Dreaming of Blue Skies?
Bring the outdoors into your bedroom
Bringing the outdoors into the home can have a huge impact on how we feel. Interior Stylist Emma Hooton shares her advice on creating a bedroom lovingly inspired by the great outdoors.
Refresh with bright skies
Nature-inspired colours, also known as biophilic colours, are naturally calming and one of the hottest interior trends this year. Even Dulux’s 2022 Colour of the Year is ‘Blue Skies’. However, while many blues evoke feelings of sky or water, paler shades with grey undertones create more restful spaces. A baby blue or blue with acid tones is likely to do the reverse. When decorating, the timeless combination of blue and white (think sky + clouds) never goes out of fashion. But if you want to add colour, forget the ‘blue and green should never been seen’ adage. Soft grey blues and sage greens especially can work beautifully together, as do blue walls teamed with pops of yellow gold and cream. Whatever colour you choose, toning the curtains in with the walls will help to bring a sense of flow and ease.
Add natural and earthy features
Creating a nature-inspired or biophilic environment is all about engaging the senses, whether that’s through natural textures that deliver a deep tactile experience or fragrant flowers or plants. A lovely way to build sensory impact is to link back to the colour and form of flowers and foliage in the garden, or by introducing soft furnishings in natural fibres and beautiful earthy tones. Eco-friendly grasscloth wallpaper with its organic feel and grassy scent is perfectly suited to nature-inspired interiors, and works particularly well with soft earthy accents, such as soft blues and greens.
Image: @building_ribbons
Create an indoor plant oasis
Nothing screams outdoors more than styling with flowers and foliage. As always, stick with the odd number rule by grouping houseplants in threes or fives for greater impact, and mix up pots for an artisan touch. Spiky plants such as cactus are a Feng Shui bedroom no-no for disrupting restful energy, so opt for softer shaped air purifying (e.g. areca palm) or money trees in wicker, wooden or beautiful rustic earthenware. Trailing houseplants look great cascading over bedroom shelves.
Style with floral features
Florals have a granny chicness that’s very much in vogue. Along with wallpaper in big and bold or soft, blousy prints, floral headboards can make a great bedroom statement when they channel organic form. Modern florals tend to be contemporary versions of old classics, or revivals of a period style – check out suppliers such as Romo, Osborne & Little and Designers Guild for a botanical fix. As always, balance is everything so if you go for a big floral statement, consider toning down curtains and bedlinen, and let the curtains drape to the floor to elegantly soften the look.
Image: Shaker of Malvern
Sleep in cloud-like bliss
To continue the nature-inspired theme choose high-quality bedlinen in natural fibres and bedding with an eco-friendly vibe. Soft, billowy duvets and pillows crafted from recycled down or made from botanic fibres help protect the natural world while delivering a good night’s sleep.
Emma is the founder of Studio Hooton which provides residential interior design services across London and south-east England.
