Folk Inspired Girl’s Room

I’ve been lucky enough to work on a couple of girl’s bedroom designs now and on both occasions the parents have told me how their little girl loves Frozen, but they don’t want her to have a ‘Frozen’ themed, wall-to-wall Anna and Elsa room. Completely understandable, not only is it a little over-stimulating for a bedroom environment, but Frozen won’t be her favourite forever and the room will need an overhaul in no time.

Well with a one year old at home, we’ve naturally spent a lot of time recently watching Frozen. On repeat. They say you can find inspiration in the strangest of places, and for me, Frozen is one of them.

Every inch of Arendelle, the castle and the clothes in the movie are covered in a classic Norwegian folk art called Rosemaling, a traditional decorative painting style which gives Frozen it’s unique style. If there was one way of achieving a Frozen-inspired bedroom without an Olaf to be seen, this is it.

I actually found it quite hard to come by Rosemaling style decor in the UK, which surprised me as I at least expected to find a Frozen-inspired wall sticker considering the ongoing obsession with the film. So I started looking more broadly at folk style interiors and how the look can be achieved. It’s not my usual style but for some reason I’m drawn to it and think it could be a really fun style for a girl’s bedroom.

Credit: Vinterior

A few of the best words to describe folk style are colourful, artisanal, homely, cosy… if it looks like it’s been hand made, painted, knitted or sewn, and is thrown together in a eclectic, mix and match kind of way, then you’re on the right track. It’s a very Arts and Crafts style of interiors - a movement which originated in Britain and really took off around the world in the early 1900s, celebrating craftsmanship and art and rebelling against industrialisation. The principles of the Arts and Crafts movement are central to folk art and interiors.

Mixing bold patterns and colours that you might not normally put together, folk art is full of beautiful nature-inspired design which often features flowers, animals and birds, and is a world where rules go out the window and print clashing is not only encouraged but is essential to getting the folk style right.

Credit: A Beautiful Mess

My starting point for designing a folk-inspired girl’s room was to find one item to base the design around. Anthropologie was my number one stop as there is a rug which I have loved forever - far from budget friendly and quite a bold style, so as this design was just for fun it was my perfect (and possibly only) opportunity to feature it. Anthropologie have a huge selection of rugs which meet the folk-inspired brief, a few of my favourites are below.

The one I couldn’t wait to use was the Tufted Eden Rug, and to create more of a Frozen palace vibe, instead of embracing the brighter colours of the folk style I went darker and paired it with a deep blue Crown Archives Woodland wallpaper on the top section of the wall, and an off-white wall panelling in the lower third of the wall, to give it that sense of grandeur, a la .Queen Elsa.

Adding in a third print with the cushions - the Delissa Pillowcases also from Anthropologie - I then built the room up keeping folk inspiration in mind. A deep rose canopy against the dark blue woodland wallpaper makes it feel extra cosy and luxurious. The wallpaper isn’t traditional folk-style, but that all-over print is very Arts and Crafts-inspired and gives the right overall effect, and the horse print is the perfect pairing for the horses on the rug. It’s all about the details!

Finally, hanging that canopy over an ornate wooden bed is where traditional meets fairytale. The ceiling pendant is purely Frozen inspired and the bobbin mirror and chest of drawers from Urban Outfitters are the finishing touches to this folk-inspired bedroom. If you want more inspiration for this style, my new Folk-Inspired Interiors board on Pinterest is the place to look.

It’s different to my usual style, but that’s the fun in interior design… everyone’s style is different and my mission is to help everyone create a home that reflects their personality, where they can feel safe and at their most content. So understanding and practising different styles, even if it’s not my usual go-to, is an important part of the job!

I’d love to know what you think of folk-inspired decor, so leave me a comment to let me know what you think! And if I could help you with any decor challenges in your home please take a look at my packages and get in touch to find out more!