If there’s any room in your home where you can unwind and let yourself drift into a sense of quiet relaxation at the end of even the most difficult days, it’s your bedroom. The design of bedrooms often flies under the radar, yet for most of us, it’s where we spend the most time and feel the most at ease.
We asked some of Australia's most renowned designers what it is that makes a bedroom for them, both personally and professionally. These leading designers shared with us their secrets for creating a bedroom that’s as luxurious and beautiful as it is comfortable, from Thomas Hamel’s love of quality linens to Adelaide Bragg's desire for the perfect bedside lamp.
The following are highlights of our conversations with these designers who shared their favorite pieces of furniture and inspiration for a bedroom.
For world-renowned designer Thomas Hamel, growing up on the East Coast of America served as the setting for his burgeoning love of Southern Colonial design which he still integrates into many of his projects, combining elements of old and new. With a focus on the bones of a room or home, Thomas takes a unique approach to design. He often collaborates with clients on projects from concept to completion, working with architects, builders, landscapers and everyone else who’s part of the process. Through these collaborations, a long-term relationship with clients is often formed.
"Our bedrooms are our sanctuaries, our place to escape and unwind and for this reason they should include elements of luxury. The essential piece of furniture should be our beds and they should be dressed in quality linens to create a level of comfort and relaxation. We spend the most time of our lives in our bed. I am particularly fond of four poster beds for architectural prominence they provide to a room", Thomas Hamel.
When Phil and Amity Dry were approached about a new home renovation show in 2003 they were newlyweds focused on building their respective careers. They thought it sounded like fun to be on the show, The Block, which ultimately ended up being a huge hit. Ten years later after building a family and a life in Adelaide, the couple was again approach for a TV home renovation project, The Block All Stars series.
They ultimately won that season, and since then they started looking for their own personal renovation project, which would be their first for a home they were going to live in. They embarked on a project of redesigning their family home, and shared the experience of their unique renovation on their blog, which captures the relaxed elegance they love of Hamptons style, including the use of timeless colour palettes, and uniquely American details such as the wall sconces they had imported from the U.S. to put in their bedroom.
"Nothing looks more inviting in a bedroom than a perfectly made bed full of gorgeous cushions and a thick throw rug. Having said that, my bedroom rarely looks like that in our day to day lives!", Amily Dry.
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For Melbourne-based interior designer Adelaide Bragg, becoming an interior designer wasn’t necessarily the plan. Instead, Adelaide intended to become a florist, and following school, she started working at the Double Bay Laura Ashley store to pay for her love of flowers.
It wasn’t long before she began cultivating a love for interior design, particularly after working with a well-known Sydney designer. Since that time, Adelaide opened her own firm, Adelaide Bragg & Associates (AB&A), and she relocated to Melbourne. Adelaide takes on a wide variety of projects including residential and commercial and brings to each her love of texture, fabric, colour and natural inspiration. She is also planning on launching a range of beautifu ceramic lamps in July.
As a child, Anna Spiro always saw herself as a creator and someone who embraced her sense of imagination. That, partnered with her mother’s love of interior design and beautiful things, such as her collection of blue and white ginger jars, are what Anna accredits her passion for interior design to.
For Anna, there is the feeling that being in a home surrounded by beautiful things as a child led her down the path of becoming an interior designer. At the age of 17, she began working for John Black, and after six years, they became partners. That was the birth of her design firm, Black & Spiro in Brisbane, where she serves as Head Designer.
Lisa Burdus came into the world of interior design organically. Having grown up and watched her mother’s own inherent love of design, Lisa was always interested in decor. When she bought her first home in her early 20s, she discovered she had a real talent.
Having been formally trained 17 years ago, Lisa focuses her work on building a strong relationship with her clients. While she tends to gravitate toward classic English style, it’s her ability to understand and work well with her clients that ensure she creates projects with them as her central priority. Rarely at a loss for ideas, Lisa feels reflection tends to breed inspiration, as does her love of the outdoors.
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For Sydney’s Marco Meneguzzi, his love of interior design is deeply rooted in his similar affinity for traveling the world. That’s where he gains much of his inspiration for his interior design projects, whether it’s the Mediterranean or Marrakesh.
Marco also has a design philosophy centered on the idea that a home should be as livable as it is beautiful. Timelessness partners with functionality in his designs, which he describes as relaxed contemporary. Specific elements of Marco’s aesthetic include a rich use of diverse textures for visual interest, custom furniture with the potential to become heirlooms, and a melding of interior and exterior living spaces, taking advantage of the climate of the area.
As a child, Marylou Sobel always knew she loved design. Growing up in a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, she was inspired by the beautiful homes and gardens of her neighborhood. Marylou has taken that inherent, natural love of aesthetics and turned it into a successful interior design business, Marylou Sobel Interior Design. Her focus with her thriving design firm is two-fold. First, she seeks to create cohesive, stunning designs, but at the same time, she wants to make the process as seamless as possible for clients, from start to finish.
For Jess Bandiera, partnering with her mother to form the award-winning Verandah House design firm was a natural fit. Jess had long watched her mother, Judy Elliott, one of Brisbane’s foremost interior designers, lead the way in the industry and create beautiful homes and spaces. Judy’s design style is the cultivation of 25 years of experience and focuses on timelessness and classic elements that contribute to an enduring aesthetic.
Together with Jess, they work on both residential and commercial projects and bring to them a distinctive infusion of both old and new, along with new American classic inspiration. This includes neutral colour palettes with pops of fresh colours like blue, an appreciation for the natural architectural elements of a space, and an eye for detail lending to a cultivated, lived-in look and feel.
We hope that you liked reading these shared ideas and inspirations from our favorite designers as much as we loved compiling them.
Whether it’s the ideal piece of furniture at the foot of the bed or sumptuous linens to land at the end of your day, each of these designers has shared what it is that makes the perfect bedroom from their distinctive and creative standpoint.
