Bedroom Decorating Ideas

Whether you're decorating a master bedroom, a child's room, a teenager's room, or a guest bedroom, follow this expert decorating advice to create the mood you desire.

In this article, you'll learn about decorating styles that will help you create the bedroom you want:

Comfortable and Cozy

Creating space that meets all your requirements might simply involve choosing the fabrics, colors, and furnishings that make you feel good.

Island Getaway

Among the most popular bedroom themes is the island paradise. Find out how to integrate this look into your bedroom.

Parisian Styling

Borrowing from French tradition and Parisian sensibilities helps to create a romantic mood. Learn how to develop this mood in your sleeping space.

Pink and Pretty Girl's Rooms

Nothing is more fun for mother or daughter than creating the ultimate pink bedroom. Find out how to select just the right shade of pink, and learn about all the frilly extras.

Faux Painting

Apply your eye for style and creativity on a faux project that will transform the look and feel of your bedroom.

Traditional European Style

Find out about the decorating techniques used by Europeans.

Choosing Themes

Knowing how to theme your bedroom can be a challenge. Read about various decorating themes and find out how to choose the theme that's best for you.

Relaxing and Casual

Create an oasis that seems miles away from the rest of your home -- as pace of your own.

Here are some additional helpful tips for taking on a bedroom decorating project:

Master Bedrooms

Master bedrooms are not just spaces where we go to slumber. They are relaxing havens where we can examine the day's events and retreat into a meditative and inquisitive state. Do you want your bedroom to be a Zen-like sanctuary filled with soothing neutral tones or a French provincial bonbon?

Make it the bedroom of your dreams with a sleep-inducing bed, adequate storage, and good lighting. Include family photographs, a TV, a sound system, a desk -- whatever makes you content.

Follow the experts' counsel: Expand a tight room with light colors and filmy curtains, and cozy up a big room with warm tones (such as raspberry or periwinkle) and patterns (such as gingham, toile, or stripes). To make the most of every foot of space, station bigger pieces of furniture parallel or perpendicular to the walls.

No matter whether you choose funky mismatched nightstands or the pair that came in your bedroom suite, be sure they are as high as the top of the mattress. You don't want to have to fumble in the dark for the phone or your alarm clock.

Boost a boring nightstand set by including a quirky flea-market find such as an old chest to hold extra blankets.

A miniature muslin bag stuffed with rosemary or lavender will prevent mustiness and keep a chest, drawer, or linen closet smelling fresh. Attractive, quality linens will ensure a heavenly rest.

Kids' Rooms

From nursery to preteen, it happens fast! Choose neutral colors and wallpaper that will adapt as the child grows. In lieu of bunnies, use a small-print wallpaper. Rather than buy furnishings that are age-specific, look for pieces that will endure, such as a rocker or armoire. The armoire can hold toys now, electronic gear later.

If you're remodeling, install childproof electrical outlets for future use. Built-in bookcases and dressers provide lasting storage. Shelves, window seats with pullout drawers or lift-up seats, and cubbyholes can serve as storage.

Shaker pegs and plastic bins also instill order.

Designate a vinyl confetti-print floor that resists scuff marks as the play area, and a comfy island of carpet with a ton of floor pillows as a place for quiet pursuits.

Rather than floor or table lamps that might take up a lot of space and end up getting knocked down, look to wall sconces and recessed lighting. Framed maps, antique animal prints, and posters will generate visual interest without being babyish.

Teens' Rooms

Create a private hangout for your teen using the teen's favorite colors and sensible furnishings. A bed is the center of their universe; it's where they talk on the phone and lounge with friends.

Opt for comfortable simple bedding like a duvet and a minimum number of pillows to encourage bed-making.

Twin beds are practical for sleep-overs and, painted the same color, need not match. Upholster the headboards, or decorate them with stencils.

Mismatched but coordinating linens will keep separate beds looking upbeat. Try yellow-and-white-checked sheets with a red bedskirt on one bed, for example, and red-and-white-checked sheets with a yellow skirt on the other.

Wallcoverings that mimic decorative painting techniques or their favorite fabric, such as denim, are also cool in girls' or boys' rooms.

Call in modular units customized with shelves and drawers, a flea-market desk refurbished with paint, or an antique table as a workstation. Install shelves nearby to hold books and papers. A large bulletin board is a good catchall for photos and sports schedules. And an ergonomically designed office chair is a healthy choice for a young back.

