Darren Palmer talks bedrooms!

Well, will you look at these stunning bedroom images?! Darren Palmer recently put together two different but equally gorgeous looks for King Living, so we took the opportunity to ask him about his own bedroom and his tips for yours.

He describes this first look (my personal favourite) as sultry, masculine and dark — almost brooding. “It feels like a penthouse apartment inspired by the Mad Men era with nods to archetypal masculine elements like men’s suiting as well as incorporating Scotch glasses, reading glasses, horse artwork and classic design pieces such as the Atollo lamp by Vico Magistretti,” he says.

By contrast, the second look is fresh, light, geometric and current. “The palette is one we’re familiar with in 2017 and the geometric patterns in the paint and artwork feel familiar as well. It’s a friendly room that is supposed to invoke comfort and softness whilst still being sophisticated. It’s also a more archetypal feminine room in balance to the more masculine feel of the darker look.”

King Living gave Darren a dream brief of simply interpreting their furniture in his own way.  “That was it. I I saw it as a great opportunity to create something unseen from their range in two completely different ways.” He adds that while one room might be more traditionally masculine and one more feminine, it’s true that a woman could feel comfortable in the first room (I sure love it!) and vice versa. “It really comes down to what you feel comfortable in and what you relate to in your own experiences with your own perceptions.”

So, what’s the key to a fabulous bedroom? “Beautiful flooring, a great rug, a considered colour palette, great and well-positioned lighting, storage, continuity of materials, appropriate choice of linen, a decision on mood, be it refined, relaxed, textured etc, considered styling of your soft furnishings, decor items, artwork, some living elements and most importantly a big stamp of your own personality.” Is that all?!

Darren encourages transforming your bed simply by styling the linen with some complementary or contrasting coloured sheets, an appropriately sized bed cover, two decorative cushions and two Euro cushions added to your everyday sleeping pillows. Make a note of this formula, readers!

“That and some practiced application of positioning your soft furnishings and you’ll make your bed something really inviting,” he adds. “Don’t overdo it though. You can have too many pillows on a bed. My latest book HomeSpace has a section on four different ways to style a bed and details the sizes and approach which readers might find helpful.”

As for his own bed, Darren doesn’t make it every day! “Life is too short to iron clothes or make beds! I iron beds for shoots — or I have someone to assist me to iron the beds on shoots — but I leave my bed pretty rustic unless I need to show it for a shoot or guests.

“My bedroom at home is sparse, white and with furniture I’ve taken from house to house. I will style it soon as I have some lovely silver and blue palm tree wallpaper to hang, but I just need the time to do it. When that’s done I’ll jazz up my room but for now I have new flooring, fresh white paint and three dog beds and, apart from our king-size bed, that’s about it!”

Before you ask ‘Where’s that from?’

King Living furniture: Encore and Symphony beds, Farnsworth coffee tables (as side tables), Serenade bedside tables, Venus side table, King Boulevard chair, Seymour chair, Keel console, Amondo bookcase and Uno ottoman.

Flooring is Carpet Court’s Home Sweet Home vinyl plank from Darren’s Provincial Lane range, the rugs are his Hyam rug in blush by Carpet Court and the grey geometric is from King Living. The wall covering is Ralph Lauren from Radford Furnishings, the lights are all by Euroluce and the linen is by Sheridan. Decor pieces are from Darren’s own home, Design Twins, Designer Boys, Life Interiors, GlobeWest, Horgans, Waterford Crystal, The Art & Framing Company, Unique Fabrics, Marco Fabrics, Domestic Textile Group and Zakkia. Paint by Dulux.