my own room is donning a fluffy dressing gown. My current towelling robe is an absolute disgrace. Despite a frequent hot wash it permanently has make-up around the collar and I’ve lost the belt. I need a new one pronto. White waffle is essential for the hotel look and John Lewis have a cosy cotton spa version
Slightly random fact here, years ago I actually used to have a travel kettle in my bedroom at home. I think I must have been fascinated by my grandparent’s teasmade and wanted my own breakfast set up. I had canisters of tea, hot chocolate and sugar to make tea when my school friends came round. I still had to nip downstairs to get milk though so the reason I had my own tea-making facilities completely escapes me!
How do you like to get the luxe look at home? Any recommendations for places to get amazing crisp white bed linen? I can’t imagine many people had their own kettle in their bedroom as a child but please do share if you did!
*Homebase have sponsored a link within this post.
Oooh, we’re in the market for a new bed/headboard in our spare room, and the only thing I’ve seen that I like is a gorgeous but eye wateringly expensive get-up from Loaf. But that headboard of yours is very cool, I love the dark grey version. I assume you would actually recommend the quality of it?
My crisp white linen is from the much more affordable Hotel range at Dunelm! I have two sets, one from about 7 years ago and one from this year, but sadly I’d say the quality has gone down. A colleague of mine recommended M&S, but I think I’ll splurge and get our next lot at John Lewis!
Hi Faye,
I noticed the White Company headboards are specially designed to fit over the skirting board. Not sure if this is the case with the Loaf ones too. You’re obviously not going to get this with the eBay seller but overall I’ve been impressed with the quality. We’ve had it for well over a year and I’d pretty much say it looks as good as new.
I think I’m going to put John Lewis bedding on my Christmas list. Oh how times have changed! x
Ooo, I am very interested in people’s bed linen recommendations. I used to have a white duvet set that I bought years ago, cobbled together from a duvet cover and two top pillow cases from Habitat (that were in the sale) and then some cheaper white pillow cases from Debenhams for the rest of the pillows. But they’re all past their best now and I don’t know where’s best to get a new completely white set from?
I often covet the bed linen from Zara Home but my husband isn’t so in to the florals!
When we went to California earlier this year and stayed in 10 different hotels on a road trip and we gathered so much inspiration for our new home from the various hotels. At the top of the list is an old dresser converted in to a bathroom cabinet with two sink bowls on the top for his and hers sinks! I also want to create that inside/outside feeling in the kitchen and really plan our bedroom so it’s got the most convenient layout that hotel rooms seem to acheive!
His and hers sinks are high on my list of covetable home improvements. Love the sound of the old dresser conversion x
I haven’t actually tried it, but secretlinenstore.com is supposed to be good for good quality, affordable bedding. If you’re heading to John Lewis for sheets however, I’d suggest steering clear of the Pima cotton range, unless you like the permanently creased look – even after three years they are no easier to iron ( yes, I iron bedding).
Hi Emily, if I wasn’t so lazy I’d iron my bed linen too.
Thanks for the secretlinenstore suggestion. I’m off to take a look.
Bedlinen – TK Maxx. If you have the willingness to root through you can get some amazing bargains. I got a super lovely (admittedly not white) Joules set for £30 and some jazzy Designers Guild ones. I’d steer clear of the unknown brands but often there are some seriously lovely white sets. Worth a root.
Hi Victora, I have a black and white set in my spare room from TK Maxx (or maybe Home Sense – same difference) and it says one brand in the duvet and another in the pillowcases! Whoever made it though it’s great quality. I’ve not had much luck finding plain white sets in there through. I must persevere!
For bed linen, I don’t think you can beat Bedeck, but I don’t think you can get a refund from them, only a credit note if you change your mind which is SUPER annoying. Saying that I’ve had two sets for YEARS, and they still look great!
I get my bed sheets (very deep mattress) from M&S, great thread count (300) and they feel amazing. I always wait until the sale is on!
There’s always loads of Bedeck in TK Maxx!
Your TK Maxx is way better than mine Victoria!
