You may spend most of the time in your bedroom asleep, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be beautiful. We’ve gathered our favorite bedroom decor ideas to help inspire your own eye-opening transformation. Whether you’re dreaming of a serene retreat, a bright and energetic spot, or a more dark and moody design, there are primary bedroom ideas for every space in this collection of stylish rooms.
1. Keep the palette light
A bedroom should be a place to relax after a long day, so it’s no wonder a neutral color is a popular choice. Try soft whites with a bit of warmth to keep the space from feeling stark. In this Texas bedroom designed by Marie Flanagan, whites, tans, and soft grays create a serene space.
2. Don’t be afraid of black
Dark colors can add impact to a boring bedroom. White elements, such as painted trim or crisp bedding, help the space feel less cave-like. In actor Shay Mitchell’s primary bedroom, walls painted in Farrow & Ball’s Down Pipe contrast with the white furnishings and gold accents.
3. Go bold with pattern
From wallpaper to bedding and curtains, there are plenty of places to add pattern in a primary bedroom. Start small with patterned throw pillows or go all out with floor to ceiling prints, as Miles Redd did in this Connecticut home.
4. Create a jewel box
Using one color throughout the entire space helps the room feel cozy and intimate. In her Manhattan primary bedroom, designer Alexa Hampton used rich plums and deep crimsons.
5. Wallpaper the ceiling
Embrace your low ceilings and make them the focal point by wallpapering the surface. Interior designer Jenny Wolf covered the primary bedroom of her Brooklyn townhouse with a black and white floral motif by House of Hackney.
6. Try blue and white
The calming color combo was practically made for bedrooms. Whether you pair a preppy navy or a soft sky blue with crisp white, your look will be an instant classic. In artist Cindy Sherman’s Hamptons primary bedroom, designer Billy Cotton used a bright cobalt and soft white.
7. Mix antique and modern pieces
If your style falls somewhere in between contemporary and traditional—or you just want to keep your space from feeling one-note—try to incorporate a mix of styles. Vintage and antique pieces will add warmth, while sleeker furnishings will make sure the end result isn’t too stuffy. Alex Kalita of Common Bond Design brought in a rosewood secretary to soften the lines of her primary bedroom.
8. Create a layered look
A bedroom should always have a bit of coziness and one of the easiest ways to achieve that extra warmth is by adding layers. Top durable sisals with plush rugs and add throw blankets and pillows to the bed. Designer Neal Beckstedt created soft surroundings in this New York City bedroom.
9. Add a seating area
Make your bedroom a place you can kick back and relax by adding a sofa or even just a comfortable armchair. Designers Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent included a 1950s Danish sofa in their New York City primary bedroom.
10. Make the bed the centerpiece
The bed is obviously the most important element of a bedroom, but it can also be the showstopping piece in the space. Play with scale and find a bed that commands the room, no matter how large your space is. Designer Max Humphrey chose a curtained four-poster for his own Oregon primary bedroom.
11. Energize your bedroom with color from the floor to the ceiling
Make your bedroom burst with color by using color from floor to ceiling. Choose a color like green or orange to infuse the space with energy. A bedroom like this will make waking up easy.
12. Add a wall mural
Adding a large wall mural above your bed or on a bare wall can transform your entire primary bedroom. If you want to create a mural that’s less of a commitment, you can always opt for a removable wall mural. Minted’s line of removable wall murals features award-winning designs from independent artists and are definitely worth checking out.
13. Infuse your space with florals
Create a whimsical wonderland with floral patterns that bring the outdoors inside. Whether it’s floral wallpaper or fabrics (or both), a blooming bedroom is a pleasure to wake up to.
14. Paint an accent wall
According to feng shui experts, the wall facing your bed is the most important wall in your entire home. To that end, painting it a calming color (being, lavender, blue, green or gray) can have a prodigious effect, like in this modern bedroom.
