A simple, soothing, botanical green bedroom makeover – the reveal!

It’s been nine months since I painted my bedroom in a rich, dark forest hue and showed you my plans for my botanical green bedroom makeover. Enough time to birth a baby, and as an interior designer, maybe this slow redecoration project is, in a way, one of my own. I know I probably say this with every reveal, but I think this is my favourite transformation to date – I keep popping my head around the door to admire the soothing, new set-up, and every evening I can’t wait to crawl into bed and enjoy the relaxing surroundings.

The best projects are certainly worth taking time over; as they say, good things come to those who wait. Three years after moving in, the bedroom is finally at a point where I’m really content with it. And that’s one of the better bits about a redecoration project – the finishing result – when you can at last give yourself the permission to sit back, admire the rewards of your work and appreciate the space you’ve lovingly made your own. So here’s to slow renovations and considered spaces designed around our wants and needs – I’ve rushed into things before and learnt my lesson. This time I wanted to take a more thoughtful approach…

[AD – this post features gifted items from Button & Sprung, Mylands and IKEA]

Because this bedroom has been decorated before (see the previous makeover here), in a light blush pink that was lovely and feminine, but after time, didn’t feel very ‘us’. I’m not one to constantly change and redecorate just for the sake of it or in service to trends; I like my interiors to be understated and timeless so that it can evolve with me not against me (the walls of my living room are still the same colour as three years ago and I’m still very happy with the soft grey). But the pink turned out to be something of a mistake; a quick, fairly spur of the moment choice that I’ve since learnt lessons from.

Truth be told, back then, I was fatigued after the downstairs renovations, transforming the kitchen and living room into one bright, open-plan space, and after months of dust and builders, I didn’t have the headspace to properly think about what I wanted our bedroom to feel like. I went full steam ahead with this very on-trend pink, mid-century theme, without stopping to really consider if it was something that truly connected on a deeper level. Sometimes you need to live in a space to really get to know how you want to live in it and what might suit the room’s qualities. But at the same time I was desperate to do something about the bright turquoise wall that we inherited when we moved in and the fact we were sleeping on a mattress on the floor at the time… A fresh lick of paint was much needed and so pink it was.

It wasn’t just the colour though. I didn’t truly take into account how we might use the space – something I bang on about to clients but forgot about in my own home. A dressing table ended up looking beautiful but getting little use (I’m not fanatical about make-up and couldn’t give two hoots what I look like when I spend most of my working week at home by myself…) and there was no where to put the piles and piles of my favourite novels that soon built up (I love to cosy up and get absorbed in a good read).

With my mind clear to think through all the details and seeking some fresh inspiration, I needed to go back to the drawing board…

When I first shared my thoughts for this space, I imagined a cosy, quiet sanctuary, thoughtfully designed around my wellbeing. I really connect with the colour green – for me it feels restorative and uplifting, taking inspiration from nature and embodying feelings of balance, harmony and tranquility. Just the kind of ambience I want to create in a bedroom, where I go to escape at the end of the day.

It turns out green is the thread that ties my home together, from the green accents and lush plants that have slowly made their home in the living room, to the grey-green dining table in the kitchen, and now up here in the bedroom. To me, green gives life and depth to the pale grey tones of my simple, minimalist interior.

So let’s fast forward to the result! The starting point was really a print by London-based artist Liza Giles. If you’re stuck for ideas and don’t know where to start with a redecoration project, a good idea is to look to your favourite piece of art. From this abstract piece, I picked out the beige for the bed’s head board, green for the walls and black for some of the finishing touches.

I’ve painted one wall behind the bed Brompton Road by Mylands – a sophisticated shade of green discovered in their archives that was once used in a house on this famous Chelsea street in London. I’ve purposefully just painted one wall. Not only does it help create a focal point around the bed and allow the head board to stand out, painting the wall behind the bed also means that the tone plays a little game of hide and seek. When I walk into the room, I get the impact of the bold green tone, but when I’m sitting in bed I don’t have to look at it all the time. I get the best of both worlds – an injection of colour but not so much as to overpower the whole room.

The rest of the space is a layering of light, beige textures, from the pale Farrow & Ball Ammonite walls and the elegant Poppy bed from Button & Sprung (more on that later and in a separate post tomorrow), to the relaxed linen bedding and subtly striped IKEA curtains that soften the whole scheme. The look is natural and nature-inspired, every little detail coming together as a cohesive whole to create a space that calms and restores. Let’s take a closer look…

Soft, relaxed textures and linen curtains
The room needed a lighter tone – beige – to complement the rich green. Beige also references nature; it feels pure and natural, anything but synthetic, clinical, man-made or artificial. The word itself comes from the French word of natural, unbleached wool. Think of beige and you imagine warmer climes, deserted beaches and the wind rustling through wheat fields. Here beige acts as a warm accent to counteract the cold, blue tones in the dark green.

