The Basics of Bedroom Décor & Design

If you’re in the process of building your home, you’ve undoubtedly been making decision after decision about the design of each room. When the time comes to decorate your bedroom, you might just want to shove a mattress on the floor and call it a day. Before you do, know that designing your dream bedroom might not involve as much hassle as you think. In fact, one or two trips to Kmart should be all you need (yes, we recognise we have a small Kmart addiction, and yes, we have no intention of getting help).

Step 1: Choose a ‘base’ or ‘main’ colour

Before you buy anything, you should decide on the colour scheme of your bedroom. Consider the look you’re going for when you pick out flooring, paint colours and eventually, your furniture to match. We recommend sticking to neutral colours and choosing new décor when you want a change. This will avoid a complete room overhaul that involves repainting walls. Trust us, your wallet will thank you.

Step 2: Choose your furniture

You know the drill – bed, nightstands, dresser. Make sure you have the correct measurements when you’re picking out your furniture or you might end up having to position your bed diagonally across the room. Not a great outcome for most of us. Your design choices will depend on the amount of space you have. For example, if you don’t have much room for a nightstand that will accommodate a lamp, water glass, phone etc., consider installing a light on the wall behind you, leaving you space on your nightstand for the things you need to access easily. If you choose to assemble your furniture at home, give yourself plenty of room to manoeuvre and don’t forget your drill and hammer. And for those of us with partners who refuse to read the instructions, don’t forget a very large glass of wine.

Step 3: Storage

Giving yourself ample storage space in your bedroom will never go awry. If you don’t have a lot of space to work with, there are some clever storage options that will keep your room looking neat and tidy. For example, floating shelves are the perfect home for things such as books, jewellery and photo frames that don’t need much-coveted floor space. You can use wicker baskets to store things under your bed and invest in an end-of-bed trunk or ottoman to store extra blankets or linens. Check out Apartment Therapy and Better Homes & Gardens for more tips on how to make the most of the space you have.

Step 4: Curtains

Adding curtains is great way to add some colour or decoration to your bedroom. Make sure that the curtains you choose are just long enough to ‘kiss’ the floor or windowsill and are at least twice as wide as the actual width of the window. This will avoid excess light creeping in and waking you before your alarm goes off… the prettiest curtains in the world aren’t worth that torture.

Step 5: Lighting

Lighting choices are particularly important if your bedroom doesn’t get a lot of natural light. We recommend installing a few different lighting options, including overheads and lamps, and include a dimmer switch if you can. For the somewhat lazy folk like us, you might want to add a light switch next to your bed, so you don’t have to get up to turn the light on and off. Stay tuned for more lazy tips below.  

Step 7: Décor

Get in losers, we’re going shopping.

Now comes the time to choose those items that will help elevate your bedroom into your own personal sanctuary, somewhere you can feel truly relaxed and at ease.

Pick out some throw pillows for the bed to add some colour and texture to the room. If you keep your base colour simple, then you can alter the look and feel of your room by merely changing the colour of your pillows or bedspread.

You can also choose a funky hamper to pop in your closet or in the corner somewhere. This can be used to store washing or to disappear those clothes that you’re too tired or lazy to put away. Unlike the chair that we’ve all used at some point to store our clothes, no one will ever know what your hamper is hiding. RIP clothes chair, the hamper is here to stay.

If your room is still looking a little bare, consider choosing a rug for the floor. If you have tiles or floorboards, a rug will be a godsend on those cold winter mornings. If you have carpet in your bedroom, then consider adding a rug with a different texture (e.g., a shag rug).

If space allows, you can also add a print or two to the walls – just make sure that the Star Wars poster your partner has an unusual attachment to (though you’d rather move out than have to look at every day) mysteriously goes missing during the move. If your partner asks, we suggested nothing.

Lastly, choose some knick knacks that add a homely touch. Preserved flowers or small plants go a long way, as do books and photos. While having some of these items around is important for making your bedroom feel lived-in and warm, try to limit the amount of clutter you have. You don’t need to aspire to Kim K’s level of minimalist but keep the clutter under control and you’ll have much less to dust. Priorities, folks.

We present… your perfect bedroom

We hope that this blog has been helpful in giving you some ideas when creating a space that is reflective of your favourite colours, textures, and designs. Even though it’s an area many of your guests may never actually see, your bedroom deserves a great deal of attention; it represents a safe space where you can rest, recharge and reflect. For more suggestions, have a read of our other blogs here.