Guest Rooms

Necessities for guests include a comfortable bed, a good reading light, a place for clothes (a portion of the closet, an antique coat rack, or a stretch of simple Shaker pegs), and privacy. For entertainment, move in a tiny television, a compact disc player, and a stack of magazines.

A pretty drinking glass on a tray by the bed, a basket of fresh fruit for late-night nibbling, and a soft throw are welcoming extras. And don't forget a stack of plump towels.

If your home doesn't allow space for a full-time guest abode, consider a sleeping area in your home office with a modular unit that features a fold-down bed.

Additional creative solutions include boat- or railcar-style berths, faithful futons, and the summer winner, an enclosed porch. Delicate sheers hung on rods in front of the porch screens or yards of diaphanous muslin suspended above the bed will enhance the fanciful feeling of sleeping outdoors.

Now that we've covered the different types of bedrooms, let's move on to various decorating themes. In the next section, learn how to turn your bedroom into a true comfort zone.

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Comfortable and Cozy Bedroom

Your bedroom should suit your personality. If you are a traditionalist at heart but prefer your interiors carefully edited and somewhat casual, a room like this should be a match.

The snowy linens and the easy-to-do window treatment emphasize that this is a room where dreams are made. The dark wood furnishings against the soothing palette of creams and white display their shapes to best advantage.

**Comfortable wing chairs in the sitting area add to the room's cozy feel.**
©Janet Brown Interiors, Eric Roth Photography

But what's included here is only what's needed: an inviting bed for dreaming, a mirrored armoire to hold clothing and electronics, and two very comfortable wing chairs where you and yours can sit and relax.

The porcelain, pottery, and art bring forth just a hint of color to complement the sea view. And there's a bit of architectural detailing to add character to the simple white mantel. Soft wall-to-wall carpeting pampers bare feet.

For bedroom décor reminiscent of a Caribbean island vacation, try the ideas in the next section.

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Island Getaway Bedroom

This beautifully composed room, with its dark and boldly carved Colonial-style furniture, will never be out of style. Although incorporating global influences is a currently popular trend, all the elements here are handled in a controlled and timeless manner.

The zebra-skin rug, for example, and the Asian-inspired woven baskets add to the setting but don't monopolize our attention.

What does garner a second look? The handsome bed with its abundance of well-planned coverings and pillows, the romantic chandelier with its glass shades, and the architecture itself. From the detailed ceiling to the trio of French doors that serve as windows, the room exudes elegance.

Cognizant of its built-in charm, the owners abandoned patterns and opted instead for simple curtains, a casual sisal carpet, and walls the color of milky coffee.

A plain rattan chair -- rather than an ornate upholstered seat -- maintains the proper mood and affords an extra place to sit or dream.

For another global bedroom theme, continue to the next section. You'll find tips for decorating your bedroom in an elegant Parisian style.

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Parisian Styling Bedroom

This beguiling French provincial bedroom has an upbeat atmosphere that speaks to our country's often practical, less romantic nature.

For example, the bed's curvy shape and floral covering in a sun-warmed shade of yellow are traditional. And, so is the lighthearted blend of supportive pillow fabrics. But, the two striped patterns (horizontal and vertical) that dress the windows and glass doors are modern and straightforward.

Instead of painted furniture in light tones like that which is often seen in this type of room, the decorative finish on the wall-mounted cupboard, nightstand, and desk is a watery blue to match the come-hither chair snuggling in the corner.

In step with our newest determination to pare down to essentials, polished wood floors are left bare and accessories are minimized -- no urns or artifacts, just family pictures and well-loved knickknacks. Foregoing a beautiful chandelier, too, the owners have opted for functional wall-mounted lamps.

So far we've looked at adult bedroom décor, but next, find out how to turn a girl's bedroom into a pretty-in-pink paradise. The next section has a number of practical decorating ideas.

To get more decorating ideas as well as tips and information on decorating your home, visit:

Pink and Pretty Girl's Bedroom

Little girls love pink, and big girls do, too. Still, cognizant that the occupant of this pleasingly rosy room will need a space that matures along with her, a wallcovering that isn't age-specific was chosen. The tiny star pattern will be a fine background even when the storybooks and dolls are moved out.

White furniture is another savvy decision. Timeless in their appeal, the white dresser and bed can stay right where they are forever. The drapes are soft and feminine and also not in the least babyish. Paired with crisp white shutters, in fact, the drapes offer a small princess a hint of enduring elegance.

