Bedroom Styling Basics

We get a lot of questions about how to style bedrooms.

Whether it’s a master or a guest room, it’s all about finding a balance between beauty, comfort, and functionality.

We are firm believers that you should only have items you love in your bedroom; after all – most people spend more time in their bedrooms than any other room in the house! However, if not well designed, bedrooms can quickly become a space for towering clutter and disorder, making it difficult the opposite of a relaxing, calming space.

In our latest project, we styled one bedroom in two different ways to break down the basics of bedroom decor. Scroll through the photos below to find some inspiration and get an inside look into our process!

Look One

For our first look, we started with our wool, Wilshire rug. With cool, neutral tones, and a hint of rose, it was the perfect piece to pull colors from to use throughout the rest of the room.

Design tip: When looking for the right rug for your bedroom, make sure you measure the piece to expand about a foot from all sides of your bed. As a rule of thumb, we typically use an 8×10 for a Queen size bed, and a 9×12 for a King size bed.

Next, we decided on our streamlined Ferris bed in ivory. We love this bed because it has a chunky profile to give it a more modern edge, and it pairs well with any bedding or nightstand. Because the bed has a lower profile, we placed a larger piece of art above to balance the height and draw the eye up.

For both looks, we used our Huxton nightstand. With the curved detailing and tiny brass knobs, it pairs well with both traditional and modern looks, transforming with each space.

Moving to the foot of the bed, we used one of our favorite benches that brings so much character and texture to any space.

"I have this bench in my own home facing the front of our stairs, but it works just as great at the end of a bed."

- Shea McGee

Design tip: If your bedroom is deep enough to accommodate a bench at the end of the bed, that usually means the room is large enough that you end up with kind of an extra corner. In this case, we recommend doing a tree, a chair, and a lamp; this combo of items makes everything feel cozy and not like you just stuck one random thing in the corner.

Look Two

In look number two, we started with our Ellington rug, it has a very neutral pallet, and it brings warmth to every space we put it in.

Next, we layered a bed, a bench, and contrasting textures. We did our Hoffman, channel back bed in a natural linen color here. The McGee’s have it in a moss green at their home, and we love it in every color. One great thing about this bed is that it’s tall enough that you could put something above it or it can be left alone.

The bench at the foot of the bed adds to the neutral color pallet, giving the room a different depth with a hint of green.

"As silly as it sounds, I think pillow combinations set the tone for the entire space you design. In the first look, we used very light, tonal colors. In this look, we went with higher contrast, and it gives an entirely different effect."

- Shea McGee

For our corner moment in look number two, we used a leather chair to transform the look and add warmth and texture. When you walk into the space, it catches your eye immediately and makes things interesting.

To see more of this space, check out our most recent webisode for a behind the scenes look!