Disclosure: I received a set of Tetbury bedding from Bluebellgrey and paint from Farrow and Ball to style this colourful bedroom makeover.
Amazing how quickly the summer has passed. It seems that no sooner as the first snowdrops appear — and we joyfully wave goodbye to the cold and grey — that we we have the longest day, the nights begin to draw in and, in the blink of an eye, autumn is here again. I’ve done a colourful bedroom makeover to keep my spirits up during
It’s so unfair. The dark days always long outstay their welcome — but spring and summer seem to fly by.
My sure-fire antidote to this is to fill my eyes with as much colour as I can during the summer months.
I think this is one of the reasons I love festivals so much.
They provide so much colour and entertainment; a feast for the senses, that create colourful memories to last long after the summer has passed.
But although I’m a huge fan of colour — and my wardrobe choices reflect that — our home has always been a little more ‘muted’ (for want of a better word).
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for bright accessories but these have generally been tempered by a pale background.
Until last year, when I bucked the habit of a lifetime and — on a whim — painted the walls of our snug in the darkest charcoal grey.
I loved the effect it had on the rest of the room; the furniture and accessories totally came to life by putting such a dark colour against them.
In fact, I was so thrilled with how it turned out and decided to take the plunge and give our bedroom the same treatment.
It was definitely not the most inspiring room; pale grey and white walls with dark wooden bedside tables and black lamps. White (or grey) bedlinen — with a token coloured cushion or throw.
You can pop and have a look at how it used to look here and here.
So after a couple of weeks of hot debate — and a mini Instagram poll — I decided to paint the back wall in the darkest, inkiest blue I could find. I went for Stiffkey Blue from Farrow and Ball in the end. The bottom swatch on the picture below.
But this then led to a conundrum about the bedside tables and lamps — they practically disappeared into the dark walls — so I went on the hunt for the perfect replacement.
I chose new ones from Feather and Black. Their Radley bedside tables were perfect.
The fresh white really pings out against the blue of the wall and they are such a lovely size. Compact and beautifully sturdy, with a drawer to stow away all the junk and a little shelf underneath for books and magazines.
Our old black lamps got their marching orders too. These were replaced with Blyton Table Lamps. Possibly the loveliest lighting I’ve come across in a long time. A sturdy wooden base with a putty coloured metal shade, suspended by a vintage looking flex. They’re a really unusual shape — blurring the boundaries between traditional and modern; they’d fit any setting.
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Summer Colour All Year Round
I’ve never been keen on coloured bedlinen; like the walls I’ve always preferred white (and on the odd occasion grey). But feeling inspired by my inky blue backdrop, I found the most beautiful bedlinen from bluebellgray.
Strewn with watercolour florals, the Tetbury Meadow design is perfect for bringing summer colour into the bedroom all year round.
I added chevron striped cushions — again from Feather and Black —and strung a paper garland across the back wall to add a little more colour to the mix.
It was actually a Christmas decoration that I bought, last year, to dress my alternative Christmas tree but ended up not using.
It’s such a simple thing; tiny colourful paper discs — sewn onto a cotton thread — but it looks amazing against the blue.
Vibrant Colour and New Energy
It’s nothing short of amazing how different the room feels.
I never particularly liked it before, if I’m honest. It was just the room that we slept in.
These days I definitely find myself wanting to spend a bit more time in there; instead of feeling bland and a bit unloved, it’s such a lovely space to go and relax.
It’s got a new energy. And that might sound a bit hocus-pocus (I’m not a believer in things like Feng Shui) but it really, really has a different vibe.
I think colour is one of the biggest mood enhancers; get it wrong and it can zap your energy. Get it right and it can lift your spirits; and make you feel vibrant as the shades that surround you.
So whilst my colourful bedroom makeover may not be to everyone’s taste — it’s definitely ours.
(And our furry-faced lodgers too.)
Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.
Oh my, I love it. Such a gorgeous colour. And the perfect colour for a grown up bedroom. And that bedding and those lamps are divine. This is just beautiful. Our bedroom is a complete mess. We really need to do something with it. But it needs some major work done before we can decorate. Hugs Lucy xxxx
Thanks darling — I’m so pleased with it!! It’s amazing what a difference the colour has made — it looked so bland before. I love it now :)
I love it. For an age I have wanted dark walls in our home. But renting puts a stop to it.
The makeover is beautiful. So sumptuous and those lamps, just love.
I really didn’t think I’d like it — as quite a lot in our home is white — but I LOVE it!!!! You should ask your landlord if you could paint the walls Kara; as long as you make good and repaint it when you leave, I can’t see they’d not let you do it? Cx
Wow that colour is stunning on the walls! Love the floral bedlinen too. x
Thanks so much Leoma! :)
Wow those bedside lamps are so stunning and unusual too! I’m so into strong colours in bedrooms at the moment, we opted for a dark blue in my daughter’s bedroom just recently. At some point it might be tidy enough for me to photograph and share on my blog! Looks gorgeous Caro. x
They’re lovely aren’t they? SO unusual. I get so bored of seeing the same thing again and again… when I find something I’ve never seen before it’s SO exciting!!!!! And YES! Hurry up and share Suzanne!!!! I’d love to see :) xx
It never fails to amaze me what a difference paint can make! The deep blue is absolutely gorgeous and really makes everything pop beautifully. Gorgeous bedroom, Caro!
Same!! It looked SO bland before… and not in a relaxing way either.
You’d think that too much colour would be overstimulating but it feels so much more relaxing now :)
Wow I love the colour you used – so relaxing. I would never want to leave my bed!
Hahaha!!! I don’t Medina!!! Some days it’s very, very hard to get up!!! ;)
Oh Caro, this is simply stunning! You clever thing!
I adore the colour you’ve painted the wall and everything compliments it beautifully. xx
Thanks so much lovely — I’m so pleased with it. The blue has made the world of difference… it was SO bland before!!! xx
Love the choice of the blue colour it looks amazing. Blue is my favourite colour!
Thanks so much Claire!! I’m THRILLED with the colour!!! So happy with it :)
I usually opt for light shades when I decorate, but I adore that inky blue you have chosen for your bedroom
Same Sarah!! I’m such a fab of white on the walls… and the occasional pale grey but I’m LOVING these darker tones! They really make everything else stand out :)
Those little paper disks are so effective! They make such an impact on the wall…And I really love that colour, too. Blue is such a difficult colour to get right with walls but this is such a fab shade. #HOMEETC
They’re gorgeous aren’t they? Cheap as chips and far too good to be kept for Christmas!!! And me too Jane — I wanted something slightly darker but just couldn’t find exactly what I wanted — I do love the Stiffkey blue though :)
Oh Caro, i just love that blue! And it works beautifully with the bedding too. I wish I was braver to try another room in a dark colour, so far it’s just our little home office in dark grey which I love but the other rooms are pale. One day I’ll give it a whirl and see what happens! X
I’m so so pleased with it. Some rooms just really don’t suit being pale and interesting (ie bland). White — or paler shades — work well for so many room in our house but definitely not our bedroom. Love it now :)
Love the bedside lamps! They’d be perfect in our own (slowly progressing!) bedroom makeover!! x
They’re SO gorgeous aren’t they? Really unusual — makes a change from plain ones CX
Wow that blue is perfect! Not too dark. And those bedside tables work so well with it.
Thanks Sarah!! It took me SO long to decide!!! I can’t believe I’ve painted over it now, after all that indecision!!