Often the master bedroom is the last room in your home to be thoughtfully decorated. Really, it’s just as important as the living room and kitchen as it’s your sanctuary, your private space to rejuvenate after a hectic day. So why not take a second look at your master bedroom after reading these decorating hints and see if yours needs a revamp.
Firstly, start by thinking about what your bedroom priorities are. Do you like to read in bed? Is there a view out of the window you love to watch? Is television watched in bed? Personal preferences will dictate how you style your room.
Bed Placement
The bed is just like a big elephant in a small space, the placement of the bed is paramount to create the calm presence you’re aiming for. Ideally it should be positioned opposite the door. What if there’s a window in that wall? With careful styling, the window can work as a frame for your bed. If a narrow window, create the illusion of a wider window by dressing it with curtains along the wall, remembering to go beyond the bed’s width. A diagonal placed bed just takes up too much space and it’s not ideal to have a side of the bed against a wall.
Bedside Tables
What do you need these for? Do you like to stack books on top of it, hold a bottle of water and need a reading lamp? What storage is needed, more or less? An ideal height is level with your dressed bed. Be a little creative, the room will be more interesting if each bedside table has its own personality. As long as they ‘talk’ to each other and have a similar element ie one painted black the other a black top and metal base, or both round but in different material/colours.
Lighting
Remember I’ve mentioned this previously, there are three types of lighting, Task Lighting, Ambient Lighting & General Lighting. Task lighting for reading in bed: the obvious choice is a lamp on the bedside table. If space is tight, consider a smaller desk lamp style or lights mounted onto the wall (check your bed width before getting it hardwired). Or pendant lights to hang where a bedside lamp may have been.
Try to avoid fluorescent lights for your general lighting. Are chandelier’s your style or maybe a modern pendant light? Always remember to install dimmer switches with all your lighting. For ambient lighting who can go past candles to evoke your personal style.
Traffic Flow & Seating
It’s tempting to get the biggest bed, a King, but always check the room dimensions first. An oversized bed in a small space can be very overbearing and that will impede on the rooms vibe. Also a bed with paired bedside tables crammed onto a wall gives no visual relief. I recommend a space no less than 600mm left around the perimeter of the bed for easy walking flow.
A chair or two is perfect and you don’t need a lot of space. If your room is narrow perhaps a bench at the end of the bed will suffice. Ideally, a pair of armchairs or a single with a small side table to place your cuppa on.
Storage
Built-in robes are the norm, a walk-in robe is a luxury but if either isn’t available, a chest of drawers, or tall-boy is a good start. There must be some form of horizontal space to place our personal items onto, a favourite family photo, your jewellery box or tray or a vase of fresh flowers. Why not consider a narrow console table with drawers and an under-shelf.
Dressing and accessorizing is the fun bit once your layout is just right. Remember what you’re trying to achieve for this space and choose your colours & textures wisely and most of all, enjoy. If you have any queries about this process or need other styling help, I’m happy to chat via my mobile or my facebook page.
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