WINCH’s vast portfolio, ranging from luxury yachts to breath-taking architectural spaces and private homes, is one that continues to inspire. Beautifully fusing modern luxury with comfort and elegance, their creativity pairs perfectly with our handcrafted beds. They bring a home-like essence to yachts and contemporary spaces, through intentional use of lighting and textures. Perfectly polished materials like stone, glass, and marble often infuse modernity into their projects. While an addition of soft woods, handcrafted furniture and intricate details like rich, natural fabrics bring an element of softness.

Inherently glamorous, their projects juxtapose traditional craftsmanship and materials with bold accents of colour. Perhaps the most unique element about the studio is their ability to make every space feel calm and relaxing – both on land and at sea. Through their signature style, they create individual spaces that cater to unwinding. This considered approach to design is what inspired our conversation with WINCH, where we discuss the importance of having a relaxing space at home.

The connection we each have with our homes has certainly regained its importance. We may have forgotten what makes a house a home in the past, but through the uncertainty of recent years, we again see our home as a place to unwind and reflect.

Often overlooked yet incredibly important, is having a space at home that’s dedicated purely to relaxation. Whether it’s a window nook, where you relax with a favourite book. A beautifully curated bedroom or a bathroom, adorned with scented candles that calm the senses. Having that one space can have a great impact on your well-being, and as a result, the quality of your sleep.

We speak with WINCH Design’s Head of Interiors, Selina McCabe about her personal take on the importance of having a dedicated space to relax and unwind at home. Since joining the studio in 2007, Selina has worked on many projects, from architecture to yachts and aviation, creating beautifully unique spaces and designs that combine modernity, comfort, and luxury.

Savoir: Should a home always include a space that’s dedicated purely to relaxation?

Selina McCabe: Now, more than ever, our homes are seen as a shelter; a space with multiple identities that can be effortlessly transformed. A home today needs to function as an office and a quiet space to relax with a good book. It also needs to serve as an entertainment space to share with friends and family, sometimes instantaneously! With more of us than ever working in an environment that embraces flexible working, having a space that is dedicated to relaxation is integral.

What does that ideal place look like to you?

For me, it has to be the perfect bedroom. A place to go at the end of the day and where you can unwind and feel instantly relaxed. Surrounded by pieces that calm the senses, like natural light, tone-on-tone materials, sumptuous linens, and outdoor views. Oh, and hopefully a big enough bed to accommodate my children sneaking in!

What are the simple changed we can introduce into our bedroom to turn it into our own sleep sanctuary?

Lighting is integral to creating a relaxing environment. The transformation from natural light in the day to warm ambient lighting ready for night-time reading can help the brain transition from morning to evening seamlessly. Another simple change is investing in great quality linens. There is nothing like the experience of getting into a freshly laundered bed with beautiful, soft bedding!

Are there any specific colours, textures, or materials you tend to lean towards when crafting a relaxing space?

The colour palette for a relaxing space totally depends on the environment you are designing within. It also depends on the personality of the person using it! Some clients opt for layers of tonal neutrals to suit a pared-back ambience. Others want a more playful approach with bold colouring. Used with confidence in parallel with considered lighting, colours allow the space to remain effortless and relaxed. Layering textures is also a great way to create a comforting and warm environment. With decorative pillows and a soft wool blanket, you can create a space suited to every brief.

And finally, how do you personally unwind after a long week?

Spending time with family and friends is my favourite way to switch off and gain perspective. A long, muddy walk in the fresh air followed by a home-cooked roast. Then, a chance to lounge on the sofa to watch a movie or play a board game while listening to a good playlist is just the best. As long as the family competitiveness doesn’t overrule the fun!

Learn more about the award-winning design studio here. Imagery by WINCH Design Studio.

Finding the right accessories to complete your bespoke bed can prove harder than one may think. With an endless choice of textures, prints and patterns, it can be difficult to know where to start. At Savoir, we rely on the best experts to help us choose the right fabrics and colour schemes that complement our designs and champion the art of bedscaping. Stylist Sania Pell is one of the experts we have worked with on many occasions. With over 20 years of experience styling some of the most inspiring interiors, including those featured in ELLE Décor, her attention to detail and talent for fusing the unexpected are unparalleled. She has helped us bring to life some of our most iconic designs, ensuring they look as luxurious and inviting as they feel. Together with Sania, we have created a guide that’ll help you dress a bed you won’t want to leave, focusing on the key elements of the art of bedscaping.

