Your bedroom should be your sanctuary for rest and relaxation after a busy day. It should be a comfortable, inviting space with necessary conveniences and privacy that will help you begin each new day with renewed energy and motivation. With some creative effort and design tips, you can turn your bedroom into a relaxing retreat that you’ll love.

Inviting Colors

Changing your paint and bedding colors will quickly change the look of your entire bedroom. With thousands of colors to choose from, narrow your choices to several colors that compliment your furniture and style. For a tranquil, relaxing bedroom, choose a light, cool color like sky blue or mint. Select modern bedding linens in soft shades of ivory, brown or gray. For a more dramatic look, go with deeper colors like crimson, cobalt or emerald mixed with bed linens in white or pearl gray. For touches of glamour, integrate touches of gold or silver in accents and accessories.

Soft Lighting

Your bedroom should have a good balance of natural, ambient, task and accent lighting. Windows in the room provide natural lighting and warmth from the sun. Ambient lighting, also called overhead lighting, like recessed lights, tracks lights, chandeliers and pendants provide uniform light levels throughout the room without glare. Task lighting like table or desk lamps and wall mounted reading lights provide direct lighting over a specific area. Accent lighting spotlights art, accessories or plants and creates a dramatic appeal. For a soft, relaxing atmosphere, put all of your overhead fixtures on dimmers and only use incandescent light bulbs in all of your fixtures.

Accessories

When selecting accessories, look for items that compliment your bedroom style and offer visual interest with size, shape, color or texture. Large accessories like mirrors, paintings and lamps have a big impact on finished design appeal, so make sure sizes and colors enhance the space. Small accents like throw pillows come in a variety of fabrics like cotton, linen, wool, silk, faux fur, suede and leather. You can choose solid colors, simple textures and bold patterns with a variety of decorative edging. For a subtle, sophisticated look, select solid colors in cotton, linen or silk with fringe or tassels. For modern, dramatic appeal, add pillows in bold patterns, faux fur or leather. To create a romantic, eclectic look, use pillows in novelty shapes and fabrics like fur, sequins, beads or embroidery.