Aside from the bed, lighting, storage, wall colour and flooring are other important features that should be considered in the bedroom.
Different types of lighting can be utilised for different tasks and will affect how you use the space.
Getting the lighting right can be complicated, as most will not be using their bedroom solely for sleeping in. The space may also be used for reading, storage, getting ready and even working, (especially right now, where many are working from home and only have a spare area in the bedroom) so different types of lighting are required to work cohesively within the room.
To create soft, romantic lighting, think about using dimmer switches for your overhead ceiling light or bedside lamps can be used to create soft light in the evenings that can also be used for night-time reading.
Having more direct, concealed lighting in built-in storage can aid with seeing your wardrobe clearer. If you have a dressing table with a mirror, task lighting overhead gives stronger light to apply make-up.
Also consider your natural light that comes through any windows, as this will determine the type of window treatment you choose, depending on how much light you want to come through at certain times of the day.
Most of us will need some sort of storage in the bedroom, from wardrobes, chest of drawers to bedside tables and shelving. Whether free-standing or built-in, the type of storage you have in the bedroom can really affect the overall design and how you feel in the space.
Ideally, we want our storage in the bedroom to be concealed and hidden from sight, keeping the space as clean and clear as possible. Read our How to declutter your wardrobe blog to understand the type of storage you specifically need for your clothing and accessories.
Built-in storage can be designed to be minimal and concealing, and will maximise the amount of storage you have available. However, depending on the style, size or shape of the room, freestanding furniture might be more appropriate, or perhaps a mixture of the two.
Ensuring you have the correct type and appropriate amount of storage in the bedroom will ensure your space isn’t cluttered or disorganised and will help to keep a clear mind when trying to relax.
Paint colour for your walls and ceiling is really key for the bedroom. Strong, dark colours tend to be avoided as they can be over-powering and too oppressive for the bedroom. Consider using lighter, paler colours, within a warmer colour palette to create a calm and peaceful atmosphere. The colour on the wall is also affected by lighting; it can change completely from day to night and from artificial to natural lighting.
When most are deciding flooring for the bedroom, carpet is typically the number one choice. The experience you feel when in your bedroom will affect you from head to your toes. Having a smooth and warm texture underfoot is a much nicer feeling than something cold and hard. Hardwood flooring in bedrooms isn’t necessarily ideal, however if unavoidable or preferred, be sure to add rugs, to provide areas of softness and punches of colour.
How do you arrange bedroom furniture in a room?
When looking at an empty room, visualising how the furniture should be arranged doesn’t always come naturally and all bedrooms are different; the number of windows, the shape, the size, varying architectural features and awkward nooks and angles.
There’s no set plan for the perfect bedroom arrangement or an exact guide to follow, but there are some key points to consider that will help to find the right arrangement that works best for you and your room.
Furniture
Don’t have more furniture in your bedroom than you need, as this can cramp the room and use up valuable space unnecessarily.
Think about your habits and how you would like to use the space and carefully choose the furniture you want and need in the bedroom. Only use any existing furniture you have and don’t buy anything new just yet. Most typical bedrooms will have a bed, bedside tables, chest of drawer(s) and perhaps a freestanding wardrobe. If you have existing built-in furniture, think about how the storage can be maximised so the amount of freestanding furniture can be reduced.
Sketch it Out
Sketch out your room and your chosen furniture to make it easier to visualise how the room will work. Scrapping a piece of paper is a lot easier than lugging the bed into four different locations before finding the right one. Always have a measuring tape to hand so you can quickly and easily find out if furniture will fit in different places before moving.
When viewing the room from a birds-eye view, consider areas that could be utilised for built-in storage. For example, if you have an alcove in the room, can these be maximised for wardrobe storage, eliminating the need for a bulky wardrobe in the space?
Another benefit of sketching is visualising how the room will flow when using it. This is really important to ensure that the space works well and benefits your day-to-day lifestyle. It’s also important to consider how you enter a room. You want to enter a room that is inviting and open. If you open the door and are instantly greeted by the side of a wardrobe or the side of a bed, it can stunt the flow of the room and make it feel cramped and awkward.
Tip: Always check that you can open entry and wardrobe doors properly when furniture is arranged.
Where to Start
The bed should be the first thing to move; it’s the heaviest and likely the largest. Once this is in place, you can get a sense of the space and how this works in the room. From here you can easily follow your plan.
Typically, the bed works best centrally to the room, along one clear wall. Design-wise, there’s no real issue with having a bed under or facing a window, however, be wary that while sleeping under a window, you may feel some cold drafts in the winter months and similarly, sleeping opposite to a window could call for some early mornings with bright sunlight facing you.
Placing your bed centrally allows two people to easily and independently use the bed and creates a central focal point to the room. This arrangement might not always be possible for people with the smaller or awkward shaped room. Arrange your bed in a way that feels and works best for you.
Placing the bed against a wall might actually work better for you and provide you with more useable and valuable space.
Bedside tables are very functional storage pieces, providing space to put your phone, books and drinking glasses whilst you are sleeping, as well as open shelving or drawers for smaller personal belongings. If your bed is central to the room, bedside tables either side give some symmetry to the room as well as being useful if two people are using the bed.
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