If someone walked into your bedroom for the first time, what would their first impression be? Would they describe your bedroom as warm and cozy – modern and minimalistic – a tad cluttered – or in need of a complete makeover?
No matter what our personal living habits are or what our decorating preferences might be, our bedrooms reflect who we are. More than any other room in our homes, our bedrooms serve as our sanctuaries from the world – the place we go to let our guard down. When we’re in our bedrooms, we want to make sure we are able to relax, sleep peacefully, and wake up refreshed.
We want to create a welcoming bedroom that reflects our personalities and uplifts our spirits whenever we enter!
If your bedroom needs a little freshening up, here’s some great news: by selecting the right furniture pieces, color palette, lighting, and learning a few decorating tricks, you can brighten up your bedroom so that it looks its absolute best!
Color Schemes
You can create a color scheme through the use of wall paint and coordinating the colors of the furniture and fixtures throughout the room.
Decorating in terms of color generally means allocating colors based upon the 60-30-10 rule. This means selecting and dividing your colors as follows:
- 60% – Dominant Color (this is the overall color/hue in your theme)
- 30% – Secondary Color (this provides visual interest)
- 10% – Accent Color (this adds sparkle and pop, like jewelry!)
For your bedroom, you might apply the 60-30-10 rule as follows:
- Allocate 60% of the room’s color to the walls.
- Allocate 30% of the room’s color to the upholstery.
- Allocate 10% of the room’s color to an accent piece or floral arrangements.
You could also use this rule to create a monochrome theme using various shades of your favorite color!
Less Is More
Do you prefer a minimalist look in your bedroom? Many times, less is more! The less clutter you have in your bedroom, the brighter the room will look. This is particularly important in a small room, but the same principle can be used to make a larger room look magnificent – you just have to use proportion so scale your pieces!
It’s easier to decorate your bedroom with a central piece of furniture that doubles as a focal piece, like an antique bed and nightstand, or a custom-built armoire, if it takes up most of the space in the bedroom.
Make sure that the furniture and wall colors complement each other.
Layered Bedding
Don’t you love the glamorous look of layered bedding? Layered beds look so beautiful and inviting – they also add an extra pop of color! Layered beds look particularly cozy during the winter.
The easiest way to achieve this look is to make sure that your bed layers and throw pillows are the same color. However, if your bed upholstery is darker on the bottom, you can always use lighter layers on top to brighten the effect!
Headboards
Headboards add a touch of class and elegance to any bedroom – especially if you’re creative enough to create your very own custom headboard! You can make an attractive headboard using curtains – subtle colors give your headboard an elegant touch. You can also be creative by using mosaic tiles in geometric patterns, customizing old wood or wooden shelves to place as headboards, or using uniquely patterned wall panels or patterned fabrics to create a charming space.
Headboards and curtains are among the first things that catch your eyes in the bedroom; combining them into one great decorative piece is sure to be a show-stopper!
Green Touch
Few things revitalize us more than waking up to flower and plant arrangements every morning. Greenery brightens the room and gives it a natural feel. You can place potted plants or flower vases on the nightstand, on your vanity, or on the windowsill.
Do you lack a green thumb or natural sunlight in your bedroom location? Consider using artificial topiary in place of natural plants and flowers! Quality tropical silk plants look quite realistic these days, plus you don’t have to worry about watering or maintaining them. You can also strategically place beautiful large indoor trees around your room if you like as well! You will find many wonderful companies online that deliver realistic and reasonably priced topiaries to your home.
Lighting
One of the most important yet often overlooked parts of your bedroom’s decorating scheme is the lighting. Don’t limit yourself to just one overhead lighting option. If possible, begin by placing your main light on a dimmer so that you can control the brightness of the lighting whenever you enter the room. Next, add chandeliers, decorative lamps, reading lamps, and nightlights to round out your bedroom’s lighting needs.
Depending on where you live and the height of your ceilings, you may want to consider a combination ceiling fan and lighting option.
Artwork And Photographs
Select a piece of artwork you’d like to spotlight in your bedroom and make it your central piece – too much art will make your room look claustrophobic. Use photographs to adorn your walls. You can display artistic photographs on empty walls and panels if desired. Feel free to include one or two favorite photographs in your bedroom, but save most of your family photographs for display on your mantle.
Mirror and Vanity
An eye-catching mirror often sets the tone and theme for one’s bedroom décor. At the very least, the right mirror helps you to feel special and put together as you start your day! Mirrors are often viewed as magical design elements because they can be strategically placed to reflect light and to help small and awkward spaces feel unique, large and bright. Whether you choose a plain or fancy mirror often depends on your space.
Curtains and Rugs
Curtains and rugs provide finishing touches to your bedroom. They also serve great practical functions and help you to finish off your room in style! Your curtains, as a general rule of thumb, should complement your bed. Rugs should be as cushy and comfortable as possible. Choose a color that matches your lifestyle, color preferences, and color scheme.
Tech-Free Zone
Bedrooms are a sanctuary and a place for rest. As such, you should keep electronic devices out of your bedroom as much as possible! Do not set up television sets, radios, and workstations with laptops, iPads, and mobile phones if you want to rest and sleep peacefully. Keeping electronic devices out of your bedroom also frees up space!
Once you’ve set up your dream bedroom, do your best to keep it clear of clutter, so that it is always a place you can retreat to when you need to unwind and restore your soul!
You’ve got it covered! When we did a “refresh,” we went from an outdated version of country/traditional to an updated minimalist-but-cozy transitional/traditional. Pinning.
Dang, those are right fancy and darn pretty too!
Thanks so much for partying with us at the #WednesdayAIMLinkParty and Giveaway! We hope to see you at our next party on Dec-19-2018.
These are excellent tips, Ramona, and I’m feeling very inspired! We’ve had new furniture and curtains recently in our bedroom and I’m enjoying making the room even more of a sanctuary. Sharing on the H&S Facebook page later today. Thank you for sharing, and for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party. Hope to see you again this week. Hope you have had a lovely weekend!
Wow, some great room. Wish mine looked like that.
Yes, I have always loved warm and comfy bedrooms with lots of pillows and am looking forward to our new home to decorate again.
#TrafficJamWeekend
Great tips, my master bedroom needs a facelift, I’ll keep the color scheme tips on mind!
Great tips. Thank you for sharing at #omhgww. See you next week.
Great tips. I really need to buckle down and downsize my furniture. I also like the idea of making your bedroom a tech-free zone. Thank you for sharing at #omhgww. See you next week.
I’m all about colour these days, Ramona! I really love adding more colour to my wardrobe, my rooms and my life. Thank you for sharing this practical advice and great tips for adding colour to bedrooms with the Hearth and Soul Link Party. I’m featuring it at the party tomorrow. Take care and I hope you are having a lovely weekend!
Thanks so much for the feature April.
Have an amazing week! 🙂
Such great ideas! I like the one with artwork. It just looks so peaceful and inviting!
Thanks Donna – I just love a peaceful environment!
Great post — You’ve made so many viable suggestions for improving the decor in any bedroom. Pinned!
Carol
Thanks for the pin Carol!
Thank you for sharing this on Traffic Jam Weekend! It had the most views during last week’s link party. Therefore, it is a part of this week’s party features that will go live on Thursday at 5:00 pm CST.
So glad the weekenders liked this Kimberly – thank you so much for the feature! 🙂
Thanks for all the fabulous bedroom tips. I have started to plan a makeover to my master and you have given me some great ideas.
Thanks Meagan – so glad these helped you! 🙂