12 bedroom decor ideas for the perfect makeover

To decorate your bedroom, start by deciding what look you want to achieve. Take inspiration from magazines, Pinterest, Instagram and hotel interiors, or even your favourite films and TV shows. 

Then draw on these ideas to pick your furniture and accessories. This will lay the foundations for your bedroom decoration project.

Learn the basics of decorating in our comprehensive interior design guide. 

You spend a lot of time in your bedroom, so your furnishings should reflect your personal taste. Go for pieces that complement each other in colour and texture, or try mixing and matching for contrast. 

With a lot of thought, an eclectic mix of furniture and bedroom accessories can make your bedroom feel on-trend and unique. 

When mixing styles, try bringing them together with a common element. Team a traditional four-poster bed with a mid-century modern ottoman at its foot, but upholster them in the same material, for example. 

You can also duplicate the same shape in different contexts around your room, such as circular cushions, a circular mirror and rounded furniture. 

It's also worth considering your bedroom’s size and selecting furniture that is proportionate to the space. Some brands offer modular or bespoke furniture designs, meaning you can tailor pieces to fit your room perfectly. 

Your bedroom layout should feel comfortable, practical and calming. 

The bed is often the focal point of the room, and where it's positioned impacts the room's overall look and feel. If possible, place your bed facing a window, then you can wake up to lots of natural light and fresh air. 

For balance, place bedside tables either side of the bed and ensure that no furniture gets in the way of natural light flowing into the room. 

A clutter-free layout not only makes a bedroom easier to use, but also creates a calmer, more relaxing space. 

Colour is crucial to creating the right atmosphere in your bedroom. Soft, neutral tones will create a peaceful atmosphere, while vivid colours add a more dramatic feel. 

What colour suits a bedroom?  

Some colours are known to promote a good night's sleep, while others can feel more energising. Choosing the right colour palette can have a big impact on how your bedroom feels. 

If you love warmer colours, softer shades tend to create a more restful atmosphere than bold, saturated tones.

If you’re a big fan of simple white colour schemes, you’re not alone. Lots of designers love clean white walls and have go-to white paint favourites. Farrow and Balls’ Wimborne White or Benjamin Moore’s White Dove are two time-tested choices for all-white rooms. 

Some designers also add splashes of colour or texture to liven up a white scheme. Adding interesting bedroom accessories and materials can also ensure that your white bedroom doesn’t appear too clinical. 

You can also bring in soft accent colours with your bedroom furniture, bedding and bedroom wall decor.  

Scandinavian bedroom designs typically incorporate a simple and peaceful colour palette, drawing on nature and evoking snowy landscapes. When looking for Scandi bedroom inspiration, think clean whites, Nordic blue, forest green, aqua and pale pink. 

Scandinavian bedroom decor is all about creating a peaceful, functional space with just a few carefully chosen pieces. Start with a neutral colour palette, then layer natural materials like wood, linen and cotton to add warmth and texture. 

Rather than filling the room with furniture and accessories, focus on quality over quantity. Clean lines, soft lighting, cosy textiles and plenty of natural daylight are all hallmarks of Scandinavian design, helping to create a bedroom that feels both stylish and relaxing.

When doing a bedroom renovation project, we recommend keeping in mind how it will look when everything comes together. Choosing one central theme or style that will unite each aspect of the room and that all works together is important. 

Popular bedroom decor styles include Scandinavian, farmhouse, maximalist and minimalist. 

Once you’ve settled on your main bedroom theme, you can bring in your own unique touches to make sure that it doesn’t feel too uniform.  

For example, a monochrome bedroom can be brought to life with a colourful rug, while an industrial-style space feels softer with layered bedding and natural textures.

Maximising the flow of natural light and building in strategically placed artificial light is key to any good bedroom design. Throughout the day and night, light sources affect the appearance of everything in the room and have a big effect on your bedroom decor.  

Through window dressings, the placement of bedroom furniture and reflective surfaces in the room, you can maximise your exposure to natural light.   

Openings, such as roof windows, introduce more natural light and help create an environment that is lively, warm and comforting.  

Sunlight improves mood and increases your energy levels, too. A good source of natural light will also reduce your dependence on artificial light, which is good for your health. 

Roof windows let in the greatest amount of natural light (almost twice the amount as a facade window of the same size). This is because their pitched angle allows light to travel deeper into the room. 

By teaming roof windows with blinds you can control the flow of natural light into your room. Also, consider VELUX anti-heat blackout external blinds and shutters, which sit on the outside of your roof windows and help stop your bedroom getting too hot in the summer months.  

Depending on their position, roof windows can frame views of the sky or surrounding landscape, helping strengthen your connection with nature while making the room feel more open and spacious. 

The temperature in your room plays an important role in your comfort and sleep quality and by keeping the space well-ventilated with VELUX roof windows, you can ensure that it doesn’t become humid and damp. A poorly ventilated room means poor indoor air quality, which can encourage mould to grow and pose a risk to your health. 

Ventilation plays a crucial role in maintaining a comfortable and healthy environment in your bedroom. It lets in fresh air from outside and takes out contaminants, such as dust and allergens from inside. 

Opening the windows or using VELUX automated ventilation systems helps replace poor quality air with clean, fresh air from outside, creating a comfortable interior environment. 

Read about how you achieve natural ventilation with roof windows. 

Let’s explore the types of artificial lighting and their uses. Soft bulbs and dimmers create a variety of ambient lighting that can be adjusted according to the time of day.  

• Ambient lighting: the main source of light in a room. Consider ceiling lights, such as recessed lighting or spotlights, to distribute light evenly across the room and avoid dark spots. 
• Task lighting: this type of lighting concentrates the light onto a specific area. In a bedroom, this could be bedside lamps or a desk lamp for reading or working.   
• Accent lighting: for a touch of sophistication, and to create the mood you’re after, use spotlights, wall and table lamps. These serve as focal points and add a sense of cosiness to the room.  

Lighting can also influence the perceived temperature of a room. When you are buying light bulbs you will notice they are often labelled ‘warm’ and ‘cool.’ Warm lightbulbs create a cosy, welcoming atmosphere, perfect for cold nights, and cold lightbulbs create a refreshing, airy feel, ideal for the summer months. 

Lighting is one of the easiest ways to change the atmosphere of your bedroom. Warm bulbs (around 2700K–3000K) create a soft, relaxing glow that's ideal for winding down at the end of the day – what some people refer to as ‘mood lighting’. 

Cooler bulbs (4000K–6500K) are often better suited to reading, working or applying make-up, making them useful if your bedroom serves more than one purpose. 

If you enjoy changing the mood of your room, consider smart bulbs that allow you to adjust brightness, warmth and even colour throughout the day. 

Texture adds warmth, comfort and personality to a bedroom. Layer cushions, fabrics, upholstered headboards and soft rugs to create a room that feels inviting throughout the year. 

Changing fabrics with the seasons is an easy way to refresh your bedroom. Cosier fabrics help retain warmth during winter, while lighter materials create a cooler feel in summer. 

Textiles can also improve the acoustics of a room by absorbing sound, helping create a quieter and more restful environment. 

Perhaps best of all, they're one of the simplest ways to update your bedroom. Swapping cushions, throws or bedding lets you refresh the look of the room without a full redesign. 

Decorating a small bedroom is all about making the space feel light, uncluttered and easy to move around. Choosing furniture that's proportionate to the room, making the most of natural light and keeping clutter to a minimum can help even the smallest bedroom feel more spacious. 

Here are a few small bedroom decor ideas to try: 

• Choose multifunctional furniture, such as ottoman beds, storage benches or bedside tables with built-in drawers.  
• Use vertical space by adding floating shelves or tall wardrobes that make the most of your walls without taking up extra floor space.  
• Keep the floor as clear as possible to create a feeling of openness.  
• Make the most of natural light with lightweight curtains, mirrors and roof windows that help brighten the room.  
• Decorate with a lighter colour palette, which can help small bedrooms feel more open and airy.  

If you're working with a compact room, remember that a few thoughtful changes often have a bigger impact than trying to fit in more furniture. 

For more inspiration, read the The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.

Your bedroom should feel like somewhere you can properly switch off. 

Phones, tablets and televisions can make it harder to unwind, while the blue light they emit might interfere with your natural sleep cycle. 

Instead, try creating a bedtime routine that helps you relax. Read a book, listen to calming music or simply enjoy a screen-free hour before bed. Small habits like these can make a surprisingly big difference to the quality of your sleep. 

Looking for bedroom wall decor ideas? Your walls are a great place to add personality, whether that's through artwork, photographs, paint, wallpaper or decorative shelving. 

Fabric wall hangings can introduce softness and texture, while floating shelves are perfect for displaying books, plants and treasured objects. However you choose to decorate, aim for a balance between visual interest and a calm, uncluttered feel. 

Your bedroom should feel like a retreat from the outside world. 

Soft lighting, high-quality bedding and layered textiles all help create a calm atmosphere. You could also introduce relaxing touches such as an aromatherapy diffuser, calming scents or a quiet corner for reading or meditation. 

The most restful bedrooms aren't necessarily the most expensive – they're the ones that make it easy to slow down and switch off at the end of the day. 

Finally, integrating natural elements can help create a peaceful atmosphere. A few plants dotted around will help your room look beautiful and improve its air quality. 

Choose plants that are easy to care for, such as succulents, which don't require much watering. 

Some plants, such as jasmine, can even improve sleep quality.  

Like windows, plants and natural elements in a bedroom create a connection with the outside and echo the tranquility and beauty of the natural world beyond. 

These decorative elements can be placed anywhere in the room: on a shelf, suspended from the ceiling or on the floor. 

Want to refresh your bedroom without spending a fortune? These budget bedroom decor ideas can make a big difference without requiring a complete makeover. 

1. Declutter: clear out wardrobes, drawers and bedside tables to create a calmer, more spacious room. You might even be able to sell unwanted items to fund your next project. 
2. Bring in colour: a lick of paint is one of the quickest and most affordable ways to transform a bedroom. Try a feature wall or experiment with simple painted shapes for added interest. 
3. Repurpose unused items: an old stool can become a bedside table, while baskets, crates or vintage finds can be given a new lease of life. 
4. Refresh the basics: replacing your curtains and bedsheets can really transform the look and feel of your bedroom. Add blankets and scatter cushions for extra comfort. 
5. Fine tune the lighting: switching to warm bulbs can instantly make a bedroom feel cosier and more inviting. 
6. Add practical furniture: a bench at the end of yourbed offers both extra seating and useful storage.

Whether you're making a few simple updates or planning a complete makeover, the best bedroom decor ideas are the ones that reflect the way you live. Focus on comfort, natural light and a style that feels true to you, and you'll create a space that's just as relaxing as it is beautiful.  

Read up on how to renovate your bedroom for a better sleep or small bedroom design ideas that will make your space look even bigger.