Never in my wildest dreams did I think that the first house I would buy would be a new-build. I love period properties and my first grown-up home was a Victorian terraced property in Moseley village, a trendy little suburb of Birmingham that my best mate and our respective boyfriends rented after Uni. I adored everything about it – the original and quintessentially British floor tiles, the exposed brick wall and the extravagant roll-top bath. Life moved on and eventually we all moved out, but I secretly hoped that one day I would end up buying that Moseley bolthole.

So how, ten years later, did I end up moving into a new-build house? Well Rich and I came to view it on a bit of a whim and it was love at first sight. The bright airy rooms, the new-carpet smell, the fact that we could completely put our own stamp on it. There was something so special about getting the keys to a brand-spanking new property, knowing that my little family would be the first to make memories there.

Today I’m talking you through the master bedroom of the house but stay tuned over the next few weeks if you’re interested to see how I’ve tackled the other rooms.

The Vision

My vision with our bedroom was to create a calm, minimalist space, but with pretty and interesting details. I wanted it to be modern in order to reflect the era of the house. It had to be practical and child friendly because Lyra spends a lot of time in here, trying on my make up and jewellery and scrambling into our bed at ridiculous-o’clock every morning. Rich told me I was under no circumstances allowed to use a feminine colour palette which I was initially disgruntled about, however I now adore the dark grey and white colour scheme which we finally agreed on.

The Feature Wall

I have a love/hate relationship with the white painted interior walls which seem to come as standard in new build properties. I love that they look crisp and clean but am not so keen on the fact that they can make a room sterile and soulless. So to add a bit of character I decided to make a feature wall using wallpaper behind the bed. I ordered a load of wallpaper samples, including Seascape, Scion Lotta in mink/taupe, and Scion Mr Fox (I was very taken by Lottie’s landing). I decided to go with Cole and Son’s palm jungle print in soft grey on white. If you have ever wallpapered a room you will know that it is tiring and messy work which requires a bit of skill, a lot of luck, and full use of your fingers. So why I decided to tackle this task on my own with a broken finger I do not know. However I am pretty pleased with the result and like the way it brings a bit of nature into the bedroom.

The Furniture

I love the modern look of the made.com beds and decided that they would be a perfect fit for a modern house, so after umming and ahhing between the Jonah in shire grey and the Capri in etna grey I decided to go for the latter. Only to change my mind and cancel the order when I spotted this ottoman bed in Dwell during a sales shopping spree to Manchester. It’s brilliant for storing spare bedding and board games, and it’s got no sharp corners so Lyra can bash into it to her heart’s content.

My hunt for a chest of drawers was a tricky one because I needed some that were extra wide (they had to both fill the space and cover up the unslightly plug sockets) and low (so a TV could be placed on top). It turns out extra-wide-and-low chests of drawers aren’t a common thing. I fell in love with the Ercol Devon six drawer chest from The White Company, which turned out to be the perfect size, and was even more enamoured when I spotted it on Ebay. I also went for the bedside tables from the same range. If you’re looking for something similar and are on a budget then it’s worth checking out the Boston Lyon bedside chests from Wilko which, other than the tops, are virtually identical. And at just shy of £60 they are less than a quarter of the price. I wish I had spotted these sooner.

The Soft Furnishings

I had spotted the curtains whilst wandering around John Lewis one day and ruled them out because I thought they were too expensive. However after several more months of searching I just couldn’t find any other floor length curtains that were of a similar quality, texture and colour, so I put my hand in my pocket and am really happy with them.

For the bedding I wanted to go for the boutique hotel look so I picked up a simple white duvet cover from Dunelm. I have been so impressed with how crisp it looks and how soft it feels that I’ve just bought another for the spare room. The herringbone cushions and throw are from M&S and I managed to buy them for half price in the Boxing Day sales.

The Finishing Touches

Although the palette is dark grey and white, there are a couple of touches of oak which I think brings a bit of warmth to the colour scheme in the bedroom. I particularly love the wood and metal desk lamps which were from Dunelm, and whilst we’re talking lighting, the pendant shades were from Tesco.

The grey porthole mirror was from Sainsbury’s, the concrete alarm clock was from Liv Furniture and Things (but I’ve noticed that it’s also currently available here in the Not on the High Street sale), and the glass vases which you can just see on the windowsill were from Zara.

I’ve propped a few pictures on the drawers but I do intend to add a few more prints and photos to the wall opposite the bed. The bicycle prints are from The Yellowstone Art Boutique, which is a shop in Staffordshire that sells work by art graduates and emerging British artists, and the photo frame was from Zara (a Christmas present from Rich’s lovely sister).

So that’s my bedroom. In the next couple of weeks I’ll be showing you around the lounge. And if you would like to see Lyra’s nursery, which I quite possibly like even more than my own bedroom, then pop on over to Rock My Family today.

Do you live in a new build property and if so how have you made it homely? Which colour palettes have you gone for in your bedrooms?

{STEAL THE STYLE}