15. Throw on the stripes
Another one of our favorite primary bedroom decorating ideas is the inclusion of stripes. They’re a classic choice that are right at home in any primary bedroom. For an unexpected use of stripes, choose a bright color or a pattern with wide lines. Stripes can appear anywhere, including bedspread, area rug, lamp or the walls.
16. Let the linens do the talking
Whether your design ideas skew minimalist, maximalist, or boho, the linens you choose for your bed have the potential to set the tone in your bedroom. In Fanny Singer’s Silver Lake pad, she opted for bold colored pillows and a thick striped coverlet over a duvet, speaking to the playfulness of the rest of the apartment.
17. Add in floating storage
Getting shelves and nightstands that mount on the walls is a simple home decor trick to make your room look less cramped without sacrificing the storage potential of these pieces—perfect for a small bedroom especially. The Kroft custom, floating nightstands in this 1,000 square foot Williamsburg apartment by Molly Torres Portnof of DATE Interiors are the perfect example.
18. Go all natural with the theme
Looking to create a calm oasis? Opting for a natural color scheme and materials in your bedroom can be the best route there, as you can see in designer Joana Astolfi’s own Lisbon apartment.
19. Play off of existing elements
In Kayla Dalle Molle’s apartment, the colorful modern furniture makes an even bolder statement because of its contrast with her building’s built-in wood elements.
20. Add a gallery wall
An eye-catching gallery wall can make your bedroom feel sophisticated and luxe, plus it saves you from boringly plain bedroom walls. Interior designer Philip Gorrivan used a gallery wall in his East Village apartment’s bedroom, placing framed works on the wall to the left of the bed and around the tufted headboard. Only an expert would think to pick bed linen that matches the tones of the artworks too. This is one bedroom design idea you could easily pull off in a small space as well.
21. Use a shelf as a nightstand
A full-on shelf might not be the most expected piece of bedroom furniture, but by using one as a nightstand, you can make your square footage pull double duty, like in the London townhouse of Jamb London founder Will Fisher. We could all use more space for knickknacks and books, right?
22. Bring in a dramatic headboard
While you could opt for a platform bed instead of a proper bed frame and headboard if you want to go as low impact as possible in a small bedroom, a dramatic headboard can carry a lot of weight for your bedroom design. Something with dimension does particularly well in a space with a lot of natural light, as you can see in Rachel Traub and Todd Banhazl’s Silver Lake neutral bedroom, but an upholstered headboard is another great choice, as is something made from a natural material, like rattan. A headboard can be a lovely way to add in a pop of color if you’d rather not paint your white walls—two birds, one stone.
23. Pop on some sconces
Skip table lamps and opt for wall sconces which save space and always feel more impressive than other light fixtures. The sconces in this Amsterdam primary bedroom by designer Madelon Oudshoorn Spaargaren allowed for smaller nightstands that take up less space in the room. If a big ol’ chandelier doesn’t fall into your bedroom makeover plans, for reasons of space or otherwise, sconces will add a similar, sophisticated appeal to your bedroom. Sconces can be a great choice if you add a reading nook to your space too.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I decorate my bedroom?
Bedroom decor ideas depend largely on how you will use your room. Do you have roommates who hog the common areas, leading you to spend most of your time in your bedroom, asleep or not? Or do you spend a lot of time elsewhere in your home and hope for your bedroom to be a nighttime only oasis? Your answer could dramatically change the best way to go about decorating your bedroom, but in either case, you should start with a bed, bedside tables, and some kind of clothing storage. From there, pick a color palette that speaks to the mood you’re trying to create and pick your decor objects, artwork, and textiles based on it.
How do you style an awkward bedroom?
With an awkward shaped bedroom, the best thing you can do is reconsider what pieces are most important to you. Maybe you don’t need two nightstands if having both makes it harder to layout the room. Maybe you can use under the bed storage rather than a clothing rack if there’s no room for the clothing rack. Consider elements that can distract from the awkward layout without taking up extra space. Unexpected paint colors, wall coverings, window treatments, or a fun pendant light are all finishing touches that can make a big impact on the overall impression of the space.
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