You don’t need a full-on bedroom makeover to freshen up your decor and feel better about the room in which you spend a third of your life. If you find yourself becoming bored with your bedroom, here are some ideas you can employ to revive your bedroom’s look and feel, and make you happy every time you go in.
The great thing about bedroom design is that there are so many areas that you can upgrade. Bedding can be changed, walls covered, accessories and furniture can be added, painted, and rearranged — even switching up one or two of these things can make a big difference to your room’s aesthetic. So here are some inexpensive ideas that you can use to feel great about your sleeping space.
The bed
Your bed offers a nearly endless landscape of possibilities for change. First, you can change out your bedding. New sheets can do wonders for a good night’s sleep, and they look sharp, as well. Or you can switch to a comforter-duvet model, also offering tons of options — you can have a duvet for every season or mood, and all you have to do is swap it out. Bonus if it came with matching pillow shams.
Add some inexpensive pillows of odd shapes and sizes to complement the color scheme of your room or incorporate some contrasting shams to an extra set of standard bed pillows.
You can add an upholstered headboard or cover your existing one with a fun fabric to add interest. You can also hang a canopy or mosquito net to give a soft, romantic feel to the whole room.
Furniture
You may have a complete matching bedroom set, but many people don’t. If you do, you can add a comfortable chair and soft throw to give yourself a quiet oasis to read or meditate. You can also add an interesting bedroom bench at the foot of the bed that can provide a spot to put shoes on, storage for all that bedding we talked about, or just to add some interest to a matchy room.
If you don’t have a full bedroom set, consider scouring thrift stores and consignment shops for attractive additions such as a mirrored vanity or a contemporary chest of drawers. Also, you never know what you’ll find on your local Facebook Marketplace.
Do you have a nightstand that caters to your needs? Consider using a set of shelves on which you can store a lamp, books, water, and whatever else you may need to be comfortable in bed. Modular squares work well for this use and keep the space looking airy with their open backs.
Floors
Many people live in apartments that have wall-to-wall carpeting. That floor covering makes sense because it is quieter on the neighbors, it isn’t hiding hardwood floors, and it is comfortable on bare feet. However, having wall-to-wall carpeting doesn’t mean that you can’t use area rugs on top of them. Throw rugs and area rugs add color and interest to an expanse of neutral beiges and blues, and can spark up a room with little effort.
If you have hardwood floors, some well-placed area rugs will reduce noise, protect the floors, and improve the look of your bedroom. Apartment Therapy suggests to leave the wall-to-wall carpeting in bedrooms and not other areas of the house.
Walls
Those vast expanses of paint often benefit from the addition of art, paint, wallpaper, and other textures. Painting the single wall behind your bed can bring out the colors in your bedding, and open up a range of possibilities for displaying art and photos. Wallpapering a single wall also adds interest to your space, and you can even purchase a small attractive rug and hang that to break up the flat look of drywall or plaster. Mirrors add visual interest to any room and make it look bigger.
Last, you can hang curtains on any wall that you want — they don’t have to be hung solely on windows. A couple of floor-length curtains on either side of your bed can elevate the look from lackluster to luxurious. SFGate adds that longer drapes elongate a room.
Ceiling
Painting your bedroom ceiling can tie your whole room together and make it feel cozy and coordinated. If your bedding is light-colored, consider painting the ceiling a darker complementary color to make the bedding pop.
Lighting
Some people say that there’s nothing worse than bad lighting, and we tend to agree. Those harsh overhead lights do not promote the warm and inviting feel that your bedroom should inspire. A pair of matching lamps not only look polished and add symmetry to your sleeping area, but the light from under a beautiful lampshade makes everything look better. You can check out thrift stores or the backrooms of furniture stores for great deals on lamps, and custom homemade lampshades are abundant on craft sites such as Etsy.
If you enjoy a larger space, you can look into cool floor lamps that will not only illuminate the whole room, but can light individual areas for convenience and style. Lamps like this tree floor lamp will never be boring to look at, and this incredibly inexpensive colorful lamp will lend color to an uninteresting corner.
Don’t rule out hanging lamps for the bedroom. Many come with extra-long cords so that all you have to do is sink a hook into the ceiling. Some have soft edges and a feathery texture to soften any area in which they hang.
Most of these bedroom upgrades cost under $100 and can be bought online and delivered quickly. The real fun is putting your stamp on your bedroom space and making it a place of comfort and relaxation no matter where you purchase your upgrades. Waking up to an attractive room makes your day better and gives you a lift even if you’re not feeling well and have to stay in bed. And if nothing else, you can always rearrange your furniture to keep things interesting, and that doesn’t cost a thing.
For more, check out the best tips for decorating your bedroom in the most effective (and aesthetically pleasing) way possible.
