While we may occasionally fall asleep on the sofa watching TV, we spend over a third of our lives in the bedroom. It’s the place you go to rest your body and mind after a long day, so it should be the perfect haven for you. Creating a welcoming, cosy environment that suits your tastes is so important if you want to experience comfort at night.
However, if you don’t like the way it currently looks, the thought of going into your bedroom might be less than appealing, which is exactly why you should spruce it up. Now, as we know that not everyone has the time nor resources to take on an entire redecorating project, we’ve got some quick interior fixes to help turn your bland bedroom into somewhere you actually want to be.
- Hang up your artwork
If your bedroom walls are painted a neutral color, your space might seem plain. But rather than repainting your whole room (which takes time, planning and money), you could instead hang up some of your favourite pieces of art to fill the space. Decorating a bedroom with artwork is often overlooked — many homeowners think of the living room or hallway as perfect places, but doing so in the bedroom adds some personality.
While there aren’t any strict rules about how and where to hang your artwork, the experts at Soho Frames note that “hanging a frame incorrectly, or in the wrong place, can dramatically undermine their effect and even damage your property.” In terms of aesthetics, we recommend hanging your art above your bed as this tends to be the focal point of the room. You could put up just one piece or go all out with a gallery wall to fill up more space and add a variety of art to your bedroom.
- Incorporate a color scheme
Your bedroom might simply be lacking some color, or having a mismatched look. Incorporating a color scheme is a quick interior fix that will brighten your space and, when done correctly, looks appealing. There are three basic schemes to consider: complementary, analogous and triad. For an energetic yet balanced space, a complementary scheme is best. Take a look at the color wheel and combine two shades that sit opposite each other, such as blue and orange, or pink and green, for example. We recommend blending these with a neutral color, like light gray. An analogous theme is where you pick two colors adjacent to each other on the wheel, such as red and red-violet, or green and green-yellow (think chartreuse), for a calming effect. While a triad palette features three tones that are evenly spaced around the wheel, like purple, green and orange.
With so many color combinations to work with, it’s so easy to create a bedroom that’s unique. What’s more, your chosen scheme can fit every decor element, including art, bedding and even your furniture. For example, your bedding can have one of the shades in your palette and your cushions can provide an accent of the others.
- Buy some houseplants
Following the resurgence of maximalism, indoor plants have become a top interior trend, and it’s no surprise since greenery can always liven up a room. They add a much-needed boost of life to a dull space, as well as contrast and natural appeal. The best thing, though? Plants help to purify the air around you, ensuring you’re breathing the freshest oxygen possible. The color green is also proven to make us feel safe and content, and can even boost our mood, so the more plants in the bedroom, the better.
There’s a wide variety to pick from, including vibrant ones like snake plants, spider plants, English ivy, Areca palms and aloe vera. You could even match the plant pots to your color scheme to tie everything together. But if you’re worried about caring for your green friends, these beginner plants are perfect, like succulents and cacti, dracaena species and lucky bamboo. Add a few of these to your bedroom and your space will immediately look more fascinating.
- Update the lighting
Another quick interior update is new lighting. Even if you change nothing else about your space, this will improve your bedroom’s look straight away. So, if it currently feels a bit dull, you’ve got three main options: either switching up the ceiling fixture and adjusting how light appears in the room, changing the lampshade, or adding some freestanding lighting. You might even want to change all of these.
Firstly though, you need to consider the type of light you’d like. Ambient, accent and task styles are preferable for the bedroom. You’ll also want to match these to the size of the room and its aesthetic. Wall-hung lights are best for a small room instead of table lamps, while a large freestanding lamp is ideal for a bigger bedroom — otherwise your lights might be too overwhelming. Stainless steel or chrome designs suit a contemporary bedroom, while black and brass options look sleek in a modern space.
- Add a rug
The bedroom floor tends to be forgotten about when decorating a room, and this might be why your space looks bland. Adding a rug will give it the flair it needs to be a warm, comforting place to chill and sleep in. Even if your interior style is modern and minimalist, a rug can fit right in. It’s simply the final touch!
There are multiple places you can position one in your bedroom (although this depends on its size), including at the foot of the bed, underneath it, at the side, or to accentuate other pieces of furniture. The style of rug you choose is entirely unique to your preference and style. It might be a bold patterned one to spruce up your neutral bedroom, one that perfectly fits your color scheme, or something a little cosier for your feet to sink into when you get up in the morning.