Image credit: Stream The Real Rooneys on Disney+ from 24th September
We’ll admit it: we’re just as nosy as everyone else when it comes to celebrity homes.
There’s something irresistible about getting a peek behind the doors of a house you’d normally never see. And when that house belongs to Coleen and Wayne Rooney, with four boys, an indoor pool, a football pitch and a very sizeable Cheshire home, our interiors radar is naturally on high alert.
Their new Disney+ series, The Real Rooneys, gives viewers unprecedented access to their family life and home, following Coleen, Wayne and their four sons through a pivotal year. Disney describes the series as a look at one of Britain’s most famous families “as never seen before”, with the cameras capturing everything from school runs and family chaos to their life at home.
And, naturally, we’ve been looking at the interiors.
First impressions: very polished, very pale, very Rooney
There’s no question it’s an extraordinary house. What struck us most is just how restrained the interiors are considering the scale of the property and the personalities living in it.
There’s a lot of white, silver and grey, and everything is incredibly immaculate.
With four boys, choosing that much white is either incredibly brave or evidence of a world-class cleaning operation.
The overall look is cool, polished and very luxurious. It’s a style that had a huge moment a few years ago, and while the house still feels elegant, interiors are increasingly moving towards warmer neutrals, natural timber, tactile fabrics and deeper tones that make spaces feel a little more layered and relaxed.
Some of the rooms are so polished they’re almost hotel-like.
Beautiful? Absolutely. But personally, we’d want to inject just a little more life.
What we really like
There’s actually a lot we’d keep. The foundation of the house is strong, with some beautiful traditional detailing, mouldings and architectural finishes.
The proportions are generous, the rooms feel substantial and there’s clearly been a lot of thought put into the bones of the house.
That’s why we don’t think this is a case of ripping everything out and starting again.
Far from it.
In some spaces, it simply feels like the styling stopped one layer too soon.
The big pieces are there. The detailing is there. But we’d add a little more warmth and personality through artwork, lighting, cushions, throws, natural materials, family photographs and collected pieces.
“The bones are good. I’d keep the elegance, warm up the palette and let a little more personality come through.” – Laura, Founder of My Bespoke Room
Image credit: Stream The Real Rooneys on Disney+ from 24th September
And then there’s all that white…
This might be the bit we find most fascinating.
On one hand, white creates a calm, controlled backdrop. On the other hand… four boys. Perhaps there’s a simple explanation for all that white.
Perhaps neutral simply felt like the easiest backdrop for a busy family home.
It’s something we genuinely see all the time when couples decorate together. One person wants one look, the other wants something completely different, and suddenly a neutral becomes the safest diplomatic option.
Although white sofas and pale carpets with four boys feels rather less like diplomacy and more like an extreme sport.
Maybe the real luxury isn’t the indoor pool. Maybe it’s being able to keep a white sofa white with four boys in the house.
Image credit: Stream The Real Rooneys on Disney+ from 24th September
What we’d do differently
1. Warm up the grey
We wouldn’t suddenly turn the house into a riot of colour. That clearly isn’t the aesthetic we’re seeing throughout the home.
Instead, we’d keep the neutral foundation and introduce warmer shades of stone, oatmeal, camel, chocolate and soft olive. Natural timber would also make a huge difference.
“I wouldn’t suddenly turn Coleen Rooney’s home into a riot of colour. I’d just turn the temperature up a little with warmer neutrals, natural timber and more texture.” – Milena, Head of Design at My Bespoke Room.
2. Soften the polished finishes
There are lots of hard, reflective surfaces throughout the home. We’d balance those with linen, wool, bouclé, timber and other tactile finishes.
You could change the atmosphere quite dramatically without changing the overall look. Sometimes it isn’t about adding colour at all. It’s simply about adding texture.
3. Add another layer of personality
This isn’t a home that needs more expensive furniture.
If it were our home, we’d add another layer of personality. Artwork, family photographs, lighting, pieces collected over time and objects with a story behind them would help some of the rooms feel a little less coordinated and a little more personal.
Often, the finishing touches that make a home feel personal have very little to do with how much they cost.
4. Relax some of the perfection
The rooms are beautifully ordered and coordinated. But sometimes the thing that makes a room memorable is the piece that doesn’t quite match.
Something old beside something new. A slightly unexpected piece of art. A colour that isn’t repeated anywhere else. Something brought home from a holiday because you loved it, rather than because it perfectly matched the sofa.
The best homes usually have a little bit of tension in them.
5. Let more of the family energy come through
This is probably the biggest thing we’d love to see.
The family comes across as warm, funny and down-to-earth in the series, while some of the interiors shown are incredibly pristine and formal. Our instinct would be to bring a little more of that family energy into the rooms.
But ultimately, there’s no such thing as the ‘right’ home
And this is the important bit.
Interior design is deeply personal. We can all sit on the sidelines and say we’d change the sofa, add colour or warm things up. But we’re not the ones living there.
If Coleen and Wayne walk through their front door and love the way their home feels, then the most important part of the design brief has been achieved.
Your home doesn’t need to impress an interior designer. It needs to make you happy. And that’s true whether you’re decorating a huge family home or your first two-bedroom flat.
The budget might be different. The design questions really aren’t. How do you want your home to feel? How does your family actually use it? And does it feel like you?
That’s ultimately what good interior design is about.
FAQ:
Are grey interiors going out of style?
Cool grey interiors have become less dominant in recent years, with warmer neutrals such as stone, oatmeal, taupe, camel and soft brown becoming increasingly popular. You don’t need to completely redecorate a grey room, though. Introducing warm woods, textured fabrics, softer lighting and warmer accent colours can make an existing grey scheme feel much more current.
How can you make a grey and white room feel warmer?
Start by adding texture and warmer natural materials. Timber furniture, wool or bouclé fabrics, linen curtains, woven rugs and cushions in shades such as oatmeal, camel, chocolate and soft olive can all soften a cool grey and white scheme without dramatically changing the room.
How do you make a neutral home feel less bland?
The key is layering. Rather than relying on lots of colour, introduce different textures, materials, artwork, lighting, books, photographs and objects that have personal meaning. A successful neutral interior should still have contrast, character and points of interest.
What colours work best with a grey and white interior
Warm neutrals are an easy way to update a white and grey colour scheme. Try stone, taupe, oatmeal, camel, chocolate brown or soft olive. Natural oak and other warm timbers are particularly effective because they introduce warmth without overwhelming a neutral palette.
Can an all-white interior work in a family home?
Yes, but practicality matters. Washable or performance fabrics, removable covers and durable finishes can make pale interiors much easier to live with. Adding warmer tones and natural textures can also prevent an all-white room from feeling too stark or clinical.
How do you add personality to a home without redecorating?
You often don’t need to change the major furniture or paint colours. Artwork, lamps, cushions, throws, rugs, family photographs, books and collected pieces can completely change how a room feels. These finishing layers are often what turn a well-designed space into a home that feels genuinely personal.
Editorial note: This article contains independent interior design commentary based solely on rooms and imagery publicly shown in The Real Rooneys and associated promotional material. My Bespoke Room is not affiliated with Coleen Rooney, Wayne Rooney or Disney+.
