How to Decorate a Bedroom (with Pictures) (2024)

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Co-authored byTaya Wright, NAPO, RESA

Last Updated: March 11, 2022Approved

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   Decide how much time and money you want to spend. If you have a lot of money to spend, then you can decorate your room to your heart's content. However, most of the time a decorator will have to work within a budget.^[1] If you are on a tight budget, however, you might have to cut some corners. For example:

   • Instead of buying new furniture, you could repaint or refinish your old furniture.
   • Instead of repainting your walls, you could apply vinyl wall decals. This is a popular choice for youth, and for those who cannot paint the walls. also great for those who don't have a lot of time.
   • If you are crafty, consider some DIY decorations or furniture
   • Consider decorating your room a little bit at a time. Maybe you do not have $500 to spend on redecorating currently. But if one month you spend $50 on paint, the next $50 on new curtains, and so on, it can be more affordable.
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   Decide on a style for the room. While you don't absolutely have to have a specific style, this will help you decide what furniture to get, and what sorts of colors and patterns to use for things such as walls, bed linens, rugs, and pillows.^[2] Start by thinking of a place you really like, like a certain restaurant, hotel, or coffee shop. Then, use that place's style for inspiration. You can also find inspiration by:

   • Browsing image-saving websites, such as Pinterest.
   • Going through home decorating catalogs.
   • Visiting some furniture stores and taking note of displays that you like.
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   Consider whether you will like your style several years from now. If you are planning to stay in your house for a while and are uninterested in redecorating often, will you still like the style you have now? If you go through different interests often, choose a style with a neutral color scheme and versatile furniture that can be reused later on. Express your current interests with smaller items you can easily change, such as throw pillows, lights, and wall decorations.

   • If you are a teen, you are likely to change interests fairly quickly. What were your passions at 13 may be different at 17.
   • Be careful of over-committing to a theme. It is one thing to have your sheet set have a theme of horses. But if your bed, lamps, curtains, artwork, throw-pillows, carpet, and more have horses, that could be a bit too much.
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   Make sure your room is clean. If your room is very messy or cluttered, you might want to clean it first. This will give you a blank slate to work with. It will be easier to move things around and see how they look.

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   Get rid of unnecessary clutter.^[3] Review your room decor. Do you have a theme already in your room, or a mishmash of different themes? Consider getting rid of some items that you no longer use, or that no longer suit your taste or style. You can sell these items online or donate them to a charity center.

   • If you have something that you still like, but that no longer suits the current style of your room, see if you can re-purpose, repaint, or redecorate it.
   • Don't get rid of everything just because you're redesigning your room. You still want your room to be functional. Hold on to the must-haves like a bed, dresser, and stand — you can always revamp them to match your new style.
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   Consider working with what you already have. If you are on a budget, take a look at your current furniture, and see if you can re-purpose them to fit your new style. A simple wooden bed can easily be made to fit lots of different styles with the right paint job or bed linens. For example:

   • Paint your bed a solid color for a sleek, modern look.
   • Add a colorful quilt and lots of pillows with different patterns for a boho look.
   • For a vintage, country-chic look, you could paint your bed a base color, and then add a second coat of a crackle-effect paint to get that weathered look.
   • You can also swap out furniture from other rooms in your house.

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   Give your walls a fresh coat of paint or apply some wallpaper. Painting the walls a new color or putting up some wallpaper can give the room a completely new look. If you don't want to do all paint or all wallpaper, add an accent wall to with one or the other to make the room more interesting.

   • If you can't paint the walls or change the wallpaper, tack some fabric to the wall instead. Try to get it as smooth as possible.
   • If you have a small room, consider painting your walls one color, and leaving the ceiling white. This will make your room look bigger.
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   Consider having an accent wall. Instead of painting your entire room one color, paint three walls a neutral color, and the fourth wall a darker, contrasting color. Place all of your statement furniture against this wall.

3. See Also

   10 Budget Bedroom Decor Ideas That Won't Break the Bank - Decorilla Online Interior Design17 Designer-Approved Bedroom Layout Ideas for a Restful Space30 Brilliant Bedroom Color Schemes to Inspire Your Space22 DIYs to Update Your Bedroom

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   Add some designs with wall stencils. Choose a base color for the background, and a contrasting color for the designs. Paint the background color first, let it dry, then apply the designs with more paint and stencils.

   • If you live in a rental unit, use wall decals instead. They are giant, vinyl stickers that peel off easily when it is time to move out.
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   Hang up some posters, photos, or artwork.^[4] This is great for those who are on a budget or are unable to repaint their rooms. If you are living in a rental unit, use double-sided mounting tape, stick-on mounting hooks, or poster putty/tack instead.

   • If you are hanging the wall art above your bed, consider matching it to your bed. For example, if your wall art has subtle hints of gold in it, consider getting gold pillows for the bed. ^[5]
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   Save space by getting items that can be fixed to the wall. Nightstands and adjustable lamps can be affixed to walls and are a great way to save space. You can also put some shelves above your bed to store some of your favorite, personal items as well.

