Rooms inspired by Van Gogh, Klimt and Monet
You do not need a reproduction of a famous painting to live with a painter. You can borrow their colours for the room and hang something they would have recognised.
Van Gogh: the bedroom in Arles
In 1888 Van Gogh painted his bedroom in the Yellow House and described the colours to his brother Theo: pale violet walls, a red tiled floor, a bed and chairs in fresh butter yellow, lemon-green sheets and a scarlet coverlet. The violet has faded to blue in the painting, which is why most people remember a blue room.
- For a room: a deep blue or violet wall, warm yellow wood, one strong red textile. Keep the furniture simple and solid.
- On the wall: Japanese prints. Van Gogh collected them and in 1887 painted his own version of Hiroshige’s Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake.
Klimt: the golden period
Klimt’s golden period produced The Kiss (1907–08): gold leaf, spirals, small squares of pattern, deep greens.
- For a room: one warm metallic or ochre wall, emerald or bottle-green velvet, black lacquer, a patterned floor or rug. A little gold goes a long way.
- On the wall: Hilma af Klint’s The Ten Largest, a series of ten paintings made in Stockholm in 1907, the same year Klimt began The Kiss. The spirals and warm orange ground of the two Youth paintings sit happily with gold.
Monet: the garden at Giverny
Monet built a water garden with a Japanese footbridge and water lilies at Giverny, and painted it for the rest of his life. Inside the house, his yellow dining room was hung with Japanese prints from his own collection, including Hiroshige.
- For a room: soft greens, lilac and pale pink, light wood or cane, plenty of plants, as much daylight as you can get.
- On the wall: a Hiroshige river or garden view. Fireworks at Ryōgoku brings a little night into a light room.
Borrow, do not copy
A themed room ages quickly. Take one or two things from each painter, a colour, a material, a mood, and let the rest of the room be yours. The print on the wall is what makes the reference clear.