Freshen up your bedroom with a new coat of paint
One of the most powerful ways to give your bedroom an entirely new look is with a fresh coat of paint on the walls.
You can paint the typical bedroom in one day: prep in the morning, paint in the afternoon, and let the paint dry overnight. It's an easy and satisfying project for even a newbie do-it-yourselfer, and it's also one of the easiest ways to give your space an entirely new look.
Want to shake things up a little? Then choose a moody dark color like indigo, deep teal, dark gray, or even black. Looking for a cheerful vibe? You can't go wrong with sunny yellow, soft green, or a pastel peachy pink. Prefer to save color for your bedding and accessories? No problem. White paint with a slightly warm undertone is the perfect clean background for a brightly hued setting.
There are a lot of interior paints to choose from, of course, but we really like Behr Premium Plus. Consumer Reports backs up our choice, writing, "A CR Best Buy, this self-priming paint costs less than the top-rated Behr, and generally matches its performance in most tests, but yields an even smoother surface. Behr claims it doesn't have any VOCs."
The paint is available in the full range of paint sheens, but as a general rule, it's best to stick with flat, eggshell, or satin in the bedroom. These sheens cover wall imperfections and stains well, and aren't too shiny. One gallon is enough for the average bedroom.
Your local Home Depot can tint the Behr paint whatever color you like, but if you want to order colored paint online, check out Behr's ColorSmart, which allows you to select your favorite color online, and then purchase it through the Home Depot website.
Pros: Wide range of colors, excellent performance, no need for separate primer, no VOCs, reasonably priced
Cons: If you are painting a light color over previously dark walls, you might need an extra coat
Buy a 1-gallon can of Behr Premium Plus paint in eggshell sheen at Home Depot for $29.98 Check out our full guides to the best interior paint, paint brushes, and paint rollersChoose a nice duvet cover to give your bed a new look
Duvet covers are to a duvet as a pillowcase is to a pillow. The duvet cover protects the inner down-filled white comforter, easily fits into a standard washer and dryer along with your sheets, and of course, adds a big dose of style to your bedroom décor. Keep in mind that a duvet cover set does not include the duvet itself; you’ll need to buy that separately.
There are duvet covers to match any decorating personality, but we really like the Leadtimes Duvet Cover Set, which is available in a bright and cheery orange, blue, and pink floral on white; or a moody and dramatic pink and orange floral on black. Both are equally appealing to men and women alike, and neither is your grandma’s old-school floral — these are contemporary, with large, colorful blooms scattered across the solid background.
Made of microfiber, the covers are very soft and silky, and they machine wash and dry. The set includes matching pillow shams: one with the twin set, and two with queen or king sizes. The duvet cover has ties to hold the duvet in place inside the cover, and a zipper to keep the duvet cover closed while on your bed.
Pros: Beautiful floral pattern, easy care, soft and comfortable against skin
Cons: A few buyers complained that the zipper broke within a month or two of purchase
Buy the Leadtimes Duvet Cover Set on Amazon for $29.99 (twin), $33.99 (queen), or $38.99 (king) Check out our full guides to the best duvet covers and comforters Learn how to put a duvet cover on your comforterAdd a nice bolster pillow to your bed
A bed heaped high with throw pillows is an annoyance. You either need to find somewhere to stack them when it’s time for sleep, or more likely, kick them onto the floor.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have any throw pillows at all. Aim for no more than three, and make sure one of your pillows is a bolster — that’s a pillow that’s a fairly long rectangle, not a square.
The great thing about bolsters is they serve double duty: They add a shot of interest to your bed during the day, and at night, they make the perfect lumbar support pillow while you sit up in bed to read, watch TV, or play on your phone.
At 12 inches high by 20 inches long, the Edwards Velvet Lumbar Pillow is sized just right for both purposes. It comes in 10 great colors, including bright orange, purple, greenish-blue, and fern green, and the micro-velvet fabric is soft and comfy against your skin while adding a little touch of lux to your bed.
Pros: Great colors, good size to use as a lumbar support, just firm enough for support without being too hard
Cons: No zipper, so you cannot replace the inner polyester or take the cover off for cleaning
Buy the Edwards Velvet Lumbar Pillow at Wayfair for $38.99 Check out our guide to the best pillowsAdd a small area rug with a fun texture
If you have hard flooring in your bedroom, you've probably experienced the unpleasantness of getting up on a winter's morning only to recoil as your warm bare feet hit the chilly hard floor. There's an easy solution to feet freeze: a cozy area rug that sits on the floor right where your feet first hit it.
Although there are a lot of rug styles and materials, when it comes to the rug that welcomes your sleepy bare feet, it's hard to beat real sheepskin, like the Genuine Sheepskin Rug from Super Area Rugs.
