Designing Your Bedroom

Choose The Right Paint Colour
How To Choose Pattern
Decorating Tricks To Enhance Your Space
Where To Buy Bedroom Accessories

Your bedroom is the one room in the house where you can really indulge yourself to create a relaxing, comfortable and stylish retreat. The secret is in combining colour, pattern and texture for an individual scheme that really works for you.

By Andrea Dean

Choose The Right Paint Colour

Anything goes in a bedroom these days, but what you choose will have a real effect on the room's proportions and mood, so give it some careful thought first...

Soothing Shades

It's not surprising that soft blues and greens have long been favourite shades for the bedroom, as they're calming and tranquil, so conducive to a good night's sleep. But the more pastel these colours are, the colder they can look in a north-facing room, so go for pinks and lilacs for an injection of warmth, instead.

Focus Deep Aubergine bedroom. Design & Decorate Your Bedroom

Dramatic Tones

For a more dramatic effect, don't be afraid of stronger, deeper tones, such as sage and aubergine, deep turquoise or chocolate brown - either all over or on a single wall as an accent - which look smart teamed with fresh white bedlinen.

Once you've decided on the bedlinen, add texture by piling on throws and cushions in varying sizes to create a sumptuous, yet cosy effect that will make early nights a top priority.

Espacio bedroom. Design & Decorate Your Bedroom

Natural Colours

Neutral, natural shades work well too, though creams are far more relaxing than wall to wall white, which can appear stark and clinical, and you can always add extra colour with bedlinen, throws and other accessories.

Harlequin Lagoon fabrics. Design & Decorate Your Bedroom

Energising Shades

If you don't have problems falling asleep, but struggle to get up in the mornings, an uplifting, energising colour might give you that boost you need to rise and shine. Try yellow, turquoise or cranberry, though you may want to limit the shade to just one wall, as too much can be overpowering.

Although there are no rules when it comes to colour, do check that your partner is happy with your choice, or bedtime might not be as restful as you'd planned... And, as your scheme needs to look good day and night, test out the colours first by painting them on to sheets of paper which can be moved round the room, so you can see how changes in light affect them.