When planning your bedroom décor, it’s important to find the sweet spot that takes into account the practical and functional aspects of the room as well as your own individual style. The key concepts to keep in mind are space and storage, accentuating the bed, light, and dressing up the walls.
“With bedroom design, we often jump to asking questions like: ‘How does it look?’” says Cara Newhart, home curator and the DIY expert behind the lifestyle blog and Instagram account Never Skip Brunch, “But the real magic lies in expanding that to include thoughts like, how does it feel, smell, and sound?”
If you’re wondering how to decorate bedrooms for next-level comfort and style, follow these four simple steps.
Step 1 for the Best Bedroom Décor: De-Clutter
No matter the square footage, keeping your bedroom organized and clutter-free is absolutely imperative for sleep health.
Research shows that a messy bedroom can have a negative impact on your mind, leading to overstimulation and distraction. Because relaxation is more difficult in an environment like this, you should aim to make your bedroom a place of ease. Picking the right bedroom decor can help.
To optimize space and cut down on clutter — especially in small spaces — consider furniture that doubles as storage. For example, using a platform bed frame with ample room underneath creates instant under-bed storage where you can keep seasonal items, such as Halloween costumes, sports gear, shoes, and more, out of sight.
Storage benches are another great functional organization piece. You can use it to hold extra blankets and pillows so they don’t take up valuable room in your closet or end up on the floor.
To keep things from feeling too crowded, Newhart also recommends optimizing your vertical space with shelving. In addition to creating more usable space, “thinking vertically also encourages your focal point up versus down, giving the illusion that your space is bigger,” she says.
Step 2 for the Best Bedroom Décor: Emphasize the Bed
The bed should be the focal point of your bedroom. Emphasizing the bed helps the mind to understand that the bedroom is a space for sleep — compared to other rooms where the focal point might be eating or entertainment.
When choosing your bedding, opt for colors that spark joy and fabrics that suit the temperature of your room. For example, if your room runs warm, cooling linens such as woven rayon bamboo or tencel with cooling properties can help you achieve the optimal temperature for sleep: about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. If your room runs cool, using a down fiber comforter as a duvet insert will help keep you cozy.
“I like to layer a lot — maybe too much,” says Lowe Saddler, the interior stylist behind Hot Sunday Home. “I always recommend to start with a fitted and top sheet, then go for a duvet. When the temperatures drop, I finish things off with a light quilt or throw blanket. An abundance of textures just screams comfy and cute.”
According to Saddler, if you’re working from your bedroom, getting comfortable with a throw blanket versus your comforter is a great way to compartmentalize moments in the day.
There is no universal rule when it comes to pillows. Whether you love a bed full of decorative pillows or prefer a single lumbar pillow as an accent to a freshly made bed, make sure your bed meets your own definition of inviting and comfortable.
Step 3 for the Best Bedroom Décor: Control the Light
Whether your bedroom has one window, many windows, or no windows, you’ll want to make the most of the natural lighting that’s available in your space.
For example, if you have a small bedroom and want to make it appear larger, hang a mirror on a wall facing a window. This makes your room feel bigger and brighter by reflecting the window’s light into the whole room.
Another great touch is optimizing small, forgotten corners.
“If you add an extra lamp in a dark corner or a smart bulb that dims gradually or turns off and on with your schedule, it can almost immediately make your room feel less cramped,” says Newhart.
Keeping natural light in mind will also be imperative if you want to add plants to your bedroom. One large plant in a ceramic pot or a sequence of small plants organized on top of your dresser or on a shelf can accentuate the room’s look. To create DIY bedroom decorations, consider buying inexpensive plant pots and painting them yourself to add your own unique style and signature touch.
Although having an abundance of natural light is great during the daytime, it can be an impediment to your sleep early in the morning. If your room gets a lot of natural light, consider upgrading your window shades to blackout curtains. On the other hand, if you’re someone who likes to rise with the sun, sheer curtains are an elegant way to let the light in. You can find curtains in-store, or create them yourself with help from your local fabric store.
Step 4 for the Best Bedroom Décor: Adorn the Walls
Whether your personal vibe is muted and sophisticated or colorful and bold, don’t forget to dress up your walls — wall art can take your room from “sleep spot” to “sanctuary.”
The design possibilities for your walls are endless. After you assess the first three points: space, focal point, and light, the design direction for your walls become a lot easier. No matter if you rent or own, there are a multitude of options that are easy to execute.
If you have a smaller space, you might opt for one large piece of wall art. If you have a moderately-sized space, balancing it out with an eclectic gallery wall can change the entire personality of the room. However, there are no rules when it comes to decorating your walls.
To achieve a gallery wall with a sleek, modern look, choose a uniform frame and print size across a structured part of the wall. To create a more eclectic, diverse, and bohemian feel, select a variation of print sizes and frame styles.
Another great DIY design idea is creating an accent wall wallpaper instead of paint. Peel and stick, removable wallpaper is convenient for renters who may need to return the room to its original bare walls when their lease ends.
READ NEXT: How Do I Choose a Mattress? and 7 Elements of a Great Bedtime Routine
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