The bedroom can be an intensely personal place – a private haven to retreat to and rest. So decorating a bedroom is also a very personal exercise
Most people will agree that bedrooms can and should be both comfortable and decoratively attractive, as well as practical, as least to a degree. While a bedroom may be just a place to sleep, when space is at a premium, we are often forced to increase the function of the bedroom so that it becomes, for example also a place to watch television, to sew or read, or even a place to work. At the same time, those people who are lucky enough to have large bedrooms, are able to furnish and decorate them so that they are both good-looking and multi-functional.
So you will see that decorating ideas for a large bedroom will relate to function as well as style and possible genre. They will also depend very definitely on whose bedroom it is. Whilst the typical adult bedroom can become a boudoir from which animals and children are banned, many young parents will be more likely to want a welcoming and safe place where children pile into bed with them and dogs curl up next to the bed. Decorating a bedroom for a child or teenager will be quite a different issue, since their needs are quite different. Similarly, the process you will follow to decorate a spare bedroom, large or small, will be different to the process you would be likely to follow choosing items for your own personal room.
For any bedroom to function successfully, it is important to put some careful thought into the planning process – before any type of decorating begins. For instance you should consider the shape and size of the room you are working with and look at this in relation to the functions the room will fulfill. Working with a large room is not necessarily easier than working with a small one. Sometimes the demands of small spaces make us more creative and imaginative. Large bedrooms often just end up with lots of empty, unused space.
During the planning stage, you should pay attention to every aspect of the room including:
- wall and floor surfaces,
- electric plug points,
- lighting considerations, and
- windows, particularly any coverings you want to include.
Then you can decide what sort of furniture to include. Clearly a bed is the first consideration, but then you will need to decide whether you want to include seating, a table, a dressing table, freestanding (rather than built-in) cupboards and so on.
Bedroom style
If you have chosen a well defined style for your home, then your bedroom should probably be decorated in a similar way. Examples include a timeless country style, a comfortable Mediterranean or Caribbean style, an interesting Oriental style, or perhaps a starkly simple Japanese style. Other possibilities include a busy Victorian style, quaint and characteristic cottage style, or something that mimics the Modern Minimalism of the early 20th century.
If you are drawn to a particular style and are looking for decorating ideas for a large bedroom, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the style before you try to implement it.
With a style or theme in mind, you can go about choosing all the other elements, and then put them all together in a special way that pleases you.
Bedroom furniture
The bed will be the focal point in just about any bedroom and you will need to choose it for both comfort and style. Of course comfort normally relates to the quality of the mattress, while style will be shown in the type of bed, its headboard (if there is one) and in the soft furnishings including sheets and covers that you choose to use. Padded headboards can add a sumptuous feel to the bedroom as can drapes and lavish pillows.
The next item of furniture to look at will be bedside tables or cabinets. Again your choice will depend on the look you want to achieve. While many people buy furniture that is made specifically for use next to the bed (sometimes part of the headboard), this is not necessarily the nicest option. Also, many people match whatever is used on either side of the bed both in terms of the item of furniture and any accessories like lamp stands. But you might like to consider using different tables, for variety and interest. Or even chests of drawers instead of tables.
When it comes to dressing tables, these seem to come and go from fashion over the decades. But they are around, and can be as diverse as antiques that include a mirror, ranging from Victorian pieces to those made from Oregon pine in glorious cottage or country-style, to simple table-type units made from laminate board and sprayed to achieve a smooth, clean finish. It can be very frustrating when you can’t find exactly what you want, but there are craftsmen all over the world who will make bedroom furniture, including dressing tables, to order.
Other furniture items that will look good in a large bedroom include writing desks, sofas and chaise longues, chairs and tables, kists and chests of draws. Since the bedroom is a perfect place to read in quiet and comfort, decent looking book shelves are also a good idea. Period-style furniture (either antique or reproduction) will go a long way to creating a very special look, while the glowing gold hues of Oregon pine cottage and country furniture will add warmth and charm.
Positioning the bed and arranging the furniture
Having decided what furniture to include in your bedroom layout, you will need to decide where it will all go. First step will be to position the bed. This is a key to how the room will work. You don’t want your bed to be in a draughty position and you don’t want it to get in the way of the people who will use the bedroom (the pros call this traffic flow!) You may also have clear thought in terms of the direction in which you want your bed to face.
Color and soft furnishings
Color has an enormous impact on any room, not least of which is the bedroom. Remember that some colors are cold while others are warm and sunny. Don’t be a slave to fashion – rather choose colors that you like and feel comfortable with. Since we change our bed linen frequently, it is also possible in the bedroom, to change the look from time to time. But you need to be clever about this in terms of the shell in which you work.
Choose neutral colors for the floor (a wooden floor or neutral hued carpet) and something either neutral or versatile for the walls. Curtains and blinds are important especially if you are going to mix and match your bedding. While many people like to match curtain fabrics to the bedding, or at least to some kind of cover or to cushions, that approach can be quite limiting.
Lastly, whether you’re looking for decorating ideas for a large bedroom or a small bedroom, if it’s your own bedroom, choose colors with care as this is the room where each day will begin and end for you.