We spend a lot of time in our bedrooms. Besides being our place to sleep, bedrooms often serve as a place to get yourself ready for the day, or an area to escape to and relax when you need some space.
In fact, 19% of Americans said that the master bedroom was the most important space in their home.
However, according to Rebecca Atwood, a Brooklyn textile designer, “A lot of people want their bedroom to have personality, but they’re not sure what to do.”
Sound familiar?
We get it! Finding your style and designing a bedroom that looks like your Pinterest board is not easy.
At The Amish Craftsman, we want to give you the confidence you need to design a bedroom you love.
Ready to learn how? Let’s get started!
The Easy Method To Design Your Bedroom Like A Pro
Designing any room can be frustrating. Even more frustrating is the fact that we make the same mistakes over and over again.
It usually looks like this:
- You spend several years accumulating materials, decor, and knick-knacks for your room.
- You try to arrange the materials in a way that looks good.
- You get lucky and things fall into place, or more often, you find yourself frustrated that things aren’t coming together.
This problem is not having a plan.
Simply buying lots of different items that catch your eye leaves you with no guarantee of a beautiful end design. The items you buy may or may not end up blending well together. On the other hand, a good bedroom design plan ensures that you will love the finished product – even if it takes years to complete.
That’s why we want to share our easy, step-by-step bedroom planning guide that will leave you with the bedroom of your dreams.
1 – Take Measurements Of Your Bedroom
Good news – the first step is quick and simple.
Just pull out a tape measure and figure out the size of your room. It’s a good idea to measure any oddities in the room too, like a dormer bump-out or window seat. We also suggest measuring a few important parts of the room like window and closet size.
You’re really just getting a feel for the room and what you can fit inside of it. After all, an overly crowded room creates a cluttery visual mess, and an empty room has no character or warmth.
2 – Define Your Priorities By Asking These Questions
Part of what makes designing a bedroom difficult is that you often want to meet so many different goals You usually cannot accomplish all of them!
The old saying that you can’t have “fast, cheap, and good” certainly applies when it comes to bedroom design.
That’s why you should define what is important by asking yourself the following questions:
- How do you want your bedroom to feel when you walk in? Create a list of adjectives that guide your decisions such as warm, cozy, classy, modern, sophisticated, welcoming, soft, colorful etc.
- What are your functional needs? In other words, what are the non-negotiables – things you absolutely need in your bedroom?
- What from your current bedroom do you want to keep, and what do you want to get rid of?
- What is your ideal budget?
The answers to these questions will get you started on what is most important to you in terms of beauty and function. They will also help you set some parameters on your budget before you start shopping.
3 – Use Pinterest To Discover Your Style
Finding your style can be difficult, because we don’t always know what we love. But until you start understanding what your design style is, you’ll continue to buy random things that catch your eye but don’t fit the plan for your room. That only means you are wasting money and accumulating hordes of useless stuff to clutter up your house. Talking about design is good, but sometimes it’s not enough.
That’s why we suggest using Pinterest to create a visual of what you love. Simply start a board dedicated to redecorating your bedroom, and pin bedrooms that catch your eye to it.
Then, go through each pin and ask yourself what you loved about it. In no time at all, you start to see patterns emerging.
Those patterns you see emerging? That’s your style! It’s that simple.
4 – Create A Furniture Space Plan
You’ve now taken the measurements of your bedroom, defined your priorities, and discovered your style.
This is getting exciting!
But take a few minutes to make a furniture space plan for your bedroom before you go on a shopping spree!
You already have the measurements of your bedroom, so this should be pretty easy. The purpose of the step is to make sure the large pieces of furniture fit in your bedroom like they should. We’re talking about the pieces like beds, rugs, dressers, nightstands, and chairs.
You can do this with a simple ruler, pencil, and graph paper, or you can get fancy with room design software and apps like RoomSketcher
5 – Buy Large Pieces Of Furniture
Depending on your personality, buying bedroom decor like a lamp or cute wall art can be more fun than buying larger pieces of furniture.
However, we recommend starting big. If you nail the main components of your room, the rest follows easily.
Thankfully, the work you’ve already done should make this step easy. Just make sure you are true to your style and stay within the budget you set, and you should be good to go.
And the best part is, you already know exactly where you want your new bedroom furniture to go when it’s delivered, thanks to your furniture space plan.
Of course, there’s no pressure to buy all new furniture, especially if your old bedroom furniture fits your style.
6 – Shop For Bedroom Accessories
Finally, it’s time to put the finishing touches in your bedroom and make your style pop with rugs, art, and other decor.
Do you prefer a sophisticated mission style? If so, you’ll opt for lots of handcrafted wood furniture.
Perhaps you favor coastal style with lots of woven and natural textures.
Whatever it is you prefer, once you’ve put the finishing touches on your bedroom you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your beautiful room.
