How to create a Bloomsbury inspired interior
The Bloomsbury Group were a collective of British writers, intellectuals, and artists who lived and worked together near Bloomsbury, London in the early 20th century. The group included writers like Virginia Woolf and E M Foster and painters such as Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. They all believed in creativity, innovation and beauty.

In 1916 Charleston, a tumbledown English farmhouse deep in the Sussex countryside, became the creative home of the Bloomsbury set and the place where they experimented with their interiors style – a vibrant, eclectic mix of colours and patterns.
The friends made the house their home and studio, decorating it with sponge-painted wood panelling, colourful tiles, statues, paintings, rugs and hand-painted fireplaces.
As an art student, Annie discovered Charleston house and has been inspired by the naive style, vibrant colours and freehand painting ever since.
“I found out about the Bloomsbury Group and Charleston through old illustrative books. I loved their spontaneous and free approach to painting. They pushed boundaries and took chances in an absolutely joyful way, seamlessly blending historical, cultural and modern references. I felt like Charleston was my special secret, it was such a cherished find.”
The key elements of the Bloomsbury look are:
Using rich colourful palette
Replete with uninhibited colour and pattern on both walls and surfaces, the house is a hymn to the possibilities of paint. Annie collaborated with Charleston to produce a range of three colours inspired by the Farmhouse.
Firle is a fresh vibrant green echoing the colour of the wall surrounding a mantelpiece in Clive Bell’s study. Rodmell is a deep damson inspired by the painterly washes of twilight shades on the studio walls. Tilton is a warm mustard reflecting the golden hues in Vanessa Bell’s bedroom.


Layering up patterns
The Bloomsbury set loved to mix different patterns on fabrics, walls, and furniture. Get the look by using fabrics like Tacit, which Annie painted by hand using hieroglyphs, letters, numbers and shapes to form an all-over pattern, together with Dulcet, inspired by a mix of 19th century, Impressionist and Abstract painting styles of trees and scenery.

Hand-painting murals
The Bloomsbury artists treated each room at Charleston like an artist’s canvas to express their creative freedom. Experiment with painting bold motifs directly onto walls, fireplaces and furniture to get the look.


Being inspired by an eclectic mix of styles:
Don’t be afraid to juxtapose artistic influences from all sorts of different eras and art movements. Like the artists at Charleston, Annie’s painting is inspired by a huge range of artistic influences from Post-Impressionism, Italian Renaissance, Cubism and English Arts & Crafts, all expressed through her use of bold colours and abstract designs.
Being playful and expressive:
Don’t stick to strict design rules! Embrace a sense of fun and whimsy in your painting and take chances with your painting in a joyful way.
Annie says:
“Their approach is so relevant today. The painting process is good for the planet, good for your wallet and good for your mental health. Taking time to be creative is incredibly restorative!”.

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