LAYOUT

In the master bedroom, consider breaking up symmetry to revitalize your decor. Gone are the days of complete matching, being replaced by a no-rules generation. Keep balance and weight in mind as you arrange the furniture, but don’t be afraid to try new things. Perhaps a bedside table on one side of the bed can be counteracted with a writing desk on the other. Not only will the desk prove functional, but the asymmetry in the room will add visual interest.
Less is often more when it comes to bedroom furniture. Ensure there is ample floor space for walking around the bed and opening the chest of drawers. Each person should also have easy access to a bedside table so they can comfortably place reading material and/or a glass of water beside them.
Consider drawing several layouts on paper to save you from ongoing rearranging until you get the layout right.

FLOORING

There are several good flooring materials to choose for the master bedroom.

• Hardwood flooring, coupled with an area rug, is a great option for the master bedroom. Vacuuming is often the only necessary cleaning agent, simple and easy! The cost of hardwoods (and the cost of installing them) is the drawback on this beautiful flooring option. However, they will likely last forever.

• Laminate flooring can resemble wood, tile or even stone. It is extremely durable, does not scratch and is simple to clean. Standing water (such as a bathroom leak) will ruin laminate flooring, so only place in areas that are protected from water. Some laminate flooring is loud when being walked on, not ideal when sneaking to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

• Carpet is warm and comfortable. However, keep in mind the disadvantages of carpet—traps dirt, harbors allergens, stains easily and often needs replacing—when weighing the benefits.

Flooring Trends:

• Shaggy pile carpets are back. They're new and improved with a tighter, more resistant weave, which makes them ideal for the bedroom, either as wall-to-wall carpeting or as rugs.

• Natural fibers, such as wool and sisal, are also in demand.

• Strips in hardwood flooring are getting wider, giving a more rustic look to the floor boards.

• Dark or exotic woods such as mahogany or bamboo are becoming noticeably more stylish. To add interest to the floor, play with different-coloured woods to create decorative borders or mosaics.

If you decide to go with a hardwood or laminate flooring, keep feet nice and warm by placing a small rug by the bedside or a large area rug under the entire bed, with excess extending beneath the sides of the bed. Your toes will thank you for the warm wake-up on chilly mornings.

WINDOW TREATMENTS

In the bedroom, window coverings are not just decorative. They should block out the morning light and ensure privacy in the evening. Combining blinds and curtains (fabric or sheers) enables you to marry practicality and a pleasing look. The curtains should not only coordinate with the bedding but also the style of the window. Consider the overall feeling you are trying to achieve before you decide on the window treatments. Both the style of the treatment as well as the material chosen will dictate the formality of the room.

• If the window is large, you can go for thick fabrics and big, bold patterns – geometrical, figurative or abstract.

• If it is small, simple coverings will suffice: delicate fabrics, light colours, Roman blinds are all ideal. For blinds, you’ll find a wide choice of colours and prints. Use these alone or with plain curtains.

Window Options:

• Blinds are easy to use and functional. There are a handful of options available on the market today—from basic white to more sophisticated bamboo or reed.
• Curtains range from simple panels to ornate swags and everywhere in between. The formality of the curtains should match the rest of the room. For grandiose spaces, invest in sophisticated curtains. Simple rooms should have simple window treatments.
• Sheers are perfect for barely-there coverage. Use them when you want to dress up or soften a window, yet do not want to block the incoming light. Sheers to do not provide privacy, so take that into consideration. For blocking light and ensuring privacy, couple sheers with blinds beneath.
   

BEDDING

The bed is obviously the central element of the master bedroom decor. Combine comfort and style for the ultimate design success. From luxurious Egyptian cotton sheets to the stack of pillows you place on top, decide on a design style before you choose the bedding. What’s more? Attempt to find a style that can have layers added to or taken from to accommodate the changing seasons.
Bedding Trends:

• Silk or satin bedcovers in rich, warm colours (red, gold, fuchsia, orange, cream) are the height of current trends.
• Soft piqué bedcovers, all but forgotten, are back in vogue; keep the bed simple in this case, with plain colours – muted or strong.
• Rather than having a whole host of cushions on the bed, arrange pillows in pretty pillowcases overlapping each other.
• Duvets are still popular. They are warm during the winter and always so inviting to snuggle under. Duvet covers can be reversible – this is the best option as it enables you to change the decor with a flick of the wrist, to match the season, for example.
• Prints are still fashionable – especially stripes, which combine well with checks and florals.
   

FURNITURE

When it comes to furnishing a bedroom, comfort is the prime consideration.
Choose a style that will keep its appeal throughout the years. Whether you prefer a matching bedroom suite from a large furniture store or an original look combining mixed and matched furniture from different periods and styles, choose a furniture style that you find beautiful. If you opt for vintage or second-hand pieces, don't be afraid of using them in ways other than for which they were originally designed. For instance, an antique sewing machine table can serve as the perfect height bedside table for today’s taller beds.

