Styling of Greens

As we collectively begin to emerge from a pretty rubbish time of our lives, all the cliches of ‘getting back to nature’, ‘bringing the outside in’ or ‘creating a calming and serene sanctuary at home’ really do ring true as we look for the year ahead to bring us more balance and stability.

It’s therefore perhaps not a huge surprise that green is tipped to be one of the most popular interior trends for 2022. Pinterest has confirmed that searches for green interior inspiration increased by 80 percent over the last 12 months and with its connection to the natural world and soothing and calming effect on our moods, it’s the perfect colour for this time of transition. Green bedding is one of our favourite trends in the last year or so, and so many tones to choose from.

So, fresh from our spring-summer photoshoot, we asked our friend and Stylist, Laura, to guide us through ways to introduce green to our homes.

Let me start by saying that I love green. I would actually class it as new neutral - it works well with whites and greys, but it can look fantastic with blues too (which is a very popular colour in bedrooms at the moment). It used to be thought that blue and green shouldn’t be combined in interiors but you only have to look at the sea and its tones to understand that they are natural bedfellows.

If you’re feeling more confident with your interior choices, then you could think about a complementary palette – so this means looking to the shade on the opposite side of the colour wheel. In this instance when we’re talking about green, you could add flashes of pinks and reds to your décor for dramatic contrast. It’s not as crazy as it sounds though! Pink and green make a lot of sense, just think of all of the beautiful colour combinations of flowers.

If you’re ever unsure about which tones to pair together then all you need to do is get outside and look at nature: anything you see in nature can be incorporated into your home. Nature is never wrong!

One of the easiest ways to start is by adding plants and greenery into a room. We’ve seen a resurgence in popularity for house plants in recent years and they have not only proven to boost our mental health, but they’re also brilliant for improving the air quality too. A small pilea on your bedside is enough but large plants such as fiddle leaf plants look incredible in bedrooms. Just make sure they have good light - but if not you could always replicate the feel in your wallpaper or some prints.

Adding cushions and throws is another simple and inexpensive place to start. It’s not as daunting as changing the wall colour or a big financial investment like a piece of furniture, plus if you decided you don’t want them in that room anymore then you can quite easily move them to another place in your home. If you opt for the same tones, mix textures instead - try our Knitted Olive Green Cotton Cushion Cover with perhaps our Soloman Green Throw and then pair with soft linen for a truly serene green nest.

Adding some strategically placed artwork is also an effective way to introduce a colour. You don’t have to invest in huge oil paintings or prints, I love popping postcards up with washi tape meaning I can swap and move images around. If you keep a theme or tone running through the images you select it will look artful and interesting rather than messy.

As a rule of thumb when designing your room, try to add at least three things of the same colour - two things are a coincidence, but three things are a definite decision and look more intentional. Perhaps your curtains, a cushion on your bed and a piece of art - three items will add a pop or an accent. Simply layer more of that colour for a colour blocked scheme.

If you’re in the ‘all or nothing’ camp when it comes to your home, then you can’t go wrong with some feature wallpaper. The key to making this work is to pick 2 or three key colours from the paper and use these throughout the room. We chose this Sandberg wallpaper in Linnea – Midnight Blue and paired with our Olive Green 100% Linen, Sage 100% Linen Curtains, and our new pink Finn Quilted Throw.

When it comes to shades of green, olive is a brave choice and makes a real statement on the walls or if you have a neutral bedroom then adding dark sheets makes the bed pop and become the focus of the room.

If dark colours aren’t for you then adding watery tones such as sage and aqua can often make green feel softer, cleaner and airier.

Unlike blue’s which don’t always tone together, green’s almost always do, so you could also try layering different shades together to prevent it from looking flat.

And now for the nosey bit. We know green is a glorious colour for interiors but how would Laura and our lovely Molly really choose to use the colour in their own bedrooms?

Molly: “I am lucky enough to live in the woods, so having green inside and outside my bedroom window is a big treat. I have green walls (Little Greene) and Olive green 100% Linen. I’m happiest tucked up in dark colours, it’s my calm place to be.”

Laura: “Darkest Spruce 100% Linen makes my heart sing! My dream bedroom would take inspiration from Maggie Gyllenhall’s style – think dark sheets and believe it or not, brown kraft paper on the walls. Some well-loved, classic utilitarian furniture and maybe I’d add a bit of rattan too - again, always using nature as a starter for my palettes.