This year in the world of interiors, we’ve seen a subtle move back to country living styles, or ‘cottage core’. It’s all about referencing nature; probably driven by the love affair we’ve all had with the great outdoors for the past year. But also, there’s no greater feeling of comfort than those quintessentially British architectural elements, and the ‘thrown together’ aspect of a room styled in this relaxed, classic way.
So, how do you get this more traditional look at home without it looking ‘stuffy’, and more specifically, how can you style a child’s room to embrace some of these traditional, organic touches?
This month we’ve spent some time photographing our lovely Fargo double bed in Farleigh Grey. It’s a bed with a distinguished, classic look, that is a match made in heaven for the country styles. So naturally, we wanted to create a country feel for it.
Here’s how to get this look for your own child’s bedroom;
1. The walls
You may have noticed the current trend for panelling on walls. – Yes, even in the more modern homes. In the past, panelling has been associated with older properties, and there was a strong focus on proportion. With this trend however, panelling can be limited to one wall to create a feature, or be wrapped around the room for more drama – and you don’t need a period property to create the look!
Why we love panelled walls: They create interest without the need for wallpaper. They’re a quick, and if you’re confident with the right cutting tools, also a fairly easy way of injecting character into a boxy room. They also make everything look ever-so grand; and let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to be King or Queen of their own castle?!
So how to you do DIY panelling?
For our panelled room, first of all we sketched out a plan so that we knew how wide to make the panels. We then created the panels using 2x2 timber. To hide the screws, we countersunk them in to the batons and then filled the holes. – It really was that straight forward! We’d recommend 2 people to assemble the batons, and also to use a spirit level to ensure that your lines are all lovely and straight.
A few pointers when planning your own panelling:
- Ensure that you measure and plan the space before cutting the batons.
- Work out where the top of the furniture (or beds) meet the walls, and try to avoid the tops from ‘colliding’ with the top of the panelling, as this can be distracting to the eye.
- A shelf for trinkets can be created by using a deeper timber baton at the top.
When it came to paint, we mixed our own soft sage green for the panelled part, and then added a grey to match the furniture above the rail. By splitting the paint colours in this way, it helps to balance the room out in terms of colour distribution.
2. The floor
For a traditional touch, an engineered oak floor or even exposed floor boards make for a great base. If you decide to opt for a hardwood floor, ensure that you invest in some soft rugs for cosy toes.
We selected a flat weave green rug to help draw the green throughout the set.
3. Dressing the bed
Opt for a classic design such as stripes, checks or seersucker fabrics. This will help keep things looking more traditional. We selected a duvet cover with a very thick stripe as this gave it a modern edge. The red piping added a nice detail, and meant that we could pick out this colour in accessories throughout the set.
TOP TIP:As always, add scatter cushions and blankets for layering. Blankets and cushions can be a great way of adding texture and pattern to a bed. If you have are working with a complementary colour palette as opposed to a tonal one, this is the opportunity to pull all the colours together. Find prints and designs that incorporate all the colours to help anchor the room.
4. Adding the accessories
For our ‘natural history’ themed bedroom, we wanted to bring in a sense of outdoor reality. So we went foraging for the most photogenic twigs and stones, and placed them in kilner jars.
A few vintage inspired props such as the old suitcase, old postcards and bug prints on the wall added more interest. We used second hand maps to line the suitcase and also included an olde worlde style globe. By mounting the bug prints in a line, we created the look of a museum rather than the recent gallery wall styles that have been popular over the last few years.
For freshness and to prevent it from feeling old-fashioned, we also added a few more modern touches with an industrial style desk lamp and pendant lamp, just to keep the overall look up to date.
TOP TIP: Mixing old elements with the new is what keeps this look up to date and fresh. It also creates a relaxed, ‘thrown together’ style that we see and love in the interiors magazines.
And there you have it – How to create our Natural History themed bedroom; perfect for a country classic style bedroom. We think this would make the best den for teens, especially with the Fargo small double bed that offers that little bit more wiggle room!
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