Tag Archives | Inspiration

Headboard Design Ideas: From Monograms to Fireplace Mantels

Modern Ideas: Modern headboard designs will be straight angular shapes – squares and rectangles – like the headboard in picture (1). Having lights fitted to the headboard (2) is great for reading at night and creating a romantic setting (How to Create a Romantic Bedroom: Pictures, Designs and Decor Ideas).

Vintage Style: For a more vintage and traditional style headboard look for French styled ones. These will be rounded, decorative headboards as seen in pictures (3) & (4).

Decorative Headboard Design Ideas: For a personalized touch why not have a monogrammed headboard (5). This can be done through sewing the initials into an upholstered/fabric headboard, or painted onto a wooden one. Another decorative idea is to match the headboard design/pattern with other pieces in the bedroom (6) – like the curtains, wallpaper, or pillow cases.

Rustic and Shabby Chic Ideas: Doors (7) or a fireplace mantel/frame (8) can be used to create a wonderful framed shabby chic styled headboard.

Simple and Creative DIY Ideas: Want any headboard you can think of? How about painting a headboard onto the wall (9) – and using large decorative pillows as padding. Hanging up a curtain arrangement behind the bed is another way to create a homemade headboard (10). And then there is creating a unique headboard using wallpaper and a border (11). Draping fabric over any existing headboard can restyle it instantly (12)

Storage: Putting up a book shelf behind the bed is a great alternative to having bedside tables (13). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13

Creative Bedroom Ideas: From Reading Nooks to Hanging Chairs

March 15, 2013 in Bedroom

Purple Bedroom Designs: Inspiration Mood Board

When we talk about decorating a bedroom in a color, the biggest question is how much purple do you want? Some people will like a bedroom that have all of the walls covered in purple as seen in picture (1). Others will like a more toned down version, and have one wall (usually the one against the headboard) painted in purple while the rest of the walls are painted more neutrally like the purple bedroom designs in picture (2) (3) and (4). Another option is to keep the walls free of purple and instead decorate the room with purple accessories. It doesn’t take much to create a purple color scheme.

Purple Color Scheme: Another design question to go over is what shade of purple to use. Going for a dark purple shade will create a romantic and cozy feeling room as seen in picture (5), but it will also make the space feel a bit smaller and darker (which is alright if you have a large master bedroom). While a light shade of purple will create a bright and spacious feeling bedroom (6). Then there is the option of adding in another color to the palette like the yellow and purple bedroom in picture (7).

The Walls: We always recommend taking a look at our textured wall painting post: Textured Wall Painting Ideas: From Faux Wood to Linen Effects. Yes you can paint a wall in plain purple, but why not get a little create and add a luxurious touch. In the textured painting post we go over simple ideas on how you can create a linen effect (using a dry brush) or a marble texture (using a sponge), plus other simple techniques.

Then there is purple wallpaper. Have a look at our post for ideas and design tips when wallpapering a bedroom: Wallpaper Ideas for the Bedroom.

Purple Accessories: Another design option is to go for neutral white walls and add in purple decor pieces to the room. Take a look at the bed – it takes up so much space in the bedroom that it is a focal point. Just by using purple bedding you’ve already created a purple styled bedroom – like the bedrooms in pictures (8) and (9). Add in a few other purple elements and furniture piece here and there and you are all set – curtains, shag rug, picture or mirror frame (10), etc. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10

March 15, 2013 in Bedroom

Relaxing Bedroom Lighting Ideas

In the bedroom you want to have lighting that is soft and relaxing:

A Relaxing Ambiance: Some mood lighting ideas include fitting lights behind the headboard as seen in picture (1), or hooking up your ceiling lights to a dimmer switch lets you control the brightness and the mood. Check out our How to Create a Romantic Bedroom: Pictures, Designs and Decor Ideas post for some cozy lighting and decor ideas.

