Stylist Notebook for National Bed Month

How would you describe this look? This is a dreamy scheme, romantic and feminine with a contemporary edge. The baby blue wall and pale pink accessories combine beautifully and work harmoniously together. In fact, these two colours work so well together they were named as Pantone Colour of the Year in 2016! The blue and pink hues echo nature in all its glory (think pale blue skies that melt into marshmallow pinks at sunrise and sunset!) - What better colours to provide a calming backdrop for a bedroom scheme.

But pink and blue sounds a bit twee – how do you avoid it looking too sickly? It’s important to balance the colours and how they are used. In this pretty room, the carpet acts as a neutraliser and the blues and pinks are broken up with areas of white. Keep the skirting boards white for freshness and use the crisp, frilled bedlinen to provide more breaks in the colours to create that ‘girly’ look without being too over the top.

With all the pink and blue – how come it doesn’t look too sugary? By choosing a muted floorcovering, together with contemporary art and furniture, the scheme is lifted and neutralised - it would be a very different story if this scheme was teamed with a Louis XVI floral patterned chair instead of a contemporary Eames-style chair, or if the art work was a 50’s style floral explosion! It’s all about good balance, careful choices and juxtaposition!

Try to find cushions that blend all the colours and help knit the scheme together.

Paintings and prints don’t need to be hung on the wall, leaning them up against the wall or on top of furniture offers an informal appeal.

Painting skirting boards in the same colour as the walls is a very popular trend at the moment but sometimes it’s nice to stick to white as it really helps break up the colours and creates a bit of visual space.

Stylist Tricks of the Trade – by painting the wall blue and accessorising with pink the room is instantly more adaptable – if the walls were pink and the accessories blue….it might be a less flexible look so think before you paint!

Although there is a lot of black in the room it still seems light and airy – how come? By keeping the woodwork and the door frames white, it is then possible to add hints of black in the room whilst retaining an overall bright but atmospheric feel.

Creating a bedroom that is peaceful doesn’t go hand in hand necessarily with dark colours – how does this room work so well? A bedroom should be somewhere tranquil and relaxing – a sanctuary away from the bustle of everyday life but that doesn’t mean to say it can’t have a bit of mood about it. This room looks stylish and modern and whilst it’s not minimalist, it is simple in design and practical. It’s very easy for this kind of look to become too sterile and lacking in character, to make sure a room has some personality in it remember the little details. It’s all about adding human touches so framed prints, succulents and a selection of throws and cushions all help to give this room a more relaxed and fluid appeal.

To give the room a loft living style – explore the possibilities of not using a headboard – this instantly gives the room an informal feel.

If you use coloured bedlinen – add some white pillowcases as well to help keep the bed looking fresh and clean.

Add a feature chair – something unexpected to the scheme that will jump out and add definition to the room.

 Stylist trick of the trade: By choosing a deep grey wall colour that has more pink in it than blue, instantly helps the room look warm…blue greys are cold and perhaps less inviting – so bear that in mind and check out your colour wheel when making paint choices.

The walls are so dark – how come it still looks inviting? Choosing a carpet for this room was the starting point. The overall colour scheme needed to be grey and it was important to create a room that was rich and interesting without being stuffy. By choosing a silver carpet which is at the paler end of the grey colour spectrum you’ll see how the light reflects off the carpet and creates an injection around the room, making sure that the grey isn’t overpowering – it’s really just a clever balance of colour.

Bedrooms are usually quite symmetrical – this bedroom is different, it has symmetry but not throughout – how does that work? Perfectly symmetrical bedrooms work well in many cases, but this room needed to be eclectic and informal. So, the bedside tables are the same and the lamps are too – but notice how nothing else is – the cushions are different colours and even the print is off-centre and this really creates added interest and a slightly quirky style.

It is a really “luxe” looking bedroom - even though there is nothing particularly opulent in the scheme; Why is that? Creating a room that has just enough glamour to portray something luxurious but understated is not always an easy task! In this room the deep grey wall persuades your eye that this is a rich, sumptuous room, the velvet cushions and the silver carpet with its deep pile and shimmer really help to convey this illusion. Angle poise lamps, woollen throws and very plain curtains wouldn’t be a natural choice for an opulent room, but somehow, they offset the other areas of the scheme and give a lasting vision of luxurious style.

When you dissect the room bit by bit, it suddenly seems odd that the scheme actually works – how do you get the room to blend so well? By keeping the hues and tones very muted and in varying colours of grey it is possible to inject some other colours into the mix. So, the cushions are purple and lilac, adding colour interest...but what really helps is the use of the colour cream. The room gels beautifully as your eye goes from bedside table, to curtains, to the fringe on the throw and back again to the table – this is a very good tool for creating a harmonious room scheme and forms the ‘glue’ that holds a scheme together.

Stylist’s Tips:

Try a mix and match approach for eclectic style – it is quite tricky to get this looking right with a combination of textures, styles and materials. For first timers, try keeping the tones similar, so in this room there is a grey contemporary headboard, grey 50’s angle poise lamps and then a brand new grey pure wool slightly rustic throw – they go together well because of the colour...once you’ve mastered ‘eclectic’ styling, you can be more adventurous!

Layering is a great way to introduce depth and interest into your scheme. Layer your prints by overlaying one over the other, layer your bed with throws and cushions – but don’t overdo it!

Don’t be too symmetrical with your scheme. It’s very easy to want to mirror either side of the bed with the same bedside tables, same lamps, maybe the same pot plants – but you don’t want your room to look like a show home. Mix it up a bit, take two identical bedside tables, but dress the table tops differently – it will add character and soul to your scheme.

Stylist Tricks of the Trade: Follow one simple rule when choosing the colours for your room. If you want to go dark in the room you have two basic choices – dark wall and pale floor, or, pale wall and dark floor – completely dark rooms are hard to live with and need to be designed with caution!

Whatever room style you have in mind, whether it’s a romantic retreat, an urban sanctuary or a mix of things you love, remember to think through your colour scheme carefully and enjoy creating the perfect bedroom for you.

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