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Design Basics: Bedroom Layout Ideas and Furniture Guide

We’ve introduced you to bedroom design basics in our last post, as part of our Bedroom design series. Today we continue revealing our insider tips to help you create your dream space. We will review a full bedroom items list, focusing on bedroom furniture, lighting as well as accent pieces. We will touch upon window treatment and materiality. Furthermore, we are excited to share with you our favorite bedroom layout ideas!

It is true that selecting a bed and a nightstand is not enough to create a cozy bedroom. There is more to creating a special space for you and your loved ones to rest and relax in. How to arrange furniture in your bedroom is the second step after selecting your key pieces.

But let’s rewind just a second here. Even before starting to select furnishings… What is the first step in all our design projects? Our concept, yes! Based on this concept, we choose furnishings but also and more importantly we select materials.

 

Materials

More than often, we do not create crazy design features for bedrooms. In bedrooms, we have a natural feature wall; the headboard wall. When the budget allows for it, we plan for a wall with built-in carpentry or upholstery, such as leather or fabric panels. For instance, take a look at the headboard wall we created for Mr & Mrs. Contemporary Waterfront Elegance.

Bedroom Layout Ideas - Master Bedroom
(Master bedroom from our Contemporary Waterfront Elegance project)

 

However, not all budgets are the same, even from one bedroom to another in the same project. You do not generally invest as much in your guest bedroom than in your master bedroom. Our point is, there are other creative ways to create a spectacular headboard feature wall. A nice paint color pop on the headboard wall and you have yourself a great, cost-effective, focal point in the bedroom.

The best advice we can give you is: wallpaper! Companies today have a large selection of styles, colors, patterns and even textures to choose from. Yes, you would be surprised… Bye-bye “grandma-looking” wallpaper and hello to a whole new world! Speaking about this topic, see the teen bedroom we completed below. The fabulous wallpaper is the bedroom focal point.

 

Fabulous wallpaper - Girl Bedroom
(Teen bedroom & wallpaper feature headboard wall from our Contemporary Twilight project)

 

Window Treatments

Another great way to enhance your bedroom’s design and its “coziness” is adding window treatments. At DKOR, we love our draperies from DKOR Windows & Walls. Most of our clients first ask us: “but won’t installing draperies close the space and remove brightness?”. Actually, a simple white sheer can help brighten up a room, by diffusing light. Moreover, the movement of the textiles adds texture to the space. In fact, it really adds an elegant and fresh element to your bedroom, that will open the space up!

 

Bedroom Design - White Sheers
(The white sheers at our Contemporary Waterfront Elegance guest bedroom)

We always recommend to have two types of bedroom window treatment; a translucent and a room darkening window treatment. In the picture above, the sheer drapery acts as the translucent one. Instead, you can also select a sheer roller shade. This type of translucent window treatment provides privacy without blocking the light. We often choose a blackout roller shade as the second window treatment. It is cost effective and easy to maintain. You can read more about roller shades in this great blog post from our sister company DKOR Windows & Walls. The other option is to install a blackout (or room darkening) drapery. For an even more luxurious bedroom, install a double track and have a sheer drapery combined with a blackout drapery in front.

 

Double Drapery - Bedroom Design

 

Bedroom Furniture Guide

You have now material ideas, as well as window treatment examples that we, at DKOR Interiors, love to use for bedroom design. In addition to this, we will now review the bedroom items list and give you our tips for some of these furniture pieces:

 

Mattress

The mattress size and type will depend on the space you have available as well as your preference. We advise our clients to go to a professional mattress vendor to try out and select their favorite mattress type. There are many options, see this interesting article about mattress types here from the Better Sleep Council.

As for the sizes, check out our graphic below and see which one works with your space. If you have an elongated bedroom and are tall yourself, maybe going with a longer bed is a good option for you. Tip: the Cali king mattress is not the widest, it is the longest!


 

 

Bed and Headboard

The bed frame and headboard do not need to be attached or come together. You can perfectly select a bed frame or box spring with feet from a vendor, and purchase a headboard from another. Specially if you are doing an upholstered headboard. In this case, if you are doing separates, make sure your headboard is at least as wide as the bed. There is a trend today that we love, where the headboard is MUCH wider than the bed. How do you like it?

 

Headboard - Bedroom Design
(Master bedroom with its wide headboard from our recently completed Sunny Isles Beachfront Condo)

 

Nightstand

The nightstand should ideally be the same height as the top of your mattress. Yet, is can make for a design statement, when the nightstand is much lower… and then it becomes almost like a pedestal. Tip: perfect spot for a key accessory piece right here atop the nightstand!

We like our nightstands to have storage if possible. When designing a custom piece, we always integrate electrical outlets and USB ports. We want to make it easy for our clients to charge their phones next to the bed.

 

Nightstand Lighting

Lighting at the bedside table should do the following tasks for you: reading light and soft light for when you wake up in the middle of the night. We have been using the “snake light” as we call it, quite a lot. This flexible wall sconce makes it easy for our clients to read at night. Tip: we install it minimum 1’ – 6” above the nightstand on the wall.

 

Wall reading light - Bedroom Design
(Wall reading light at the Contemporary Twilight master bedroom)

 

For decorative lighting, and to do something more creative than the traditional table lamp. We do love our pendant lights. The cluster of two, three or more small pendant lights have this grand effect and we absolutely adore it!

 

General Lighting

Granted, accent lighting is crucial to create a soothing ambiance in your bedroom. Nonetheless, general lighting is even more important so that you have plenty of light to circulate and do specific tasks like cleaning. We always strive to have one large decorative (pendant or flush mounted) fixture in the center of the space minimum in each bedroom. Ideally, we have four recessed light minimum and a decorative fixture in the center of the space. Tip: place all lights on dimmers to play with the mood of your space.

 

Storage Piece (Armoire, Dresser or Other)

More often than not, we have walk-in closets or built-in closets in our bedrooms today. Yet, when this is not the case, an armoire is the first item you should purchase after the bed… even before the nightstand! A place to hang clothes and a few shelves to have folded items are enough if you can also have a separate dresser in your bedroom.

A chest or dresser, is a piece of furniture with drawers where one stores their clothes. We like to use them also as TV units for the bedroom. Nowadays, clients love to enjoy watching movies right from the bed.

Integrated Dresser Bedroom Design
(Integrated dresser below the TV at the Miami Modern Home master bedroom)

 

Accent pieces (rug, bench, accent chair or other)

To complete your bedroom design, there is always an accent piece that will help pull it all together. It can be a bench or stool in front of your bed or a soft rug. If space allows, you can plan to have a reading nook. Select a funky accent chair with a colorful accent table like in the master bedroom below and you will create a super vignette! Tip: do not be scared to go BIG with the rug, this will create a wow feature.

 

Bedroom Accent Pieces
(The master bedroom at our Sophisticated Gateway project)

 

Bedroom Layout Ideas

To conclude this post, and now that you know all the details of the bedroom key pieces, we are thrilled to reveal our top bedroom layout ideas. First up are layouts for bedrooms where you plan to install a bed for two people. Customarily this would be for master and guest bedrooms.


 

Lastly, find below examples of a bedroom with single beds: twin size beds. Usually, these bedrooms are for children. The most important items to keep in mind is a place for your child to play and read, as well as a storage area.

We leave you today with a lot of (hopefully!) helpful tips on bedroom design, bedroom furnishings and how to arrange your bedroom. Stay tuned as we share with you the last blog post of our Bedroom Series on bedding tips and decor. We will reveal our top accessories must-haves for bedrooms!

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