A bedroom to ring the changes

A changeable bedroom

When you tire of a room, how can you transform it easily? Through the smart use of colour, pictures and print, says interior designer Nicole Salvesen

Nicole Salvesen is known for layering colour and pattern in her designs, a skill that she has used to great effect in the master bedroom of her London home. When she, her husband Tom and their three children moved in at the end of 2017, the room was an unremarkable, characterless box, so her aim was to add decorative character and a soothing feel.

‘I went quite neutral on the walls and painted all the woodwork the same colour,’ she says. ‘Having it all in one shade is very calming.’ She points out that a neutral backdrop allows you to swap things around more easily, something she has appreciated while spending so much time at home during lockdown: ‘I like to change things, and moving pictures around is a really good way of making a room feel a bit different.’

When it came to other colours in the room, Salvesen was led by the blue and yellow

BEFORE

fabric on the mini tester, or canopy, at the head of the bed, which she had made for her previous home. ‘For someone who loves the idea of a stately-home bed, but lives in a much less grand bedroom, a tester is a good option,’ she says. ‘It adds height to a room and gives it more interest.’

Symmetry was also an important factor: ‘It helps the eye to relax,’ says Salvesen. ‘The antique bedside tables are slightly different, which throws it off a bit, but having that balance is key in a bedroom.’

— Jessica Doyle

1

The armchair and bench are from David Seyfried (davidseyfried. com), re-covered in a new fabric by Salvesen and her design partner Mary Graham: ‘It’s a classic checked pattern, but in a jumbo size, which adds modernity.’

2

To recreate a mini tester like this, go to a curtain maker: it’s essentially a pelmet box with a curtain hung from it (the curtain can be shorter at the back than at the sides, to save on fabric costs). Expect to pay around £800 to £1,000, plus fabric.

3

Salvesen recommends auction websites such as the-saleroom. com, which links to lots of different online auctions, for finding good deals on antiques. She recommends asking dealers for a condition report before purchasing if you’re nervous about buying antiques online.

4

Walls painted in Stone V, £50 for 2.5 litres, Paint & Paper Library (paintandpaper library.com).

5

Rug, from £250, Salvesen Graham x Jennifer Manners (salvesengraham.com).