Canopy Beds To Exotic Beddings: A Guide To Decorate Your Bedroom Colonial Style

Right out of the British Raj, these leather trunks are vintage, spacious and make for great side tables. Elan’s vintage coloured trunks with metal tops serve the purpose and so do Taherally’s antique trunk pieces. If you prefer to be spoilt for choice, we suggest Gujrat Trunk Depot where you can get trunks for as low as INR 550. Perfect for if you have a big bedroom, these are available in different colours and patterns but we suggest you go for the OG browns.

Nothing exemplifies colonial architecture as much as wooden furniture. Teak is a must-have and rattan only contributes more to the tropical colonial aesthetic. Think small side tables, rattan stools and cane chairs. Amoliconcepts’ small coffee tables with prints and rattan tray tables are compact and do the job. The Decor Remedy’s basic Wooden Inlay Tables are good options too in case you don’t want a full fledged study section. If you’ve space, get a writing or a study table at home, which we suggest you get from here, and add jute ottomans from Sheen Decor or cane chairs from Cane Centre to bring together the “Colonial Study” look in your home.

Pro-Tip: Love cane furniture? Have a look at this list.

Small plants in corners and various nooks of the room were as much a colonial thing as they’re a millennial trend today so we thought why not? Greenery is always a welcome step anyway. We mentioned corners and there was no way we’d miss out on Set Green, an e-store for plants that has plants of various sizes and for various uses. MyBageecha is another online e-store you can buy a wide variety of indoor and air-purifying plants from. Want that added bit of vibrancy to the usual green plants? Paudhe Lagao is a brand you must look out for due to its flowering plants and air-purifying plants.

Pro-Tip: For those of you not able to manage and spend time with real plants, here’s a list of all stores that do artificial ones.

A trademark of the British colonial era, you’d find many of the beddings in British cantonments, shelters and villas to have exotic prints, taking from how they’ve assimilated with local culture. House This and Award Velvets has a range of beddings in colourful floral prints and even abstract printed cushion covers that would add to the colonial charm. Home - The Best Is For You is another brand we loved that is known for its Ogee printed cushion coverings. Another colonial inspired trend is of Paisley beddings, having been incorporated into British decor since the exploits of the East India Company. For this, Jaipur Fabric is ideal as it blends creamy hues and paisley designs to contrast and complement the woody furniture. Want loud floral bed essentials? Vermilion Lifestyle is the brand for you.

Hunting was an essential pass-time of the colonisers, be it the Brits, the Portuguese Or the French. Often, they’d have the severed heads of the animals they’ve hunted, attached on their walls as showpieces. While we don’t encourage having actual ones attached to the walls, there are many lookalikes that would add to that aesthetic without giving you a sense of guilt. Such as these hand painted wooden animal heads from Eswar Vintage. For more artsy pieces, check out Vintage Vistara’s elephant heads. Vajor is another brand that assimilates Indian designs to traditional animal heads.

Canopy beds aren’t just colonial by the looks of it but also help in repelling mosquitoes as you can spread a cloth/net over them. Think canopy beds, think Temple Town. This brand is known for antique furniture with a colonial touch. Their teakwood canopy bed can be customised and they offer their services pan-India. You can even make your bed into a canopy bed by getting in touch with Hyderabad based The Antique Loft and yes, their services extend pan-India. They ship the pieces across with markings so that assembly is hassle-free. Lakkadhaara’s poster beds with various styles of finishing are again, much sought after if you want different styles of canopy done up.

One thing remains clear is that colonisers had spacious chambers as they loved placing tall table lamps wherever they resided. You could replicate the vibe by buying Studio Indigene’s wooden floor lamps which are compact yet resemble ones used in the bygone era. Orange Tree’s long floor lamps are also sought after as these offer a vintage touch without being overbearing or dull. Anurita is another brand that marries all colonial essentials such as exotic prints, affinity for wood and tall lighting features through its table lamps. You could place them on a stool, trunk, coffee table or a writing desk.