Bedroom

The 7 Rules of Bedroom Interior Design

There is so much that you can do when it comes to decorating a bedroom. I’ve got a whole page that lists all of the posts on bedroom interior design ideas that you can find on this site (here). There is everything from different styles (vintage, minimalist), color schemes, to ideas for the ceiling, and window treatment ideas. That page is only going to get longer.

To help you figure out how you want to decorate your bedroom, I’ve created this post to point out the most important and essential design elements and principles for the bedroom. I’ve called them the 7 Rules.

1. The Rule of Clutter

If there is one room in the house that needs to be clutter free, that is the bedroom. Some people might not think much of the clutter. But it really does have an effect on us.

Imagine staying in a luxury hotel room. It is a peaceful and calming place. You only bring what you need with you. In the room you only have the essentials – a cozy bed, a desk/vanity mirror, a comfy seat, and a few decor pieces. See if you can recreate this clutter free, and relaxing feeling in your bedroom.

A few ways to get rid of bedroom clutter:

Move it all out and into another room. This creates an instant clutter free space, and you can deal with the items later
Hide it all away in the closet, or under the bed
Hang up a curtain to hide a home office or gym equipment, if you have anything like that in your bedroom
Use clutter trays. Look for problem areas around your bedroom. This might be on your bedside table. Where you have small items like remotes, watches, and a book. Use a tray to group these items together to create a cleaner look

Think back to that luxury hotel room. All you really need is a bed, a lamp, closed closet (no open shelving), and a few decor pieces to make it feel homely.

For a step by step plan, have a look at my post here: Stress Free Living: How To Declutter Your Bedroom

Getting rid of clutter is uber important, because it helps with the other 6 rules of bedroom interior design.

2. The Rule of Focus

In the bedroom, the main focal point is going to be the bed. It is the biggest item in the room, and everything is arranged around it. When you walk into the bedroom, your eyes are drawn to the bed. So when designing or decorating your room, the bed area needs to be the priority.

This means that the style of the bed, the style of headboard and bedding – will really set the style for the whole room. Some interior design elements and styling ideas for the bed area include adding an area rug under the bed, framing the bed with lights/lamps on both side, hanging a picture on the headboard wall, or having a feature wall behind the bed (talked about in the color section below).

3. The Rule of the Bed

So if the focal point in the bedroom is the bed, then the style of the bed will really set the style of the room. You’ve got quite a few choices when it comes to the bed style: from modern platform beds, to formal and romantic canopy beds that you can drape fabric over. There are sleigh beds or French style beds. For more ideas and pictures on all the bed types have a look at my post here.

If you are tight on storage space, then you will want a bed that doesn’t use a box spring (so you can store items under the bed).

4. The Rule of Bedding Decor

A simple way of decorating the bedroom is through the bedding. You’ve got the bed sheets, the blanket, pillows and the headboard that can all be done up to create a look for the bedroom. You can color block these items – mixing up solid colors, or using different shades of one color for the bedding vs the pillows and the headboard.

Scandinavian decor and interior designs tend to use neutral shades (white, black and grey). This is the same when it comes to the bedding. The reason this does not get boring, is because the focus shifts from color to using high quality fabrics that have elegant and subtle textures. Say you get a blanket that has a subtle ruffled texture. Or pillows with a subtle pattern. This is a simple and minimalist way of decorating a modern bedroom – focus on textures and quality vs color.

The headboard also adds to the decor and style of the bedroom. For ideas and inspiration, have a look at my mood board post here.

5. The Rule of Colors

The paint color you use on your bedroom walls will determine how the space feels. If you go with a light color, the bedroom will feel bright and spacious. While a darker color will create a cozy, intimate, and small bedroom design and feel. For a palette guide on bedroom colors, have a look at my post here.

There are three main ways you can go about painting your walls. 1) You can use a neutral color like white, grey or black. This creates a blank canvas in the bedroom. Because you are using a neutral color on the wall, you can add whatever color scheme you want to your room through the decor, bedding, area rugs and other pieces in the space. You can even change the color scheme whenever you want – without needing to paint the walls. If you have a color on the walls, the pieces you have in the room would need to blend well together.

2) The second option is to paint all of your walls in a color of your choice. 3) If having all of your walls painted in a color feels overwhelming to you, then look to paint a feature one. This is one wall, usually in the bedroom this will be the headboard wall, that you paint in a color. You then have all the other walls in the room painted in a neutral shade. Because the color is only on one wall, it stands out and becomes a focal point, a feature in the space.

6. The Rule of Lighting

Most of the time you will want your bedroom to be a cozy space. Other times, you’ll want it brightly lit so you can get change. Lighting can instantly transform a bedroom from a bright and spacious place to a cozy and romantic one.

