It has been six years since I last decorated our guest bedroom. It’s located in the eaves of our cape cod style cottage, so it’s quite small and has slanting attic-like ceilings with a really cute dormer window. I love rooms like this as they feel so cozy and remind me of my childhood spent in my gran’s thatched cottage in England. It was built in the 1500s and so all the doors and ceilings were low and the angles wonky. That’s why cute little bedrooms like this bring back good memories. Plus, I enjoy the challenge of decorating characterful spaces rather than huge boxy rooms.
I really leaned into the English cottage charm when I was designing this guest bedroom. I think English cottage style suits a small room well. It can be tempting in small spaces to make things simple and clean with the thinking it will make the space feel bigger. However, I think the opposite is true. By using pattern and texture it focuses the eye on the pattern and the wow factor and so you don’t think about the small space. The other technique I used here was wallpapering on the walls and ceiling. This works so well when you have an attic style slanting ceiling because you aren’t visually dividing the space up into small chunks. Wallpapering the ceilings, especially low ceilings like this, will make them feel less oppressive.
The wonderful wallpaper I used was sadly discontinued right after I installed it but there’s plenty of similar ones online. I found a vintage racetrack marble topped dresser on Facebook Marketplace which fits perfectly in the dormer window. I love how a piece of vintage furniture like this instantly adds character and warmth to a room. On the night stands I added these cute scalloped brown lamps from Serena and Lilly. These paired with these Pottery Barn sconces which I got custom shades for. Next, I chose this lovely navy velvet bed, which brings a sense of indulgence and luxury. A new bed for the guest bedroom meant it was also time to get a new mattress. I went with the Aireloom Pegasus from Raymour and Flangian. True story: when it came and I tried it out I ended up liking it so much I moved it to our bedroom! It’s honestly the most comfortable mattress I’ve ever slept on. Seriously, I’ve tried so many different mattresses from sprung to foam and there is nothing that even comes close to the Airloom Pegasus. You can tell it’s handmade and you really feel the quality when you lie on it. I am a very fussy sleeper and there is nothing better than this! If you are looking for a new mattress, then I think there is nothing better than going to try them in person. That’s what’s great about Raymour and Flanigan as they have experts to help you in store. This is what I did: I went to my local Raymour and Flanigan store and tried 10 mattresses before deciding on the Aireloom Pegasus, and I’m so glad I did! On the floor I added a vintage rug, you can get similar ones like this one. Lastly for the shades I found vintage fabric and had someone make them locally which ended up saving a lot of money, but I did see this option online which is really affordable and has a similar look.
