The Top 6 Bedroom Styling & Decorating Tips from an Interior Designer

Our bedrooms should be our sanctuaries — a place to retreat and rest after a busy workday, a place to be with yourself, or cuddle up and read a book. Most of all, our bedrooms should be the most comfortable and calming place in our homes.

However, many people do not know how to properly decorate their bedroom. Many times our bedrooms receive the short end of the stick. We often neglect the room where we spend more than one-third of our lives, by putting the focus on the rooms our guests can see; such as the living room and kitchen.

It’s time to start focusing on yourself; by creating a luxurious, yet comfortable feel in your bedroom. It’s a lot easier than you think, in fact, the basics of styling a beautiful bedroom lay in the next six golden rules below.

When designing your room, choosing your colour palette should be the first step. Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Choose Your Colour Palette

For most people, calm and soothing colours are best in a bedroom. However, some may prefer deep, bright, or very saturated colours to help you feel more awake, alert, or romantic. When we’re choosing bedroom colours, we like to stick to these 3 main categories:

A neutral colour pallet, perfect for incorporating colourful art and pillows. Photo courtesy of Dwaina Sprague Interior Design. Retiring to New Beginnings, Kelowna BC, 2016

1. Calming Neutrals

Neutral colours are great for bedrooms because they are a clean backdrop that allows you to mix light and bright colours in bedding, curtains, carpeting, and artwork.

Popular colours you should consider when choosing to paint your bedroom neutral tones are; Ivory, Taupe, Grey, and White.

Neutral bedroom walls will give you the chance to use accenting vivid colours and patterns to transform the space. If you prefer to keep your bedroom all neutral, add interest with layered bedding and textured accessories.

Soothing shades of pastel blues invoke a calming and relaxing space. Photo courtesy of Unsplash – Space Joy

2. Soothing Pastels

Few colours evoke feelings of chic elegance, relaxation and joy like pastels. Pastels work well in small bedrooms by creating a soothing and light-filled backdrop that increases visual spaces.

The best pastel colours for styling your bedroom are:

• Calming Blues
• Light Yellows
• Soothing Greens
• Soft Pinks
• Shades of Lavender

​​Pastel colour schemes have been around for a while and can be used in many different styles. Pastels are perfect if you want an Eclectic, Shabby Chic, Scandinavian, or summery look to your space.

Deep jewel tones of topaz and gold combined with a geometric wall design provide a romantic, yet cozy mood in the bedroom. Photo courtesy of Unsplash – Space Joy

3. Romantic Deep Tones

If you love bold, bright colours, why not paint your bedroom walls to bring a smile to your face? If you’re an energetic person who loves to be surrounded by saturated colours, then embrace the look! Colours such as deep pomegranate, toasty browns, and topaz will help set a mood for coziness and comfort.

There are a couple of guidelines to remember when choosing dark paint colours for bedrooms, such as navy blue or black, especially if the space is small.

• Avoid feeling boxed in. You don’t need to paint all of the walls the same colour.
• Accent with colours. Choose an accent wall to paint bold and leave the other walls a lighter colour.
• Emphasize length with colour. If you have a narrow bedroom, paint one of the longer walls to highlight the length of the room.

When painting your bedroom, keep in mind that light colours make a space appear larger while dark colours can make the room appear smaller. If there is lots of natural light coming into your bedroom, it may also appear larger than it is.

Choose the Right Furniture

When you’re ready to buy or rearrange your bedroom furniture, start with a floor plan and a measured drawing of the space. When this is done correctly, the furniture should fit comfortably in the space.

Be sure to avoid heavy, large pieces that don’t fit in small bedrooms, as this will make your room look cluttered and smaller than it actually is. If you have a large room, make sure to choose the appropriately-sized options, furniture and accessories that are too small will look lost in a large room.

If your budget doesn’t allow you to go and splurge on brand new furniture, opt for repurposing existing furniture you have in your home with a cool DIY. Other great places to look for affordable options are local thrift stores and Facebook marketplace. By choosing to repurpose, vintage or second-hand items – you can create a personalized piece that’ll fit your style at a fraction of the cost of trendy retailers.

Photo Courtesy of Dwaina Sprague Interior Design: Nicola Street, Vancouver

Opt for Layered Lighting

There is no single light fixture that gives you everything you need to illuminate a room properly, and in our opinion, every bedroom needs multiple sources of light. Interior designers call this ‘layered lighting’.

Layered lighting is a combination of different light sources that are equal parts functional and stylish such as; bedside lamps, floor lamps, ceiling fixtures, and ambient mood lighting. Lighting needs to vary dramatically by time of day, activity, and mood, and there’s no place this is more apparent than in the bedroom.

1. Overhead Lights

Overhead lighting cannot be overlooked. Not only is it an opportunity to make a visual statement, but it often provides the main light source in the room. When choosing the main overhead light, make sure you choose the proper size and style of light for your space.