   • Don't put anything heavy on shelves above your bed in case something happens and one of them falls.
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   Hang some fairy lights or string lights on the walls. You can use ordinary Christmas lights, or decorative ones. Decorative lights come in all different shapes and sizes, and can be found in shops that sell light fixtures and room décor. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors, such as flowers and butterflies.

   • If your room has white or light-colored walls, choose lights with a white or clear wire. If your room has darker-colored walls, choose lights with a clear wire.

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   Add some extra pillows to your bed. To get that luxurious, hotel-like feel, plan on having two to six pillows on your bed. Place the larger pillows towards the back, and the smaller pillows towards the front. Don't be afraid to mix and match different colors and patterns.^[6] Here are some more ideas to get you started:^[7]

   • Mix large, bold prints with smaller, more intricate ones.
   • Combine organic prints with geometric prints.
   • Use contrasting colors. For example, you could get a pillow with a bright green pattern and a plain white pillow.
   • For accent pillows, consider using something with a textured fabric or an irregular shape. For example, you could get a velvet round pillow or a brocade tube pillow.
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   Get luxurious covers. Top your bed with covers made for snuggling like a down comforter.

   • For an added touch of luxury, consider getting a comforter with a duvet cover instead of a plain old bed sheet.
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   Give your windows and walls some color with curtains. Try to match the curtains to some aspect of your room, such as the rug, pillows, or bed linens. You don't have to go out and buy curtains; saris and shawls can make beautiful, graceful curtains.

   • If you live in a rental unit, you might already have blinds. See if you can place a curtain rod on top of the blinds.
   • Consider tying back the curtains with a stylish rope.
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   Add some softness and warmth with a cozy rug. Try to get a rug that matches some aspect of your room, such as the bed linens, curtains, or wall color. If the headboard is against a wall, get a rug that extends 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 centimeters) past all three sides of the bed. The most common rug placement is just in front of the nightstands, with the rug extending past the foot of the bed. If you have a longer rug, consider tucking it under the nightstands instead; this will help ground them better. Here are some common rug sizes and bed sizes:^[8][9]

   • If you have a twin, double, or full sized bed, get a 5 by 8 foot or a 8 by 10 foot rug.
   • If you have a queen or king sized bed, get a 8 by 10 foot or 9 by 12 foot rug.
   • If your room already has a carpet, consider placing a small rug on one side of the bed. Sheepskin rugs are great for this.

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   Add warmth with lighting. Soft overhead lighting or a clip-on overhead lamp is a great way to accomplish this. You can also use tall, standing lamps in corners, or desk lamps on dressers. Fairy lights and string lights are a great way of adding some design and movement to your walls while making things a bit brighter.

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   Use candles to add a soft glow to your room. You can choose scented or unscented ones. If you own pets, or are hesitant about having open flame in your room, consider getting some battery-operated candles instead. Some of them come scented and even flicker, just like real candles.

   • Consider switching out candles with the seasons. Use fresh, floral or fruity scents for the spring and summer, and spicy or woodsy scents for the fall and winter.
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   Add mirrors to make your room look bigger. You can hang a small mirror above your dresser, or a longer one over the back of your door. Instead of getting a plain mirror, consider getting one with a fancier frame, an unusual shape, or some designs etched onto it.

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   Use color and prints. Your bed linens, pillows, rugs, and curtains don't have to be the only source of color and pattern in your room.^[10] You can easily make a boring, blank wall appear more interesting by getting a lamp with a colorful shade.

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   Try going monochrome. If you want a nice, clean look to your room, but don't want to go mundane with stark whites, you can try mixing and matching different shades of the same color. For example, all of your bed linens, pillows, rugs, curtains, and furniture can be different shades of green, such as light, medium, and dark.^[11]

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   Have something to serve as the focus of your room. This can be as simple as an accent wall or a bed, to something as intricate as a fancy headboard or light fixture. If you choose to make your bed the focus of the room, place it in the center of one wall, and decorate it with pillows and a blanket.^[12]

   • A shelf with a collection of things you like can make a great focal piece. Try not to overcrowd the shelf, however, and consider layering items by placing smaller items in front of larger ones.
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   Add a nightstand with all of the necessities. This will make your bed space appear more luxurious and comfortable. Try to include a lamp, a clock, and some flowers, either in a pot or vase. If you like to read, consider having a stack of books. If you tend to get thirsty at night, have a glass and a carafe filled with water; this will save you late-night trips to the kitchen for a glass of water.

   • If you have a large bed set in the center of the wall, consider having one nightstand on each side of the bed. This will help create symmetry and balance.^[13]
   • Keep scale in mind. The larger your bed is, the larger nightstand and lamp your will need.^[14]
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   Consider getting a comfortable place to sit. If you like to spend a lot of time in your room, you might want to get a comfortable chair to sit in, this way, you will be reserving your bed as just a place to sleep in. To make your sitting nook extra cozy, place it in the corner of the room.

   • You can use an armchair, a small sofa, or even a beanbag chair.^[15]
   • Get an ottoman or footstool so you have someplace to rest your feet when you're sitting.
   • Place your chair near a side table so you can keep books and drinks on it while you're sitting down.

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