12 Decorating Tips to Make Any Bedroom Look Better
Want to know how to make your bedroom look better? Here are 12 great tricks
Anne Ellard
22 August 2023
Houzz Australia Contributor. Kitchen designer at Kitchens by Kathie in Brisbane, Australia. I strongly believe that above all else, the most important thing when designing a kitchen is creating something that the client loves!
Houzz Australia Contributor. Kitchen designer at Kitchens by Kathie in Brisbane,... More
After a long hard day, whether at work or at home looking after the children, nothing beats the feeling of kicking off your shoes and retiring to bed for the night. Regardless of what you use your bedroom for – working, reading, sleeping – it’s important to create an environment that you feel comfortable in, and there are a few designer secrets you may not have thought of in which to do that.
These tricks, when applied to any sleeping scheme, will not only make your bedroom look great, they’ll also make bed time even more appealing. Want the even better news? It’s not about spending lots of cash. It’s about changing your design strategy and refocusing your priorities.
These tricks, when applied to any sleeping scheme, will not only make your bedroom look great, they’ll also make bed time even more appealing. Want the even better news? It’s not about spending lots of cash. It’s about changing your design strategy and refocusing your priorities.
1. Remove one piece of furniture
A room overcrowded with furniture and accessories can feel disorganised and cluttered. Stand back and access the room with a fresh eye. Do you really need four paintings on the wall or two chairs in the room?
Remove one unnecessary piece of furniture from the room and you will be amazed at the difference. It will create more space, giving the room a less cluttered and more spacious feeling.
A room overcrowded with furniture and accessories can feel disorganised and cluttered. Stand back and access the room with a fresh eye. Do you really need four paintings on the wall or two chairs in the room?
Remove one unnecessary piece of furniture from the room and you will be amazed at the difference. It will create more space, giving the room a less cluttered and more spacious feeling.
2. What size should my bed and furniture be?
When you are shopping for furniture for your sleeping space, be realistic and choose pieces that are an appropriate size for your bedroom.
As wonderful as a king size bed may sound, if you have a small bedroom, the bed will take over your space, making it feel out of proportion for the room. Plus, it will make the circulation around your bedroom more difficult. Instead, opt for a queen size, or if it’s a guest or children’s bedroom, maybe even a double or single bed.
When you are shopping for furniture for your sleeping space, be realistic and choose pieces that are an appropriate size for your bedroom.
As wonderful as a king size bed may sound, if you have a small bedroom, the bed will take over your space, making it feel out of proportion for the room. Plus, it will make the circulation around your bedroom more difficult. Instead, opt for a queen size, or if it’s a guest or children’s bedroom, maybe even a double or single bed.
3. Create one focal point
Instead of trying to cram too many ideas into one room, think carefully about one main feature you would like to create in the space. For example, you may choose to highlight a textured wall with feature lighting and make that the focal point of your bedroom where nothing else fights for attention.
Having too many features or focal points makes a room feel cluttered and busy, with your eyes moving from one element to another, not really knowing where to look. A busy bedroom also does not aid in getting a restful sleep. One focal point will create an initial impact in the room without overwhelming the occupant.
Redesigning your home? Find an interior designer near you on Houzz, browse images of their work and read reviews from their previous clients
Instead of trying to cram too many ideas into one room, think carefully about one main feature you would like to create in the space. For example, you may choose to highlight a textured wall with feature lighting and make that the focal point of your bedroom where nothing else fights for attention.
Having too many features or focal points makes a room feel cluttered and busy, with your eyes moving from one element to another, not really knowing where to look. A busy bedroom also does not aid in getting a restful sleep. One focal point will create an initial impact in the room without overwhelming the occupant.
Redesigning your home? Find an interior designer near you on Houzz, browse images of their work and read reviews from their previous clients
4. How to declutter your bedroom
Nothing is more off-putting and frustrating than the sight of mess and clutter when you walk into a bedroom at the end of a long day. Try to create a home for everything that you use in your bedroom.
So, what are the best ways to declutter a bedroom? Keep a toy box in a children’s bedroom so you (or even better, your kids) can scoop up all the toys on the floor and store them away in seconds. Also keep a laundry basket in or near the bedroom so dirty laundry has a better chance of making it off the floor and into the washing machine.
Making your bed in the morning before you start your day might not be top of your list of tasks, but trust me, you will thank yourself later when you walk into your bedroom to find a beautifully made inviting bed to snuggle into.
Nothing is more off-putting and frustrating than the sight of mess and clutter when you walk into a bedroom at the end of a long day. Try to create a home for everything that you use in your bedroom.
So, what are the best ways to declutter a bedroom? Keep a toy box in a children’s bedroom so you (or even better, your kids) can scoop up all the toys on the floor and store them away in seconds. Also keep a laundry basket in or near the bedroom so dirty laundry has a better chance of making it off the floor and into the washing machine.
Making your bed in the morning before you start your day might not be top of your list of tasks, but trust me, you will thank yourself later when you walk into your bedroom to find a beautifully made inviting bed to snuggle into.
5. How to bring light into a dark room
Add a mirror to the wall adjacent to or across from a window in the room. This will immediately add more light to the room as the mirror will bounce the natural light around, softening shadows that may have darkened your bedroom before. If you have a nice view, it will also bring more of the view into the room, again making the room feel bigger. An extra mirror in a bedroom is also handy for a last-minute glance before you run out the door.
Add a mirror to the wall adjacent to or across from a window in the room. This will immediately add more light to the room as the mirror will bounce the natural light around, softening shadows that may have darkened your bedroom before. If you have a nice view, it will also bring more of the view into the room, again making the room feel bigger. An extra mirror in a bedroom is also handy for a last-minute glance before you run out the door.
6. Avoid the ‘catalogue’ look
We’ve all opened a brochure or catalogue from our favourite interiors store and thought, ‘Wow, I want exactly that look in my bedroom’. But when you are purchasing soft furnishings for your room, try to mix it up a bit. Avoid choosing items that are all from the same range.
Mixing and matching your soft furnishings will create a less formal look and instead make your bedroom feel effortlessly stylish.
We’ve all opened a brochure or catalogue from our favourite interiors store and thought, ‘Wow, I want exactly that look in my bedroom’. But when you are purchasing soft furnishings for your room, try to mix it up a bit. Avoid choosing items that are all from the same range.
Mixing and matching your soft furnishings will create a less formal look and instead make your bedroom feel effortlessly stylish.
7. Choose a statement bedhead
Frame the bed with a statement bedhead – you can make any plain old bed look amazing with the right bedhead. Depending on the style of your home and the look you like, you could opt for a natural-looking timber bedhead, an ornate iron bedhead, or maybe even a soft upholstered bedhead.
If you are choosing a fabric bedhead, consider incorporating colours from the fabric into other fabrics in the room, such as pillows and bed linen, or make the bedhead stand out as a feature in the room by placing pillows in contrasting colours against it.
Browse more beautiful Australian bedrooms
Frame the bed with a statement bedhead – you can make any plain old bed look amazing with the right bedhead. Depending on the style of your home and the look you like, you could opt for a natural-looking timber bedhead, an ornate iron bedhead, or maybe even a soft upholstered bedhead.
If you are choosing a fabric bedhead, consider incorporating colours from the fabric into other fabrics in the room, such as pillows and bed linen, or make the bedhead stand out as a feature in the room by placing pillows in contrasting colours against it.
Browse more beautiful Australian bedrooms
8. What colour scheme should my room be?
Choosing the right colour scheme for a bedroom, regardless of whether it’s a master, children’s or guest bedroom, will aid a restful night’s sleep and will have an instant calming effect on the occupier as soon as they enter the room. Soothing neutrals colours include colours such as light greys and browns, beige and cream. Enhance the scheme by adding some colour in the form of pastel blues, soft pink, or pale greens, golds and yellows.
Try to avoid bold colours such as strong primary colours as they can be over-stimulating in a bedroom and make it more difficult to relax.
Choosing the right colour scheme for a bedroom, regardless of whether it’s a master, children’s or guest bedroom, will aid a restful night’s sleep and will have an instant calming effect on the occupier as soon as they enter the room. Soothing neutrals colours include colours such as light greys and browns, beige and cream. Enhance the scheme by adding some colour in the form of pastel blues, soft pink, or pale greens, golds and yellows.
Try to avoid bold colours such as strong primary colours as they can be over-stimulating in a bedroom and make it more difficult to relax.
9. Which window dressings are best for bedrooms?
Window dressings do so much more than block light in a room. They dress a window and add an element of interest. They can be used to add drama to a room or can be understated and elegant. Either way, they will have a huge impact in a bedroom.
Even if you have short windows, consider hanging curtains that drop all the way to the floor – they will look so much more opulent and make an ordinary window look so much more interesting.
If privacy is an issue, sheer curtains are a great idea. They can remain drawn during the day and still allow light in. Use a blind behind sheer curtains to block light when needed, or layer a second pair of heavier curtains in front for a totally divine look.
Window dressings do so much more than block light in a room. They dress a window and add an element of interest. They can be used to add drama to a room or can be understated and elegant. Either way, they will have a huge impact in a bedroom.
Even if you have short windows, consider hanging curtains that drop all the way to the floor – they will look so much more opulent and make an ordinary window look so much more interesting.
If privacy is an issue, sheer curtains are a great idea. They can remain drawn during the day and still allow light in. Use a blind behind sheer curtains to block light when needed, or layer a second pair of heavier curtains in front for a totally divine look.
10. Sink your feet
Remember the last time you walked into a hotel room that had a plush carpet under foot; remember how luxurious it looked and how you felt like you could melt into it …or even sleep on it!
Carpet is the most inviting, warm and cosy looking floor finish for a bedroom, helping you to feel relaxed. Plus, it’s a welcome relief for tired feet at the end of a long day.
If you have tiles or timber on your bedroom floor, make the overall look of the space feel softer and more inviting by adding a soft rug.
Remember the last time you walked into a hotel room that had a plush carpet under foot; remember how luxurious it looked and how you felt like you could melt into it …or even sleep on it!
Carpet is the most inviting, warm and cosy looking floor finish for a bedroom, helping you to feel relaxed. Plus, it’s a welcome relief for tired feet at the end of a long day.
If you have tiles or timber on your bedroom floor, make the overall look of the space feel softer and more inviting by adding a soft rug.
11. Should I paint my walls and ceiling the same colour?
Consider painting the ceiling the same colour as your walls. This will ease the shadow lines between the walls and the ceiling, tricking your eye into thinking that the room is more spacious than it actually is. If, however, you prefer a more tonal paint palette, opt for a lighter colour for your ceiling and a slightly deeper paint shade for your walls.
Light and bright paint colours are a great choice for bedrooms because they make the room feel open and spacious – especially useful if the room is smaller than you would like. You can experiment with different paint strengths – half and quarter mixes of the same paint – which are guaranteed to complement one another.
Consider painting the ceiling the same colour as your walls. This will ease the shadow lines between the walls and the ceiling, tricking your eye into thinking that the room is more spacious than it actually is. If, however, you prefer a more tonal paint palette, opt for a lighter colour for your ceiling and a slightly deeper paint shade for your walls.
Light and bright paint colours are a great choice for bedrooms because they make the room feel open and spacious – especially useful if the room is smaller than you would like. You can experiment with different paint strengths – half and quarter mixes of the same paint – which are guaranteed to complement one another.
12. Layer up and lie back
Last but not least, put some finishing touches to the room. Nothing makes a bed look more inviting than luxurious layers of linens and pillows.
Layer quilts and throws at the end of the bed over the bedspread. Not only do they look great but its nice to have a little extra cover close to hand if it gets cold during the night.
Square European style pillows look great combined with regular shaped pillows. Try positioning a European-style pillow with a contrasting colour pillowcase behind your rectangular pillows. Then layer decorative cushions in front. It might take a minute or two to find your way into bed past all the pillows and cushions, but it will look great.
Last but not least, put some finishing touches to the room. Nothing makes a bed look more inviting than luxurious layers of linens and pillows.
Layer quilts and throws at the end of the bed over the bedspread. Not only do they look great but its nice to have a little extra cover close to hand if it gets cold during the night.
Square European style pillows look great combined with regular shaped pillows. Try positioning a European-style pillow with a contrasting colour pillowcase behind your rectangular pillows. Then layer decorative cushions in front. It might take a minute or two to find your way into bed past all the pillows and cushions, but it will look great.
Your turn
What decorating tricks have you used to make your bedroom look great?
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Need more top tips for your renovation or build? Check out this story – Room by Room: Experts on Ways to Avoid Common Renovation Blunders
What decorating tricks have you used to make your bedroom look great?
More
Need more top tips for your renovation or build? Check out this story – Room by Room: Experts on Ways to Avoid Common Renovation Blunders
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Thanks for sharing these tips to make any bedroom look better and great. I used these tips to make my room feel more spacious & better. I used some other tips also which are mentioned on another website - KnockonWood. So I combined the tips from both websites and make my room great. Once again thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Aren't we all tired of removing all those throw pillows every night and putting them back on every morning? And meanwhile they sit on the floor and get dusty and guest what, add clutter!
Cindi I find the Euro pillows are great for sitting up in bed though so we do use them quite a lot.