'New Girl' Style: Recreate Jess' Nanna Chic Bedroom
Step into leading lady Jess’ kitch bedroom and find out how you can make her style your own
Jacqui Pix
11 February 2015
Houzz contributor, prop stylist and blogger based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. I believe you should have a home that reflects who you are, even if you don’t have a million dollars to do it. I’ll share with you a few tricks I have picked up along the way working as a stylist in TV. My wish is that you’ll find your style, make your house a home and all for a price you can pay. You can read more of my work at www.stylelingual.com.au
Houzz contributor, prop stylist and blogger based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.... More
I have to admit, I am a little obsessed with the TV series New Girl. And I always aspire to be like Jess (played by Zooey Deschanel) – awkward, crafty, joyful and always singing (I love to sing, too!). She has such an eclectic personality, and with that a very eclectic decorating style that appeals to a lot of people for its homely, welcoming feel. I call it ‘nanna chic’, but this cool kitsch style can also be described as traditional granny glamour, and is just as popular amongst young people as it is for those with years behind them.
Just look at that folk embroidered quilt cover with cool botanical cushions; the secondhand lamp from a time long ago that rests on a vintage dresser; the iron shelving unit filled with pre-loved and mostly woollen bits; the heavy industrial orange office chair with a small, sculptural green wooden desk; and the mix-and-match gallery walls dotted around the room... It’s an organised chaos, all in the colours of an autumn palette.
If you were to read this description of her room without photos, you’d probably fall on the floor and cry a little. But it all strangely works together, and well.
If you love this look as much as I do, there are a few tricks and tips you’ll want to get on top of, so that you can embrace this inviting look in your bedroom. You can think of me as your nanna chic spirit guide. Now right this way…
Stay within a colour palette
Jess has chosen an earthy autumn palette of brown, olive and dusky pink. Turquoise accent walls liven up the look and contrast the rustic exposed brick walls perfectly. If you want to achieve the nanna chic look, choosing a colour palette beforehand is crucial.
Having said that, in an eclectic room, you’ll have a lot more colours creeping in – from knick knacks, secondhand furniture, random cushions and artwork – so trying to make everything work within a limited colour palette will be near impossible! Instead of going down the typical three-colour route, work with a season in mind – think bright summery colours, muted autumn colours, strong wintery colours or light spring colours. Most items should match in one way or another.
Jess has chosen an earthy autumn palette of brown, olive and dusky pink. Turquoise accent walls liven up the look and contrast the rustic exposed brick walls perfectly. If you want to achieve the nanna chic look, choosing a colour palette beforehand is crucial.
Having said that, in an eclectic room, you’ll have a lot more colours creeping in – from knick knacks, secondhand furniture, random cushions and artwork – so trying to make everything work within a limited colour palette will be near impossible! Instead of going down the typical three-colour route, work with a season in mind – think bright summery colours, muted autumn colours, strong wintery colours or light spring colours. Most items should match in one way or another.
SEE HOW IT’S DONE: This rich, wintry colour palette makes this stunning room work. Dark navy in the lounge and on the wall works well with the other burgundy lounge, and each colour is picked up in the colour-rich artworks.
Take note: texture is key
There are so many textures in this room working together, from industrial strength to woollen soft. She has distressed timber tables alongside a polished vintage chest of drawers; soft embroidered cushions on an industrial office chair; a sisal rug on a polished concrete floor; industrial iron shelves decorated with soft woollen crafts; and flowing curtains next to an exposed brick wall. It’s a decorating paradox if I ever saw one, but the strong and perhaps masculine, industrial elements of the room stop the softer elements from taking over and making it sickly-sweet and vice versa. It’s exactly what is needed to make this nanna’s bedroom more edgy. As a result, you are left with an utterly eclectic surround, neither masculine nor feminine, or both at the same time.
There are so many textures in this room working together, from industrial strength to woollen soft. She has distressed timber tables alongside a polished vintage chest of drawers; soft embroidered cushions on an industrial office chair; a sisal rug on a polished concrete floor; industrial iron shelves decorated with soft woollen crafts; and flowing curtains next to an exposed brick wall. It’s a decorating paradox if I ever saw one, but the strong and perhaps masculine, industrial elements of the room stop the softer elements from taking over and making it sickly-sweet and vice versa. It’s exactly what is needed to make this nanna’s bedroom more edgy. As a result, you are left with an utterly eclectic surround, neither masculine nor feminine, or both at the same time.
SEE HOW IT’S DONE: Getting the balance right is important. This bedroom still has soft nanna aspects … like the dainty iron bed head, bedside floral artwork and pale blue walls, all while working with (not against) the masculine artwork.
SEE HOW IT’S DONE: Soft wallpaper and bedding is juxtaposed with a shiny gold bed frame and white modern plastic stool, which adds a contemporary edge.
Make sure the theme doesn’t deviate too much
The last thing you want is your room to look like a dog’s breakfast. In Jess’ room, her theme varies slightly, as eclectic rooms often do – that’s why they’re eclectic.
The last thing you want is your room to look like a dog’s breakfast. In Jess’ room, her theme varies slightly, as eclectic rooms often do – that’s why they’re eclectic.
But overall, the theme of her room is botanical, as noted on her quilt cover, the animal-printed cushions, the art above her bed and desk, and the overall earthy colour palette.
When you look across the room, however, you’ll notice the space is also full of wool (Jess is a crafty, crochet-ready kind of lady, after all). This diffuses into her interior styling with wool crafts all over the place, including a crocheted artwork over her bookshelf. Funnily enough, the woollen goodies tie in with the natural, earthy botanical theme. And what’s the first thing you think of a nanna doing when she sits down with a cuppa tea? Yes, you guessed it: knitting.
Let your personality shine through
Jess has surrounded herself with things she loves. This is a great tip when styling a nanna chic room. If you choose things you love, then most of the time they will work together. Just by looking at her room you can see she’s quirky with tongue-in-cheek artworks like the 3D watermelon and red popsicle mixed in with botanicals. You can see she is crafty through the stashes of wool. She’s unconventional through her choice of mix-matched furniture – not one piece is from a packaged deal… Yet all of these things work together incredibly well.
Jess has surrounded herself with things she loves. This is a great tip when styling a nanna chic room. If you choose things you love, then most of the time they will work together. Just by looking at her room you can see she’s quirky with tongue-in-cheek artworks like the 3D watermelon and red popsicle mixed in with botanicals. You can see she is crafty through the stashes of wool. She’s unconventional through her choice of mix-matched furniture – not one piece is from a packaged deal… Yet all of these things work together incredibly well.
Have a mix of old and new, pre-loved and modern
You don’t want to go too much one way – it’s a balancing act. I love her old timber spool rack, clearly a recycled project. I also love her mix of furniture. I can just imagine her finding them on the side of the road, at flea markets and thrift shops. She’s cleverly mixed them in with items like her quilt cover and other artisan pieces bought new.
You don’t want to go too much one way – it’s a balancing act. I love her old timber spool rack, clearly a recycled project. I also love her mix of furniture. I can just imagine her finding them on the side of the road, at flea markets and thrift shops. She’s cleverly mixed them in with items like her quilt cover and other artisan pieces bought new.
SEE HOW IT’S DONE: The balance is just right in this living room. I love the combination of the vintage couch and gold lamps mixed in with the ultra modern perspex chairs and artwork.
Two words: op shop
This style is not going to break the bank. Don’t think you need to head to that expensive designer store to get that distressed chest of drawers that are oh-so-perfect. Instead, head to you local op shop. Either pick out something you love as is, or something you could paint or sand back (and pretend to your friends you simply found it on the street like that).
It’s not expensive to get the pre-loved look, but it will take time. Don’t rush out and try to find everything in one day. The organic nature of a nanna chic room is collecting things you love over time … normally with a story attached to it. So go hunting on the street, look in op shops and go to flea markets and garage sales. Or don’t, and let the pieces find you.
This style is not going to break the bank. Don’t think you need to head to that expensive designer store to get that distressed chest of drawers that are oh-so-perfect. Instead, head to you local op shop. Either pick out something you love as is, or something you could paint or sand back (and pretend to your friends you simply found it on the street like that).
It’s not expensive to get the pre-loved look, but it will take time. Don’t rush out and try to find everything in one day. The organic nature of a nanna chic room is collecting things you love over time … normally with a story attached to it. So go hunting on the street, look in op shops and go to flea markets and garage sales. Or don’t, and let the pieces find you.
Hang onto artworks
The gallery wall, with generally no method to the arrangement artworks, can often make a nanna chic room. Don’t be afraid to mix modern works with ones that have been handed down by your grandma. And think outside the box – it doesn’t have to be traditional art in a frame, get creative! Put up ceramic plates, skateboards, animal heads, old maps and other strange objects. It’s a great way of setting the theme to your space as well as creating that edge you may need… Put some outrageous modern art in there, I dare you!
More: 10 Artful Gallery Ideas That’ll Wake Up Your Walls
The gallery wall, with generally no method to the arrangement artworks, can often make a nanna chic room. Don’t be afraid to mix modern works with ones that have been handed down by your grandma. And think outside the box – it doesn’t have to be traditional art in a frame, get creative! Put up ceramic plates, skateboards, animal heads, old maps and other strange objects. It’s a great way of setting the theme to your space as well as creating that edge you may need… Put some outrageous modern art in there, I dare you!
More: 10 Artful Gallery Ideas That’ll Wake Up Your Walls
Indulge in a floral and embroidered affair
What is a nanna chic room without something floral or embroidered? It’s easy to bring these crucial nanna elements in through bedding, cushions, artwork, rugs or decorative objects. And trust me, if you can find something that is embroidered with a floral pattern, it’s worth double points.
What is a nanna chic room without something floral or embroidered? It’s easy to bring these crucial nanna elements in through bedding, cushions, artwork, rugs or decorative objects. And trust me, if you can find something that is embroidered with a floral pattern, it’s worth double points.
Get your knick knacks out
This is a room accepting of knick knacks, from childhood crafts, to travel memorabilia, to those awkward presents received from your not-so-close friends. Group them together and display them proudly.
More: 20 Inventive Ways to Decorate With Your Holiday Souvenirs
This is a room accepting of knick knacks, from childhood crafts, to travel memorabilia, to those awkward presents received from your not-so-close friends. Group them together and display them proudly.
More: 20 Inventive Ways to Decorate With Your Holiday Souvenirs
SEE HOW IT’S DONE: This is a perfect grouping of knick knacks that results in a cute vignette that nanna would love. Either pair objects in colour co-ordinated groups or with a common theme and story. Remember those old trophies you won at school? Yeah, me neither, but if you were a sports god, use them as decoration or vases. Think outside the box, people!
You can easily imagine Jess lying in her bed at the end of a long day, content with her nanna chic surrounds. She’s created a room that is completely her own, and is the perfect mix of edgy industrial with a hint of modern and an overall ‘nanna softness’.
YOUR SAY
Is Jess’s nanna chic room your cuppa tea? Let us know what you think in the Comments.
MORE
Shopping for Vintage Finds … at Grandma’s House
How to Make Your Bedroom a 24-Hour Sanctuary
What’s Your Bedroom Decorating Style?
YOUR SAY
Is Jess’s nanna chic room your cuppa tea? Let us know what you think in the Comments.
MORE
Shopping for Vintage Finds … at Grandma’s House
How to Make Your Bedroom a 24-Hour Sanctuary
What’s Your Bedroom Decorating Style?
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Nanna chic is super cute! Jess' bubbly personality really shows through her room, especially with the mis-matched items.
@asquithoatley - I agree with you about the cluttered mess.
Spacing is the key. I've always believed in grids! Like Arent&Pyke's photo, they've kept everything straight and despite the patterned wallpaper, the artwork on the wall still shines through.