How finding this indigo fabric sparked a bedroom makeover.
The story & process behind this moody blue bedroom.
A couple of years ago I was with two friends in steamy Shanghai, one of whom lived in the city (‘Shangers’ as she called it - typical Aussie.) We were all terribly hungover after a 2-for-1 margaritas night, and it was SO uncomfortably hot, but I was determined to go hunting for some of the blue relief-print fabric I’d seen around town. I can still remember the winding, almost hidden laneway that led me to the tiny fabric studio of the artisans who made this beautiful fabric, using the Nankeen indigo dying technique (thankfully the studio had great air conditioning too.)
Rummaging through baskets of random sized fabric panels in varying lengths, I managed to settle on three different pieces, hoping I’d be able to make sense of them once I got home. Two years later I finally put my amazing find to use, making this statement bedhead and I couldn’t be happier with the result!
I can’t look at it without remembering what a fun trip that was. I just love to travel, meet local artisans and discover their techniques, and most of all, stumble on treasures (a bit difficult at the moment of course.)
The fabric panels were not the same size (of course they weren’t) so I pieced them together, working out how to get the best look with minimal waste. My mum started teaching me to sew when I was 4 or 5 (I started with drawstring bags and dolls clothes!) and I’ve made a couple of bedheads in my time, so I didn’t find the task too daunting (for those interested, I plan to do a tutorial soon on how to make your own bedhead like this.)
Having pieces around me that mean something and bring back feelings of nostalgia and sentiment really help me feel grounded and happy in my home. This is something I always bang on about and is one of the first things I usually talk to clients about. Read more about it here.
It’s no secret that I have a bit of thing for blues and indigos. I find blue calming and it reminds me of my beautiful childhood bedroom in Narromine (country NSW). My parents let me ‘make it over’ all by myself and were a bit shocked when I chose a classic calming pale blue with ‘white lace’ trims, as opposed to fuchsia or bright purple like most 10-year-old girls were doing at the time.
I found myself detesting my antique white bedroom, so I decided to go back to my roots and go blue again, well a bluey-grey-green. I opted for Murobond ‘Toile’ (top left in image below.) It is such a deep colour! In an almost spooky way, it changes tone with the light as it transitions from morning, through the day and into night.
The two hanging lights I created from some falling-apart lanterns I rescued a few years back, whilst on a different adventure, in Vietnam. I stripped them back to the frame and used the old cover to make a pattern for a new unbleached muslin removable cover (easy to wash!)
I then had it wired up to include a wall-plug with super long linen cable and a dimmer on/off switch that sits on the bedside table. I picked up some Paris hooks from The Society Inc. et voila! New (old) lights!
Overall, a budget friendly makeover that is bursting with memories of my travels, things I’ve collected or repurposed, and is a dream to be in. Bedrooms are my one of my favourite spaces to create – check out my services here if you’d like help turning your bedroom into a sanctuary.
Just in case anyone is wondering, here are some ‘before’ shots of the bedroom prior to us moving in. Not terrible, just very ‘vanilla’.
