Homes & Gardens

DOS & DON’TS WITH NINA CAMPBELL Invaluable insights from the world-renowned designer

THE GLOBALLY RENOWNED DESIGNER SHARES WISE ADVICE FOR BEDROOM DESIGN, USING GREEN AND DECIDING ON A RUG

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“YOU WOULDN’T WANT TO PAINT A WHOLE HOUSE GREEN, BUT ONE ROOM

PAINTED IN THIS COLOUR, FLOWING INTO OTHERS THAT FEATURE TOUCHES

OF GREEN, GIVES A SENSE OF RECALL”

DECORATING WITH GREEN

DO...

■ Blend greens. Almost all greens work together well, as long as you don’t become too fussy in the overall room design.

■ Try green and white together– it’s always a winning combinatio­n. In fact, I’d say green is better just with white than with any other colour.

■ Throw chartreuse green into lots of schemes as an energising accent: a cushion or lamp makes the whole room leap into activity.

■ Use Invisible Green by Edward Bulmer as a wonderful background colour for pictures.

■ Go for a lacquer finish on dark green walls.

DON’T...

■ Combine green walls with green carpet. It would just be too much. Green walls work well with wood or stone floors.

■ Forget to ‘weight’ the floor to offset strong green walls with a bold rug or a little piece of black furniture, perhaps.

■ Use a green that is too crude, such as stark emerald. It needs an intelligen­t undertone of black or umber.

■ Choose solid green walls in bathrooms as they’re not so favourable to skin tones, although a green and white paper can look pretty. →

CREATING A COMFORTABL­E BEDROOM

DO...

■ Consider an upholstere­d headboard – but it has to be kept pristine. The headboard and valance should be in the same fabric for a cohesive look.

■ Place a comfortabl­e armchair and footstool in a corner accompanie­d by a lovely blanket, a small table and lamp to create a spot to read.

■ Layer up some pillows for an inviting look. I like to use big, square pillows layered with rectangula­r pillows and dressed with baby pillows. D. Porthault is my favourite source.

■ Provide a pretty little tray, a jug of water, tissues and a book in a guest bedroom. A radio is also jolly nice.

DON’T...

■ Forget to air the bedroom.

■ Leave your own clothes in wardrobes in a guest bedroom. That space should be for guests to hang their own things.

“BEDROOMS ARE THE PLACE FOR MEMORIES; THIS IS WHERE I KEEP PHOTOGRAPH­S FROM MY GRANDCHILD­REN. GATHER THEM IN ONE

SPOT AND ROTATE THEM PERIODICAL­LY”

CHOOSING AND USING RUGS

DO...

■ Pick a rug that fits the scale of your room rather than looking like a postage stamp in the middle.

■ Turn a rug from time to time. It prevents fading in one specific area and avoids a path being worn in the pile.

■ Consider using rugs in a bathroom, especially those where you have space for an occasional chair and table. There are wonderful outdoor rugs now designed to cope with water.

■ Allow ample time for a bespoke rug to be created: the process can take up to a year. I go to Maison Braquenié from Pierre Frey (seen below), Tim Page and Tai Ping.

■ Place an anti-slip underlay on a hard floor. It keeps the rug safely in position and also makes it feel nicer to walk on.

DON’T...

■ Use a bold rug in a bedroom. Instead, go for something that sets a tone of calm and is easy on the eye.

■ Add a rug on top of a piled carpet – it will move position over time.

■ Go for a viscose in the blend; it is difficult to clean. Choose wool, silk, a wool/silk blend or even hemp.

 ??  ?? Marguerite wallpaper, £72 a roll; sofa in Loulou, £64m, all Nina Campbell at Osborne & Little
Marguerite wallpaper, £72 a roll; sofa in Loulou, £64m, all Nina Campbell at Osborne & Little
 ??  ?? Art and family photograph­s make Nina’s own bedroom a space filled with happy memories
Art and family photograph­s make Nina’s own bedroom a space filled with happy memories
 ??  ??

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