THE BLOOMSBURY SET The eclectic, bohemian style of this group of artists still inspires us at home today
For those who love colourful decoration, we channel the free-spirited essence of the celebrated artists
PATTERN BOOK
Cubist influences and abstract shapes feature heavily among artwork created by the Bloomsbury Set. Combine different designs across a scheme, harmonising the look with varying scales of print.
Curtain in District in Claret, £189m, Kelly Wearstler V at GP&J Baker. Screen, £60, The Dormy House; covered in Gem in Blue/onyx, £73.69m, Linwood. Dot stool in Deep Garnet, £995, Reda Amalou at Silvera. Tarma two-seater sofa, £2,095, Oka. Ripple cushions,
£88 each, Jessica Osborne. Teardrops cushion, £75; Blue Virginia Woolf print by Michaela Gall, £110, both The Shop Floor Project. Double layer dot wiggle vase, £85; triple layer zigzag vase, £88, both Wicklewood. Seagrass herringbone carpet, £26sq m, Alternative Flooring →
The Bloomsbury Set embraced all things creative through a love of textiles and ceramics.
Herriot Way wallpaper, £282 for 10 yard roll, Anna French at Thibaut. Woodwork in Kate Blush eggshell, £57 for 2.5ltr, Claybrook Studio. Editor’s chair Grand, £1,940 plus 6m fabric, David Seyfried; covered in Queen Mary, £55m, Charleston. Tribeca side table, £1,172, Julian Chichester. Ceramics, top shelf from left: £800, Georgia Loizou; £1,980, Humble Matter at Toad Gallery; £3,000, Georgia Loizou; £85, Wicklewood; £1,620, Humble Matter at Toad Gallery; £1,000, Georgia Loizou. Middle shelf from left: £1,980, Humble Matter at Toad Gallery; £1,600, Georgia Loizou; £1,620, Humble Matter at Toad Gallery; £88, Wicklewood; £1,440, Humble Matter at Toad Gallery. Bottom shelf from left: £95; £110, both Wicklewood; £3,000, Georgia Loizou. Elbow wall light, £47, Pooky. Checkerboard shade, £80, Rosi De Ruig. Witton rug, £1,100sq m, The Rug Company.
Sandhurst flooring, from £134sq m, Ark One
CREATIVE FLAIR
The artists painted not only their walls – murals adorn the Charleston farmhouse – but their furniture, too. Mix large-scale wall decor with small-scale decorative details to create playful layers.
Braque in Grasse mural, £704sq m, Fromental. Chiara dining chair in Terracotta, £490 a pair, Ceraudo. Hand-painted Chiara chair in Cornflower Blue, £340, Ceraudo x Tess Newall.
Kalivia round dining table, £2,495, Oka. Montferrat leaf chandelier in Chalk White, £3,024; 7in Empire linen lampshades, £58 each, all Vaughan. Hand-painted ceramic multicoloured painted urn, £3,000, Georgia Loizou. Tartan squiggle jug, £75; napkins, £65 set of four; 12-piece Rainbow cutlery set, £130, all Matilda Goad. Seagrass herringbone carpet, £26sq m, Alternative Flooring
MORE IS MORE
Bold florals on a curvaceous bed frame are juxtaposed with smaller scale geometrics, allowing the eye to dance across all surfaces.
Seto Mini wallpaper in Spring, £109 for 10 yard roll, Brook Perdigon at The Fabric Collective. Woodwork in Kate Blush eggshell, £57 for 2.5ltr, Claybrook Studio. Rosemoor king-size bed, from £2,155, Homes & Gardens x Naturalmat. Headboard in Jardine, £85m, Colefax and Fowler. Organic cotton bed linen set, £155, Homes & Gardens x Naturalmat. Linwood cushions in Tangerine, £95 each; spots and stripes quilt in Blue/red, £195, all Wicklewood. Alfred Newall Bobbin bedside table, £1,020, The London Workshop. Wooden lacquer Rainbow box, £110, Matilda Goad. Tall Char lamp base in Rose Red, £170; Improvisation in Pink lampshade, £80, both Rosi De Ruig. Arianna hand-knotted rug, £1,495, Graham and Green. Sandhurst flooring, from £134sq m, Ark One →
ECLECTIC STYLE
The art of collecting and creating was central to the lives of the Bloomsbury Set. Showcase a curated mix of decorative items against a backdrop that allows them to sing.
Seto Mini wallpaper in Spring, £109 for 10 yard roll, Brook Perdigon at The Fabric Collective. Avalon three-drawer chest in Terracotta Army, £1,495, Trove. Fountain lamp, £650, Porta Romana. Shade in Chintamani Fun in Celadon/bricks, £158m, Ottoline at The Fabric Collective. Wooden lacquer
Rainbow box, £110, Matilda Goad. Small Giuliette porcelain urn, £275, Jonathan Adler at Amara. Gully print, £25, Unity Coombes. A cast plaster relief of clustered plums, £180, Lassco.
Study No.2 Raphael Balme, £475; Tile No.7, Katrin Moye, £85, both The Shop Floor Project →
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
From dusky pink to chalky blues, the Bloomsbury Set loved colour and embraced it in every room – furniture was painted then painted again, creating tonal depths that harmonised and contrasted with other furnishings and a medley of textiles.
Bespoke cabin bed, price on request, Tess Newall. Walls in Setting Plaster estate emulsion, £47.95 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball.
Curtains in Soldanelle in Bronze/green, £132m, Rapture & Wright. Ilaria side table in Terracotta, £420, Ceraudo. Small Askar table lamp in Jasmine White, £175, Rosi De Ruig. Pink wicker lampshade, £95, Fermoie. Cushions, from left: Knot Garden, £75m, James Hare. Rosehip in Mineral Blue, £57m, Morris & Co. Red Chiltern, £105, Fermoie. Pebble velvet quilt in Rose, £195, Graham and Green. Organic cotton bed linen set, £155, Homes & Gardens x Naturalmat. Watercolour painting of geometric shapes, £160, Ceraudo. Floral painting, stylist’s own. Sheki rug in Olive, £1,495, Oka. Sandhurst flooring, from £134sq m, Ark One