If you want to learn more about this, read our blog: 5 Secrets To Design A Room That Is Stylish & Fun!
Choosing The Right Bedroom Colors
We’ve laid out an overall plan to take your bedroom design from start to finish.
However, within that process are other “sub-plots” happening. For example:
- What size of rug should I buy for my room?
- How do I choose artwork to match my space?
- What size pillows should I put on my bed?
- What textures should I use in my carpet, bedspread, and pillows?
Of course, this is just the beginning!
One major question you’ll have to address is the color palette you will use in your bedroom.
Let’s take a look at how you can choose the colors for your bedroom.
Color Psychology
Did you know that colors can affect the way we think and feel?
In a study from the University of Texas, researcher Nancy Kwallek tested the impact of color on people by giving three groups of individuals tasks to complete in three different rooms; each painted a different color.
The results?
Kwallek found that colors can elicit a variety of emotions, affecting your mood and focus.
For example:
- Red can help increase performance in people who have detail-oriented assignments.
- Blue is calming and promotes communication, trust, and efficiency.
- Green can enhance creative performance and might be a good idea where innovation is important.
You most likely want to optimize your bedroom for sleeping, so choosing colors like soft blue or lavender that create a calming sensation may be a good idea.
Choose Colors That Match Your Furniture And Decor
Of course, color psychology is not the beginning and end of the discussion regarding the best colors for your bedroom.
While blue may be a calming color, it wouldn’t look good if you love decorating with orange colors.
If you want to play it safe when it comes to matching your furniture and decorations, neutrals are a good bet. Colors like ivory, grey, and white are always safe choices.
However, to choose the right neutral paint color for your room, you also have to take into consideration the shade’s undertones.
For instance, white paint is rarely pure white. Paints are often mixed with other hues to create subtle undertones of pink, blue, yellow, or brown.
The undertone should match your furnishings, carpet, and bedding or the room could feel unpleasant. For example, if you use a cool grey paint color and then use warm, cozy furnishings, things could look off. If you want your room to look warm and cozy you should choose a warm grey color for the walls.
Choose A Color That Will Stay In Style For Years
When you wake up in the morning and decide what to wear for the day, what do you think about?
There’s a good chance your choice of clothing is heavily affected by current styles and fashion trends.
It’s perfectly ok to be a fashionable person – but if you follow the extremes of fashion you will probably look back and be embarrassed by your clothes, hairstyle, and more in twenty years.
Just think about it: in the 1980s, Michael Jackson made parachute pants a major rage. But can you find the items in today’s clothing stores?
Absolutely not – people find them pretty ridiculous.
The same goes for interior design styles. Following trends looks good for a while but will disappoint you in a few years.
That’s why we encourage people to choose colors that are classic, so you will love them for years – not just a short while.
Natural wood tones are a classic color that should stay in style for years. If you want to learn more about utilizing them in your home you may enjoy our blog: 10 Tips For Choosing The Perfect Wood And Stain.
If you do want to break out of the box, try these tips to create a balanced room:
- Avoid feeling boxed in. You don’t need to paint every wall the same color.
- Accent with color. Choose an accent wall to paint and leave the other walls a lighter color.
- Emphasize length with color. If you have a deep, narrow bedroom, paint one of the longer walls to highlight the length of the room.
Create A Mood With Color
The last thing to consider when choosing your bedroom colors is how you want the room to feel.
Color has the power to change the shape and size of furnishings, as well as the shape and size of the room itself.
For example:
- Light colors (especially cool colors) create a sense of space. If your bedroom is tiny, you can make it feel larger just by painting the walls a light color
- Dark colors (especially warm colors) convey an intimate, cozy space. If you are shooting for the “fire-crackling, music-playing” environment, darker tones may be best.
And as we already mentioned, different colors cause different reactions in humans. Since a bedroom is a room designed for sleep, we recommend choosing colors that enhance relaxation while avoiding energetic colors.
How To Arrange Your Bedroom Furniture Attractively
When discussing the process of designing a bedroom we mentioned that you should create a furniture space plan.
Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done!
How can you arrange the furniture in your bedroom in a way that is both functional and beautiful?
Let’s find out!
Place The Bed First
The bed is often the largest piece of furniture in a bedroom, so it’s usually the focal point. That is why it’s important to get it placed right.
Generally, you’ll want to put it against the wall opposite the door or along the largest wall with no windows, but your choice may vary.
In a small bedroom, that may not work. Find a spot for your bed that makes the most sense to you, just make sure you can open and close your bedroom and closet doors.
Also, while placing your bed under windows is totally OK from a design perspective, you may find yourself feeling uncomfortable drafts over the winter.
Go Big To Small
Once you’ve found the best place for your bed, arrange everything else starting with the biggest bedroom furniture item followed by smaller ones.
Usually, the dresser comes next, followed by bedside tables, a desk, shelves, chairs, and anything else you may have.