So thick, so fleecy, so soft, and to make it even better, available in eight colors ranging from natural hues to pink, blue, and purple. That means your comfy little rug can make a decorating style statement, as well as cozying up your bedroom.
The rugs are roughly two feet by three feet, but sizes can vary slightly, as these are genuine, single-pelt sheepskins. The back of the rug is suede, so you might need a rug pad to keep it in place on slippery flooring. Sourced from New Zealand sheep, and minimally treated, the rugs won't shed, fade, mat, or harden.
If your rug gets dirty, go ahead and machine wash it, but let it air dry. An occasional once-over with a vacuum or brush will keep the fleece looking its best.
Pros: Very soft, great colors, can also be used as a chair cushion, throw blanket, or shoulder warmer
Cons: A few customers complained that their rugs were too small
Buy a Genuine Sheepskin Rug on Amazon for $48.75 and up Check out our full guide to the best area rugsChoose a lovely bedside lamp
Even the tiniest bedroom needs another source of light beyond the window, and ideally, that light source is a bedside lamp, especially if you like to read in bed.
Along with function, your bedside lamp is an easy way to add some color and interest to the space, so don't make do with an ugly or old-fashioned lamp. Instead, check out the simply and perfectly styled Guildford Table Lamp.
The gentle curves of the vase-shaped lamp, topped with the clean and contemporary lines of the drum shade, are complementary to just about any decorating style. At 27 inches tall, the lamp is the perfect height for your bedside table.
The lamp accepts up to 150-watt bulbs, so no more wimpy, underpowered lamps that don't cast enough light to see what you're doing. The base is glazed ceramic, with a choice of five attractive colors, and the shade is eggshell-white linen.
If your bedroom is reasonably sized, consider getting two, and set one on the dresser across from your bed to serve as another light source.
Pros: Classic style works with just about any decorating theme, takes 3-way bulbs, perfect height for most bedside tables
Cons: A handful of customers complained that the lamp harp was wobbly
Buy the Guildford Table Lamp at Wayfair for $79.99 to $89.99, depending on colorAdd a decorative headboard
It's true that a headboard serves no practical purpose. But in terms of decorating balance, it's a key player in your bedroom's good looks. Whether you like a soft neutral headboard or something hot and spicy to liven up the space, the size of the furnishing balances your bed, and keeps it from looking unfinished.
While wooden headboards are always classic, upholstered headboards have really stolen the spotlight in recent years. Partly because they are a lot more comfortable to lean against than their hard counterparts, but also because their softness extends an air of comfort to the entire bed. And of course, when the headboard is stylishly tufted, like the Flash Furniture Cambridge Tufted Headboard, it's that much better.
The headboard has black metal legs to anchor it in place, but if you don't want to be bothered, or your bed frame doesn't have spots for attachment, no worries.
Just pin the headboard between the wall and the mattress, and it will stay in place just fine. You get 11 colors to choose from, including red, orange, navy, dark gray, and camel. The overall style is clean and contemporary, with a gently curved edge for an extra shot of interest. And for less than $100 for a queen-sized headboard, this is a great deal.
Pros: Terrific color choices, nicely designed, tufted for extra style
Cons: A few customers said they didn't receive the legs
Buy the Flash Furniture Cambridge Tufted Headboard on Amazon for $40 and up, depending on size and colorHang some art on your walls
It's one of the most common bedroom decorating mistakes: a glaringly empty wall above the headboard. Or almost as bad, a too-small photo, print, or artwork that doesn't deliver nearly enough impact to deserve such an important position, decorating-wise.
The top Pinterest-worthy bedrooms make the most of the prime real estate over the bed by placing a significant piece of artwork that's large enough — ideally, around two-thirds the width of the mattress — to grab your eye when you enter the room. Typically, square or landscape-oriented rectangles work best, as they help to visually balance the mattress beneath.
Forget about heavy frames — wrapped canvas is the way to go, as it looks clean and contemporary while minimizing the artwork's weight, which is something that should always be considered before hanging anything over your bed.
While the subject of your wall art is entirely a matter of personal preference be sure it reflects your personality and decorating tastes. You'll have no problem finding something perfect in Wayfair's vast offerings of large-sized, wrapped canvas wall art.
I myself am partial to bird prints, such as the soft "Blue Bird" or the folk-art style of "Bluebirds, 2010." But no worries if you prefer something different. There are hundreds of other subjects to choose from.
Pros: Huge selection of large, wrapped canvas pictures, most with free shipping
Cons: None to speak of
Buy wall art at Wayfair for under $100
