The 90s bedroom I always wanted
Musing on the traditional bedroom of my childhood dreams, plus my pick of pretty and nostalgic bedroom buys
When I was 8, we moved from a village in Oxfordshire - via California - to Greenwich, Connecticut, where we rented a mid-century house with no curtains, deep in the middle of a wood. In the mornings, I would wake to find deer, standing completely still, watching me through the window. It was 1990 and I was forever being told how cute my British accent was. I however, wanted to embrace all things American, get rollerblades and drink Squeezit.
We rented the house fully furnished, so there wasn’t much I could do about the decoration of my bedroom and I remember little about it other than a very low bed. Looking back at pictures of that house now, it all seems incredibly cool, but at the time, my room paled in comparison to my new best friend Stephanie’s.
Stephanie had a four poster bed, covered in ruffled cushions. The furniture was hand-painted and there was a soft pastel colour palette - all thoroughly pretty and inviting. For my birthday one year, her mom gave me a little embroidered pillow for my own bed; even the inner cushion was satin.
Stephanie’s room is probably my earliest core interiors memory. If I had to label the aesthetic style, I’d guess - this was a long time ago - it was probably traditional New England (without the coastal element). But I suspect that the decoration had been chosen with love - every item picked for its beauty, charm and likelihood to appeal to a young girl - more than to adhere to any particular style. When I try and channel the 8 year old me, she is still envious of that bedroom. On some level, perhaps I was already appreciating how a thoughtfully decorated space can have a significant effect on how we feel.
Decades later, I think I’ve got a bedroom that my 8 year old self would appreciate. We have a Sanderson Aesop’s Fables paper in pink on the walls and a pile of ruffled pillows on our bed - a nod to the sort of things that I started to love, all those years ago. I still like a nightie, a striped cushion, and anything that is daintily painted. I’ve probably decorated for my inner child, but hey, she had good taste. It also feels like a little act of self compassion, to indulge some of my earliest aesthetic yearnings.
We moved back to our old house in England in the mid nineties and I finally had the chance to run wild with my room. My tastes had changed. I embraced a whole new decorative era, one where Purple Ronnie and Groovy Chick set the tone. I wanted a blow up chair, a phone like Clarissa’s, (in Nickelodeon’s Clarissa Explains It All), joss sticks, an alarm clock that sounded like a chicken and sun and moon mobiles with cowbells hanging from them.
I covered the walls in posters from Athena, song lyrics and funny notes that my friends had passed me in class. That girl is still with me too, when I’m propping up postcards on my desk, pinning scraps of ribbon on the walls of my office and adding stickers (that i’ve bought for my girls, but sort of also for me too) to photobooth strips. As well as pretty things, that girl also likes naff bag charms, silly souvenirs and has a tendency to clutter rooms - but her taste is valuable too, and still acknowledged in the way that I decorate.
How to channel old school New England style for pretty bedrooms
When deciding on fabrics and papers, use the tried and tested formula of including a plain, a small pattern (ditsy is best here), a stripe and a large pattern (bigger florals work well).
2. Include something hand-painted. Anything from Tess Newall is glorious - or try painting something yourself. There is masses of folk art inspiration on Pinterest. I’ve painted mirrors, lampshades and I’m considering doing a doorway, as per Riley Sheehey, in the image below.
3. Wicker is always a good idea. Try incorporating just a little on lamp bases or mirrors. Or, high on my want list is a rattan dressing table.
4. You can’t go wrong with white cotton bedding with delicate details or sheets printed with tiny florals - For small people, try Piglet in Bed or for bigger people, I’d recommend Christy and Rebecca Udall.
5. And perhaps, before purchasing an item, ask yourself, would this delight me, my child or my inner child?!
Other things I’ve loved this week
I took a trip to Ludlow, mainly to visit Nina & Co, a brilliant vintage store full of gorgeous things for the home (we’ve bought quite a few pictures there). We ate at Harp Lane Deli - it is fantastic - great coffee, too many delicious looking things in pretty boxes and the best sandwiches.
I think I found the perfect beach skirt / dress from sustainable clothing brand, Roake Studio. One for the wild swimmers when it is too warm for a dryrobe…
I spotted these painted hangers on Etsy - lovely for the back of a bedroom door. I might have a go at making my own. The ribbon is a nice extra touch.
Hangers from Heron Jay Atelier
That was my childhood bedroom in Pennsylvania. I’m currently trying to recreate it for my 4 year old.
What a lovely read and thoroughly inspiring! I was about the same age too, 8, when I got the interiors bug and wanted to make my bedroom look like a painting of monet’s garden 😂