Typically, we’re renovating our kitchens, dining rooms, and living rooms; Ultimately, leaving the bedroom(s) out of the equation.

Bedrooms aren’t typically on display and their designs are often overlooked.

You pick a wall that’s best for the bed, add a couple nightstands, a dresser, and your done. While that might work for most, one size doesn’t fit all. Bedroom layouts often need to cater to the room they’re in.

For instance, nightstands might be too small, there may be empty spaces that need to be filled, or lack of storage. Maybe one or more of these are true for you and you just don’t know where to start, this article may give you a few ideas.

After all, we generally spend one-third of our lives in bed. Even if we only use our bedrooms as a place to sleep, we might as well sleep in a place where our surroundings are pleasant. Which is why we believe this room deserves more attention than it receives.

Here are some bedroom designs, tips, do's and don'ts when arranging your bedroom.

Wall Color

Some opt for a bedroom with bright colors, to give off a vibrating and energetic feel. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just not what we suggest.

The bedroom should be a low stimuli sanctuary. For instance, the bedrooms in our apartments are painted with lighter, softer shades to create a soothing environment.

Think relaxing colors for when you’re trying to relax.

Rug

In a way, you already have a rug if you have wall-to-wall carpet in your bedroom.

If you have wood, laminate, or some other type of flooring, an area rug will go a long way in warming up your space – both your feet and the room in general. Just make sure that the rug you choose isn’t too small or not aligned.

Rugs may look the best under the bed, big enough to be visible from all sides of the bed.

Too Big of Bed

Although having a big bed is nice, don’t do it if your space can’t hold it.

For instance, a bed that’s too big will leave you with no walking room and no real storage space but will be the focal point of the room. If that’s the case, make the bedding one to admire.

Otherwise, choose a bed that’s appropriate in scale to the dimensions of the room.

Don’t forget about the headboard. A huge headboard or bed frame can make the room appear smaller than it is.

Beds help balance a room.

Unique Room Style

Long and Narrow –

If your room is more rectangular than square, chances are there’s lots of empty space. Rather than having a comfy room, your room is left feeling hollow.

In this case, you could try putting your bed in a unique position – angling out from a corner or in the center. This might first feel awkward but will give you new space to work with.

Or, should your bed be placed along a wall, try adding a bench, daybed, or small sofa to the foot of the bed to give the room layers and functionality – this might be your drop zone, which is discussed further down.

Studio Room –

Studios alone are tricky to work with, the ‘bedroom’ especially. If you want more privacy for your sleeping area, try tucking the bed in the corner, separating it from the rest with a wall-to-wall curtain.

Light Source

Anytime something gets in the way of the light source, lighting takes a hit.

If possible, try to keep things away from your natural light source (i.e. a window). That might mean choosing no headboard or a low-profile bed frame to minimize the loss of light.

Should you block the natural light, it’d be beneficial to add more sources of light – overhead, tabletop, and floor lamps – can make the space bright and express your personality. For instance, who ever said chandeliers were only for the dining room?

Window Space

Apart from the light that windows relay, they can bare empty space.

If you add drapery to the windows, might you consider hanging the drapes higher up than where the window starts? In doing so, you’ll add a sense of height and spaciousness to your room.

The space below the windowsill can be a good place for a dresser. Another route might include the addition of a narrow bench to turn the space into a reading area or another place to sit, that’s not your bed - some might call that a luxury!

Wall Space

It’s easy to put the basics into a bedroom and then leave the walls empty. Typically, the living room and dining room are the first to hang artwork on the walls because that’s where artwork will get noticed, first.

Considering how much time we spend in our rooms, it might be nice to have something wonderful to look at on the walls, then a blank canvas.

Matching Furniture

When you go furniture shopping, immediately you’ll come across showrooms where everything matches – bed, bedside table, dresser, and mirror. Good designers will tell you not to buy a full bedroom set for the sake of not being able to design your room the way you want to.

For some, bedroom sets take the fun and excitement out of the process.

For others, bedroom sets aid in designing a room.

Even if you do have a bedroom set, dispersing the items across your home might be worth trying.

Meaningful but Minimal

Of course, a bedroom is personal and should reflect who you are. But too much decorations and details can come across as messy and unorganized.

One way to aid in this is to designate a place – a chair or bench – as a designated drop zone. For instance, if you try on three different outfits before finding ‘the one,’ this might be where clothes that don’t get immediately hung up go.

Too much going on in one room can sometimes be a distraction.

Plus, sleeping in a place that is organize has proven to help in sleeping. It’s a win-win!

Storage

To maximize your space, it might mean finding the largest or highest dresser you can find. Otherwise, you can look into furniture that has built in storage.

Whether your bedroom is small, or you just need space to store things, the container store offers a lot of solutions to staying organized.

The last mistake that someone might make when arranging their bedroom is, forgetting about personality. It’s cool when you can walk into a room and immediately get a sense for who they are.

If you really want to get to know someone, skip over their manicured lawn, the primped foyer, and step into their bedroom. The bedroom acts as an inner sanctuary where one’s personality can be reflected!