Borrow from Palm Beach with leaf print tropical bedding sets: deep green banana leaf prints, palm leaf patterns and hibiscus flowers make it happen.
Pair tropical duvet sets with darker tones for classic style or lift them up with pinks and pastels. Here’s what to look out for .
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Banana Leaf Prints Call on 1930s Glamour
Tropical leaf prints have a fascinating history, spanning tropical islands and Hollywood hotels. The banana leaf pattern that set the trend in motion was popularised by two designers who each created their own version around the same time.
New York-based interior designer Dorothy Draper designed the Brazilliance wallpaper in the late 1930s for the Arrowhead Springs Hotel, California. At the time, it was beloved by celebrities like Mary Pickford, Humphrey Bogart and Claudette Colbert (who briefly part-owned the resort).
A Californian developer commissioned a Georgian modern Art Deco building when the original pioneer-era building burnt down. He brought in the East Coast designer whose fresh eyes gave her a different perspective.
Draper declared herself to be “a bit surprised at the lack of color… I don’t mean strong color… but to me California suggests clear, crisp colors.” Part of her colour-filled scheme was to bring the leafy forests of the tropics inside the resort.
Just a few years later, Don Loper solidified the banana leaf print’s glamorous reputation by designing the Martinique wallpaper print for the pink-clad Beverly Hills Hotel.
And that was that – the tropical leaf print became part of the hotel and resort scene.
The two leaf prints circled each other, criss-crossing Los Angeles hitting glitzy hotels and sought-after resorts in turn.
The Moral of the Story? No Two Tropical Prints Are Identical
Take a quick glance and they’re two near-identical palm prints, but in fact there are subtle differences in their moods and palettes.
“Martinique is more of a darker green with browns…” interior designer Jennifer Beek Hunter told House Beautiful. With red-brown and ochres underscoring rich green shades, it brings out a different mood.
Brazilliance leans towards creamy yellows and pinks, with grape prints breaking up the dark leaves.
Dorothy Draper’s successor, Carleton Varney, brought Brazilliance print carpet to The Colony Palm Beach, a brightly coloured destination that calls itself “the pinkest hotel in Palm Beach”.
With peachy tones and candy-coloured wallpaper striping its walls, it’s got a Wes Anderson aesthetic inside and Florida sunshine out.
You can amplify those two stories in your own tropical home inspiration. Play up the mahogany-coloured wood to give your home resort style a harder edge. Or lift it right up with candy colours and sunshine.
Classic Art Deco Leaf Print Inspiration
There’s a wealth of geometric Art Deco home ideas around right now. Choose the right leaf print duvet you can bring tropical prints and geometric shapes together for Hollywood Golden Era elegance.
Or find a duvet that does the work for you, like this British-designed Sleepdown duvet cover. It pairs a leaf print with Art Deco style geometric prints for a true vintage feel that’s both sophisticated and on-trend.
If you want to push the vintage connection further, look for geometric copper bedroom inspiration.
The Virtues of Simple Tropical Leaf Duvet Sets
Keep it simple with bright and breezy tropical palm print duvet sets. This is a great look to go for if you want to keep it clear cut, or you’re looking for tropical duvet sets that won’t compete with your existing décor ideas.
Sleepdown Painted Palms duvet cover gets the bold simplicity of palm print just right. The reverse side is a barely-there geometric print that offsets the palms. Choose whether you want to highlight the tropical leaf bedding set or flip over to make them an accent detail.
Punctuate simpler tropical bedding sets with AmazonBasics Spa Blue fitted sheets and pillowcases if you want to play with the colour palette a bit.
Relaxed Beachside Atmosphere with Muted Botanical Leaf Prints
Chilled leaf print duvets in muted green shades bring out the most relaxing element of a beach resort holiday. It’s an understated take on tropical style that’s the perfect relaxing bedroom design idea.
Osvino Botanical Pattern duvet cover set is a relaxing design that’s all about subtle watercolour shades.
According to the manufacturers, this 100% polyester Jacquard bedding is hypoallergenic and ultra soft. So with any luck, you’re in for a good night’s sleep under this canopy of leaves.
If you like the style, look for tropical bedding sets like this one that revel in the botanical side instead of turning up the heat with bold colours.
Brighter shades can be fun too though…
Recreate an Island Resort with Hibiscus Print Duvets
Paint a tropical backdrop with prints that take in more of your dream resort with hibiscus duvet cover sets. Introduce the Hawaiian state flower, the hibiscus, to take a detour across the Pacific islands.
Nimsay Home Tropicana Floral duvet set is an upbeat hibiscus design on 100% cotton, an ideal breathable fabric for summer.
A pink and pale yellow colour scheme draws on Brazilliance prints and takes it a step further. The darker leaves become a backdrop to a riot of florals.
Flip to the reverse side for a classic green tropical leaf print. Or layer up on florals with a Tropicana reversible cushion.
Make a Tropical Scene
Can you hear the birds singing in the trees? Look out for duvets with a larger print that reaches out across the duvet for a scene-setting addition to bring life to your room with a unified scene.
Available on Amazon, this tropical bed set Hummingbird Contemporary Printed Duvet set has the right kind of print to achieve the look.
The hibiscus print brings bright pinks and soft purples, putting the foliage in the background. Hummingbirds and butterflies flit across, playing up the prettiest side of tropical prints.
Take Jungle Leaf Prints Up a Notch
If the wild side of jungle leaf duvet set prints calls to you, then stray away from the path to Palm Beach. Instead, take a detour into the darkest part of the jungle with deeper, denser leaf prints and maybe a few surprises.
Family-owned soft furnishings specialists, Riva, have just a bold option to send you into the heart of the jungle. The Riva Paoletti Kanha jungle print duvet cover takes palm prints and spins out the rest of the story in this tropical print, with big cats stepping out from behind the leaves.
A teal blue duvet set like this one could carry over well into the darker months, thanks to the rich palette.
Monochrome Leaf Print Tropical Bedding Sets
You don’t have to part ways with your signature colour scheme to add a tropical print to your bedroom. Monochrome leaf print duvet sets let you add a touch of summer style without breaking up the look.
Linen Zone’s Tropical Silver Black reversible duvet introduces leaf print in a new way. In simple monochrome tropical leaves take on a new look, with the line drawing bringing it closer to the botanical print trend.
Flip it over for a monochrome geometric duvet set that plays up a different side of Deco design. If you choose to pick up coordinating tropical pillowcases you can arrange them to matching or contrasting sides.