Bedroom Trendspotting: Monochrome, Scandi and Eclectic Interiors
Real home inspiration from British bloggers' bedrooms.
© Wayfair
In the bedroom above, everything looks just right. The room is cosy, balanced and easy on the eyes—it's a happy blend of snuggly, textured layers and cool, Scandinavian simplicity. The simple furnishings may make this setting look effortless, but re-creating the look in your own home is easier said than done. How do you achieve that combination of Scandinavian, modern and eclectic design when your bedroom doesn't come along with a team of professional decorators and stylists?
We put together this little collection of real bedrooms that have embraced some of the most popular trends in design for 2016. Each of these spaces blends the bold with the eclectic for a fantastic array of looks that will show you how to take Scandi and modern influences and make them your own. Ever wanted to know how to pull off monochrome? How to pair colourful accents with white walls? How to curate and display your collection of homemade taxidermy? You're in the right place. Enjoy!
Keep Calm and Zzzz...
If there's one thing these bedrooms have in common, it's that they're all designed with the same word in mind: relaxation.
For many, that means taking the room back to basics—pared-down furniture, an edited wardrobe and a minimalist colour palate of black and white. We asked an aficionado of this look, Stevie-Rose, what monochrome does for her.
In Her Own Words: "I find that minimalism is far more relaxing and chic for interior and style. I like things to be clean and I find that an all monochrome room really lifts your mood and helps keep a clear mind for creativity.
I don't really miss colour, although I am a big fan of plants at the moment, so I will be adding a little greenery to my room soon!"
"My style is very minimal. I've started to add a little bit of grey and even navy to my wardrobe but I'll always stick to a mostly monochrome wardrobe. I like to reflect that in my décor too.
I'm obsessed with Scandinavian design and believe that less is definitely more!
See the room here: Basic Appeal
Considerations for Curators
For others, a relaxing space is one where your favourite objects and collections—the items that tell the story of your life—are on display. We had a lot of questions for Kaylah, the owner of this room, which features (among many other objects) a shelf of medical sculptures, a periodic table of the elements, a telescope and a taxidermy bunny without looking at all overcluttered.
Do you spend a lot of time in your room working or hanging out, or is your room mostly for sleeping?
"My bedroom is for relaxing. Having a really cosy space to sleep is super important to me, but my things really help make a space cosy, so I guess displaying the things I love and having it be a calm space go hand in hand.
I'm a pretty straightforward, simple gal and I just chose a bunch of stuff I liked and somehow it ended up looking pretty rad together."
Where did you find the taxidermy bunny?
"I made him! I took a taxidermy class and that was my very first piece ever."
Kaylah recently moved into a new space, so we asked: does your new room look similar or are there new style trends that you're embracing?
"It's a little bit different. For starters, the room is much larger and I have some massive lockers in there, but I guess if you saw the two rooms you'd be able to say that they were definitely put together by the same person."
See the room here: the Dainty Squid
Multifunctional, Multicoloured
Scandinavian interiors embrace a crisp and unfussy aesthetic. Cream and white often come to mind first, but shades of cheery blue feature just as often. In Fiona's room, white is the canvas for her DIY projects.
In her own words: "I wanted a space that I could sleep and study in and escape to all at once! I'd say I was inspired by the clean and crispness of black and white; I mixed that with my favourite colour turquoise, which represents me. And then of course, gold! Gold adds a touch of glamour to everything!"
"I am quite a quiet and tranquil person and I love looking at the calm colour when I walk into my room after a long day at work, but I do get excited when summer comes because I like to swap in some bolder accents to my room like bright cushions or throws!"
See the room here: Fiona Brianne
Yellow, White and Grey All Over
One of the colours that continues to dominate in 2016 is yellow. Shades of yellow, from deep ochre to cheery daffodil, are out in full force at industry trade shows, in magazine spreads, and in design enthusiasts' home. Yellow plays nicely with neutrals and does especially well in a room that features black, white and grey for a sunny effect that's still sophisticated. Here, blogger Kay describes the decision to go yellow for this room.
