‘we chill out in here when we don’t have guests over’

Sarah and her husband had been living in their four-bedroom Edwardian home in Ipswich, Suffolk, for a few years before deciding it was time to redecorate their spare bedroom. ‘I had wanted to do it up ever since we moved in,’ says Sarah. ‘We bought this property as a project, and we’ve renovated it slowly, room by room,’ she adds. ‘Although this is a guest bedroom, it gets a lovely amount of sun throughout the day, so I wanted to make it a space that I could take advantage of when we don’t have visitors. We’ve updated our downstairs to be an open-plan layout, which I love, but there’s not really a place where I can curl up with a good book. I thought this room would also work well as a snug – a room to escape to when I wanted to switch off from the rest of the world.’

THE PROJECT

‘The existing décor felt dated and the carpet was tired and worn,’ explains Sarah. A double bed was in this room when they moved in, left from the previous owners, alongside a large wardrobe. While the wardrobe fits well in the alcove, the bed frame was taking up too much space for the room to be functional. ‘I knew I wanted to replace it with a sofa bed, so I began looking up ideas for the colour scheme,’ says Sarah. ‘As this isn’t the main bedroom, I knew I could be a bit more daring with the design to make a big impression for when we do have guests to stay.’

WHAT WE DID

The old bed frame was removed, the carpet taken up, and Sarah got started on repainting the walls. ‘I chose Farrow & Ball’s Duck Green and contrasted this with the brand’s Wevet shade – a creamy tone that I used on the ceiling, and to highlight the room’s original features such as the skirting board and fire surround. I also picked out a budget-friendly carpet from Carpetright, which is soft underfoot, as well as a pretty pink sofa bed online.’

Sarah then turned her attention to the wardrobe. She upcycled the existing piece with a custom pink wood and metal paint primer from Victory Colours