Are florals your ‘thing’? or perhaps you don’t know it yet! Either way, the bedroom is a perfect place to create a dreamlike space; whether you’re reflecting what you see outside or as a counterpoint to an urban environment. These homes from the Elle Decoration archive illustrate how floral walls can take you on a flight of fantasy.
Pairing modern and traditional to give a ‘rural’ feel to this urban setting
The design for this Milan apartment comes from its unusually quiet location, which gives this home an unexpected feeling of being more rural than urban. Inspired by the greenery outside, design team Marcante-Testa introduced a mixture of traditional botanical wallpapers and pattern, used in graphic blocks to create a fresh and contemporary feel.
The delicate tulips and forget-me-nots on the ‘Vårlocker’ wallpaper by Josef Frank for Svenskt Tenn were used to decorate the bedroom, adding to the feeling of being in a country house but in the city. ‘Once the project was completed, the client told us, “I love it because it reminds me of my grandmother’s home in the country”. We’ve taken memories and reinterpreted them.’
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Poetic and soulful florals
An apartment in Lisbon’s historic Chiado neighbourhood acts as a reflection of the owner’s personality, who, in the words of interior designer Gracinha Viterbo is ‘intelligent, fun, sophisticated, a risk taker with an eagle eye for curious details’.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the bedroom where Viterbo lined the bedroom walls in ‘Nordic Garden’ chinoiserie paper from De Gournay. The bed, from the owner’s farm in Brazil, was reupholstered in Pierre Frey fabric, with a blanket from The House of Lyria and cushions in Dedar fabrics adding even more colour and texture.
‘This is not your all-white, boucle-textured or sculptural algorithm of an interior,’ says Gracinha ‘It’s poetic, soulful and strong, just like its owner.’
Traditional and modern highland home
When Andrew Keith and Partner Roderick Murray found their dream home in the Scottish highlands, they set about transforming the traditional stone built main lodge and three cottages. They were determined to retain as much of its character as possible by reusing the worn old doors and stairs. The decorating however, became more a mix of modern and traditional with an emphasis on patterned walls that involved many moodboards; ‘a million and one bits of William Morris’ says Roderick, ‘I didn’t know there were so many prints!’
The guest bedroom offers opposing patterns to create a fresh and contemporary feel with a nod to the past. Striped fabric on the upholstered headboard works as a counterpoint to walls covered in ‘Blackthorn’ floral wallpaper from Morris & Co with pops of pink on the throw and bedside table that give a fresh take on the Morris palette.
If this house was a season, it could only be spring
This former car workshop in West London is a celebration of colour and the natural world. It’s no surprise then to discover Patricia Guild, of Designers Guild, is behind the design along with husband Charles Mador of Mador Architects.
Pink was very much part of the original brief for the bedroom. ‘I always say to everybody that you need a starting point,’ explains Patricia. For this project it was the fabric ‘Gertrude Rose’ by Designers Guild that functioned as a miniature moodboard; from the softened emerald greens to the sugary pinks picked up in the main bedroom where ‘Madame Butterfly’ wallpaper by Designer’s Guild is used to create a feature wall.
Leafy retreat
In this early mid-century property in LA’s Silverlake, a gradual renovation has meant a considered approach to the decoration where colour and pattern link directly to the surroundings.
‘The colours throughout the house correspond to what you can see outside through the windows,’ explains Elspeth Benoit.
This is most clearly seen in the decoration of her daughter’s room where ‘Raphael’ wallpaper by Sandberg covers every wall creating an enchanting treetop retreat.
Connecting the past to the present
When designer Jo Berryman moved from London into her late Victorian house near Frome in Somerset, she couldn’t face the thought of removing the existing floral wallpaper in the bedroom left by the previous owner. Instead she embellished it with vibrant bedding from Caravane, gold table lamps from Kartell and artworks found in a flea market, creating a link to the past with an added touch of rebellious ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ glamour.
Dreamy inspiration
For interior designer Patricia Bustos, a deep understanding of her clients is key, particularly for this creative couple’s apartment in a 19th Century Madrid building overlooking El Retiro park. ‘The owners are very dreamy people and need constant inspiration,’ explains Patricia.
The space, blessed with high ceilings and intricate mouldings gave Bustos the opportunity to conjure moments of escapism out of the otherwise pared back palette. The guest bedroom offers the perfect example, using The House of Hackney’s ‘Acanthus’ wallpaper. An emboldened take on William Morris’s scrolling intertwined leaves, it takes you on a flight of fantasy in an otherwise muted palette.
Colour and pattern … but in a restrained way
Time was the key to the design choices in this south London Home designed by Holly Canham. Stalled due to multiple lockdowns, this allowed Holly the space to build a strong rapport with the client; ‘my job was to make them think outside the box and introduce them to styles they wouldn’t necessarily have come to themselves,’ she explains.
The original brief was for a contemporary and Scandinavian aesthetic for this large Victorian home. However, the lockdown interruptions allowed Holly and the client time to become bolder and introduce more playful and decorative elements. This resulted in the choice of Pierre Frey Chinoiserie wallpaper to create a soft romantic effect in the guest bedroom. ‘Had I suggested that in phase one, they would have gone “absolutely not!”’ Holly says. ‘We became a bit more daring and adventurous in phase three’.
A riot of pattern in this gem of a property
For jewellery designer Solange Azagury-Partridge, the intention behind the design of her country home in Bruton was to spark the imagination. Somerset, she explains has a mythical vibe, which she interprets in her home with contemporary and vintage pieces juxtaposed with the riot of colour and pattern to create an environment that is welcoming and warm.
She describes the mornings in her bedroom like ‘walking in heaven’. Pattern fabrics adorn the walls using ‘Pagoda’ by Manuel Canovas at Colefax & Fowler along with an oak leaf motif.
‘I can’t get enough pattern or colour. It’s about your own taste and what makes you happy’.
