Awkward Bedroom
In the Midnight Hour by Benjamin Moore Blue walls make this bedroom extra inviting during cold Minnesota winters. “This deep blue shade is calm and tranquil,” interior designer Carrie Ellington says. “The color looks inviting against white trim and millwork but also casts a moody backdrop in a space.”
Old Navy by Benjamin Moore Interior designer Noz Nozawa loves this hue so much she used it in her own bedroom. “I painted the bedroom this very rich navy because the room is actually larger than I’d like — my favorite bedrooms to sleep in feel cozy and den-like,” she says. “These navy walls make the corners fade away so the bed feels draped — almost hugged — by the room.” Nozawa also loves the way dark bedroom walls make white sheets feel “extra crisp and clean” by contrast. “Old Navy in particular just has a Goldilocks perfection about it: not too saturated, not too mute, not too dark, not too blue-blue … it’s just right,” she says.
Deep Royal by Benjamin Moore This paint was a great fit for a waterfront home bathed in Florida’s bright light. “This hue creates a tranquil mood and reflects the deep color of the water in late evening,” interior designer Priscilla Hyatt says. “It is also a perfect backdrop for crisp white furnishings.”
Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore Preppy and classic, navy blue was an apt choice for this New England bedroom. “Hale Navy is a classic, true navy blue — it can ground a moody space or highlight a more poppy, energetic space,” interior designer Tyler Karu says. “It looks especially beautiful with clean, white elements or various wood tones.”
Blue Note by Benjamin Moore Rich blue wall paint helps tie together a range of styles in this New York City townhouse. “This was a really successful color — it made a great background for our mix of antiques, vintage and modern pieces. It really served to anchor them in a unifying surrounding,” architect and interior designer Joan Dineen says. “I think it is really unique in that ability.” The designer also notes that the color can change along with the time of day. “It also responds beautifully to changes in light,” she says. “At night it is quite restrained and elegant, and daylight brings out its exuberance — we love it!”
Colour Quiz. You got … Gray! Gray: You are stylish and sophisticated and want a bedroom that reflects it, but you also want to be able to relax and get a good night’s sleep. Gray hues are a great choice in a bedroom because of their cool, soothing and neutral qualities. If you make gray the main hue in the room, go for a deeper color such as Hearthstone from Benjamin Moore. If you want gray to serve as a backdrop for other more dramatic colors, try a softer gray such as Gray Frost from PPG Pittsburgh Paints.
Placing the Bed Deal with the bed first. “The bed is like a giant elephant that does not want to budge,” says Minneapolis designer Lucy Penfield. Nashville designer Kippie Leland suggests trying to have the head of the bed on the wall opposite the bedroom’s entrance. Don’t worry too much if that means your headboard will be in front of windows — the positioning is more important. Leland also suggests avoiding having the side of the bed create a visual barrier when you’re walking into the room (although it might be inevitable in some spaces).
Reduce clutter. The foremost strategy for making a small bedroom seem bigger is to cut down on the clutter. Discard things that no longer serve any purpose, and always remember to keep your clothes folded, your shoes stored away and your accessories neatly arranged on shelves and in cupboards. The messier a room, the more cramped it looks. Tip: If you want to maximize a room’s space, do away with as much furniture as possible and keep only the essentials, such as a table and chair. In this room, the transparent acrylic chair and beige-toned table that blends with the other furnishings add to the sense of openness.
After scoring vintage oil paintings of two women (the one on the left was $10 from a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore), the designers used these to drive the room’s decor. The dark moody green in the portrait set them on a search for something similar with sheen for the background. Once they found it, they slathered the walls in the deep green and then used contrasting details for the rest, from pale linens to brass accents.
But you don’t have to give up your bedroom TV if you don’t want to. Gomez understands that some people love to watch TV in bed. “If that’s you, just make sure you can hide the big black screen when not in use and that the TV doesn’t dominate the room,” she says. The way this artwork conceals the TV is just right. Interesting that it’s a pair of paintings that separate when the TV is on but come together when it’s off. I’m sure there’s a feng shui lesson in there somewhere.
Make your room a place where you can unplug. “According to feng shui, electronics in the bedroom make the space about things like watching TV, doing work and shopping rather than the primary purpose of the bedroom — rest, relaxation and romance,” Gomez says. “The bedroom is a place to power down and get intimate.”
Choose artwork carefully. Gomez recommends choosing artwork that’s uplifting or, better yet, romantic. “In feng shui, a sha is an item that creates a negative reaction. Artwork can be a sha if it brings up feelings of pain, sadness or fear,” she says. “This is counter to the peaceful feeling that we want to promote in the bedroom. So we encourage artwork that’s inspiring or stirs the emotions in a positive way.”