The colour scheme

When deciding on the right colour scheme for your bedroom, it’s important to think about how you want the room to feel. Psychology of colour advises that delicate earth tones, as well as blues and greens, create a naturally calming and tranquil atmosphere. Bright and vivid colours such as orange, yellow and red, on the other hand, add a joyous and vibrant attitude to interiors.

While your bed and its accessories don’t necessarily need to match the room exactly, it’s crucial that the overall colour scheme of the room feels aligned. “I usually begin by choosing colours that work tonally with the headboard, and then add another contrasting colour to give a little more interest. It could be that a statement chair colour is linked back to the throws and cushions to pull the scheme together,” Sania tells us. “The bed accessories look more considered if they link to other patterns and colours in your bedroom. So, it’s a good idea to begin with these as the base, then add something that is unexpected either in colour or pattern, so the scheme is not too predictable,” she adds.

Adding visual intrigue

Mixing prints, patterns, and textures can feel overwhelming; however, the key to finding the right balance is to work tonally. “Work on a sliding scale – begin with smaller patterns, then build up to larger ones. Blues and greens work well in bedrooms, and stripes pair wonderfully with both traditional and contemporary interiors,” she tells us. When it comes to finding the right fabrics, “Kvadrat, Dedar, and Kirkby are all of a very high quality and have fantastic colour ranges as well as a variety of modern patterns and textures,” Sania recommends.

Size matters

While bedding feels more sumptuous when sized up, accessories follow a slightly different rule. Sania advises that a mix-and-match approach works best when choosing the final touches. “Begin with two large cushions the same size and colour to anchor your scheme, and then add a bolster and perhaps a small cushion in a fun colour or pattern,” she suggests. This allows you to create depth and add playful, unexpected elements without overshadowing the design of the bed and taking away from its luxurious feel.

To find more inspiration, read the story of how our team, along with Sania’s unique eye, brought our iconic designs to life at London’s Pitzhanger Manor.

Maison&Objet, the bi-annual design fair which takes place in Paris chose the simple words ‘take care’ as this year’s slogan. Paying homage to slow living, the show emphasised the importance of a mindful and sustainable approach to design. Along with Paris Deco Off, these shows are amongst the most influential design events of the year. Together, they pave the way for how interior design and architecture will look in the next year.

Your home reflects who you are. Through your favourite art, bespoke furniture, and clever use of colour, you can enrich it with your personality. While some trends come and go, we hand-picked the ideas that encompass craft and longevity that’ll elevate the timeless design of your home.

Forget sharp lines and monochromatic colour combinations. This year’s trends embrace organic shapes, bring nature indoors and add dopamine-inducing pops of colour. Discover the key interior design trends that’ll awaken your creativity.

The emergence of organic shapes

The last few decades celebrated modern and angular shapes and silhouettes. Excitingly, going forward, we can expect to see soft and organic lines return to the limelight. Taking inspiration from the 70s, furniture, lighting and accessories will mimic shapes found in nature. From a delicate outline of a cloud to the dynamic movement of an ocean wave. Influenced by a more relaxed attitude to sophistication, this trend brings a playful, yet polished feeling indoors.

When upholstered in complementing fabrics, these organic shapes perfectly combine the retro aesthetic of the 70s with a modern twist. Our Amelia design is a great way to showcase how dynamically organic a headboard can be, bringing a welcoming ambience into the bedroom. Through a more tranquil approach to lighting, architecture, and soft furnishing, you can embrace nature in a unique way.

Revival of the handmade

The charm of handmade items is enjoying a revival, thanks to their incomparable quality and longevity. From beautifully crafted furniture using sustainably sourced materials, to recycled textiles, which have been lovingly refined. Artisanal items tell a story that mass-made products can’t. This resurgence marries nostalgic elements of century-old craft with the needs of the modern world. Resulting in completely personal and bespoke products that combine art and function.

As the heart of your home, bedroom is the perfect place to infuse with the charm of the handmade. From small, decorative elements like lamps and night tables, to investing in a bed that becomes the room’s focal point. Whilst elevating the design of your bedroom, a bespoke bed will also improve the quality of your sleep. Combine the revival of craft with a sustainable approach by opting for a plant-based bed. Providing the comfort of the classic Savoir beds, The Reformer draws on sustainable ingredients found in nature. These materials respond to the resurgence of the focus on our well-being and sleep. Investing in a plant-based bed is a charming way to prioritise your health.

