Interiors: Learn to love luxury

To mark the fact that March is the Sleep Council’s National Bed Month, we’ve asked the famous and celebrated to reveal their secrets for a beautiful bedroom. Be inspired by designers Zandra Rhodes and Rachel Ashwell, and pop superstar Kylie Minogue.

Rachel Ashwell

SHE’S the designer whose name is synonymous with the trend for ‘shabby chic’, an unpretentious laid-back living style she helped bring into vogue 20 years ago.

Ashwell favours a country look for a bedroom based around easy-on-the-eye soft, primitive colours.

“I love faded florals, with vintage scatter cushions on the bed for summer days, and like to conjure an eclectic, romantic, inviting and soft atmosphere,” she says.

“Traditional furniture, either in light or bleached wood or in distressed finishes in whites or greys, won’t dominate and will impart a tranquil feel.”

In her own bedroom, she has plush silk curtains, a sparkling chandelier and a collection of photographs to inspire happy memories on a white painted bedside table.

Her tip: Accommodate an easy chair where you can sit and relax, and keep the bed as a separate zone for sleeping. Colours such as soft smoky greys, pinks, blues, teals, taupes, ivory and whites are good choices for a peaceful setting.

>> Rachel Ashwell’s Shabby Chic bed linen collection starts from £60 for a duvet cover from House of Fraser.

Zandra Rhodes

The British fashion designer is known for her flamboyant, joie de vivre designs and renowned for her use of colour and pattern.

“I think when your bedroom looks fabulous, it makes your home very special,” she says. “Just as you change your look with what you wear, you can scrutinise your bedroom and think, ‘You know, maybe I’ll be black this week’ or you might just want to be pink and stunning, my favourite! By changing the bedding and bedspreads, a new look can be achieved in an instant.”

One of her favourite themes for a bedroom is her trademark vivid pink, and she’s used cerise cabbage roses for the walls, with a focal point of a queen-sized heart-shaped bed.

Her tip: Redressing the bed completely revamps a scheme, so take your lead from that and accessorise around it.

>> The Summer Collection of bed linen from Zandra Rhodes starts from £60 for a double duvet cover. For stockists visit www.ashleywildegroup.com

Kylie Minogue

The singing star has her own collection of bed linen and says: “Bed should be a place for just two things – love and sleep.”

She explains: “I’ve actually become a better sleeper than I used to be by doing the things you should do in bed rather than the things you shouldn’t, such as being on my laptop or watching TV.

“I love making beds with fresh linen – either from my At Home range or vintage – but I hate hospital corners.

“I like to be able to pull things around me.” Minogue, who splits her time between London and Spain, where her partner Andres Velencoso is based, adds: “Travel and vintage finds are my main inspiration for my bed linen designs.

“I have a gorgeous eiderdown from the 1930s that I found a couple of years ago on eBay, beautiful vintage fabrics I have owned for close to 20 years, a hand-painted book of Japanese kimono designs bought 10 years ago in Melbourne, and my focal point is the silk and crystal-studded panelled wall of my bedroom.”

Her tip: Make a bedroom a place of refuge with lovely linen, throws and cushions. Banish TVs, computers, iPads and mobile phones, and run a hot bath with oil and scented candles to relax you before you turn in.

>> The Kylie Minogue At Home collection starts from £55 for a single quilt cover and is available in stores throughout the UK, including Debenhams, House of Fraser, selected Fenwicks and Next online. For full stockist details visit www.ashleywildegroup.com