Flush Mounts are one of the most common and budget-friendly light options and are perfect for low ceilings. On the other hand, chandeliers, and semi-flush-mount light fixtures that hang down from the ceiling are great for homes with 10ft and higher ceilings.

2. Ambient Lighting

Whether you’re choosing sconces, table lamps, or pendants, having a softer light that can be used to read and relax before bed is important. The dimmed ambient lighting helps us unwind and prepare mentally and physically for a good night’s rest.

3. Floor, or Tabletop Illumination

Finally, the third layer is all about balance and light, to make a room feel warm and inviting. A floor lamp or standalone lamp should be placed on a dresser, vanity, side table, or desk to provide balance and light in the space. It also allows you to have an extra chance for shape, texture, height, and finish.

A clean, and organized space will help reduce your stress and anxiety. Photo courtesy of Unsplash.

Clutter-Free = Stress-Free

To allow yourself to fully relax, and be at ease in your room, make sure your bedroom is as clutter-free and organized as possible, you can achieve this by having the most optimal storage, along with simply decluttering.

When organizing your room, make sure to consider every inch of your room – this includes the walls and space under the bed. The following tips focus on cutting clutter, and how to optimize a space’s storage. These tips can be applied to bedrooms of any size.

• Always use under the bed storage, this can be either built-in bed frame drawers or easy-to-access pull-out boxes hidden behind a beautiful bed skirt.
• Opt for a custom-designed closet that is optimized for your clothing and accessory needs.
• The right bedside table will have drawers, or doors to hide your nighttime reads, reading glasses, or your electronic charging station, all while hiding clutter, but keep everything within arm’s reach.
• A trunk, or storage basket at the foot of your bed to hold your extra blankets, pillows, and sheets.
• A hamper, either in the closet, next to the closet, or near the closet, will help clothes stay contained without spilling out all over your bedroom.

Adding plants to your space can provide calmness and reduce stress, along with many health benefits. Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Purify the Air with Greenery

The popularity of house plants doesn’t seem to be slowing down, and the bedroom is no exception! Not only are plants great to look at, but they also offer many health benefits, which means that a plant in your bedroom can be beneficial for you too.

Not only do plants offer many health benefits, but they also add a nice touch of decor and bright energy to any indoor space.They can also boost your mood, enhance your creativity, reduce your stress levels, increase your productivity, naturally filter air pollutants, and much more.

There are many plants to choose from, but here are a few of our easy to care for bedroom favourites:

• Golden Pothos – These are perfect for low-light spaces, easy to care for and look gorgeous hanging over the bed.
• Snake Plant – Another easy, and low maintenance choice. The snake plant thrives off of neglect, so if you tend to kill your plant babies, these will be your new best friend.
• Marimo Moss Balls – A bedside statement piece, these cute Japanese moss balls are a form of algae that grow in water and are so easy to care for, all they need to thrive is; a water-filled terrarium and some love. They are one of my favourite things in my bedroom!

When selecting plants for your bedroom, ensure you choose plants that will suit the lighting available in your room and perhaps take them outside every now and then for a breath of fresh air and sunshine.

Adding candles, incense and diffusers to your bedroom, can completely change your mood and create a transformative atmosphere. Image courtesy of Getty Images.

Add Serenity with Scent

Scent is the sense most closely linked with memory, and it’s actually one of our most powerful senses, it can completely change your mood, as well as transport you somewhere else. By incorporating your favourite scents into your space, it can help create a space that makes you feel safe, relaxed, and happy.

By adding candles, incense, or diffusers to your bedroom, you can create a transformative atmosphere that is both soothing and calming. Having a few candles around your room will provide additional ambience whilst also giving a glorious hint of fragrance. Just make sure to always keep candles at a safe distance from your linens, and extinguish well before you think you fall asleep.

If you don’t want to worry about having to put out your candles at night, you should opt for an oil diffuser. We have been loving the beautiful Saje Aroma Om Diffuser in our bedrooms lately, along with the diverse oil blends Saje has to offer. The best part about these diffusers would have to be the automatic shut-off, which means you’ll be able to enjoy the lovely scent of lavender while nodding off.

Allow Your Bedroom To Be Your Sanctuary

When creating your bedroom sanctuary, make sure you don’t get caught up in too many decorating tips. Remember you’re creating a bedroom that is comfortable and tailored to your needs. Make sure you ask yourself what appeals to you throughout the process of designing, decluttering, and painting because it will be important for your space, and mental health. If you love something specific, make sure to incorporate it!

Our goal is to make a bedroom your place of refuge, and one that promotes calmness, physical intimacy and a good night’s sleep for overall rejuvenation. A place to begin and end your day with success.

Unsure of what to do, or how to incorporate these bedroom design tips? ​​Let us help you with your bedroom design. Contact us for a free estimate