To make a bedroom feel bright and spacious with lighting, you will want to use as much ceiling lighting as possible. Try and light up all the corners in the space. To create a more cozy and intimate setting, avoid ceiling lights and instead use table or floor lamps, or candles. For more ideas on turning a master bedroom into a romantic space, have a look at my post here.

Putting your ceiling lights on a dimmer switch helps in switching between bright to cozy. For a mood board on bedroom lighting ideas have a look here.

7. The Rule of Storage

For me the bedroom should be absolutely clutter free. So this means storing everything out of sight. Some simple ways of hiding everything you need to store include:

Hanging hooks and railings to the inside of your closet doors
Buy decorative storage containers that close. Like large wicker baskets or a wicker trunk
If you have space in your bedroom, a bedroom ottoman bench (that flips open) not only adds storage, but gives you seating when you need to change your clothes
If you do store items under your bed try and have them out of sight. Or if that is not possible – put the items in good looking storage containers – like wicker boxes or a rolling wooden box

image credit: Holley and Gill

Color Schemes: Kids Room Paint Ideas

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Pampas Grass 2110-60

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Anchor Grey 2126-30

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Everlasting 1038

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Turquoise Mist 695

A Magical Space: Princess Bedroom Ideas

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore West Coast 1671

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray HC-168

Wall Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue HC-156

The colors you choose for your kids room will really set the style and feel for the room. Below I go over all the different kids room paint ideas, from creating a feature wall to decorative elements such as wall decals.

The 3 Wall Painting Options

There are 3 ways you can paint the walls and decorate your kid’s room. They are 1) keep everything neutral, 2) paint all walls in a color or 3) create a feature wall.

1. One design option is to use neutral paint colors, such as white, light grey or cream on all of the walls. This will give you a blank canvas to decorate the rest of the room in the color scheme of your choice. Take a look at the modern kids bedroom in picture (2). Since the walls are grey, the pink decor pieces really stand out. This design option is ideal if you need a unisex kids bedroom. Some other unisex color ideas include: green and yellow.

Moving away from the neutral look, there are two different ways you can paint the walls a color to decorate the space.

2. The first way is paint all of the walls in the color of your choice. Popular little boys room paint ideas include blue and green, though mostly blue. The best little girls room paint ideas include pink and other pastel shabby chic shades like mint and light purple.

3. Another way to paint the walls is to select a feature wall. This is just one wall in the room, usually where the headboard is, that is painted the color of your choice. The rest of the walls are painted in a neutral color. The one colored wall in the room becomes a focal point, and helps style the space. This lets you add a color to the walls, but in a more toned down way than having all of the walls painted in a color.

Alternative Design Options

Check out my mood board of using different painting ideas and techniques to create fancy effects, such as using a brush to create a linen texture, or a sponge to create a marble look: Textured Wall Painting Ideas: From Faux Wood to Linen Effects.

You could always get more creative and paint a murial, let your kids finger paint the wall, or stick decals of animals or letters. There is also glow in the dark paint that you could play with – or just star stickers.

Wallpaper is more expensive than painting, but there are some fancy themes your child might like. From superheros, nautical, and sports patterns, to floral designs. Or instead of wallpapering the entire wall, you can add a strip of wallpaper to create a border.

Don’t forget about finishing touches such as crown molding, and trim (post coming soon). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7

Space Saving and Stylish Bedroom Storage Ideas

The bedroom is one place in the home where you really want to have everything stored away and organized. You want your bedroom to be a relaxing space, and if everything is all over the place this won’t be the case. It is also a good idea to try and use bedroom storage ideas that keep everything out of sight, as this will reduce visual clutter making the space feel relaxing.

Space Saving Storage Ideas and Tips

Here are some ways to save space while storing and organizing in the bedroom. These solutions are ideal if you are looking for storage ideas for a small bedroom (Design Tips: Small Bedroom Ideas):

