Master Bedroom With Panelled Wall and Window Seat

Yes. The grey upholstered platform bed carries drawers in its base, which is useful here because the floor is already spoken for by a dressing table and a full window seat. We kept the frame low so the panelled wall stays the tall element in the room. Low storage beds hold bedding and off-season clothes well, though you do need clear floor at the foot to pull the drawers all the way out.

It runs the full width of the glazing and doubles as a bench and a storage box. The drawers under the cushion take spare linen or things you do not reach often. It also gives you a spot to sit and pull on shoes by the window. Building it in rather than buying a chair keeps the walkway to the bed clear.

There are three layers. Cove light behind the panelling gives the soft base wash, recessed spotlights in the false ceiling handle the working light, and lantern wall sconces flank the bed for reading. Splitting it this way means you rarely need the bright ceiling light on. You can keep the room low and warm in the evening and still have task light exactly where the bed and dressing table need it.

The TV is wall-mounted on the side wall, above a low wooden dresser that runs beneath it. Putting it on the flank instead of the panelled wall keeps the mouldings clean and lets you watch from the bed or the window seat. The dresser adds drawer storage and a surface, so the wall earns its place twice over.

Most of the cost is carpentry and finishing, not material. A joiner builds the moulding frames, fixes them true, then fills and paints so the joints disappear. A longer wall or deeper mouldings push the labour up more than the timber does. Cove lighting adds a bit of wiring. If you want the look for less, fewer and simpler panels over a good paint job get you most of the way there.

It works well when floor space is tight, as it is here with the dressing table and window seat already placed. The drawers give you bedding storage without a separate chest. The one thing to plan is clearance. You need a bit of open floor at the sides or foot so the drawers slide out fully. In a room this size that is not a problem.

Dust the moulding grooves with a soft brush or a vacuum brush head every couple of weeks, since the raised edges catch it. For marks, a barely damp cloth and a mild cleaner is enough on a washable paint. Ask for a wipeable finish when it is painted, which makes the odd fingerprint near the switches easy to lift. Avoid scrubbing hard on the corners where the paint is thinnest.