Home Decorate

Elle’s renovation diary: bedrooms

Elle Lovelock shares design ideas and styling methods for maximising space from her bedroom renovations.
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Home Beautiful’s editor-in-chief Elle Lovelock takes us through her bedroom renovation with helpful tips on how to transform your home. Watch the video above to discover more.


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Timeless palette

Before we renovated, the bedrooms were just a bit modern for us, so we added in more heritage details to make them feel more homely and more authentic.

In our son’s bedroom and the guest bedroom, we went for a darker, earthier tone because the spaces are small and they don’t get much natural light. We would rather make the bedrooms feel cocooning than try to fake brightness with white light.

Elle Lovelock home renovation nursery
Reno- Elle’s home (Photography: Alana Landsberry / Styling: Corina Koch)

Decorating a kid’s bedroom

I ummed and ahhed about how to decorate my son’s bedroom. He’s two, but I don’t want to have to redecorate every couple of years so I – controversially – went for quite a grown-up scheme. His bedroom, along with the guest bedroom downstairs, is dark for most of the day so I chose a muddy grey wall paint that feels calming and cocooning. No amount of white paint will make these rooms feel brighter! It actually has the opposite effect, making them look stark. Accents of burnt orange and olive green bring richness, and timber and wicker pieces add more warmth.

Elle Lovelock home renovation nursery window seat
Reno- Elle’s home (Credit: Photography: Alana Landsberry / Styling: Corina Koch)

Reclaiming bedroom storage space

Our bedroom however was completely rebuilt. We used to have a balcony but we never used it. Instead, in our bedroom renovation plans we decided to reclaim the floor space into our bedroom and create a gorgeous daybed surrounded by storage.

Elle Lovelock home renovation bedroom window seat
Reno – Elle’s home (Photography: Alana Landsberry / Styling: Corina Koch)

Speaking of storage, I’m obsessed with my wardrobes! They’re actually Kaboodle kitchen pantries and we fitted them with clothing rods. I love a great design hack, especially when off-the-shelf items look custom.

Elle Lovelock home renovation bedroom
Reno – Elle’s home (Credit: Photography: Alana Landsberry / Styling: Corina Koch)
Feeling inspired? See more of Elle’s renovation

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