Striking colour

First noted in fashion, which inevitably translated into interior design, dopamine-inducing colours are set to be all around us in 2023. Whether through the addition of post-modernistic art or boldly painted walls, this trend will bring a joy-inducing ambience into your home. With jewel tones adorning rich textiles like velvet, you can add an eccentric feeling of decadence.

If painting an entire room bright red sounds a little too bold, you can instead use it as an accent. From ceramic vases and sconces in earthy hues to textiles and wallcoverings that beautifully combine lighter colours with these vibrant tones. Whilst adding joy and a spark of energy to your home, they’ll become the perfect conversation starter for your guests.

Art is everywhere

Another delightful trend emerging this year is all about infusing your interiors with art. Whether by using plants as sculptures through the Japanese art of bonsai, or textiles inspired by works of great masters. The ways in which you can incorporate art into your home are endlessly charming.

Rubelli, a renowned Italian textile brand with whom we’ve collaborated on many designs, focuses their 2023 collection on ‘Fragments of Venice’, where “the past and the present live together harmoniously”. Showcasing their abstract interpretation, these refined textiles tie in authenticity and elegance. So, for those seeking to incorporate more art into their home, textiles are an easy yet impactful way to start.

Our collaboration with the National Gallery in London offers a unique opportunity to adorn the paintings of great masters onto your bed. From Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’ to Redon’s ‘Ophelia among the Flowers’. The paintings are digitally printed onto the fabric, which is then upholstered onto the headboard and the base of the bed. In 2023, art no longer belongs just on our walls.

Whether it already found its way into your home or not, bouclé is here to stay. The sumptuous fabric continues to adorn furnishings – from organically shaped sofas and chairs to bespoke beds. Its unique softness embodies the slowed-down approach to design in 2023. Rich, textural materials are also coming back into the forefront, taking over delicate silks and linens. Our Winston design nods to the revival of the 70s with its unique upholstery in textural cognac leather. The back of its headboard is adorned in a beautiful geometric pattern using the Italian fabric by Nelson, gently nodding at the nostalgia of Art Deco design.

Unexpectedly, embroidery also made an appearance at this year’s design shows. Bright and colourful beads, hand embroidered onto headboards, lampshades and cushions wonderfully highlight the artisanal technique, adding texture to everyday objects and materials.

With the reintroduction of materials like velvet and leather and artisanal methods, you can elevate your home whilst staying true to your preferred aesthetic. Although trends change, natural materials and craftsmanship are timeless tools that help you infuse personality into your home.

For more design ideas read our latest article, where we discover how WINCH Interior Design studio infuses their projects with luxury and comfort.

Because of its versatility, our Holly design was photographed in two spaces in the house. Situated amongst oak walls in the dining area, its linen upholstery created an exciting dialogue of natural materials. The soft concoction of delicate tones and earth hues was a minimalist’s dream. Very often, when we think of a calming space, we envision an all-white room. Interestingly, those pale and moody tones, inspired by earth’s fauna, are a much better choice for creating a relaxing space. They allow our eyes to rest, so that the mind can follow.

Our Winston design was photographed at the opposite end of the lounge. Sat between the Aylesbury brick and the wall of light coming in through the windows, its cognac upholstery instantly warmed up the room. Paired with our Savoir Slim base, which is created using the same time-honoured techniques and materials as our iconic Nº2 bed set, but adapted into a slimmer, more modern size. Although the design pairs well with all our bed sets, a slimmer base allows its signature headboard to take centre stage.

The design is upholstered in Whistler’s organic leather in a brown tone, which beautifully showcases the natural markings of leather. Resembling storytelling scars, these delicate lines run across the headboard and base. Accentuated with angular, metal legs in a brass finish, which reflect even the slightest glimmer of light, adding an exciting layer of visual intrigue.

Drawing inspiration from geometric 70s patterns, the back of its headboard nods to the return of organic shapes and earth tones, with a playful attitude. Created by Casamance, the Nelson fabric harmoniously combines lines and curves.

Both designs are dressed in our Luxury Egyptian Cotton Percale bed linen. Its crisp, matte appearance complements the organic design and materials of the beds.

Taking over two years to build in the early 60s, the Ahm House is a one-of-a-kind property. The continuous juxtaposition of tall windows and industrial materials guarded by whimsical greenery creates an otherworldly effect. It’s almost hard to believe that this setting, fitting for a backdrop of a modern fairy tale, is located just an hour outside of London.