During the Easter long weekend I decided to finish painting our guest bedroom.

After emptying the room, patching cracks in the walls, placing drop sheets, and covering windows, we were ready to paint the ceiling. I strongly recommend using a good quality ceiling paint – it makes a tricky job so much easier.

In the past, I have used combinations of different colours when painting ceilings, highlighting ceiling roses, cornices, and picture rails. More recently, I tend to use the same single colour for the ceiling and the portion of the walls above the picture rail, often using a standard off-white to
keep things simple.

For the walls I chose Dulux’s Gustav: it’s an interesting, moody grey. This time, I decided to use Gustav mixed to half-strength, creating a true “greige” with a mauve undertone. I highlighted wardrobe doors, skirting boards, and window frames in white.

Gustav’s warm undertones work well with a timber side chair, bedside table, and the mahogany mantlepiece. Being a grey-beige combination, Gustav really is a fantastic neutral: multiple textile colours in the room can be readily interchanged.

I dressed the bed with white duvets and sleeping pillows. If I didn’t have an upholstered headboard, I would use European pillows against the painted wall, to give the room a little height visually. I purchased some off-white ready-made drapes with blackout lining. A few striped cushions and an adjustable reading lamp made the space inviting.

I finished off the room with a simple round paper shade for the ceiling light fitting; a large coir rug makes the room casual and comfortable.

All is now ready for our guests, and Gustav is a colour I’m thinking of using more often with my clients.

Published in the May 2022 Issue of The Trentham Trumpet