With winter fast approaching I’ve made it my mission to add the finishing touches to my bedroom sanctuary and have it in the best possible shape for enjoying long cosy evenings in, and dark early mornings getting ready for the day ahead.
It’s a room I’ve not spent huge amounts of time in over the summer months, but as the lure of hibernating under the warm bedcovers begins to call its a space I’m anticipating getting far more use out of in the months ahead – especially now I’ve finished creating the perfect pampering area, and finally sorted out my ongoing wardrobe dilemma!
I’ve mentioned before that my flat is totally devoid of built-in storage, so hunting down good quality, functional storage solutions has been a personal quest since moving in, particularly in my bedroom. I purposefully wanted to keep the room as light and airy as possible since it only has a small window in the corner, so it was important that any furniture I added helped to enhance and elevate this feeling. When Heal’s got in touch recently to introduce me to their new Morten collection designed by John Jenkins, I immediately knew pieces from the range would slot perfectly into my bedroom space.
The Morten collection has been designed with the next generation of home owners in mind. Combining beauty, value and functionality, Morten has a metropolitan feel, with elements of Scandinavian and mid 20th century design, both of which resonate with a young, design-aware customer.
With a hugely Nordic influence, Heal’s Morten collection marries function, quality and simple design aesthetics using white washed FSC certified oak. Designed for space-poor urban dwellings such as mine, the capsule collection includes an armchair, 2 and 3-seater sofas, king-size bed, beside table, chest of drawers and sideboard, all at accessible price points: the sofas are from £999, while bedroom furniture pieces start at £269.
The Morten tall chest of drawers presented the perfect storage solution alongside my new dressing table, with one of the huge selling points being the fact the unit sat upon gently curved raised legs, preventing the design from feeling too chunky and allowing the floor beneath to breathe, maintaining the overall sense of space in the room. I was also drawn to the raised edge surrounding the top surface of the drawer unit, which offers a framework for styled vignettes atop the chest, and adds strength of character and flair to the overall design.
The light, white washed finish of the oak draws out the natural grain of the wood and pairs beautifully with my existing furniture pieces; I’ve opted for warm, light wood finishes in this room to enhance the overall sense of calm tranquility and maintain the space as a sanctuary for sleep and pampering.
The drawers are deep and spacious, with neat inset handles that add a wonderfully tactile element to the design. They also have a gentle soft-close action that is incredibly satisfying – I have to confess to having spent many a happy minute just stood opening and closing the drawers when they first arrived.. is that a bit geeky?
I also have to shout out to the wonderful delivery guys who brought the unit directly into the room, unpackaged and assembled it in no time at all, and took the packaging away when they left.. all in the time it took me to put the kettle on and brew them a cuppa. Now THAT’S service!
Along with the Morten chest of drawers, the Heal’s delivery guys also brought my new hanging wardrobe solution; the Brunel rail by Rob Scarlett. Up until now my clothes have been hung upon a makeshift metal rail in the corner, as I tried to suss out how I wanted to organise my closet long-term. My bedroom doesn’t really have the spacial capacity to bring in a large boxy wardrobe without ruining the sense of light and space I’ve been trying to create, and over the past six months I’ve become quite accustomed to having all my clothes out on display, within easy reach.
I’ve streamlined my closet dramatically over the past few years as multiple house moves necessitated getting rid of surplus belongings – and clothes I hadn’t worn in a number of years certainly fit the bill for the cull! There’s a current school of thought that a capsule wardrobe should contain no more than 50 items, and the reality is I am definitely someone with a ‘uniform’ (denim + stripes) and am often guilty of wearing the same outfit – or at least, looking as though I am! – for days at a time. So, when I spotted the Brunel clothing rail online I thought it would not only fit within my bedroom decor scheme and support this ‘light and airy’ vibe, but would also continue to keep me on the straight and narrow with my capsule wardrobe mission (which I’m thinking may well be my new year resolution for 2018..)
Rob Scarlett’s Brunel collection is a hugely popular one for Heal’s, setting industrial style aesthetics against Mid-Century Scandinavian design to offer pieces perfectly aligned for modern urban living. Drawing inspiration from original 1950s designs by Robin Day and Clive Latimer, this open hanging rail has a striking silhouette and wide solid American Oak base panel that offers a wonderful display option for my high-heels collection (yes, this is it – I’m a flats girl at heart!)
As with the Morten tallboy, the raised lower shelf allows for light to pass beneath the unit and maintain that coveted light and airy feel, while the black powder coated steel frame ties in wonderfully with the black typography artwork, frame of my leaner mirror and fan design of my dressing table chair already in the room. The design-led geometry and high quality materials have instantly elevated the look and feel of this corner of the room, while the slightly longer length rail has give the items more room the breathe on the rack – although I mustn’t use that as an excuse to buy more items and fill in the gaps..
And with these two new additions to the room, my bedroom sanctuary is now complete! It’s such a joy to be able to sit back in bed and survey the room all organised and neatly styled.. I wonder just how long that blissful order will last, eh?
This post is a Paid Partnership with Heal’s, who gifted the Morten tallboy and Brunel clothing rail for this feature. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, my own.
All photography © Kate Baxter.
13 Responses
You’ve used the space so well here Kate! They are gorgeous pieces. I think you’d like a book called The Curated Closet xx
Ooh, yes! You were recommending that book before, weren’t you – I’ll have to hunt down a copy x
Your bedroom is looking lovely! These pieces match so well with your aesthetic, the chest of drawers fits right at home next to your dressing table. Love that the rail also has a shelf for shoes, makes much more of a feature rather than just having them lined up on the floor xx
Thanks Cate, I’m so happy with how it’s come together. The clothes rail really is a thing of beauty – now I feel I need to buy more pretty heeled shoes to show off (not to actually wear, obvs) x
You’ve certainly achieved your aim of making the room light and airy, it looks perfect!
Thanks Rachel, it’s been fun to pull the scheme together :)
Looks beautiful! I can only hope that I can get my bedroom looking so absolutely gorgeous!
Thanks so much Sophie! x
It’s looking lovely hun. Very zen. I admire your restraint and will look forward to hearing about your capsule wardrobe – something I would love to do but never quite manage it. xx
Thanks hun! Fingers crossed I fully embrace it in the new year x
Love the way this room has turned out. The Morten Collection. looks very sturdy and good quality. I particularly like the top and the way it gives lots of flexibility for displaying things without them falling off the edge and looking untidy.
I’m a big fan of hanging rails and open bedroom storage (same issue with lack of fitted wardrobes). To be honest, the one I got is no near as stylish as the Brunel one. It complements the tallboy so nicely!
Thanks so much, Juan! x