Design Question
I am a 21 year old guy remodeling my room, and I need help! I would like to upgrade my room into a contemporary style bedroom. Problem is I have little sense of fashion being a male (stereotyping!) The thing is, I have furniture already and my budget doesn’t allow for me to scrap all my current furniture and buy these amazing sets I have seen on the internet.
I’m happy with the color of the room, which is a very light shade of tan, and a dark yellow around the window. My current furniture is a dark tan (as opposed to the walls which are very light tan). I need lots of direction; if you can please help?
Design Answer
Your room has “good bones.” In other words, I don’t think you really need to do a lot to it to accomplish what you want. There are several things you can do that are relatively simple and hopefully won’t cost you much. The room’s design just needs pulling together. This can be easily achieved by introducing some accent color or colors into the room with new bedding and an area rug and by creating a focal point. Right now, the eye wanders around the space because no one element in your bedroom stands out.
The first thing I would suggest is to remove the border and paint the exposed wall the same color as the rest of the bedroom. If the border can be painted, that might also be an option. With its map theme, the wallpaper border has an old world vibe about it; if you would like a border, replace it with something that has a more contemporary pattern. Make sure that the colors match the bedding and the area rug.
The second thing I suggest that you do is create a focal point. You can transform your bed into a focal point by choosing bedding (just a couple of samples to give you an idea of what to look for) like the Daniadown Arctic Waves Duvet Cover or the Southern Textiles Elite Contemporary Blocks Bedding Set with a contemporary geometric design. You don’t want to add bold color – just enough to spice up the bedroom’s current monochromatic color scheme. Treat the bed like a sofa and the wall like the sofa’s backrest by adding a body pillow, square and rectangle accent cushions. This will make the bed a conversation piece – and a cozy place to sit and relax.
There’s no rule about having more than one focal point in the room. Replace the chair now sitting in front of the keyboard and put a music-themed poster or framed oversized picture on that wall. Select a short piano bench or low wood stool with a padded seat to match the color of the bedroom furnishings.
To pull the contemporary elements in the room all together, thirdly I would suggest adding an area rug. I know that there is already carpet on the floor, but as mentioned above, it’s an inexpensive way to bring more color into the room while giving definition to the bedroom’s overall design. When choosing an area rug like the Liz Claiborne by Nourison Landscape Stripes LC10 Area Rug Collection in Light Blue or the Couristan Mystique Area Rug Collection – Aura/Blue Mercury select one with a color scheme and/or a pattern that works well with the bedding you have picked and won’t clash or appear too busy.
For those final finishing touches, put pictures on the wall above the bed. It will enhance the “living room” feel, especially if you dress the bed to resemble a sofa. Add a contemporary style mirror like the Linon Recycled Magazine Rectangular Mirror to the desk wall directly behind the bed.
I hope these suggestions will help get you started on your bedroom upgrade. Thanks for writing in.
Keep sending me those interior design question emails and don’t forget to include pictures if you can.
