In this blog you will learn step-by-step how to set up your bedroom to get the designer look. This is the ultimate guide that summarizes all things an interior designer does when decorating bedrooms. If you find yourself saving Instagram and Pinterest bedrooms for inspiration, this blog is for you! Whether you’re starting from scratch with a blank bedroom, in the process of redecorating it or simply want to know areas of improvement for your space, this article will help you in understanding everything that goes into a good bedroom design.

1. Decide On The Bed Placement

It is tempting to skip to deciding on the size of the bed, but here’s where most people go wrong. They shop for the bed/mattress and worry about the placement later, which in the design world is a costly mistake to fix. A bed is the focal point in a bedroom. Starting with the bed makes it easy to work outwards when adding décor and other accent pieces.

If your room has an intentional layout with a large wall or two small windows that naturally indicate the placement of the bed, you’re sorted. If your room has an unconventional layout, see if you can choose a large flat wall to place the bed. In any case do not push one side of your bed to a wall. To get the designer look, a bed looks best when it’s afloat in the room dividing a large wall and the room equally on either sides.

2. Finalize The Size Of The Bed

Who wouldn’t want a California King size bed? But would it fit in your room? An important step before your begin shopping is making sure the bed you want will fit the room without filling the entire space. Ideally, there should be 2-3 ft of pathway around the bed for a comfortable layout. Best way to ensure this is by taping out the standard mattress sizes (Twin, Full, Queen, King) using a painters tape on the floor and walking around it to make sure there’s enough space. Then, you can shortlist bedframes.

Here is a mattress size chart guide developed by Good Housekeeping.

3. Choosing The Bed Frame

To get the designer look stay away from those fancy bedframes and headboards. The simpler the bed, the classier it will look. Go for beige, grey, warm neutral, brown, taupe, green, amber and white colors. Here are some examples of bedframes you should stay away from and ones you should consider.

A key factor that will dominate the look of your bedroom is the size of the headboard. It is easy to go wrong with this and an incorrect size of the headboard can either make your bedroom feel very small or empty.

Here is a really good headboard size guide for your reference.

4. Placing Nightstands For Symmetrical Look

If you have followed the guidelines so far, you will have room on either side of the bed for nightstands. Choose nightstands that are in proportion to the height of the bed. To ensure this, place the mattress on the bed frame and measure the height from the floor to the surface of the mattress. For a proportional look choose nightstands that are the same as this height. As far as the width of the nightstands go, this depends on how much space there is next to your bed. If you’re working with a big room, you can go wider with nightstands that almost look like cabinets. Opt for nightstands that complement the bedframe well without being to matchy-matchy or on the opposite spectrums of the design.

5. Placing Accent Furniture

Just because it’s a bedroom does not mean you cannot have accent pieces. A dresser, bench, an accent chair in a corner or a set of accent chairs if you have a big room enhance the look of the bedroom while providing more seating areas. Similar to choosing nightstand, when shopping for accent furniture choose pieces that blend well while not being too similar in styles. Variation in design, texture and color while staying in the same palette is what makes a design go from good to great!

If you’re shopping for a bench to place at the foot of the bed, remember to choose one that is proportional to the bed. It should be 2/3rd of the size of the bed.

6. Adding Window Treatments

If I have to pick one factor that adds elegance to any bedroom, it’s window treatments, more specifically drapery. Adding drapes to the windows of your bedroom takes the design to the next level. Not only does it provide with more layers to block out the light but also softens the look of the space, giving it a warm cozy vibe. Follow the guidelines outlined in this article to get the designer look.

7. Selecting Light Fixtures

This is my favorite part of decorating any space! Lighting plays a huge role in defining the ultimate look of a room, especially a bedroom. There are three main types of lighting – task light, ambient light and accent light. For a bedroom, you can add ambient lighting in the form of tables lamps, task light in the form of picture lights and accnet lights in the form of ceiling lights. If you’re working with a room that has dated ceiling light fixtures such as boob lights, remove or replace those with a more modern fixture such as a chandelier.

When choosing table lamps for your nightstand, remember that proportion of the lamp to the bed & the nightstand is crucial. For a balanced look, go for table lamps that when assembled (base and the shade together) aren’t taller than the height of the headboard. If they are, offset the look by adding large throw pillows on the bed (see picture below).

For a designer feel, stay away from overly fancy and dated lamp bases and shades. A clean simple ceramic lamp base with a white lamp shade is classic & timeless.

NOTE: Make sure the bulbs you choose for these light fixtures are warm in temperature. A cooler bulb does not add any ambience to the space and does not make the room look inviting.

8. Adding Greenery In The Room

Artificial or faux, we all love adding a bit of greenery in our house! However when aiming for a designer look, this step needs to be executed thoughtfully. Simply placing plants around the bedroom does not do the trick. Understand the layout of the space you’re working with. If there is a natural corner that is formed due to the placement of the furniture, add a tall indoor plant here. If you have a dresser, you’re working with a surface! Add a tall vase with faux stems. Similarly, place a small plant on the nightstand. Do not go overboard with this. We’re creating a bedroom, not a garden :)

9. Adding Soft Furnishings – A Rug

Now comes the fun part! Adding a rug to the bedroom is always debatable, especially if you have a carpet flooring. But I would say still go for it because nothing adds elegance to any space, not just a room, like a rug! If you’re working with a carpet flooring, make sure you select rugs that are not tufted and flat in texture to avoid layering the carpet with yet another carpet-y material. If you don’t have carpet flooring in your bedroom, go all in! Studio McGee has a good rug size guide that you can follow.

Choose patterns and color that complements your furniture and drapery. Easiest way to do this to attain the designer look is to sort through Persian or vintage rugs. They are not only stunning and timeless but offer the warmth to the room while adding character.

10. Adding Soft Furnishings – Bedding & Other Décor

Deciding on the bedding, throw pillows, throw blanket and more is one of the most challenging parts of designing a bedroom. There are so many ways to go about and it’s so easy to get this wrong. My personal philosophy is not to add too many layers to the bed. Yes, it looks good but at the same time I also want it to be functional. I hate the idea of peeling endless layers from the bed at the end of a tiring day. To keep things simple yet decorative, I personally choose clean neutral bedding with a fitted sheet, duvet, shams all of the same color – usually white. I then lay the 4 pillows flat to provide a backrest for 2 – 3 throw pillows (3 if you have a king size bed, 2 otherwise) and add a quilt on the duvet. The throw pillow cover I choose is a solid color pulled from the color of the quilt. I love prints and a good print on the quilt goes a long way in making up for the lack of other layers on my bed.

11. Adding Décor – Wall Art, Mirrors, Coffee Table Books & Picture Frames

To finish the look, wall art and picture frames are the small details that you cannot miss in any beautiful bedroom! Add a small wall art above your bed, a larger wall art above the dresser. You can also add an arch mirror on the dresser with a vintage frame to add more variation & character to the design. Picture frames on the nightstand above a few coffee table books are non-negotiable! Play around with styling to see what suits your style and remember to strike the balance between function and décor while doing so. Check out this article for learning how to hang art.

That’s all! This article was all about bedroom décor and the ultimate guide to get the designer look. Hope you enjoyed reading. Let me know in the comments below where you struggle the most and I would be happy to help you out.

The Ultimate Guide To Set Up Your Bedroom Like A Designer