Wooden furniture is great for the bedroom. The most popular colours are dark shades of chocolate, mahogany and chestnut. Such pieces may have rich inserts of materials like leather or suede. If wood isn’t your style, look for items with an attractive patina and a time-worn look.
Functional furniture pieces for a master bedroom:

• Bed
• Bedside tables
• Chest of drawers (or other clothes storage piece)
• Armoire (if closet space is limited or you wish to hide a television)
• Full length mirror
• Bench or chair (for putting on shoes)
• Reading chair (if space permits)
• Bookshelf (if space permits)
• Writing desk (if useful or space permits)

Avoid cluttering the room with furniture; rooms need to breathe—just as you do—and your quality of sleep will be all the better as a result.

LIGHTING

A master bedroom should have several lighting options so that you are ready for any situation.

• Overhead lights are essential when you need to see clearly—perhaps putting on make-up or conducting a thorough cleaning. Make sure the overhead light—whether a fan light, chandelier, high hat or other source—is on a dimmer. The ability to control of the amount of light provides unlimited possibilities in lighting options.

• Lamps provide flattering light in the evenings and are essential for bedtime reading. Whether table lamps, sconces or swivel lamps, ensure you have adequate light to read by. Further, the light should be close enough that you need not get out of bed to turn the light off.

Crystal chandeliers and wall sconces are popular. They are well-suited for bedrooms, whatever their style. They add a sparkle of contrast to contemporary decors. Clear and coloured crystal can also adorn lampshades of shimmering fabrics or textured paper, which diffuse a pleasing, muted light. If you like to read in bed, place a swivel lamp on the bedside table, or fix sconces on each side of the headboard.

ACCESSORIES

No decor is complete without accessories. Cushions, pictures and flower vases are good ways to add colour accents. Whether you choose them for their practicality or their aesthetic appeal, you must give thought to the coherence of their arrangement to avoid a cluttered look. Arrange them by theme and group them in odd numbers (three or five together), unless you are trying to achieve a symmetrical look. Beautiful pieces such as sculptures do, however, deserve to be displayed on their own. To create harmony, styles and colours of accessories should go well together. No space is more intimate and private than the bedroom, which makes it the ideal room to display family photos. Personalize the master bedroom by adding accessories with a story. Choose items that conjure up memories, are intriguing, and bring a smile to your face. It is, after all, your very own space.
Bring additional fabric options into the master bedroom’s design scheme through upholstered furniture—such as a reading chair or bench. Throw pillows or floor cushions can also add a punch of color when needed.
The ultimate luxury bedroom accessory? a fireplace. For those who are not lucky enough to have a traditional fireplace, electric ones are becoming increasingly popular; their realistic flames add both atmosphere and warmth. Many different models and sizes, complete with remote control, are available in various finishes of cherry, oak or mahogany (including a corner model, which is ideal for smaller spaces).

 STORAGE

Storage is often an issue all over the home, and it’s no different in the master bedroom. Consider these storage options for the master bedroom:

• Choose furniture with ample storage solutions. Armoires, dressers, bedside tables with drawers, storage benches and more are useful for holding the master bedroom necessities.
• With beautiful, coordinating baskets, work storage solutions into the design scheme of the room.
• Consider using risers to lift your bed, allowing you to store vacuumed sealed bags of out-of-season clothing beneath.
• A trunk at the foot of the bed can serve as a design element, a ‘bench’ to sit on while you put your shoes on, as well as ample storage for winter boots, jackets and snow pants.

Closets

• Walk-in closets are excellent storage solutions, but they can soon become untidy if they're not carefully designed.

  • Prefabricated shelving units, modular storage systems (with or without drawers), and adjustable shelves enable you to personalize your hanging space according to your needs.
  • For out-of-season clothes, use attractive boxes with lids. Choosing a different colour for each person makes it easier to keep track of the contents.
  • A unit on casters with a worktop can be useful. It's easy to move around and can be used to fold clothes or even to support a small ironing board. A wall storage unit is handy for holding the iron and accessories.

• In traditional closets, there is often a shortage of space. Here are some space-saving hints.

  • Fix a shoe rack to the wall or a door to free up floor space for boxes or storage bins.
  • Superpose two rails to allow you to double the available space for hanging short items of clothing.
  • Rails can be fixed to shelves creating space for folded clothes. You can find shelves with drawers under them, too.
  • Don't forget the closet walls. Install hooks for hanging handbags or clothes you wear everyday, put up mini-shelves for small objects, affix tie- or belt- holders, or hang a net bag for dry cleaning.
  • Drawers can quickly become untidy too, if they're not properly arranged. By separating the space inside each drawer, you'll find it much easier to divide clothes into categories. Use open boxes or separators to tidy away items such as underwear, scarves and belts.

COLORS

For the bedroom, it's best to choose restful and relaxing shades. Green is calming and dreamy; it's making a strong comeback. Blue is relaxing and peaceful, and you can create effects with its many different tones, from the very pale to very dark. Yellow induces a feeling of well being, but it should be softened with white for the bedroom; if the shade is too citrus-y, the effect will be energizing (which is naturally to be avoided). Creams are a wise choice for their soothing qualities.

By varying tones and finishes, you'll add interest to the room. Use several different shades of beige and liven them up with accents of red, orange, green or turquoise. Don't be afraid to use pastels, either; these are current favourites.