Pick the right placement for your bed. “I know I’m being nitpicky, but I’ve done nearly 1,000 consultations in 20 years and I’ve seen a clear correlation between troubled romance and troubled sleep with bad bed locations,” Gomez says. She recommends having a headboard to anchor your bed and placing it against a solid wall, not a window. You also don’t want to float your bed away from the walls. “There is no stability in such a situation,” Gomez says. “If you have a bed floating in the middle of the room, the feeling of groundlessness makes it incredibly challenging to sleep.” But you shouldn’t locate your bed in a corner. “This is OK for a kid’s room, but for an adult looking for a relationship, there is literally no room for another person to get in the bed,” Gomez says. “Each person should have space to easily enter and exit the bed. We want equality and balance with a healthy measure of space in a relationship. You create externally what you wish to achieve internally.”
Make your room a place you love. “Make the bedroom cozy, sumptuous and a place you love to be. Add very soft tactile bedding, throws and rugs,” Gomez says. “This relates to the principle of yin and yang. Yin relates to soft, warm, soothing environments. A bedroom ‘wants’ yin energy, so we add items that help create that feeling.”
Next, swap out your current nightstand for one with a luxury finish — mirror or faux shagreen is a great option. A subtler route is to choose a piece with reflective hardware, such as crystal or brass. In this bedroom, the mirrored table, shiny lamp and gilded mirror create a regal look even against a plain white wall.
Choose nightstands with bling. Night tables are pretty essential pieces of bedroom furniture. But many tend to be a bit utilitarian in terms of style, and they can get cluttered with our necessities. To give your bedroom the royal treatment, first declutter your nightstand. Remove excess paperwork and possessions, leaving only lighting, a book and perhaps a small vase of flowers.
Feature glamorous lighting. Whether it’s a ceiling fixture, table lamps or pendants, statement lighting amps up the luxury factor. You might choose a fixture or lamp with a shiny finish — perhaps gold, glass or crystals. Selecting one with a large or unusual shape can also help the room look more upscale. I think of statement lighting as room jewelry that instantly adds sparkle and glamour to an ordinary bedroom.
Choose a standout headboard. Adding a luxe-looking headboard is a surefire way to increase the glam factor in your bedroom. A beautiful one need not be expensive, but it should have a notable feature such as a bold color, unique shape, impressive height or elegant fabric such as linen or velvet.
Hang it up. “If there really isn’t space for a wardrobe,” Ford says, “think about using some decorative hooks and lovely fabric hangers, just enough for a guest to hang one or two items.” She also suggests choosing a bed with a base so that suitcases and other bulky items can be hidden beneath it.
Focus on the features. “Embrace original features, which will add depth to the space,” Black says. Here, though the fireplace takes up space, it adds visual interest, making this little living room feel substantial rather than appear to be a featureless little box. Note, too, how effective that large mantelpiece mirror is at seemingly expanding the room’s dimensions. Skipping window treatments, if you can, will also keep a small room feeling more open. If you have good-looking windows such as these, all the more reason to keep them bare.
Embrace maximalist decor. “Small spaces make great areas in which to be more creative,” Ford says. “Go overboard with wallpaper and cover all the walls — even have the same design on the curtains.” “It’s all about fitting everything you need into a small space without impacting on how you physically move around the room,” says Diana Greenhalgh of My Bespoke Room.
Color with care. “Once you know how the space will be used,” Black says, “you can start thinking about colors and whether you will opt for a darker shade for a more intimate feel, or brighter tones for a more open, airy approach.” If your room is blessed with an abundance of natural light, paint it white to boost the airy effect and eliminate any cooped-up feeling. But if you’re dealing with a windowless or dark room, it will never look light. White paint in this situation risks appearing gray and dull — so go the other way with a bold, moody or quirky look.
Add depth. Finding the right colors for the walls in a small bedroom can be challenging, as you try to inject depth into the room, Black says. In an otherwise plain room, details such as a striking landscape painting that draws you toward a point in the distance, and structurally interesting shutters, as seen here, can create a sense of depth where there was none. The challenge of these rooms, Black says, is that “you have to consciously think about every little detail, as the space won’t give any natural clues.”
Don’t underdecorate. The temptation in a small space can be to pare back. But that can end up looking dull and undesigned. Don’t be scared to decorate a small bedroom with some of the elements you might find in a larger room, including pictures, rugs and decorative lighting. The result is a “proper” room — a cozy retreat to which you’ll enjoy escaping.
AF Mysterious, Benjamin Moore Ready to do a deep dive into blue? Please note that paint colors can look very different depending on the light in your space, and it’s really tough to gauge from your computer screen or a tiny paint chip. To really know what you’re getting, test a large swath of paint and look at it during different times of the day and night with different lighting options.
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