How to mix neutral décor, solid wood bedroom furniture and add splashes of colour for a contemporary style.

Choosing a colour palette for your bedroom can be great fun: the perfect opportunity to browse through paint charts, find co-ordinating bedding, discuss flooring options and find bedroom furniture to suit your scheme. However, if you are anything like me, tastes change and you may grow tired of the fabulous shade of burnt orange that seemed such a good idea in the autumn, by the time spring comes around!

With this in mind I would recommend a neutral palette – especially when selecting high-ticket items like flooring and furniture. Bright, rich colours can be introduced with accessories, bedding, cushions and paint – an accent wall or alcove in a strong colour can be easily changed to freshen up the décor at very little cost. While a back-drop of naturals and neutrals will look great for years and provide a calm, soothing space perfect for a good night’s sleep…

If neutrals are the key then it’s useful to look at which colours and materials work well together:

Browns

From stone to espresso, caramel to chocolate – there are a multitude of shades within the ‘brown’ spectrum. Most timbers look great with this palette, walnut brings out the warmth of auburn shades as natural, solid walnut includes a variety tones. Take a look at our deep chocolate coloured, velvet bedspread – the Niger, or the Kadi Earth quilt incorporates a range of caramel and milk chocolate tones. Finish your brown bedding scheme with a soft wool throw – try the Beige & Ivory Pinstripe Throw or the Bronte Diamond Weave Throw in charcoal, beige and cream. Natural flooring in sisal, woven leather, stone or wood completes the look. For complementary bright colours for accessories: look at cool pale blue tones, greens from sage to emerald and burnt umber.

Greys

Grey looks fantastic with almost anything! Pale cool grey with warm solid cherry wood, warmer ‘greige’ tones with walnut and deep charcoal with the pale golden tones of maple or ash look fabulous. Oak and beech work with almost any grey! Looking for grey bedding? For plain options try our linen bedding (available in soft dove grey and dramatic charcoal grey) or luxury 1000 thread count bedding in platinum grey. If you prefer pattern – we have soft chambray bedding in herringbone and checked patterns, or the floral powder grey quilt. Finish a cool look with painted floorboards or warm it up with a wooden floor or deeply textured carpet. Almost any shade can be used for your accent colour, but citrus yellow, pea green or plum will pack a punch!

Shades of ivory, white and cream

Pale timbers such as ash, maple and beech work well with soft subtle off-white shades. These colours look wonderful when complemented with cool colours – aqua, cornflower blue or teal. The coastal look is a popular interior design theme to over-lay on an ivory back-drop. This is a colour-way that can be ‘warmed up’ in the winter with the addition of a chocolate brown throw or rug.

We have a wide range of bedding in white, ivory or cream. If you are looking for a quilt, try the Alpana, Sodala or Ivory Soft Quilted Bedspreads. For soft white bedding take a look at our linen collection, plain cotton bedding in 600 or 1000 thread count or our cream coloured, organic cotton bedding collection.

Monochrome

Take ‘neutral’ to the extreme by eliminating colour entirely! There are many images of beautiful, cool, all white bedrooms available to drool over on Pinterest. Similarly you’ll find some deeply seductive black bedrooms, which concentrate on textures instead of colours. Ideal for this look are our solid oak beds, available with a black stained finish that allows the grain to show through – resulting in a rich, luxurious look.

This look is quite demanding – you need to be strict with yourself! But happily you’ll find no shortage of crisp white bedding, black beds or monochrome accessories.

Leave a Reply