A Brief Guide to Decorating the Bedroom

Know the dimensions of the room, so that you can get a better idea of just how much space you will need to plan for. Take into consideration any architectural features that cannot be changed such as the window or a built-in closet.

How much do you want to spend? Don’t forget to make a budget; it will compel you to focus on priorities and help you to reach your goal.

Create a list of the bedroom furnishings you want to include. Instead of buying each piece separately, you might want to consider purchasing a bedroom set, which consists of basic groupings like a bed with matching night stand and dresser or armoire.

Do you want a full/double bed, a queen bed or a king bed? Keep in mind that the size of the room should dictate the size of the bed. A bed that is either too small or too large will spoil the general look of the bedroom.

The width of the headboard determines the overall size of the bed, for example, single, full or queen. If you are buying just the headboard, make sure that it will match your existing bed frame.

If you do want a larger bed in a small space, choose one with a simple design, like a platform bed. This will lessen the visual impact of the bed, preventing its size from overpowering the room, while allowing you a little more floor space to work with.

We tend to think of most bedroom furnishings as being neutral, but selecting the wrong color of furniture can clash with your existing color scheme. To avoid having to repaint your room or buy new curtains, make sure that your new bedroom suite will blend in with the colors currently in the room.

Proper lighting is important to the atmosphere of any bedroom. When deciding on the placement of your furniture, take full advantage of natural light, and ensure nightstands or dressers designated to hold task lighting are close to power sources.

If you want to purchase a traditional style bed, such as a sleigh bed, in metal rather than wood, choose warmer finishes that are more closely associated with traditional furnishings, like textured black, bronze, and antique white.

If you are buying furniture for your bedroom separately, choose your accessory pieces wisely, especially when decorating a room with limited space. For example, before selecting a dresser, consider whether you prefer fewer/more or smaller/larger drawers.

Many full/double beds can accommodate a queen mattress by providing an extra set of rail slots about three inches on each side of the headboard/footboard. This may leave a slight gap on either side of the mattress. However, if you use a thick comforter or heavy spread, the width discrepancy will be minimized.

Before purchasing a canopy or four poster bed, know the height of your room to prevent the posts from being too close to the ceiling, or in the case of a canopy, from blocking any overhead lighting.

If you tend to read a lot in bed or if you need additional display or storage space in your bedroom, consider selecting a bed with a bookcase headboard.

Beds like a loft bed or daybed are ideal for furnishing rooms that are small or will have a dual purpose such as a home office/guest bedroom.