When it comes to decorating coastal homes our knee-jerk reaction is to lean towards simple Scandi vibes, with lots of white, soft beachy blues and surf mist greys. And, whilst we love these soft pastels and neutrals, there’s a missed opportunity to embrace brighter colour and comfy texture in these retreat-like spaces.

In the bedroom transformation above, we show you how injecting a touch more colour can bring personality and warmth into a room, without going overboard. Below, find six simple tips for re-creating the look at home:

1. Start from the floor up

It’s easy to forget that flooring can be just as much a canvas for styling as the four walls. Therefore, one of the easiest ways to inject colour and texture into a room is with a big rug!

In our bedroom transformation above we chose Loom’s Tulu Ru-Chain rug from their contemporary collection to inform the colour palette for the rest of the room, inspired by the coastal Australian landscape hugging the space.

The rug is big enough to extend to the four corners of the room, effectively acting as carpet and providing beautiful texture across the entire floor.

2. Opt for an upholstered bedhead 

As bedrooms aren’t often the biggest rooms in the house, small changes can make a big difference. In this case, swapping out the old bed frame with Koala’s new upholstered Brunswick Bed Base instantly adds comfort, texture and colour to the space. The padded bed head, in a soft ‘Bush Walk’ green, provides the perfect contrast to the timber lined walls in this cosy room, not to mention dialling up the comfort-factor!

If you want to make your weekend sleep-ins extra comfortable and luxurious, add Koala’s Plus Mattress and pillows, too.

3. Be brave with bedding

You’d be surprised at how much a room can change simply by switching out your bed linen for something slightly more punchy. As the bed is the biggest piece of furniture in a bedroom, it’s easy to play it safe with neutrals. But, as you can see above, when we introduced the beautiful earthy tones of Koala’s Duvet Cover Set in the marigold hue of ‘Keen As’, the space feels instantly warmer.

We paired this vibrant bedding with a textured Koala Switcharoo Throw for even more of that earthy texture, echoed in the coastal greens just outside the windows.

4. Switch up your side tables

We have a penchant for mismatching side tables. But they seem even more appropriate in a beach house where the brief is relaxed, and pieces are often slowly collected and added over time.

Above, we’ve paired an Arnold Circus Stool in pistachio (to bring out the colour in the Brunswick Bed) with Koala’s Kirribilli Side Table in warm ash.

5. Introduce soft light

There should never be any harsh light in a bedroom. The best way to introduce soft, diffused light is through lamp lighting, and paper lampshades. We added the classic Akari 1A paper lamp on the bedside, so even when the sun goes down, a cosy ambient light remains.

6. Don’t forget the finishing touches 

Art and soft furnishings are the key to bringing a space together. In our bedroom transformation we replaced the mirror with a beautiful woven art piece from Maningrida Art and Culture in the Northern Territory, to add some movement and life into the room. This is complemented by a woven cushion from Citta, which sits on the bed to break up the blocks of colour in the linen. We’ve also added a small artwork by Megan Grant to pick up the greens from the rug, as well as the landscape – bringing the palette full circle.

Head to Koala to check out their full range of Australian-designed furniture at down-to-earth prices!