The back of the bedroom door can be used for storage. You can simply attach hooks to hang up clothes, keys, belts – as seen in picture (1). Or you can buy a ‘over the door organiser’.
The inside of closet doors can also be modified to store items. Hooks or an over the door organizers can work here too. Hanging up a peg board is another idea.
Having mirrors on your closet doors, just like in picture (2), adds depth to the room and reflects light around – making the bedroom feel larger.
The space under the bed is always a good place to hideaway and store items. You’ll need a bed that has some floor room. If you are able to see the things stored underneath the bed, you’ll want to get containers that look good – such as wicker baskets (3), or an IKEA under the bed roller container.
Another way to store under the bed is to get an ottoman bed. These are beds that are hinged so you can easily lift the mattress up, and have a large space to store items underneath (4). Perfect for a small bedroom.
Below the bed is great for storage, but so to is above. Take advantage of the height in the room. Place a shelf above the bed to store books, art pieces, and lamps. A built in cabinet will make the most of the space over the bed, just like in picture (5).
Built in closets are definitely the way to go if you are looking to save space. They will be designed to make the most use of the layout in the bedroom. They can be built all the way up to ceiling and you can have corner units built. Not only do they make the best use of the layout in the room, but they will be designed to blend with the space. What this does is make the bedroom look more uniformed, which will give the feeling that the space is larger and more spacious.
Really use the walls if you are tight on space. Have levels and levels of shelves. Floating shelves are great because they don’t take up any floor space, and there are no brackets to clutter up the look of the walls.
A bunk bed is a great space saving solution. It doesn’t just have to be for a kids bedroom. The top level can be the bed area while the bottom level can be a home office or living space.
If you don’t have space for a side table, then have a look at bedside organizers – seen in picture (6).
If you have a small closet then take a look at my post here for specific ideas and photos: Smart Small Closet Ideas and Storage Organization Tricks
Or if you have no closet, then these ideas here will help: Getting Creative: No Closet Solutions and Storage Ideas

A Wicker Door Storage Amazon | B Door Rack Amazon | C Door Organzier Amazon

D Bedside Caddy Amazon | E Bedside Folding Shelf Amazon

More Than 1 Room

If you need to use your bedroom for another purpose, such as a home office, home gym or a craft room, then look to DIY room dividers. I put together a mood board of ideas here: Ideas Mood Board: DIY Room Dividers. For example, if you need to have gym equipment or a home office in the bedroom, you can hang up a curtain so that when the gym or office is not in use you can hide it all away and still keep a relaxing feeling in the bedroom. Another way of adding a home office into the bedroom is to use the closet:

Comfort and Storage

If you’ve got space, put a bedroom storage bench at the foot of your bed (7). It will help when you need to get change, but it can also have a flip top so you can store things away.

F Afton Bedroom Storage Ottoman Wayfair | E Clair Storage Ottoman Wayfair

To make it easy to find things on your shelves and in your closet, look to have lights fitted just for them. They can be lights fitted to the top of the closet that point inwards. They can be lights that are stuck to the top of shelves that automatically come on when you open the closet door. For more ideas and pictures have a look at my mood board here: Closet Lighting Ideas: From Wireless to Walk In.

Creating Style Through Storage

You can add style to your room through how you store things away. The furniture pieces and storage containers you use can act as decor pieces. Here are some stylish bedroom organization ideas: wicker baskets and trays, wire baskets, enamel containers, vintage bottles (Home Decor Ideas: Using Vintage Glass Bottles), French hat boxes, and antique trunks are some elegant storage solutions. Even decorative picture frames can be used to hang up photos, jewelry or keys in the bedroom (Photo Display: Ideas for Shabby Chic Picture Frames and Stands). For more stylized storage ideas have a look at my mood boards here:

Ladders are also another decorative way of storing things in the bedroom. They can be used to hang up blankets, clothes, shoes or magazines (8) (Ideas for Decorating With Ladders).

If you decide to have a vanity in your bedroom, this can also add to the style of the space. Check out the antique style vanity in picture (9). You can also find more modern streamlined vanities too.

For a step by step plan on how to declutter your bedroom, have a look at my post here: Stress Free Living: How To Declutter Your Bedroom

More storage and bedroom mood board posts:

image credits: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

April 17, 2014 in Bedroom, Storage

The Main Design Elements: Simple Bedroom Decorating Ideas

The main pieces in a bedroom, from the bed and bedding to the walls and curtains, can play a big role in how your bedroom is styled and how it feels. These are the areas I’ll be focusing on when it comes to the bedroom decorating ideas below. I’ll be staying away from small decor pieces and accessories, because for me they can easily create a lot of clutter – making the bedroom less relaxing. Here are the main bedroom areas to focus on.

The Focal Point: Around The Bed

The bed is going to be the main focal point in a bedroom. This is because it takes up the most space, and a lot of the bedroom furniture will be arranged around it (side table, lamps). Because this is where the eyes go to first when entering the bedroom, it is an important part in the overall design style and look of the room. There are two main ways you can create a design style here 1) through the bed you use and 2) through the bedding.

The type of bed you use. will help set the design style in the bedroom. You can go with modern looking platform beds, or there are more decorative and traditional style beds such as a sleigh bed seen in picture (1) or canopy beds – ideal for a master bedroom. Have a look at my post here for more ideas and designs: Inspiration Board: Bed Designs, Ideas, and Pictures.

A simple way of styling the bed area is through the bedding you use (2) (3). The colors you use will really set the color scheme for the bedroom. So you want to choose colors that blend well with your overall color palette. If you want to create a traditional style bedroom, go with patterned bedding maybe with a floral design. For a more modern or minimalist look, go with solid colored bedding that has a texture – as the texture adds style to the space but in a subtle way.

