After a lot of time and planning, we hope to give you some elegant master bedroom ideas and inspiration with our new beautiful makeover look! I wanted to share with you our basic bedroom design process for accent pieces, décor, and must-have measurement tips that will help you complete your bedroom makeover. Let’s get to it!
The Before Bedroom
When we moved into our house, the master bedroom started off in a little bit of disarray. The walls were an unappealing brown color, one set of blinds was completely missing, and the curtain rod was too thin and saggy. Nothing about this room screamed relaxing getaway or dream bedroom. It was time for a design makeover!
How to Start Your Bedroom Makeover: First Pick Your Paint Color
Decisions! Decisions! Deciding your bedroom paint color is the most important step of this process. I have found that once the paint color is set, all the other design elements can fall into place (bedding, window treatments, and décor). As you can tell by a lot of the other rooms in our home, I love grays, blues, and neutrals. I wanted to stick with that color palette for our master bedroom, but I wanted a little bit of change. This decision led me to SW Silver Strand which is a very moody cool gray. The blue and green undertones make it a very calming color which I love for relaxing and regrouping after a long day with the kids. More info to come in my color review!
Accent Wall
Bedroom accents wall with trim or molding are very popular right now. Whether you decide on board and batten, picture frame boxes, or others, this will help add a custom decorative element to the room. We decided on picture frame boxes which were incredibly easy and inexpensive to create. They added visual appeal to the bedroom that was beautiful and elegant. I love it!
Bedroom Window Treatments
Next you want to decide whether you need to find or update your window treatments. We found black out cellular shades from Bed Bath & Beyond that were 72 inch wide and covered both windows on the left side. Another option for 2 sets of double windows would be to put a separate shade on each window. Next I found a thicker full length black curtain rod from Target with knob ends – perfect! This curtain rod comes in 3 different lengths. We used the longest rod which was a 120″-170″ in length, to go the full length of the windows.
Window Treatment Tip #1: It is best to hang your curtain rod as high as you can towards the ceiling. This will increase the visual height of the room. Give yourself more space below the ceiling line if you want to add crown molding.
Window Treatment Tip #2: Hang your curtain rod/curtains outside of the window frame. Six inches is a good starting place based on the space you have. This will help create a larger visual window and give you more outside coverage to keep the light out in the morning (yes please!)
Drapes
Once the shade was ordered, the next step was to pick out the drapes. I decided to bring a print into the room through the drapes to add variety and color. If you decide to have a drapes with a print, it will allow you to add these elements without overwhelming the room. Patterned drapes can be changed for different seasons or just for a different look without having to change your entire room aesthetic.
Window Treatment Tip #3: When hanging your drapes there are three good options based on the design look you are going for in your bedroom.
- Just above floor level (within a 1/2 inch)
- Right at the floor level
- Puddled
I decided to have our drapes hang right at floor length as seen below:
Window Treatment Tip #4: If you have two sets of double windows, use 4 drapes to surround the window (1 on each end and two in the middle to fill the gap). This will also allow you to close the drapes together, if they are wide enough to cover the entire window. If you want a heavier look on each end, double the drapes on each side.
Window Treatment Tip #5: (A review) If you want to add a print to the bedroom, it might be best to incorporate it through the drapes and the throw pillows. These items are easier to switch out for a new fresh look and it is less of a commitment that bedding (which generally a lot is more expensive).
Nightstand Choices
The best nightstands will stand within 1-2 inches from the top of the mattress. You want a stand that is large enough in width to accompany the lamp you choose, as well as any items you need nearby (a jewelry dish, water, your favorite book). Decide whether you need storage in your nightstand and how much (a cabinet, a drawer, or just a bedside table). I love having lots of storage next to the bed for items I want to tuck away at times (workout bands, photos, books, etc).
Nightstand Tip #1: You want to make sure the width of your nightstand is appropriate for the space on the sides of the bed. You want a nightstand that fills the space but also has some breathing room around the sides. This will help create the appropriate proportions between the pieces of furniture.
Nightstand Decor
The next important piece is the nightstand décor. Choose a lamp or wall sconce you love and then add simple decorations like art, plants, florals, or books. These items will give you a complete decorated look that isn’t intruding on your nightstand space. Try to tie in some of the similar tones from the rest of the room and well as any accent color pops you might want to add. The decorations help tie the space together and incorporate your color scheme.
Wall Decor
Find wall décor that compliments the color in the room or carries a similar tone/neutral color. You can use wall art to bring in pops of complimentary colors as well.
Wall Decor Tip #1: Hang your wall décor at eye level. A rule of thumb is that the center point of the picture or piece of art should measure 60 inches above the floor.
Wall Decor Tip #2: There are a lot of great options for wall décor above your headboard (long canvas, carved wood, framed art, etc). You want to make sure that you hang the piece 8-10 inches above the headboard. This will give the piece a grounded appearance, so it won’t look like it’s floating too high above the bed.
Bonus Measurements
The last two pieces I need to completely finish my bedroom are a rug and a bench at the end of the bed. I am in the process of finding the perfect pieces! If you are already looking, these two tips will help guide you with what size to purchase:
Rug Size
Rug size depends on your bed size and your room size:
- Full Bed: 5×8, 6×9
- Queen Bed: 5×8, 6×9, 8×10
- King Bed: 6×9, 8×10, 9×12
Bench Size
The bench should fill at least 3/4 the width of the bed. These are ideas for the appropriate bench length:
- Full Bed: Around 45 inches long
- Queen Bed: At least 45 inches long
- King Bed: At least 60 inches long, 65-70 inches will help fill out the length of the bed
You’re Ready for Your Master Bedroom Makeover!
I hope that all these décor tips and must-have bedroom measurements will help inspire you to create your dream master bedroom! Whether you are starting from scratch in your first home or you are ready for a design makeover, these tips will get you off to a great start!
Check out more East Third Street Makeovers:
For the start of our Master Bathroom Makeover, click here!
Coming Soon: Silver Strand Color Review & Easy DIY Master Bedroom Picture Frame Wall Molding
