Inside the most glamorous and envy-enducing bedrooms in Australia

The days are short, the weather is cold – and many, if not all, of us are craving a few extra minutes (or hours) of sleep in the mornings.

While our hectic lifestyles may preclude that longed-for lie-in, it’s nevertheless that time of year when our thoughts are wont to turn bed-wards.

With that in mind, Domain magazine has gathered a selection of the nation’s most breathtaking, drop-dead gorgeous, envy-inducing sleeping spaces for your reading pleasure. The stuff, indeed, that dreams are made of.

Clovelly House II

Madeleine Blanchfield Architects

The first bedroom on the list, with sweeping views overlooking Sydney’s Clovelly Beach, certainly has that elusive wow factor … and then some.

Blanchfield says the space was intended to be generous and serene, where the owners could escape from the rigours of family life.

“The ocean view is to the south, so making the spaces feel warm and radiant was the challenge,” she says.

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“Our approach to make the master suite cosy, while maintaining lightness, was to layer different soft materials in a pale and neutral palette.

“We cocooned the whole bedroom space in sheer linen curtains, which can also be used as a semi-private screen across the bathroom.

“A round skylight above the open-plan bathroom brings northern sun into the bedroom area.

“Plush carpet and timber sliding doors and timber floor in the bathroom make the spaces feel soft and luxurious. Beautiful artworks, a fabric bedhead and selected furniture add the next layer.”

Fitzroy Residence

Doherty Design Studio

This bedroom, created for a pair of empty-nesters downsizing from their large suburban home to an inner-city terrace, shows how to inject a dose of high-octane glamour into a comparatively modest space.

Mardi Doherty, whose eponymous interior design studio collaborated with Inarc Architects on the new build, says an overall sense of luxury was created through the contrasting elements such as the upholstered velvet bedhead, terracotta pendant lights and sheer linen drapes. “We think the restrained layering of different materials and textures is what works well in smaller spaces,” she says. “Also, selecting colours that tonally sit well together but add a sense of depth. Lighting … helps add drama to the space.”

Rose Bay House

Greg Natale

Greg Natale has built his reputation on a more-is-more approach to design, so it’s no surprise that the main bedroom in his Rose Bay House project features here.

The viscose carpet, grass weave wallpaper and taffeta curtains, all in a palette of soft greys and silver, form an unobtrusive basis for this art deco-inspired space. Swathes of royal blue are added in the quilted bedding and velvet-upholstered sofa, while gold cushions and brass accents provide an elegant finishing touch.

“The client is not big on pattern – she wanted more texture – so we added the grass weave wallpaper, which is more about texture rather than pattern,” Natale says.

“I usually like a patterned carpet, but the viscose carpet has a beautiful texture to it – it leaves all this really nice shading when you walk on it.”

Treetop House

Arent & Pyke

Luxury isn’t always conveyed through a room’s grand gestures – sometimes it’s embodied in the small, thoughtful details, as this refined, pared-back example demonstrates.

The understated space whispers, rather than shouts. From the walk-in wardrobe’s unexpected blush pink lining to the clustered pendant lights by New York-based design house Apparatus Studio, it’s the little things that delight.

Designer Sarah-Jane Pyke says the client requested an aesthetic that was sophisticated and calm.

“All the colours are softly tonal, and stay within a warm, neutral palette,” she says.

“We built up textural contrasts – to add a sumptuous dimension – the play of the soft leather in the bedhead, with brass detailing, [and] the plush pile of the carpet, against crisp, white bedding.”

Potts Point Pied a Terre

Arent & Pyke

This project was completed several years ago, but it still makes the list, as no rundown of the nation’s most extraordinary bedrooms feels complete without it.

The upholstered wall panels, featuring a handmade, wood-blocked fabric depicting Chinese ginger pots in blue and white (Macao Bleu de Chine from French design house Pierre Frey), create a dramatic three-dimensional effect.

The trick of the eye is further enhanced through the arrangement of ceramics in the same shades on the bedside table.

Designer Juliette Arent says the exuberantly-patterned fabric provided the starting point for the room. “During our first presentation, the client was on board with an emphatic, ‘Yes’,” she says.

Top interior designers on how to craft a sleep sanctuary

• “I like monochromatic bedrooms with minimal furniture. Choose a few pieces and do them well – a piece of art, a throw or a side table may have more impact than expensive finishes. There are some beautiful linen sheets available in soft greys, pinks and whites; paint the walls to match. Soft curtains such as sheer linens always transform a space instantly and with minimal building work. Rugs define the space and add texture.” – Madeleine Blanchfield
• “I look at the room as a hierarchy of layers – for example, the interior architecture and carpets, then the bed, sofa and curtains, and then cushions and side tables. Add a layer, stand back, see what else it needs; then add another layer, stand back, and so on. You don’t have to get it right the first go, maybe just go a bit more organically.” – Greg Natale
• “The bedroom is the ultimate sanctuary, so my two key elements in any bedroom are luxurious linens and ambient lighting. Invest in a beautiful bedside lamp that will give the room a warm, inviting glow, and prepare you for rest and relaxation. Your linen collection can be built up over time, and pillowcases are a great way to start mixing colour and texture into the room.” – Sarah-Jane Pyke