Button & Sprung’s Poppy bed takes centre stage, giving the bedroom a boutique hotel vibe. The matte texture of the natural wool works so well with the bed linen – I’ve mix and matched white and green to keep the look fresh and contemporary.

Our bedroom looks right onto the street and has two large windows that are wonderful for letting in lots of natural light, but not so much for privacy and views in. We had simple black-out blinds already, but have added some sheer, natural linen curtains to add a sense of cosiness from the outside world. I thought they made the room feel smaller, my husband Olivier thinks they make the room look bigger, but they do have the effect of adding height to the space, as they draw your eye up. A simple trick to add height to a room with curtains: install the curtain pole as close to the ceiling as you can (we didn’t have much choice here) and allow the curtains themselves to hang 5-10cm longer than they need to be, rather than cutting them short at the window or just as they touch the floor. It gives a more generous feel.

I’ve used IKEA’s Birtine curtains, their thin, black Racka curtain rod that extends to 385cm stretching across both windows, and their Syrlig curtain clips for a simple, contemporary look. The striped linen adds a little French touch and I love how the unrefined texture gives a vintage feel to the fabric.

The natural details don’t stop there. I’ve framed pressed flowers from my wedding bouquet to create a very personal piece of art above the chest of drawers. Each little stem has been preserved in time in Moebe frames.

Simple shelves and a quiet place to read
Like I mentioned, I like nothing better than to get my nose into a good book and escape to another world. Books were always going to play a big part in this bedroom. While many other minimalists might hide their books or turn the covers around, I couldn’t wait to be able to admire all my favourite reads from the comfort of my bed.

These IKEA Bergshult shelves fit perfectly into the alcove by the chimney breast. I love the clean simple lines and unfussy silhouette, letting the books and carefully curated objects tell the story. I’m sure I’ll be endlessly faffing around with these and styling them up with various things. And if I fill up my shelves with books, I can always add another shelf above or below as the bracket system fits together in endless configurations.

So there we have it, my simple, soothing, botanical green bedroom makeover. I love that it’s a room of contrasts, from the rich forest green that can appear dark, moody and wonderfully lush, to the soft beige that lightens everything up. There’s moments of interest and detail, but there’s also expanses of negative space to allow the room to breathe and the mind to settle. The room now feels more grown-up – I feel like I’ve settled into my style and found a colour that I can live with.

I hope this is proof that colour can be pared-back and considered as well as bright and brash – minimalist spaces don’t just have to mean pale white walls and tones of grey (as much as I love that too!). Minimalist homes can also be rich in tone and have a visual impact in their honesty and simplicity. With a pop of dark green, here, beige can never be considered boring.

Come back tomorrow when I’ll be talking in detail about that dreamy Button & Sprung bed and sharing some secrets for better storage and better sleep in the bedroom!

Source list:
Green feature wall – Brompton Road by Mylands [ad – gifted]
Beige walls and woodwork – Ammonite by Farrow & Ball
Poppy Ottoman bed, Button & Sprung [ad – gifted]
Bollard pendant lamps either side of bed by Menu, £89.99, Trouva [ad – affiliate link]
Risbyn Pendant lamp shade, £15, IKEA [ad – gifted]
Green cushion, from 39 euros, By Mölle
Striped cushions (discontinued), try Snofrid cushion, £10, IKEA for a similar style
Washed green linen bedding set, H&M Home
Grove waffle throw, £49, Made
Artwork, Liza Giles
Green plant pot (discontinued), £25, Arket [ad – gifted]
Bedside tables, £299, West Elm [ad – gifted – affiliate link]
Bedside table handles, Hackas knob, £5 for a set of 2, IKEA
Volet coat hooks by HAY, £20, Trouva [ad – affiliate link]
Straw basket, £27, Arket [ad – gifted – affiliate link] 
Bergshult/Pershult wall shelves, £13.65, IKEA
Vitra toolbox, £31.49, Trouva [ad – gifted – affiliate link] 
Birtine curtains, £35, IKEA
Racka curtain rod, £19.75, IKEA
Syrlig curtain clips, £3.50 for 10 pack, IKEA
Moebe transparent picture frames, £34, Trouva [ad – affiliate link]