Had enough of the real world? Retreat into the wilds by creating your very own jungle den. The tropics are bang on trend this year, with gorgeous greens to conjure up your very own oasis of calm. We have found stylish statement pieces for a sophisticated take on jungle fun, along with feature wallpaper, beautiful bedding and fun accessories to help distract you from the madness of it all.

Greenery gives us the reassurance we yearn for



Animals at heart, greens bring us calm and harmony. Greenery, Pantone’s colour of the year “gives us the reassurance we yearn for amid a tumultuous social and political environment. Satisfying our growing desire to rejuvenate and revitalise” says Pantone’s executive director and colour guru Leatrice Eiseman.

So follow our guide to bring nature into your bedroom and wake up rejuvenated and ready to face the day.

Jungle Den

The colours in our jungle den are the deep, glossy green of the fertile rainforest, contrasted with splashes of tropical fruit and exotic flowers: zesty oranges and pinks, reds and yellows. You can be as creative as nature herself with this theme; use of white and cream will help tone it all down, creating a room that is fun but grown-up cool.

Begin with a feature wall from which to take motifs and colours. For this theme we have chosen Cole & Son’s Palm wallpaper in olive green, a print of bold lines and delicate palm fronds. Use a warming cream coloured paint on the rest of your walls so that you can go all out with colourful accessories – too much green in a bedroom may make the room seem cold.

Furnish your den with natural wood, rattan and bamboo or go for a colonial look with this rugged bedframe in bronze from Feather & Black, perfect for bold colours. Match this with a pair of their Houston bedside trunks, handcrafted from vintage leather.

For curling up safe from predators try Habitat’s Mitsy chair in green wool. Place some favourite reads within hanging reach from a wenge bookshelf by Agustav, available from Limelace.



Your nest

Your bed should be gloriously comfortable, with soft linens in which to get a much needed rest from the urban jungle. The palm jacquard linen bedding set from Feather & Black matches perfectly with the palm wallpaper. Top with plenty of cushions and throws. Think about mixing fabrics and colours such as cool and rich velvet or mohair, and embroidered or dip dyed cushions in rich greens, oranges or pinks.



Diffuse the morning light coming into your room with a woven wooden blind. The woven teak Tobago blind from English Blinds is perfect for our look.

Forest floor – How to Create a Wooden Floor you’ll Love

Natural wood would be the ideal finish for your forest floor. If you have original wooden boards languishing underneath your bedroom carpet reviving them shouldn’t be too difficult.

You will need to hire an electric floor sander. These noisy beasts should cost around £60 for a week – make sure you get one with an edger to save you sanding edges by hand. If you are painting your room do this first, but make sure all paint is thoroughly dry before sanding. Dust effect walls don’t look particularly good! Wear a mask and open windows. Close your bedroom door to prevent your entire home becoming coated with dust! Give your floor a good look over and make sure any nails are hammered down. Fill in any gaps with strips of wood and wood glue or expanding wood filler. If required, stain fillers with a water based wood dye to match the colour of your floor. Using coarse sandpaper, begin sanding at the back of your room. Go slowly and work in strips along the wood grain. When you have finished sanding give your bedroom a thorough hoover and douse the floor with white spirit. Once dry apply floor varnish with a floor pad. For a professional looking finish, sand your floor with a fine grained paper after the first coat of varnish. Apply one or two more coats, allowing each coat to dry. Don’t drag heavy furniture across your beautiful new floor! Move your furniture back in by lifting or using furniture rollers. Dress your floor with a rug or two. We like the chevron rug in sage and white from Feather & Black.

Strange fruits

Now you’ve made your bed it’s time to dress the rest of your room. No jungle would be complete without animals and strange fruits. We love the stylised pineapple lamp by Dyberg Larsen at Amara.

For the ceiling light the bargain Knappa pendant light from Ikea resembles a hanging exotic fruit and will justify splashing out on a hand-painted tropical stool from Feather & Black; decorated with leaves and macaws its just too perfect to miss out.

Add colourful contemporary artwork to your walls, or opt for a selection of Rousseau prints – we love Landscape with Monkeys.



Complete the primeval forest feel by accessorising a mantelpiece or dresser top with rich green house plants, and adopt a monkey (money box) from Limelace, perfect for pocket change and cute as a button. Track down vintage trunks and campaign chests to give you storage space and complete the jungle look. If you have no time for hunting there’s a good selection of vintage style pieces at Maisons du Monde including these bright yellow ones which will give a nice contrast to the rich leather, bronze and wood we found earlier.

Finally, fill your room with heady tropical scents with colourful candles from H&M and an energising grapefruit diffuser from Max Benjamin.

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