Contemporary Bedroom Styling Tips

If you fancy giving your bedroom a contemporary look, here are some features that will bring your room into modern fashion without having to redecorate.

Either single or double beds can be dressed up to look modern and contemporary. Crisp white bed linen is an old idea that now makes a modern bedroom! There are numerous types of stitching which produce different patterns in the duvet cover which adds a twist to a traditional look.

As for the all-important bedroom colour scheme, add colour elements with either a rug or large cushions on the bed; big blocks of colour are very popular at the moment. Vibrant reds, oranges, purples, and blues should really bring the room alive. In contrast make sure your wardrobes and flooring are a neutral tone so that these bold colours don’t overwhelm the room.

If you want to decorate to compliment an overall modern design, here are a few tips you can follow.

• Brightly-coloured carpets and rugs would go well with pale paint or wallpaper on the walls. This works especially well if you have a small bedroom as the light walls will give the illusion of extra height.

• Bring out the colour in your room with spotlights in the ceilings and standing lamps in the bedroom.

• Allow as much natural light in during the day to give the bedroom a fresh look.

But let's go back to the star of the Bedroom Show, namely, the bed!

• A re-design of the four-poster bed is now a modern piece of bedroom furniture, replacing the grand old, wooden pieces of the past with a sleeker design. There are now hundreds of streamlined and modern-looking four-poster beds, which have a minimalistic feel and can really be the focal point of the room. When used for guest beds they also add extravagance to your spare room.

• A modern bedroom often appears to have little furniture and lots of space, so a larger bed can also benefit the room when it has hidden storage capabilities. Pull-out units are perfect as they not only look great, but are practical too. They're perfect for storing clothes and shoes.

The perfect contemporary bedroom is all about making a dramatic, sleek statement with an impressive bed. Keep all other furniture to a minimum, maximizing the sense of space. And balance colours, materials, lighting, and linens to create a bright space conducive to a great night's sleep.

Do-It-Yourself Painted Headboard

Now is the perfect time to think about freshening up your interior space. With a splash of color here and a new piece of furniture there, it's easy to redecorate your space for spring. Here's an easy, budget-conscious DIY design idea to help get you started.

Paint Your Own Headboard

Chances are if you if you purchased your bed frame as part of a bedroom set, the headboard is already included. If you don't want to put forth the extra cash, especially after paying for a pricey mattress, no problem! Painted headboards are a great way to add a pop of color to your bedroom.

Step 1: Measure the width of the head of your bed and mark it with blue painter's tape from floor to ceiling. Now, choose your color based on your desired color scheme. You obviously don't want it to be the same shade as your walls, but it should complement that color.

Step 2: Once you have your color, paint the wall, staying within the blue painters tape. Once the paint dries, if you choose to do so, you can detail with paint or with some removable wall decals from a company like Blik. For as little as $40, Blik makes easily removable wall decals in fun shapes like bookshelves, chandeliers, birds, etc. If this sounds like too much work, don't worry and leave your wall a solid color.

Step 3: Simply position your bed up against the painted wall, prop up some decorative Euro pillows in coordinating colors and patterns, and you have yourself a headboard. You might want to take this opportunity to invest in a new comforter or duvet in fun, light, spring colors. You'd be surprised at what a little bit of paint and some new bedding can do for your space!

Some Favorite Beds

Check out Avery Boardman for their selection of quality sleep sofas and custom beds (see photo below for one example). They even carry a concealed television in one of their footboards -- the set slides up when you want to watch tube at night while propped up in bed.

Other quality beds can be purchased through the following manufacturers and their showrooms.

Lewis Mittman has the royal Lombard King Bed, pictured below, which think is so chic.

Nancy Corzine's Prism Bed (below) was inspired by the Chrysler Building and would make a soaring addition to any bedroom, adding mirrored deco glam to your interior.

Donghia has several stylish contemporary beds, including the St. James, pictured below.

Cassina is known for its stylish, high-end contemporary furniture. We love the Miss daybed (see photo below).

B&B Italia has their Tufty-Bed that we are just crazy about. See what the buzz is all about in the photo below of Patricia Urquiola's fantastic design.

Ligne Roset shows off their lovely contemporary Maly Bed below.

Beacon Hill and Robert Allen have bedroom furniture and Robert Allen's line of soft goods, like toss pillows and bedspreads.

The Duo Collection from Matteo features bedding is inspired by sea-swept coastal homes and cozy log cabins.

Bedding

Gone are the days of boring bedding! There are great new options in linens and bed fashions we found at a New York International Gift Fair in NYC.

Luxury bedding gurus Sferra have a huge hit on their hands with their sassy, fresh, and value-priced line of bedding called Eighteen Ninety One. We were impressed with the many takes on style that the 1891 collections offer, and fell in love with a perfect collection for the coming fall: Blue Eyes. There's a bit of the glam Rat Pack feel behind the deep walnut backgrounds and geometric patterns on the printed cotton sateen duvet cover and shams. The photo below shows the bed all tricked out with Martin Sheets and pillowcases, the strong Bishop Quilt and shams, the rich pleated Garland bed skirt (great color contrasts!), and Sferra's Volare, Bojangles, and Lawford decorative pillows.

We were quite impressed with the bedding patterns and coordinated looks from the linen newbies at Ferran in New York. Kathryn Ferran Kayajan's sense of color and design shines through an amazing line (see some of her beautiful embroidery and surprising, fresh patterns in the photo below). Go to the Ferran website to download their catalog and inquire about purchase locations for their bedding, robes, totes, and raincoats.

Much has been written about the importance of organic bedding to promote a healthier night's rest, and we can heartily recommend the Plover Organic line of home textiles. Their style sense is a cut above the rest of the crunchy-granola natural linens set, focusing on charming and sometimes "Grandma Quaint" hand-printed patterns (see photo below, and their heavenly Red Roses pattern at right), and their eco-responsible manufacturing is impressive.

We were charmed by the young couple behind the Isabella Collection, a fine elegant bedding company that has been redefining Old World elegance in their collections. When we say "elegant," we mean layers and layers of elegance! And layering is what any Isabella line is all about. You'll see what we mean from the following photos showing fully-dressed beds in their Eva and Francesca lines.

Raves for the Due Collection from the home furnishing icons at Matteo (see top photo and photo below). They've taken the sensibility of a rustic log cabin or a beachside coastal home and translated it into a bedding and linens line that totally coordinates, with understated and simply elegant patterns (Americana, Lace, and Fleur). Sheer design perfection.