The gold-framed prints that adorn the wall above the bookcase also interject some sophistication. As the years go by, the collection can be added to; as it grows so will its sentimental value until it's as well-loved as a favorite cuddly teddy bear.

A showstopping mural adds dramatic flair to a bedroom. Read the next section of this article to learn how to incorporate this decorating idea into your bedroom.

To get more decorating ideas as well as tips and information on decorating your home, visit:

Faux Painting Bedroom

No one can promise that a beautiful vista overhead will make getting up in the morning any easier. But, certainly, it couldn't hurt.

The owners of this bedroom wake to a mural composed of swirling clouds and bright blue sky every day. The showstopping ceiling has transformed their average-size retreat into a unique room with a magical quality all its own.

The iron bed may be contemporary in flavor, but the haven's palette of colors and the sensuous display of fabrics -- from gathered bedskirt to draperies -- lend a decidedly old-world feeling.

©Miki and Sonja **The bed-skirt and the bed's fetching canopy** **are rendered in matching fabric for unity.**

Adding to the grandeur, oversize, hand-painted European chests of drawers cleverly fill in as nightstands, while a heap of comfy pillows and several soft-to-the-touch throws increase tactile interest and warmth. A decoratively painted armoire and cabinet also subtly heighten the mood. And an Oriental rug, laid atop the wall-to-wall carpet, injects color and more texture at the room's heart.

There are many more ways to decorate your bedroom without completely remodeling it. Add a touch of European flair to your bedroom décor with the decorating ideas in the next section.

To get more decorating ideas as well as tips and information on decorating your home, visit:

Traditional European Style Bedroom

This is most certainly a lady's chambers. Although this bedroom is very feminine, it could also accommodate a man. The meticulous attention to details makes it less froufrou and more elegantly Swedish.

To conjure a similar ambience in your bedroom, look to a combination of blue and white, light-painted furnishings, and accents of gold, be it mirrors, picture frames, lamps, or a dainty foot stool you gild yourself.

©Gail Green for Green & Co., Inc. **A ceiling mural adds dimension.**

The marriage on the wall of decorative paint and paper makes the high-ceilinged room more inviting by shortening the wall. And the repeated use of pattern -- on the window seat, the upholstered bed, and the generous balloon shade -- also helps to cozy up the space.

Still, the magnificent painted ceiling is the icing on the cake. It's no coincidence that the rug -- layered over the sisal carpet -- is almost a match. Details are what makes this grand bedroom so remarkable and so very pretty.

For a completely different bedroom theme, check out the seaworthy décor in the next section of this article.

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Choosing Bedroom Decor Themes

Choosing a theme is often a productive way to launch a decorating project. Here, for instance, the focus is fish. Look how they swim not only across the dresser but also on the walls and the pillows.

©Ruder Finn, Inc., Thomasville Furniture **Try using a stencil to paint** **designs on your furniture.**

Not overly masculine, though, this room is a great catch for either gender. The rustic stone walls and leaded windows invoke thoughts of romantic stone cottages hidden in the country. Against the cool gray, the sunny bedcovering is an island of warmth, a place you might gladly snuggle all day. The woven rattan chair is also a smart foil for the rugged architecture.

And notice how the floor is cozied up with not just one carpet, but a creative layering of two diverse rugs. Bring in a large mirror in an interesting folk art frame to increase the light and a bouquet of fresh, smell-delicious flowers, and it's a timeless, feel-good getaway.

Most of us want our bedroom to be a relaxing retreat. Try incorporating the decorating ideas in the next section for a warm, casual bedroom setting.

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Relaxing and Casual Bedroom

This fascinating room packs a supercharged amount of globally inspired design appeal into a relatively small space. If you're at a loss as to what to do with your own bedroom, study the drama that unfolds within these walls. And what walls!

The story begins with their hot, persimmon-colored surface, which is repeated in the bed covering, the silk pillows, and the sunburstlike light fixture. The sea-grass rug tempers the warmness and so do the sheers, which drop like wings at each window.

Silvery candle-holders also interject a bit of coldness (and spiritually raise the energy level). But everything else -- the ottoman, the pottery dishes, and the lacquered trays -- basks in the heat. The bedroom becomes even more exotic with the collection of stones, each set in an individual dish, and the interesting African-like stools and sculpture.

In this article, we've introduced a number of ideas for enhancing your bedroom's décor. Try the decorating ideas that appeal to you. Or, let our ideas inspire your imagination to create the perfect bedroom paradise for your home.

To get more decorating ideas as well as tips and information on decorating your home, visit: