Designing, Decorating, and Painting a Bedroom

Many homeowners who wish to renovate a bedroom restrict their thinking to basic decorating ideas, like window coverings and paint colors.  Are there principles of interior design that apply to such a relatively small project?  Is there any real difference between “interior design” and “interior decorating?”

There’s a basic principle of modern architecture that explains the difference:  form follows function.  The function of a physical space is the purposes for which the space is intended while the form is the physical appearance of the space.   The form or appearance should support the function -- the ways in which the space is used.

What is the function of a bedroom?  Assuming an adult bedroom, sleeping and storing clothes are the two principal functions.  Homeowners who like to watch TV in their bedrooms add an entertainment function.  Decorating a bedroom then should be grounded in an understanding of how you use your bedroom.

Here’s an example of how forgetting about bedroom design can lead to dysfunctional decorating.  Suppose you love bright light and have always been fond of sheer window treatments so you add them to your bedroom.  The result is a lovely room in the light of day, but one in which it is difficult to sleep in the early morning hours.  If you have a design plan, you won’t make that mistake.   You’ll look for window coverings that block light when closed.

Another example of how an understanding of design principles can impact decorating is soundproofing.  It’s difficult to sleep in a noisy bedroom and if that is your situation, old windows can be replaced with special soundproof windows.  In addition, if your walls are old gypsum plaster in poor condition you may consider removing them and then using soundproofing insulation before putting up new wall board.

A third example can be seen in selecting floor coverings for your bedroom.   You may love hardwood floors but if you live in a cold climate, getting out of bed and putting your warm feet on an ice cold floor is not a pleasant experience.  Decorating with function in mind would call for carpeting or the use of area rugs.

When it comes to decorating, many of us think of paint color before anything else, since the walls and ceiling account for the majority of a bedroom’s appearance.   Let’s step out of the bedroom for a moment and consider a design principle all excellent interior designers share with their clients.  Part of the function of any home is to convey something about the people who live there.  Bold, daring people will use bold, daring decorating ideas throughout their entire home – beginning with the exterior.  If you want to convey warmth, use warm colors throughout.   If the bedroom is your first renovation project, rest assured there will be more.  So start right there and let your bedroom say something about you.

While the bedroom walls and ceiling are appropriate places to make statements with color, perhaps the most noticeable element of any adult bedroom is the bedcovering.  Rather than start by selecting a paint color and then complementary bedcovering, consider beginning with the purchase of a bedcovering with the desired colors in its appearance.   It is easy to take a pillow case into your favorite paint store and find a matching color.  Today’s technology makes paint matching easy.  To further your use of color, consider painting your ceiling in a shade of the color you use on the walls, not a basic white.  Many homes you wee in decorating magazines make dramatic statements with ceilings painted in darker shades than the walls.

Finally, adding chair rail moulding around the perimeter to your room expands its color possibilities.  With chair rail you can use different shades below and above the moulding, and a separate color for the moulding.  For maximum dramatic effect, think about painting the moulding between the walls and ceiling in the same shade used for the chair rail moulding.  This creates a stunning framing effect.