In her own words: "When it came to decorating our spare bedroom which has a fair amount of natural light and a slightly odd shape, we knew that whitewash walls would be the best approach."
"From there our colour scheme developed as I was determined to add a splash of colour to areas of the room that are obscured from the light. It became apparent that Scandinavian minimalism would work in the space (our colour scheme became white and yellow with black and silver/grey accents).
To add a feminine touch to the room, I styled fashion books and bought a lovely French mirror inspired by our travels to Paris."
See the room here: Cheery Little Thing
Cast A Spotlight with Bright Whites
With abundant natural light, a room kitted out in white radiates warmth. Paige's room shows how clean lines included as part of a modern re-do can be so soothing. Those same calming features are also what heighten the presence of her spectacularly opinionated pillows (see below).
In her own words: "When decorating my room, I wanted somewhere I could easily relax and not feel cramped and overloaded with stuff. The single most important thing for me was to create a relaxing space where I could wind down after a busy day. I went for white walls—not only does it make the room look bright and airy, it also makes rooms look bigger, which is something to consider for small spaces. I decided on a simple colour scheme, white and grey with subtle pops of colour as statement pieces."
See the room here: the Joys of Being Paige
Accents Make it Awesome
We found the most amazing accent pieces in Emily's bedroom. Flanking the geometric frame with the bold angles of the crystals makes the colours and corners stand out even more against a background of simple neutrals.
In her own words: "As someone who spends a lot of time in their room, making it a space that I was happy in was very important for me. I decided that the main theme would be black, white and grey so I could throw in some pops of colours here and there to make it that little bit brighter."
I also wanted to make sure that I included personal touches throughout the room—like the photo frame and the sloth cushion (see below)! They all help make it that bit more homely. I didn't want to spend a massive amount of money redecorating so after the bargain hunting, buying and then finally putting it all together, it probably took about six months."
See the room here: Positively Stupendous
Scandi and Feminine
Scandi and French-inspired styles overlap quite a bit, from colour palette to an emphasis on functionality.
To add a touch of femininity to your bedroom, add in details like fresh or faux blooms, floral prints, or an embellished photo frame.
Curious about how she put her own spin on a fresh, white background, we asked blogger Hannah what inspired her bedroom décor.
In her own words: "I'm a big fan of minimal white rooms and bringing out my personality and style using colourful accessories.
This is great if you're like me and like to change things up now and again, as you only need to change the accessories to change the look and style without having to redecorate the whole room!"
See the whole room here: Glitter Melody
A Home for Greenery
Scandinavian design emphasizes natural materials in simple, unadorned neutrals. It's a flawless fit for the inclusion of plants and greenery, whether real or faux.
The contrast between indoors and outdoors is heightened here; these little cacti breathe life into the room and become their own statement in these cheery pink pots that pop. They give the room that special, homely feeling—a phenomenon that the Danish call hygge.
We asked Victoria Jackson, editor and founder of interior design blog, Apartment Number 4, why she decided to stick with black and white in her bedroom.
In her own words: "For me a black and white colour palette is timeless, and I love how I've been able to blend vintage finds with high street homeware buys all because of the simplicity of my monochrome scheme. It feels chic and relaxing—both things a bedroom should be."
See the room here: Apartment Number 4
Inspiring Eclectic
In a room inspired by eclectic design, choose accent pieces that purposefully play against each other. There's a playful balance here between the ornate turquoise vessel and the smooth, sophisticated print.
Eclectic design is all about creating contrast, even in the most unexpected of places like this corner of the windowsill. Be judicious with your decorating choices and think carefully about the pieces you place together. The end effect of this little corner of the windwosill is that each piece stands out all the more for what it is when paired with its unlikely partner. It's a mismatch made in heaven.
- Need more bedroom inspiration? Take a look at our last edition of Trendspotting, featuring metallics, florals and French-inspired style.
