Whatever style of house you live in – be it a country house or a tiny flat – the Interior Design archive is your one-stop-shop for bedroom ideas from the world’s best interior designers.
How to decorate a bedroom
The scheme for a bedroom should be something that you find relaxing and cosy, although a quick look through our gallery of ideas suggests that there are plenty of ways to interpret that. Pale paint colours and understated patterns certainly have their moment, but spare rooms are often a great place to run riot with colour and pattern, perhaps in the form of a bedroom wallpaper, since they’re unlikely to be occupied every day. Make sure the bones of the room work for how you use the room. If space and budget allow, some built-in joinery can make all the difference for storage, and give the room a more seamless feel than if it’s stuffed with furniture.
Window treatments are hugely important in a bedroom; some people prefer that not a chink of light can get in, while others like to wake up with the daylight. Long, luxurious curtains are beautiful in a bedroom, in a thick material that will feel cosy in winter, perhaps with sheer blinds behind to let the light in during the daytime. There are plenty of readymade curtains out there if you’re on a budget, and blinds alone can also be a cost-effective way to dress your windows. Having a blackout blind made in a fabric of your choice does not have to cost the earth.
The perfectly soothing main bedroom in a west London house by Stella Weatherall, with a very elegant half-tester half-tester made up in Pierre Frey’s ‘Cabrieres’ in ocre, lined with mustard ‘Torchon Stripe Linen’ from Inchyra. The headboard is in Robert Kime’s ‘May on Linen’ and the cushions on the bed are from Penny Worrall. Christopher Horwood
Buying bedroom furniture
The bed is obviously the most important feature in the room, and there’s a huge variety to choose from. Perhaps you’d go down the traditional route with a box spring, prettily finished with a valance, and accompanied by a headboard upholstered in a beautiful fabric. For a more contemporary look, a wooden bed frame can be a stylish option, harking back to Arts & Crafts or mid-century design. These also take up less visual space in the room. We’re also huge fans of four-poster beds, which can work well in both traditional and modern interiors. “If I have a small room, I try and overscale the furniture,” says renowned hotel designer Olga Polizzi. “Putting itsy-bitsy furniture in just makes it feel smaller.” Many of the interior designers on our pages agree, and we’ve seen brilliant examples of imposing four-poster beds used successfully in very small rooms. And above all else, don’t skimp when choosing a mattress. You may be sleeping on it for many years to come, so make sure you get it right!
Beyond the bed, you’ll obviously want to think about bedside tables, preferably something big enough for a lamp, a book, and a glass of water. In a very small bedroom, we’ve seen interior designers build nooks into the wall or into built-in wardrobes either side of the bed, a neat solution we adore. And speaking of wardrobes, clothes storage is an essential. Hanging rails can be a great alternative to bulky wardrobes if you’re short on space. If you have some space to play with, it’s always rather civilised to have a dressing table where you can get ready in the morning and prepare for bed in the evening. And last but not least, a smart little armchair in the corner of the room is always lovely when you need somewhere to sit and put your shoes on – although it inevitably gets covered in yesterday’s clothes.
Choosing bedding for your bedroom
Rita Konig knows how to make a beautiful bed, and emphasises the importance of what’s on it. “Beds – and bed linen – really make bedrooms. It is not unusual for people to skimp on the linens – if not financially, then mentally, when coming up with the design for the room. All-white sheets and a duvet create a colossus of white in the centre of the room that can detract from the rest of the space. The bed linen, quilts, blankets and eiderdowns you choose make a huge difference to the room, how it looks and how inviting it is to you and/or your guests.” If you do love crisp white bedding, consider adding a patterned blanket at the bottom of the bed to brighten things up. We’re also big fans of relaxed coloured linen, pretty pillowcases (or even silk pillowcases) and some patterned bedding from time to time.
Pale blue can be a wonderfully calming colour for a bedroom, and we love how it works with shades of red and pink in the main bedroom of this Sussex house by Phoebe Hollond. The wall colour is Farrow & Ball’s ‘Borrowed Light’, which contrasts with the rich reds of the Nushka throw, square cushions in Le Manach’s ‘Victor Hugo’ and silk sari lampshade, along with an armchair in Flora Soames’ ‘Dahlia’ print.
A minimal four-poster can be a real thing of beauty, and we love this soothing example in a London house by Jessica Summer. The hand-forged iron bed was made by blacksmith James Price to Jessica’s design and is fitted out with a headboard in ‘Adhira’ by Alison Gee and drapes made from Waris Vianni’s ‘Fournier’ linen in the lagoon colourway.
Russell Loughlan’s house in Deal is full of clever colour combinations, including in the main bedroom, where the walls are painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Oval Room Blue’, with tonal woodwork (shutters, panelling, skirting and architrave) in ‘Sloe Blue’ and a green door is ‘Raw Tomatillo’.
In this Chelsea flat by Daniel Slowik, the fabric of the bed and blinds is Bennison’s ‘Crewelwork’, and the green fabric of the curtains is Jean Monro, supplied by Turnell & Gigon. The chest of drawers is from Pinch in a bespoke lacquer colour. The modernist brass column lamp and shade is from Svenskt Tenn.
Pierre Frey’s ‘Le Paravent Chinois’ covers the walls of the master bedroom in this rectory by Tamsyn Mason, chosen by the client. Tamsyn paired it with a headboard and valance in Guy Goodfellow’s ‘Roussillon’.
The walls are painted ‘Pale Egyptian Blue’ by Papers and Paints in the main bedroom of this Georgian house in London by Octavia Dickinson. The fabric for the bed tester is Penny Morrison’s ‘Begum’, the ottoman is upholstered in Lerio by Namay Samay; the antique oval mirror is from Lorfords. The wall lights are from Vaughan and their accompanying shades are from Robert Kime.
‘Brighton’ from Paper & Paints is on the walls of the master bedroom in this Cotswolds house. To bring in more colours and a feminine touch, the owner layered the room up with pretty colours in other ways.
The lovely crewelwork behind the bed in this Rachel Allen Spitalfields project came from Instagram textiles dealer Sallie Ead and provides the perfect backdrop to the bed, which was made bespoke by Coryndon Cabinet Makers. The walls of the main bedroom are painted in Atelier Ellis’s ‘Shadow Grey’, a colour that echoes the Portland stone of the Baroque church outside the window. while the bed was made bespoke by Coryndon Cabinet Makers.
Benedict Foley and Daniel Slowik have incorporated a number of ingenious design ideas to make the most of their tiny apartment in London. The sitting room has a large opening into the bedroom, that can be screened off with curtains. The blind is made from a 19th century painted silk from Florence which is embroidered in gold and silver metal thread.
Cath Kidston’s west London house has a clever approach to colour and print. Bed hangings in Lisa Fine Textiles’ floral ‘Samode’ linen in poppy and a William Potts linen, with a Heritage Trimmings tassel fringe, set off the bespoke Colin Orchard four-poster. On the antique Swedish rug is a bench covered in George Spencer Designs’ ‘Mosaic’ in raspberry.