There are so many factors to consider when arranging a bedroom, sometimes we get lost where to even start the design.
What makes a bedroom stylish?
How to make our bedroom functional and beautiful at the same time?
What are the essential elements of a bedroom design when we have limited space?
These are all the most asked questions and I will answer them all for you!
While writing this post I realised it would be quite a long read, so I divided into two parts, so make sure you sign up to receive a notification when the next part is published (next week)!
Table of content
Part 1 - this post
Part 2 - coming next week
Stylish window treatments for your bedroom
How to dress your bed to create a stylish bedroom
All you need to know about bedroom lighting
Artwork in your bedroom to add personality
Get the mood right in your bedroom
1. The best bedroom layouts
I start my advice with this. Actually, all design should start with getting the layout right, that we often call the "space planning".
Space planning is simply working out the amount of space we have, how it is best to utilise. We play with furniture layout options and work out what we can fit in comfortably while keeping the space functional. I said "simply", but this is sometimes the most difficult part of a design, especially in small spaces, but large spaces have their own challenges, as well.
So here is some practical advise:
Make sure you have the exact dimensions of your bed. Be carful, as the bed together with the bedframe and headboard is larger than the mattress itself. Depending on the type of bed you have, the bedframe can add 100 - 200 mm to either side. So, make sure you measure your existing bedframe correctly or check the supplier's website for dimensions before you buy. 100mm seems small, but it will all add up in the end and you will be left with no pace for you to walk around comfortably, or to have the enough space for bedside tables.
The minimum clear space to ago around objects is 600mm. Make sure you have this amount of clear space around all 3 sides of the bed to be able to access either side. The headboard is usually against the wall, but if you don't have wall behind it, you will need min. 600mm here, too. If it is absolute necessary, it can be reduced to 500mm but it's certainly a compromise.
Think about the space you need to open wardrobe doors, pull out drawers, etc. You may need to increase the 600mm is some places.
In tiny rooms it is sometimes tricky, but make all the effort to have access to the bed on both sides if it is double or larger. Maybe, if it is a room for a teenager or it is a guest room, you can get away with pushing it to the wall on one side but don't do that if it is in every day use and especially don't if two people uses it.
Try to avoid placing the headboard under the window. You don't want your head under the window while you sleep! It might look great on photographs in some cases, but the window will not be accessible and the temperature is usually cooler and there is always some level of draft coming in. Not good for a good night sleep at all!
image source and more "why not" HERE
If your bedroom is very small, and you like an airy feeling, try to see if you can have your wardrobe in another room, in the hallway, or if you have any other - even smaller - room that you can possibly turn into a dressing room. (This may sounds like a waste of a bedroom, but be honest with yourself, what is the best use of that tiny space.)
This room would be too small for anything else, but it is a great space for A LOT of storage:
Other things you may want to consider having in your bedroom is a reading corner with an armchair, side table and lamp. That would be nice! Can you fit them in?
Do you want a small sofa perhaps? Under the window or at the end of your bed? Or an ottoman? A desk and chair?
2. The hero of your bedroom - The bed!
The most important piece in your bedroom will be your bed. No argument about that. You need choose wisely.
Do have a headboard! This can be part of your bed or can be something mounted onto the wall behind the bed. This can instantly add character to your bedroom so keep that in mind when selecting one. This will also protect your wall when you are sitting in the bed reading, or spinning around with your pillow during the night. It can be soft, cushiony velvet, rustic wood or metal. Don't skip this part. :)
Beds with legs give you the illusion of more space in the room, a bit more airy feeling, while box beds can be used as additional storage if needed.
I have my eye on this one for my new master bedroom, which has legs as well as storage. How great is that!
As the bed takes up most of the space in the bedroom, it is advised that you have a clear vision of what you want the bedroom look and feel like in the end before you choose one.
3. Bedroom storage essentials
I always thought how relaxing it would be to just have a bed with a couple of side tables and nothing else in the bedroom. But the reality is that we actually store a lot of things in our bedrooms. So, as an absolute minimum, you will have:
The bed itself, that can be used as storage space, see above
Bedside tables. This can be a small shelf or a whole chest of drawers and anything in between. What you need to consider here is basically your lifestyle. do you want your bedside table to be enough to hold flowers / plants, a lamp, a glass of water, your book, your phone, candles, photographs? You need a large enough surface for that. Do you want to keep things nearby that you don't want on show? You need it to have at least one drawer. Perhaps you are short on storage space and want to keep your underwear in it too, in which case a smaller chest of drawer can double up as a bedside table. Even a small writing desk will do the job if you like to catch on your journaling before a good night sleep.
Chest of drawers. Like I mentioned above, they can double up as bedside tables, as well, but if not, and you even have a dressing room elsewhere, it is good to keep underwear and other essentials here in the bedroom. I just LOVE chest of drawers, they can swallow up soooo much stuff! they will certainly help you keep the room tidy. Underwear, spare bedsheets, some tech stuff, like chargers, tablets, etc, can all go in there and you can keep some beautiful stuff on top.
Wardrobes. Well, we need to keep our clothes somewhere, and it is usually our bedroom. How to design a wardrobe inside to your needs would be worth a whole other blog post (I might write it soon!), but for now, what you need to consider is whether it will be free standing or built in. In either case you will need to make sure nothing is obstructing opening the doors or you will need one with sliding doors. You will also have to make sure that you can comfortably stand in front of them with the doors open so you can see what's inside. Smaller rooms can benefit form built in wardrobes as they won't overwhelm the space and the limited space can be fully optimised.
It might be a good idea to have some wall hooks where you can quickly hang up your clothes when you undress or prepare your outfit for the next day. Have you ever seen clothes piling up on the floor on a chair during the week? (er...yeah!) Yeah, hang them on the wall nicely instead for future or place them in the laundry bag.
4. Wall coverings in a stylish bedroom
Our walls are the biggest surfaces in our home. Their colour, pattern, texture will instantly transform any space, no wonder a lick of fresh paint is the most popular method to refresh the style and mood of a room.
The second most popular choice is wallpaper. Still fairly easy to install and and not too messy a job. Honestly, the choices are virtually unlimited these days.
The overwhelming choices of paint colours and wallpaper make it possible for fellow designers to totally narrow down their niche and make a living helping others choosing colours only. Fun job I say!!! (A hard one though!)
There are a lot more things you can cover your walls with. Although less widely used methods, they can give you a more unique and "designer" look in your home. I even dedicated a separate blog post to other beautiful wall coverings, Have you seen this post? Go, check out, you will be amazed!
image source: http://www.designer-walls.co.uk/
5. The ceiling of your bedroom
You may be wondering why on earth do I even add this to my list!? :D
But if you think about it, you do actually see your ceiling A LOT in the bedroom, so why not think about it as a great opportunity to do something awesome with it.
Painting the ceiling is becoming fashionable lately but it isn't very new to be honest. Decorating the ceiling is kinda' an ancient thing to do. Well, of course, when we have a low ceiling height we need to careful - or, rather, thoughtful - but it would be a shame not to think about it at all.
Keep the walls fairly neutral in this case!
This is one of those cases when pictures speak a million word so why don't you click on the image below and check out my selection of decorated ceilings on my Pinterest board.
That is it for now, I hope you enjoyed and learnt a thing or two!
Don't forget! More coming next week:
Stylish window treatments for your bedroom
How to dress your bed to create a stylish bedroom
All you need to know about bedroom lighting
Artwork in your bedroom to add personality
Get the mood right in your bedroom
Relax and plan ahead,
Until later, Agi
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