0

Where to Start When Decorating a Bedroom: 7 Easy Steps

January 4, 2022
Photo by Chastity Cortijo on Unsplash

I wrote about planning a living room two weeks ago in my blog: Where to Start When Decorating a Living Room: 7 Easy Steps. Even though some of these steps will be the same, bedrooms have their own unique challenges. Follow these tips and your new bedroom will be right around the corner…

“Happiness is waking up, looking at the clock and finding that you still have two hours left to sleep.” 

Charles Schulz
Photo by Ksenia Chernaya from Pexels

1. Start By Measuring The Space

Every design project should start with this step. If you don’t measure you don’t know what you’re working with and working blind is never a good idea. So measure the height of the ceiling, the width of the walls and where the openings (windows and doors) are. In a bedroom you will also want to measure the openings of your closets because obstructing them is usually a bad idea.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

2. Design a Floor Plan – Focusing on the Bed

The bed is almost always the biggest piece in the bedroom; I was on a house tour once where there was a swimming pool-sized jacuzzi in the main bedroom – which is a whole other story – but most often it’s the bed. Think about where you’d like it to go and how easy that positioning makes getting into and out of it. Also consider making the bed when drawing up your plan (no judgement here if you are one of those people who thinks this is foolish waste of time). If you don’t have a clue how big a king is versus a queen or full, follow this link to SweetNight.com for a helpful bed size chart. You can also click on their ad below for great deals on mattresses and bedding accessories.

Photo by Collov Home Design on Unsplash

3. Decide on Your Aesthetic

I find that describing your aesthetic, even in your own words, helps hone in your choices. In clothing, for example, I consider my style “classic with an edge.” It helps me decide if I want to add something to my wardrobe. The same can be said for interiors. You can choose Mid-Century-Modern, as described in all the press, or you can decide that you’re Mid-Century-Girlie or Mid-Century with Asian Influences. Describe your aesthetic and you can more readily make design choices going forward in the project.

Photo by Spacejoy on Unsplash

4. Choose Your Color Palette

I’d say it’s fair to say that the bedroom, overall, should be restful and calming, so color palettes might be well-chosen that keep this in mind. Many people also dress in their bedrooms, so colors that flatter the skin-tone are important too. However, if you’ve just always wanted a dark red bedroom, go for it. Just make your color choices thoughtfully. Get samples form the paint store and live with them awhile before putting down your drop-clothes or calling the painter.

Photo by Im3rd Media on Unsplash

5. Purchase Major Pieces

The bed is one of the biggest furniture investments you will make and it is certainly one that is well worth it when you consider that, according to dreams.co, “the average person spends about 26 years sleeping in their life which equates to 9,490 days or 227,760 hours. Surprisingly, we also spend 7 years trying to get to sleep. That’s 33 years or 12,045 days spent in bed!” Holy Cow! That’s a lot of time. (Never seems that long to me, but that’s another story – lol). So in this step you will purchase or acquire the bed, any dressers and nightstands as well as any benches or chairs (great for putting on your shoes or using as a reading nook – see my previous blog: How to Organize Your Home to Decrease Stress: 5 Suggestions For Your Bedroom).

Photo by mark champs on Unsplash

6. Add Lighting

Lighting is a balancing act, quite literally. You want balanced light throughout the bedroom and you also want task lighting for things like make-up application and reading. Think beyond the ceiling light in the bedroom for a softer glow to the room and the ability to turn the light on/off without getting out of that cozy bed.

Photo by Spacejoy on Unsplash

7. Decide on Accessories and Fabrics

This last step is always the most fun. Choose the accessories and fabrics that work with the design you have put together. Make sure you have a well-lit mirror – that’s essential. Choose art that makes you happy at the beginning and end of your day. Some people make the mistake that art in the bedroom has to be on topic (like signs that say “dream” and the like), but I think any art that makes you feel good goes wherever you want it to in your home. You might also think about adding a dresser tray to coral you perfumes/colognes and personal pictures in lovely frames.

And Now For a Little Music Before We Go…

“My bedroom is my sanctuary. It’s like a refuge, and it’s where I do a fair amount of designing – at least conceptually, if not literally.”

Vera Wang

No Comments

    Leave a Reply