zweitblog-manu: 5 Secrets To A Great Bedroom...

With my interest in decorating & home decor, I am often asked by friends & family to look at rooms to offer suggestions & advice. I never get tired of this....I love, love, love helping people make their homes beautiful!

I think bedrooms are so important and they are often the most neglected space.

Bedrooms can provide more than just a place to sleep. They can be escapes from the stresses & busy-ness of everyday schedules...a wonderful place to read & relax... a place that can make you feel refreshed & at peace.

And I don't think you need to spend oodles of money to achieve

a lovely space.

Here are my tips for creating a bedroom to love!

1. Get Down With Bedding. Start with something that you adore! Who wants 'ugly' in the bedroom?! Build your bedroom around colour and bedding as a jump off point. If you are going to paint, pick bedding first & paint colour next, and not the other way around. Drapery should fit into the colour scheme whether it be a neutral scheme or full of colour. I recommend 'black out' drapes to provide the best sleeping comfort. Black out lining can be added to existing curtains or inexpensive options can be found at Zellers & Canadian Tire, for example, & they often go on sale. Besides the many 'bedding in a bag' choices that come as matched sets, consider these other budget friendly options:

Mix & Match. Bedding can be different shades of neutrals if that is what soothes your soul:

{Style at Home}

A punchy throw or blanket can work as a starting point if that makes your heart go a-flutter:

{Canada's Style At Home}

Or a beautiful handmade or flea market quilt if you adore homey & cozy:

{Sarah Richardson}

2. Pick A Peck Of Pillows. You may already own bedding you love. However, just adding the right throw pillow can make the bed feel so wonderful & fresh. Tired pillows can be recovered with small amounts of fabrics, or you can pick up pillows marked down to under $15...I've seen tons this week at Home Sense.

You could throw a pillow party if you like multiple pillows:

{Canadian House & Home}

Or a single 'statement' pillow can do the job just beautifully:

{Canadian House & Home}

3. Now Add Table-rama & Lamp-alooza. Bedside tables & lamps are a must in a bedroom for comfort & convenience. Bedside tables hold drinks, reading glasses & books & telephones, among many other bedside must-haves. Lamps provide light for reading and relaxing without the brightness of the ceiling light. You can re-purpose or paint any small table or chest of drawers to make a fantastic side table. Use Craig's List, Yard Sales & Kijiji as low cost sources. Lamps can be spray-painted to match decor.

Tables & Lamps can be small & functional:

{Style At Home}

Or they can add a pop of colour to the bedroom:

{Style At Home}

Bedside tables can boost storage space:

{Rambling Renovators Blog}

Lamps can be hung on the wall alongside a small bedside tray:

{Canadian House & Home}

Or hung from the ceiling for a wonderful effect:

{Canadian House & Home}

They can also be extremely basic & budget-minded:

{Canadian House & Home}

4. Beautify Behind The Bed. Just like adding a pillow, adding something interesting behind the bed can really make the bedroom sing. Troll yard sales, goodwill stores, and use your imagination to find what makes you happy. Remember that frames and mats are easy to spray paint too!

First there is the traditional artwork option. A grouping of pictures is a classic look:

{Canadian House & Home}

As is a single picture:

{Sarah Richardson}

A round mirror can add a wonderful air of sophistication:

{Style at Home-Peter Fallico}

Popular choices in recent years have included painting the wall behind the bed an accent colour & decorative headboards:

{Sarah Richardson's Bedroom}

And warm wood such as unpainted pine:

{Sarah Richardson's Cottage}

Or something completely funky & interesting:

{Canadian House & Home}

5. Choose Luscious Lighting. If budgeting allows, adding a ceiling fixture is the final touch of luxury. Although fixtures can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars...it can be done very inexpensively if you comb stores for mark-downs, search yard sales & online sources and use your imagination to spray paint and refurbish. {For my own bedroom...I waited patiently for years and found a chandelier at Canadian Tire marked down from $149.99 to $49.99 & got it as a Mother's Day present!}

Consider the romantic sparkle of a chandelier:

{Canadian House & Home}

Or a lantern style fixture:

{Sarah Richardson}

A hanging fixture with a textured drum shade:

{Style At Home}

Or any fun-shaped fixture that catches your eye!

{Canadian House & Home}

And just so you know that I practice what I preach, or I walk the walk, or I walk the talk or however the saying goes...here is our bedroom:

I have a thing for pillows. I like to change them up. You can see the $49.99 chandelier that I patiently waited for 5 years to find...I like pretty...but I'm a frugal girl!

I hope you find some inspiration in making your sleep space beautiful!

Thank you so much for reading and sharing this post with me...I am so honoured by my readers every day who give me their precious time & attention. Thank you so much!

And after reading this post, what is the first change that you think you will make to the bedroom, if any?

Inquiring minds want to know!