Generally, the tables will go next to the bed, the dresser on the opposite wall, and a desk in the corner. However, this can all vary depending on the size of your furniture and the shape of your room.
PRO TIP: If your closet is spacious, see if you can fit your dresser inside it. This will open up a lot of extra space in the room itself, and you could add a relaxing chair, writing desk, or other piece of furniture.
Arrange The Furniture You Have First
Don’t buy new furniture until you’ve arranged the pieces you already have. This should be an obvious point, but it’s really easy to buy things you think you need before you actually need them.
When you wait until arranging what you already have, you’ll know exactly what you need and where you want to put it. You’ll also be able to make sure anything you get is the right dimensions and style to fit in the room, both literally and stylistically.
Think About Function
Here’s the truth: you are most concerned about the furniture layout in your bedroom if you are crunched on space.
Someone with a large bedroom has a lot of flexibility on where furniture can be placed. But if your room is small, you’ll need to think about how you use your bedroom.
For example:
If you watch a lot of TV in bed, you should place your screen somewhere that you can easily see it – preferably without needing to turn your head sideways!
On the other hand, if you don’t watch much TV in bed, then skip the screen entirely – especially if you have limited space.
Thinking about what you want to do in your bedroom helps you make a plan that makes sense and uses your space wisely.
Designing Your Bedroom For A Better Night’s Sleep
According to the American Sleep Association, insomnia is the most common specific sleep disorder with 30% of adults reporting short-term insomnia and 10% reporting chronic insomnia.
This is a major problem! After all, the quality of life you lead depends a lot on how well you sleep at night.
While there are numerous factors that affect your sleep, designing your bedroom properly can help you get the quality rest you need.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
Cut Down On Opportunities For Bedroom Clutter
The Harvard Business Review says it well, “When our space is a mess, so are we.”
To deal with clutter, you could constantly clean. Or you could simply reduce the number of spaces you have for clutter to gather. Then you wouldn’t have to be constantly picking your space.
In other words:
Your bedroom might not be the best place for a bookshelf or filing cabinet that has the potential to accumulate clutter.
We suggest removing excessive books, electronics, unfolded laundry, exercise equipment, stacks of bills, and other work from your bedroom. Nobody wants to see unfinished jobs laying around when they are trying to empty their mind and go to sleep! Keep the work outside of your bedroom!
And beware of nightstands – they can become centers of clutter in a hurry!
It’s best to get a nightstand with cabinets or drawers to minimize visual clutter. At the very least, limit the nightstand surface to a lamp, book, journal, and glass of water.
Choose A Good Mattress
There’s a good chance you spend as much time on your bedroom mattress as any other piece of furniture in your entire house. So, make sure you invest in a good one!
Ideally, a mattress should meet several criteria:
- A mattress should provide a balance of comfort and support.
- A mattress should be large enough for you to move around comfortably.
If you can check these two boxes, you are bound to get a better night of rest!
Invest In Blackout Shades
Have you ever laid in bed tossing and turning for hours, only to realize in the middle of the night that there is a full moon?
If so, that’s no surprise. Light is the enemy of sleep!
The concept here is simple: the darker your bedroom, the better you sleep. The best way we’ve found to consistently have a dark bedroom at night is to use blackout curtains or blackout blinds.
Keep Your Bedroom Quiet
Being startled out of a deep sleep by a dog barking every hour can make for a long night!
Ideally, you should wake up as few times as possible during the night.
One way to do this is by equipping your bedroom with a beautiful rug. It keeps the noise level in your bedroom down at night, especially when someone is walking across the floor! Beyond that, it gives you a warm, soft place to put your feet when you crawl out of bed in the morning.
But what about your neighbors’ dog that loves to bark all night? A rug can’t keep that kind of noise from making a restless night.
That’s exactly why we are big proponents of ceiling fans. The air movement they create is soothing and the white noise they produce helps to drown out frustrating noises that might be coming from outside your bedroom.
If you don’t love the look of a ceiling fan, no problem! A sound machine can help you drift off to sleep in a much more discreet way.
P.S. Are you looking to design other rooms in your home for a specific purpose? You may enjoy our blog: 8 Creative Tips For Designing A Productive Home Office.
Conclusion
Our bedrooms are important spaces. And as such, they should be thoughtfully designed!
You truly can sigh contentedly each night as you crawl into bed in a peaceful, beautiful bedroom.
The Amish Craftsman is proud to produce American-made, custom-built furniture that lasts a lifetime. We’re happy to accommodate your style in bedroom furniture, but we can do more than just that!
We can also build furniture for your dining room, office, and living room as well as provide you with:
We make it easy to work with us. The steps are simple:
- Talk to a designer
- Customize your furniture
- Get it built and delivered
If you are looking for custom furniture that fits your unique style, contact us today. We look forward to hearing from you!
