How vibrant colour rescued a bland bedroom

Give a neutral bedroom - as calming and lovely as it is - an injection of colour to really wake you up in the morning. To start with, the walls were painted in Blackened, a deliciously cool white by Farrow & Ball, and a soft grey carpet was laid to create a fabulous blank canvas. Next on the list was bed linen, and this eye-catching Patchwork by Clarissa Hulse - with its heady mix of pinks, florals and abstract pattern - proved to be irresistible.

The antique French bed was a fabulous auction find and had already been painted so other wooden pieces were given a coat to create a uniform feel. Try Annie Sloan's French Linen Chalk Paint for a similar paint shade to the one used on the chest of drawers. A pretty blind
(Woodstock Chintz from Hillarys) adds ditsy colour at the window, while plain cream tab-top curtains keep the look simple.

This gorgeous pink chair (Freya from Barker & Stonehouse) and piles of cushions from BHS brighten up this corner. The bold mix of designs create rich layers of colour - it's the perfect spot for curling up with a book.

Wallpapering the panels of the plain wardrobe was a stroke of genius and really brings the bedroom alive (wallpaper is Pip 2 from Pip Studio). Don't worry too much about matching all of your florals - keep it eclectic for a relaxed bohemian feel and layer up the bed with a cosy throw in a soft, contrasting colour.

The bedside table was spruced up with Dimity by Farrow & Ball, a lovely warm neutral, and a vintage-style lamp in the palest blue adds the perfect elegant finishing touch. Display framed prints to continue the theme - this time, butterflies - and add handy vintage-style shelves for all your bits and bobs. After all, you'll want to keep your gloriously colourful new haven neat and tidy, won't you.