Having a Design Moment: The Bedroom

Those decorating moves that make you pause and study; feel happy or surprised; or, if you’re in someone else’s home, admire and feel envy — those are all design moments. Throughout a happy home, there are special details everywhere — some are clever, some are very personal, some are big and in your face, while others are quiet and thoughtful. In person they stop you in your tracks; online they make you linger on a photo and save it for inspiration.

In this series, we’ve been looking at some of these design moments room by room. Today we’re concentrating on the space that serves as a sanctuary: the bedroom. This is your own private retreat, where your personal stamp is truly just for you and whomever you may share it with. So pay special attention to it and have a design moment of your own in the bedroom.

More Having a Design Moment: The Hallway | The Front Entry | The Bathroom | The Kitchen | The Dining Room

1. Pay attention to the ceiling. The bedroom is the spot where you are most likely to be flat on your back looking up at the ceiling, so it’s a design opportunity that should not be missed.

Designers Ian McLeod and Kerry Johnson kept things rustic and DIY-style at their charming retreat on Mayne Island, near Vancouver. For the ceiling, they created an appropriate take on a coffered ceiling, composed of bleached plywood panels and wood strapping.


2. Choose a special light overhead. Stunning chandeliers aren’t just for dining rooms and grand foyers. Just as you’ll enjoy the ceiling while lying on your back, you’ll enjoy a lovely light fixture in the same way. I recommend avoiding those with bright exposed bulbs viewed from underneath if those bother your eyes. Also, put this special fixture on a dimmer so that you can get just the right romantic ambience.


3. Maximize a cozy niche. If your bedroom is in a cozy attic or under a roofline with odd angles, turn those challenging slopes and small niches created by dormers into design-moment opportunities. Here a desk takes advantage of a window, and a sculptural chair draws attention to it. A window seat is another great idea for a dormer window.


4. Compose a gallery wall with your favorite works and family photos. We tend to run out of wall space when we hang artwork in a more traditional fashion. Creating a gallery wall lets you enjoy your favorite works and personal photography in an intimate space.


5. Display a favorite collection. A group of antique makeup mirrors is artfully arranged on this dressing table.


6. Add color through window treatments. In this room, plantation shutters painted a sunny yellow make for a happy focal point.


You can also add print and pattern via window treatments. These drapes draw the eye up and bring yards and yards of a lovely botanical print into this bedroom.


7. Pick a wallpaper that makes you happy. This isn’t a public space, so if you’re the type who worries what other people will like, you can throw that out the window. This is your private space, and there’s nothing like a spectacular wallcovering to make you happy every time you escape into your room.


8. Realize that the space around a nightstand is a chance for a wonderful design moment. This hardworking area not only provides storage, a surface for water and books, and a reading light, it can also accentuate the bed with wonderful style. Here an ornate mirror and elegant light fixture enhance a painted chest. Note the way the nightstand area serves the bed and the comfortable armchair.


9. Customize an upholstered headboard. In a serene monotone room, the headboard is a great opportunity to add a more dynamic fabric. Whether it’s a bolder solid color, a happy floral or a modern geometric print, an eye-catching headboard makes the bed an apt focal point.


If your bed feels lost on a large, flat wall, extend the headboard. This expansive upholstered headboard grounds the bed within the large room and stands up to the scale of the high ceiling.

Side note: Be sure to get a close look at the jagged quartz pieces on the beautiful chandelier. The chandelier is this room’s other big design moment.


10. Take advantage of the space above your bed. This headboard extends in a different way, with an accent tile mosaic visually extending the height of the bed. Note how the niche doubles as a shelf for an artful arrangement against this clever backdrop. Drapes soften the look on either side.


Of course, you don’t have to brush up on your tile-installing skills to make the most of the space above the headboard. Whether it’s a large-scale piece of art, a Moroccan wedding blanket or a Juju hat, seen here, this prime real estate is just the spot for a design moment.


11. Get playful with your design. Just because I’ve been using words like serene, retreat and sanctuary doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun with your bedroom decor. By all means, use whatever makes you happy, whether it’s a large-scale goofy photograph or whimsical pillows of pets wearing fancy clothes.

Pillows: Takkoda


Your turn: Have you created a special design moment in your bedroom? If so, please post a photo and tell us about it in the Comments section.

More Having a Design Moment: The Hallway | The Front Entry | The Bathroom | The Kitchen | The Dining Room

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