Project: Coastal Guestroom
Location: Bury St Edmunds.
A calm, layered bedroom inspired by soft coastal tones
This room began with two beautiful pieces the client already loved: cushions lugged home from Marrakesh and a photograph of Busselton Jetty in Western Australia. Together they hinted at a palette of soft sand, deep-sea blue and sun-washed neutrals — a calm, coastal mood without drifting into anything themed or literal. The brief was to build a guest room around these personal treasures, creating a space that felt serene, textural and quietly characterful.
This project shows how a room that hasn't yet found its story can become something truly memorable when colour, texture and proportion are used with intention.
A perfectly usable guest room, but one waiting for a point of view. Magnolia walls, a basic turquoise roller blind and the kind of furniture that quietly accumulates over the years without ever really committing. It wasn't doing anything wrong — it just hadn't been given the chance to do anything right.
Before:
Design Direction:
The aim was to create a calm, coastal‑inspired guest room without slipping into cliché. A palette of soft whites, pale sand tones and deep‑sea blues set the foundation, while the Moroccan cushions added warmth and a subtle global edge. Natural materials, rattan, linen, woven fibres, brought texture and ease, giving the room a relaxed, lived‑in feel that still felt fresh and uplifting. The room needed to feel fresh and uplifting in daylight, yet soft and restful in the evening — a gentle balance of simplicity, comfort and quiet character.
Moodboard Moments
Colour: Foam white, pale sand, deep‑sea blue
Texture: Linen, rattan, woven fibres, soft cotton
Layout: Simplified, balanced, designed for rest
Lighting: Soft, warm, layered for day‑to‑night ease
Revealing the Room
The transformation came from giving the room a clearer identity. Once the palette was anchored by the Busselton Jetty artwork and the Moroccan textiles, everything else fell into place. The simplified layout, layered materials and gentle coastal tones shifted the room from “just a spare room” to a space that feels thoughtful, restful and quietly uplifting — somewhere guests can genuinely unwind.