Rooted in nostalgia and spurred on by the popularity of Rivals, bedrooms are going back to the 1980s.
Ask anyone under 40 what a valance is, and the chances are you’ll get a quizzical look in response. Yet that might be set to change, as the valance – or bed skirt – is just one element of trad decor that has been dusted off and brought back into the bedroom.
John Lewis’ Shop Live Look report, released today – an annual round-up of how we’ve been shopping and what’s expected to fly off the shelves in the coming year – identifies a growing fascination with 80s-style bedroom decor that you might have thought you’d seen the back of.
Head home buyer Camilla Rowe calls it “vintage maximalism” – a look, she says, which “has been steadily gaining ground in interiors, but was given an exuberant shot in the arm by the arrival of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals on Disney+.
“Everyone was talking about the show, but not all for the same reasons. I was ogling the ruches, pelmets, cushions with tassels, beds with valances, upholstered ottomans piled with magazines, and ceiling-to-floor pleated curtains.”
She wasn’t the only one, it seems: sales of silk bedding went up by a third. “Everyone is enjoying a return to a world before Scandi minimalism took hold,” says Rowe. Without a doubt, maximalism, in every form, is more fun.”
It’s also an aesthetic that is rooted in comfort and nostalgia; hence, perhaps, its increasing popularity. And, says Emma Burns, joint MD of Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler – the decorating firm credited with inventing the English country house look of which this is a part – it shouldn’t be seen as a passing fad: “Whilst fashions change, elegance and relevance are never out of date,” she says.
“My number one rule is suitability, suitability, suitability, and there is no place more suitable for traditional decorating than a bedroom, where comfort is king – or queen.”
To get the look at home, here are the unexpectedly on-trend elements to bring back to the bedroom.
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Bed valances
The bed skirt was first used in the 18th century, partly to help block draughts coming up from the floor: a function that seems particularly apt given current energy prices, and which perhaps goes some way to explain its revival. It’s also a useful tool to help hide whatever you have stored underneath a bed with legs – or, alternatively, the less-than-lovely sight of a divan base.
“The more fabric you have, the more nest-like [your bedroom] will feel,” says interior designer Octavia Dickinson. “Feeling all the fabric around you makes you feel incredibly comfortable. You can do it in a modern way, using plain fabrics.”
Alice Palmer’s ready-made valances come in plain coloured linen, cheerful stripes, and block-printed patterns, which add a little colour and character without looking stuffy and old-fashioned.
Four-poster and canopy beds
“A beautifully proportioned bed will help a dull bedroom come to life,” says Philip Hooper, joint MD at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler.
“Frivolous and whimsical, introducing a four poster is like building a folly within a room. Taller is always better, as this makes a real architectural statement. Four posters are marvellous for layering in pattern and texture; at home in Somerset, my guests are treated to either a cornucopia of chintz or a set of unlined linen. We all love to be cocooned from the outside world at times, and a beautifully dressed four-poster bed can be the perfect solution.”
Octavia Dickinson agrees: “People are looking to make their rooms playful and unique, especially in the winter,” she says. “Bed testers and four posters give that feeling of keeping the cold out. It makes more of a statement – adding a canopy to a child’s bed, for example, is the most nest-like thing and makes them feel safe and cocooned.”
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Advertise with NZME.Alice Palmer has this one covered too: her recently launched instant bed canopies are perfect for children’s rooms, coming ready-made with a pelmet, canopy and brackets, so that you can fix it to the wall yourself.
Pelmets, ruched blinds and curtains with tiebacks
“The 80s comeback item that’s taken us a bit by surprise is the curtain tieback,” says Camilla Rowe of John Lewis; sales of tiebacks have more than doubled over the past year.
“Good curtains and a dollop of chintz” are key to the trad bedroom look, says Emma Burns, but not only for aesthetic reasons: they also have an energy-saving function. “A heavy pair of curtains will block out the cold before bedtime, and a beautiful set of tiebacks will pull them back in the morning to allow in maximum daylight.”
The ruched blind – a window dressing some might have consigned to the 80s permanently – is also having a moment in the sun again. As with bed canopies, Octavia Dickinson says the fabric you use for your blind is key to the effect: “Traditional bedrooms are blousy but are now being pared back a bit and looking more modern. If you use a modern fabric design or a beautiful plain linen for an Austrian blind, it injects a modernity and masculinity that balances out the ruffles.”
She also recommends balancing the look further by combining juxtaposing frills with hard surfaces, such as a marble-topped table or wooden chest: “By pairing beautiful gathered fabrics with harder lines or antiques, it adds more interest for the eye.”
Silk bedding
Once thought of as dated and naff, silk bedding has had a modern rebrand: silk pillowcases, in particular, have surged in popularity due to the properties of natural silk that help to soften skin overnight and leave hair frizz-free.
“Silk is incredibly breathable and hypoallergenic, as well as being temperature regulating, adjusting to an individual’s body temperature while you sleep,” says Deborah Fiddy, founder of Gingerlily, which recently released a collection of charcoal silk bedding that could be straight from a Rivals bedroom set. “The benefits of sleeping on silk are extensive, but most importantly, it’s irresistibly comfortable and it also looks and feels luxurious.”
Bedroom upholstery
The bed and windows aren’t the only places to introduce fabric in the bedroom: Tiffany Duggan recommends layering the room by bringing in an upholstered ottoman.
“They encapsulate the trad bedroom perfectly – practical and beautiful, they make a brilliant home for books, cast-off clothes and visiting children and are the perfect showcase for a favourite fabric.” An ottoman with a flip-up top will also provide some useful hidden storage.
An upholstered armchair might seem frivolous in a bedroom, but will also contribute to a comfortable, cosy feel; extra marks in trad terms if the fabric on your chair or ottoman matches your bed and curtains.
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