Lauren, next time you’re at lovely Iscoyd (which I grew up next to incidentally!) pop by the Shrewsbury one! 🙂
We have white bedding, which I love but I find that we have to iron it otherwise it looks awful! Got sets from Laura Ashley and HoF but in the market for a new one now. Any recommendations for ones that are non (or easy!) iron?!
I would love to know this too Katie! x
Marks and Spencer’s Egyptian cotton non iron sheets sale RIGHT NOW
Yikes. I’m all over it. Thanks Clare
Hi Ladies
Bed linen is our bag, and we are all about bargains too!
Have a look at our bedding at http://www.secretlinenstore.com
Luxury for far less, all sourced from Portugal (the best place in the world to make bed linen)
Just shout if you need any advice or samples, we have different finishes and thread counts and lots of colour and pattern as well as whites.
Best and comfy regards, Molly, Bed linen freak 🙂
Thanks Molly! x
A note on Ironing, our jacquard’s will be great for minimal ironing, its all about drying flat..and washing at the right temperature.
Shout if I can help
Molly
I love nice white bedding and always head to M&S and their 300 count is so lovely. 20% off at the mo. Although picked up some fab John Lewis printed bedding in their last sale for £12! Amazing. You can’t beat freshly washed and ironed bedding. Top tip, put your fitted sheet on your bed and iron it in situ. So much easier! Can’t say I have a kettle in my room but do often find items from my little girls tea set under the duvet when I go to climb in so does that count?! x
Hi Charlotte – why have I never thought about ironing fitted sheets that way – amazing tip! Thank you 🙂 x
This is a genius tip Charlotte. For some reason I have the shortest flex in the world on my iron. I’m not sure I’d even stretch to the middle! x
Freaking genius tip! Love that an ironing tip is enough to bring a big smile to my face!! Thanks x
I actually just bought some bed linen today from La Redoute! I have no idea how it’s going to be but I’ve heard nothing but good things about pre-washed linen. I know the more you wash them the softer they become. When summer is here they cool you down, and now for winter they are supposed to warm you up. They have 50% off at the moment, so I had to grab ’em!
Fingers crossed we love them, if not Le Redoute does offer free returns, but hopefully we won’t have to use it!
http://www.laredoute.co.uk/best-quality-pre-washed-linen-duvet-cover/prod-324157550-221814.aspx
This bed linen sounds very clever Stephanie, let us know how you get on.
Can I just say, I love the transparency about spons links etc on this blog… Thank you!
We upgraded our bedding last year courtesy of some John Lewis gift vouchers, of which we got a tonne of as lovely wedding presents. We got a fab new duvet, 2 duvet sets and an Egyptian cotton sheet. None of those were particularly cheap but we felt they were an investment! I have another Egyptian cotton sheet which I got from Debenhams when they had their sale on – I would just keep your eye out for sales and get in there 🙂
Another place to keep an eye on is TK Maxx where you’ll get amazing bedding, towels etc. I bought a nice fluffy expensive looking bath mat … not much but it makes me feel a bit more lux haha.
Next stop is getting our sofa and foot stool reupholstered. We’ve found someone to do it, now we just need the material. Anyone got any tips for bargain quality material?
Ebay -there are lots of fabric shops on there and most offer free samples too. x
I absolutely love crisp white bedding. I have recently bought a lovely set from the Holly Willoughby range at BHS. It is really pretty, feels very good quality and is reasonably priced. Laura Ashley also do some lovely sets.
I have pined for a long time over the duvet sets in Cologne and Cotton. They are a bit more pricey but the quality of the cotton feels amazing and I love the subtle embroidery.
For sheets and plain pillowcases I can’t recommend Matalan and Asda Living enough. They both do a more luxurious range, but they are still very good value for money. I am really impressed with the quality and how well they wash.
I adore Cologne and Cotton Anna, their shops are beautiful. I’ve never bought anything from there though! Good to hear Matalan and Asda ranges are worth trying out.
Great post, I think we all need a touch of luxury. I would love to have an en-suite with a his and her sink too – i’ll keep dreaming, as for ironing bedding – I think I must be a bit lazy!! Headboards are a fabulous way to add a stunning feature in a bedroom. Rooms need layers to add dimension and an upholstered headboard or chair/bench at the foot of the bed really helps. I adore chandeliers too, they are so beautiful and pull a look together.