Left: Door, Architrave and Skirting Red Earth Walls Templeton Pink| Right: Cupboard, Architrave and Skirting Yonder Walls Folly Green. All in Dead Flat®
Decorating a family home is often a bit of a balancing act. How do you create a space that everyone adores? Well, we might have the answer. Bedrooms. Because these are such private places, they’re ideal for creating particular moods and styles that don’t necessarily match other spaces in the house. For example, a wild and wonderful bedroom for a young jungle explorer, or a warm, Mediterranean bedroom for guests. And that’s exactly what long-time Farrow & Ball friend (you may remember our blog on her lovely kitchen) Megan from @kitandco_ did.
Using our ultra-matt Dead Flat® finish and shades from our signature palette and Archive, Megan found the perfect colours to create two wildly different but equally enchanting bedrooms. With all of our retired shades tucked away in the Archive, it’s a wonderful place to delve into if you’re looking for something very particular, like just the right shade of grass green.
Can you tell us a little about you and your home?
I'm a self-professed lover of bright colours and playful patterns. I love country home style, adorning my walls with lots of paintings and layering fabrics to create a well-loved home.
Why did you refresh these rooms and what was your inspiration?
My youngest, Kit, has graduated to a bigger bed and it seemed a natural time to give his bedroom a little refresh. I chose a wonderful jungle fabric for the headboard - it's a vibrant decorative print featuring majestic elephants and tigers. Folly Green has always been my favourite Farrow & Ball green and strikes the perfect balance between strong and soothing. I paired it with another Archive colour, Yonder, to give a playful edge to the woodwork.
For my guest room, Templeton Pink had been on my lust list for a while now. It's a warm and welcoming pink, which pairs perfectly with the deep yellows in the headboard fabric and ticking stripe curtains. I have terracotta parquet tiles in the guest ensuite, so to play on them, I used Red Earth on the woodwork. It's a beautiful, light terracotta hue and creates a warm, earthy, homely feel. It responds extraordinarily to the changing light throughout the day and becomes deeper and cosier as the sun drops, which is really lovely.
How did you choose the colour combinations?
The colours for Kit's bedroom were heavily inspired by the fabric for his headboard and curtains. Both fabrics are completely enchanting and I wanted this to carry through on the walls and woodwork: Folly Green is a wonderful grass green and Yonder is so reminiscent of the far-off skies of our childhood imaginations.
What do you think is key for designing a guest bedroom and is that the same or different for a child’s bedroom?
When designing a bedroom, I like to create a sanctuary of complete escapism. For a guest room, it should feel like a luxurious treat with little finishing touches, like freshly cut flowers, a scented candle and hand cream on the bedside table. For a child's bedroom, I like lots of comforting layers and textures. And fun baskets - so everything has its place!
Why did you choose Dead Flat® and how did you find it to work with?
I chose Dead Flat® because I love that ultra-matt finish. It makes the colours even richer, which I LOVE! Plus, anywhere children go has to be durable. So, I love the scuff-resistant finish, which is more than a match for mess. It’s easy to maintain and looks fabulous!
What can we expect to see next from you and your home?
I always have a project in mind! I would love to add a log burner to create a cosy feel for autumn — there's nothing better — but that's still very much in the planning!