Color blocking is also possible with your bedding. You have: the blanket, the pillows, and the headboard. Each section can be a different color, or a different shade of one color. For ideas on headboard designs have a look at my mood board here: Headboard Design Ideas: From Monograms to Fireplace Mantels.

Other decor and design ideas for the bed area include: hanging up drapes or a canopy to create a romantic setting, hanging up string lights for a soft glow, or fitting a chandelier with a ceiling rose over the bed for a formal and shabby chic look.

How To Make Your Bedroom Cozy: Easy Ideas

For Your Feet

A simple way of styling and decorating your bedroom is to use area rugs – just like the bedroom in picture (4). They can add a pop of color to the space, or they can add some style if use one with a pattern or design (chevron, floral). They are also handy when it gets cold as they will keep your feet warm and soften the floor.

The whole floor design can add to the style of your bedroom. Imagine hardwood flooring, or a Herringbone patterned floor. Have a look at my mood board here for flooring ideas and designs: Flooring Ideas for the Bedroom.

Tips for Keeping It Simple

The main pieces and areas in the bedroom, like the bed area talked about above, make a huge difference in the style and how your bedroom feels. Don’t worry about adding in more decorations and stuff. There is already plenty in the bedroom already that can be focused on to decorate the space.

Your Curtains

If you think about it, your curtains play a big role in the design and look of your bedroom. Take a look at how large they are and how much space they take. They might not take up a lot of physical space, but they do take up a lot of visual space – especially when they are closed. What this means, is that the color and design you use will have a big impact of the overall design and style of the bedroom – just take a look at the curtains in pictures (5) and (6). If you use modern purple hookless curtains, you are saying you have a modern style and a purple color scheme in your bedroom. If you go with lace or ruffled curtains with a cast iron curtain rod, you’ll be creating a more traditional and vintage style in your bedroom. For more window treatment ideas and designs have a look at my mood board here: Bedroom Window Treatments and Curtain Ideas.

Quick and Cheap DIY Updates for Your Walls

The frames you use for your mirrors and wall art/pictures can be repainted a new color or replaced to update or change the decor style in the room.

Wall Design

The color of your bedroom walls is another major design element that determines how the space feels. If you go with dark colors, you’ll create a space that feels cozy and intimate. While lighter colors makes a space feel brighter and more spacious. Have a look at my mood board here for a collection of bedroom color schemes: Bedroom Color Ideas: Paint Schemes and Palette Mood Board. Painting your ceiling is another way to decorate the space: Spicing it Up: Bedroom Ceiling Ideas.

You can also get fancy with the look of your bedroom walls by adding some design elements. For example, there are simple wall trim designs, crown molding adds a nice finishing touch, or to break up a solid flat wall there is wainscosting. There is also wallpaper (Wallpaper Ideas for the Bedroom).

Setting The Mood With Lighting

See if you can play around with the lighting in the bedroom to create the mood and style you want. If you want a cozy and romantic space then you will want to avoid using your ceiling lights. Instead use table and floor lamps. Or put your ceiling light on a dimmer switch. If you want to create a large and spacious feeling bedroom then you’ll want to do the opposite. That is, light up the ceiling as much as possible, and all corners of the bedroom.

If you want to create a whimsical vibe in the bedroom, hang up some string lights. Use some LED ones and wrap drapes or light fabric around them to create a soft glow. Another way to add mood lighting in the bedroom is to use a fancy mood lamp, like the one below. These are LED lamps that can be set to a certain color, or fade through different colors. If you have white walls, you can put these mood lamps up against one and completely change the color of your walls. Feeling romantic? Use purple or dark blue. It’s been a gloomy and cloudy day? Bathe your walls in bright yellow or green.

For more bedroom lighting ideas have a look at my mood boards here:

Philips Living Colors Mood Lamp from Amazon

A Clutter Free Bedroom

To create a well designed bedroom you will want to get rid of all the clutter, or at least hide it away. You don’t really need many bedroom decor pieces/accessories. As seen above, the main bedroom pieces such as the bed, curtains, and walls are the major ways to decorate the space. It is best to only have maybe 2-3 decor accessories and pieces in the bedroom. Keeping it to a low number not only reduces the clutter – but since you only have a few pieces, these few items really stand out. So make them meaningful and well thought out pieces.

One quick and simple way to keep clutter under control is to use clutter bowls or trays. Take a look around your bedroom and see where are your clutter problem areas. Do you have a lot of clutter on your bedside table, or on your dressing table? If so, get a good looking bowl or tray (like a wooden one) and throw all the small pieces into it. By grouping these small loose pieces together you create a cleaner look.

For smart and creative bedroom storage ideas have a look at my post here: Space Saving and Stylish Bedroom Storage Ideas. 1/2/3/4/5 & 6

More bedroom design and decor mood boards: