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
“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.