One colour joins the awkward parts
The chimney breast and alcoves remain legible, but a continuous aubergine finish makes them feel like one room.
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ROOM 36 · Bedroom
Aubergine around the chimney breast
Published
A bedroom in a Victorian terrace in Bristol, England.
The fireplace does not need to become a headboard. Keeping the bed on the side wall lets this Victorian bedroom retain its chimney breast and the recesses beside it.
See the product sourcesTHE DESIGN
Aubergine runs across the chimney breast and into the alcoves. Painting those surfaces together allows daylight to describe their depth without a white outline around every change of plane. The cream ceiling keeps the upper part of the room lighter.
Open iron bedside tables leave more of the floor visible beside the bed. Glass lamps keep those small surfaces from feeling crowded, while the cream rug interrupts the darker walls below. The ochre picture is a sharper note than another matching textile would be. There is enough colour here; the furniture can get on with being useful.
WHY THE ROOM WORKS
A bedroom becomes easier to decorate once you stop asking the wall colour to behave quietly.
Colour palette
- Aubergine
- Rust
- Cream
- Dark walnut
- Ochre
Open frames keep dark furniture light
Black marble belongs beside the walnut bed. Slim iron supports stop the two bedside tables becoming another solid band.
Light is placed close to the task
The Rarni lamps bring warm light down through ribbed glass. Their slender structure leaves the headboard and wall colour visible.
Pale textiles give the eye a place to rest
Cream linen and the faded beige rug soften the transition between rust bedding, dark boards and plum walls.
A single unexpected colour is enough
Ochre in the large painting and a small ceramic lifts the scheme without introducing several competing accents.
WHAT TO BORROW
Choose the main wall colour with the bedside lamps switched on. A shade that feels strong in daylight may become the most restful part of the room at night.
THE PIECES BEHIND THE DESIGN
Shop this room
The design began with these pieces from our Shop. Open each product for its exact size, finish and retailer details.
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Anbu Acacia Bed
Bedroom Furniture · Double · Washed Walnut
Nkuku
£900.00
Karoko Marble Side Table
Black
Nkuku · 2 used in this room
£275.00
Rarni Recycled Glass Table Lamp
Antique Brass
Nkuku · 2 used in this room
£250.00
Nidra Velvet & Linen Bed Quilt: Rust, 220 x 240 cm
Rust · 220 x 240 cm
Nkuku
£350.00
rugs · UK
HUGEAR Vintage Beige Washable Living Room Rug
Living-room rug
The pale, vintage-style pattern is what interests us in this beige living-room rug: it offers detail underfoot without demanding a room full of matching colours. We’d use it beneath richer upholstery or terracotta accents to keep the seating area visually connected. The selected size is 240 × 300 cm; measure the furniture layout before ordering.
Murwara Wall Mirror
Large · Antique Brass
Nkuku
£250.00