Some other relaxing lighting ideas include having flameless battery powered candles, or if you want a more whimsical feel – hang up some string lights (2) (The Free Spirit: Bohemian Bedroom Ideas).

Focusing on the Bed: You want to focus the attention to the bed. You can do this by putting a lamp on each side of the bed (either wall or table lamps), creating symmetry (3). These are also ideal for reading in bed.

Ceiling Lights: The most common ceiling lights found in modern homes and bedrooms are recessed lights (4). These lights fit into a drop down ceiling and all of the hardware is hidden away. You’re left with a clean sleek look. Flush mount lighting is when the light fixture sits just below the ceiling and usually has a cover to diffuse the light. And then there is track lighting (where you have 3-5 lights on one track). Usually you will only need one light outlet in the ceiling for these, and you can angle the individual track lights to different areas in the bedroom.

For luxurious and grand master bedroom lighting designs check out cove lighting (5) (6). This is when lights are fitted into the ceiling and bounce light off of the ceiling and back into the room. Another way of fitting cove lighting is to use crown molding as seen in picture (7). Here crown molding is fitted onto the wall a few inches below the ceiling. This allows space for rope lights to be fitted above the crown molding. What you are left with is a wonderful glow of light that spans across the room.

For high ceiling bedrooms some lighting ideas include using pendant light fixtures or a mini chandelier (8) (9). You can easily convert recessed lights to pendant ones without doing any wiring by using a pendant light adapter. These hanging lights just screw into any normal light socket. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

One last ceiling idea to check out are solar tubes. These are tubes that bring daylight through the roof and into the bedroom. Free lighting! There are some versions that will have a light fitted around them so you can use the same fixture at night.

For a beginner’s guide to home lighting design, have a look at my post here: The Simple Guide: Home Lighting Design Basics.

For large bedrooms, using some wall lighting would be ideal: Designer Home Wall Lighting Ideas.

For some kid friendly bedroom lighting ideas and tips, like soft toy night lights and portable battery powered lanterns, have a look at our post here.

March 8, 2013 in Bedroom, Lighting

Vintage Bedroom Decor Accessories and Ideas

Color Scheme: For a vintage style bedroom you’ll want to go with more neutral and pastel colors like light grey, light brown, light green, or just white as seen in pictures (1) and (2).

Bed Styles: Wrought iron (3) or French bed designs with the large decorative headboards (4) are the best choices. Look for ones with decorative legs.

Furniture Pieces: Look for French style furniture sets. Focusing on French pieces makes decorating a vintage inspired room a lot easier. French design is decorative but timeless. You’ll see the classic rounded shapes and decorative hardware pieces like iron handles and knobs. Check out the French vanity counter in picture (5). Hand painted and chipped furniture would also be a good fit in a vintage bedroom.

Closets: How about giving your closets a vintage makeover. You can do this with a vintage style paint, such as mint, cream, or pastel shades. And then add some vintage style hardware – such as knobs or handles. Or you could even using a ceiling medallion to frame the handle. Have a look at these posts to see what I’m talking about:

Fabrics: When it comes to things like the bedding and throw pillows, floral motifs work best. Or if you want a more homely and informal look how about using a quilt (The Free Spirit: Bohemian Bedroom Ideas).

Other Vintage Bedroom Ideas: When it comes to decorating the bedroom here are some vintage accessories to consider – iron keys, birdcages (6), antique books, vintage maps and globes (7), iron letters, decorative frames (8), and splashes of lace. Vintage watering cans or glass bottles can be used to hold plant stems or candles (9).

Lighting: When it comes to lamp shades you’ll want to stick to the more traditional cone style ones (10). A mini chandelier hanging in the middle of the room will also add a vintage feel to the bedroom (11). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11

If you are looking to put together a vintage style bedroom then check out the shopping guide post I’ve just put together here Home Style Shopping Guide: Vintage Bedroom Edition

Here are some more vintage mood board posts to get ideas from: