Your bedroom is your haven; it is where you relax and feel at ease. Not only is it vital for your well-being, but when it comes to valuing a property, the primary bedroom is also one of the most important rooms in the house.
Decorating a bedroom is a very personal thing. It is your place to unwind and to consider the day gone by. Here are some ideas you may want to consider for creating a look and feel for your bedroom.
Option: Spring Fresh theme
Create a clean and fresh spring look with a few simple ideas:
• Greens and blues are a great way of adding a feeling of serenity to a room. Use bright green on the walls, if you are trying to brighten up a drab room.
• Choose a picture that you enjoy looking at, one that puts you in a good frame of mind. Use this picture as the basis for your color scheme. You don’t have to match the colors exactly, but use them as inspiration for selecting your main color scheme. Study the colors the artist has used; this is a great starting point for personalizing your bedroom!
• The bed is the focal point of any bedroom, so choose wisely. For a calming effect, stick to beds in neutral colors such as cream or a light pastel color.
• If you find a plain wooden bed, you can use cream mat emulsion paint to give a whitewashed effect. If short on space, get a bed with storage underneath.
• Create subtle lighting by using lampshades.
• To give your room a polished finish, consider making or ordering your own soft furnishings so that you can co-ordinate your bed linen with cushions or curtains.
Option: Bright summer color scheme
Bright and enthusiastic, summer brings a feeling of hope and excitement – a great theme for those who want to gain inspiration from their bedroom.
• Yellow can be a key color for a summer theme. With a direct reference to the sun, yellow is bright and inspirational. Florida style white works as well.
• Secondary colors include those commonly associated with flowers such as orange, lilac and pink.
• Although you may be aiming for a bright look, do not overdo the intensity of the color. Get hold of some tester pots and try them out on a piece of card. Remember that once your entire room is painted in a certain color, it will appear much brighter. Your eye may also tire easily of a too-bright hue.
• Stenciling – when done properly – is a great way to add a personal touch and to break up any over-bearing colors.
• Paint bookshelves and shelf holders to match the colors of your bedroom walls. If you have chosen a bright yellow for your walls, you could try painting the shelves in white to soften the overall look. Crown moulding in white can also achieve the same softening effect.
• Plain wood furnishings tend not to complement a summer look. Opt instead for painted furniture in lighter colors, such as off-white or pastel shades.
Option: Film star fantastic
Want to pretend you’re a movie star in your very own boudoir? Create a film star setting to make you feel like a million dollars, as you drift off into a world of fantasy:
• Key colors can be gold, red, pink, black or ivory. Keep the walls neutral and use stronger colors, such as gold and pink to decorate your bedroom.
• Hang a large and ornate mirror as a focal point. You can find some fantastic mirrors in junk shops or through garage sales.
• Aim to create film star elegance, with showy light fittings and furniture.
• Have a look through junk shops for an old period chair that you can paint in a silver or gold color – a great accessory for any aspiring film star’s bedroom.
Consider zebra patterns within the bedroom. See bedrooms with zebra decor flourishes here.
Option: Traditional Country style
A country style room lends a homey feel; a great place in which to relax and feel comforted at the end of the day.
• Earthy colors work well here. Check out 50 bedrooms here (most of which are in earth tones).
• Create a country feel with some tongue and groove wood paneling.
Combine the tongue and groove with a matching chair rail to give an instant country feel. Finish the look by sanding the top layer and painting the wood in an earthy, country style color.
• Above the chair rail, try using wallpaper to complete the country theme.
• Instead of using pictures, buy or make some hand-stitched samplers.
• Strip floorboards and wash them with a solution made up of vinegar and water, before painting with a pale or neutral color.
• Fine wood furniture, and in particular a rocking chair, is a must for any country themed room.
• Use a hand-made patchwork quilt to complete the look. The quilt can be made from several different colors, so long as you select them from the same palate.
Option: Natural beauty
Create a sophisticated feel by keeping the decorative scheme in your bedroom naturally elegant. White is a fantastic color for creating space, so if you have a smaller room you may wish to consider the natural look.
• White is the key color here; although hints of other neutral colors can also help create the look you’re after. Check out dozens of white bedroom designs here.
• “Natural” themed rooms with a large amount of white are a great way of brightening a room.
• Use simple window shades or roller shades in a plain color, without any fancy decoration. Sand or pale olive is a great choice of color for these types of shades.
• A decorative, plain colored bedstead is a great way to complement a “natural” look room.
• Break up the bright white expanse, with a wooden bedside table or a vase of fresh flowers.
• Choose white linen to complement the look.
Option: Ravishing rose
For some, the bedroom should be a room that exudes sex appeal. Create a sensuous ambiance – somewhere where you can really indulge – with a ravishing rose finish.
• Pink and lilac combined with ivory are the key colors for a sensuous looking bedroom.
• Use ivory as the basis for your color scheme, with flashes of pink and lilac for added sex appeal.
• Keep the wall colors neutral and light, and use darker colors for mirror frames or beds.
• Mix different colored pillows to break up the plain ivory.
• Use textures to create a feeling of sensual pleasure; include a fluffy rug or shaggy cushion.
• Finish the room with a lone flower, in a stem glass vase.
Dreary to dazzling
Decorating a bedroom need not be costly. A few well-placed accessories and a little updating can go a long way towards creating your own heavenly oasis:
• Strip old wood furniture. Paint the wood to give your furniture a fresh new appearance.
• Buy new bed linen: if you cannot afford to splurge on redecorating, simply invest in some fresh bed linen to create a new look.
• Change lampshades to create a new look.
• Add a set of candles to your room; inexpensive yet highly effective and available in a range of colors and scents.
• Stencils and wall decals can also add a fresh look to the room.
• Buy a new rug if you can’t afford to change the whole carpet.
Some other tips for beautiful bedrooms:
• Tidy up! There is nothing worse than having to clear your bed of clothes before you get to rest.
• Reduce the number of pieces of furniture so that the room feels less cluttered.
• In a large bedroom, use a screen to create a private dressing area.
• Place an ornate water jug by the side of the bed – particularly in guest rooms – to save visitors from having to stumble around in the dark.
• Use large mirrors to create an illusion of space.
• Add crown molding to the floor and/or ceiling.
Luxury primary bedroomMost home decorating projects do not need the help of specialists. However, every so often, a project may be more complicated. In such cases, an expert is probably a good idea.
The key is to think of a theme and build around that theme. Have fun and keep all decorating decisions in line with what you want. At the end of the day, your bedroom is your oasis. You want to be surrounded only by what you love.
Image Sources:
- Image 1: articad images on Flickr
- Image 2: home space on Flickr
- Image 4: Matthew Paulson on Flickr
- Image 5: nancy_mic on Flickr
(c) 2015