An eggshell finish offers an elegant, low-sheen finish for the low traffic associated with master bedroom walls. Eggshell provides a somewhat washable finish, perfect for use in the master.
 

STYLES

What style are you looking for in the bedroom? Romantic, traditional, rustic, Asian… It comes down to individual taste and personality. Exuberant characters will find life exceedingly boring in a room painted monochrome beige. More meditating souls will feel stifled in a room crowded with furniture and accessories. Inspiration for the room design could also be drawn from an existing element, such as a bedcover, painting, a piece of furniture or an architectural detail. The style of the house also needs to be taken into consideration. For instance, mouldings, cornices and picture rails are perfect for a more classical style but may look out of place in a modern interior.
Another important thing to remember: when you share your bedroom with someone else, the decor needs to accommodate the tastes of both. Go ahead and experiment; you might be surprised at some of the combinations that work well. But whether yours is to be Zen, ethnic or country in style, there are some basic principles to bear in mind to achieve a successful look. Here are the key characteristics of five different styles.
Romantic: A romantic look calls for soft, muted colours: pearl grey, pale pink, sky blue, ivory. Avoid bright white, which is better suited to contemporary interiors. Colours should blend into one another, so that no one colour dominates. The walls can also be covered with floral or country-style wallpapers.

• Wool carpets add warmth to wood floors. Fur carpets – real or fake – add a touch of luxury.
• Satins, silks, velvets, woven patterns, toile de Jouy… Luxurious materials dress windows, cushions, furniture and even walls. Beware of introducing too many prints, though.
• The bed takes centre stage. Light-coloured wood or scrolled metal is perfect. Pay attention to bed coverings – use a cozy duvet, large pillows, small scatter cushions, or a silky throw, for example. A canopy adds a touch of charm.
• An antique-style armoire will fit in very nicely, as will a fabric screen.
• Bedside lamps with drop pendants are a must.

Traditional English: There is a considerable choice of colours when trying to achieve a traditional English look. Use pale shades of ivory, cream, lemon or linden green to create luminosity. Darker colours such as rusty reds, grey-blues, earthy browns or plum tones will lend the room character. Whether you opt for stronger or more discreet colours, they should always look a little 'faded', as if marked by the passage of time. If you choose wall coverings instead of paint, choose big patterns or small, dense, symmetrical motifs. Stripes – wide or narrow – are always a timeless classic.

• Traditional English style allows you to mix and match eras, combining different pieces of furniture that have now become classics. The richer and darker the wood, the better. A brass bed would also look great with this style.
• Dress the windows with rich, colourful fabrics, such as velvet, damask and silk, and add tiebacks with tassels.
• On the floor, place rugs or thick pile carpets with floral motifs or checks.
• Match patterns, colours and textures when choosing the fabrics to decorate the bed and the window – and use the same fabrics to cover round night tables topped with a piece of glass.
• A chandelier will add a touch of romanticism.
• Find antique botanical prints to hang on the walls.
• A fireplace with a carved wood or stone mantelpiece is the ultimate finishing touch.
• Traditional English lends itself to formality, symmetry, and a tailored, finished look. Keep this in mind as you choose all elements of the master bedroom.

Rustic: Rustic colours are inspired by nature. For a more traditional look, go for invigorating shades of mustard yellow, green, or copper red. Paler, brighter shades of light apple green, primrose yellow and pale pink will create a more contemporary feel. Different techniques (patina, sponge-stippled) can be used to great effect, and walls can be stencilled with floral motifs or hung with floral or small-checked wallpaper.

• Furniture is rounded rather than sharp-edged, with an aged look. The bed is made of wood or wrought iron.
• Wood floors are stained or varnished, or, for a cozier feel, opt for natural fibre carpets.
• Fabrics are patterned (flowers, leaves, checks, stripes) and can be combined judiciously. Choose natural materials such as cotton and homespun wool.
• Rustic inspired master bedrooms carry the outdoors in, creating a natural retreat for rejuvenation.

Asian Influence: The range of colours revolves around creamy-whites, beiges, jade green, and tea-rose pink. Dark wood furniture makes a striking contrast. Wallpaper patterns are delicate, representing birds, flowers, calligraphy etc.

• The decor must be unfussy: a bed (low, preferably without a headboard), night table and set of drawers, all with smooth, pure lines, are all that's needed to furnish the room. A few accessories—a mirror, some bamboo branches in a vase, and some large cushions on the floor—complete the look.
• The floor is also simple: choose light-coloured wood floors, or fibre-weave and seagrass carpets in neutral tones. As these can be a little rough underfoot, you might want to keep a pair of zoris (Japanese sandals) next to the bed.
• Rice paper lamps and lanterns give low-key lighting.
• The windows should be dressed simply with Roman or Venetian blinds or even a simple fabric panel in pale colours.
• To spice up the decor, use textured fabrics or strong patterns for the bedcovers and cushions.

Contemporary: The colour palette is extensive. It includes many flat whites, although bolder decorators will go for stronger shades like cobalt blue, bright orange and fuchsia. These colours should be used in small doses, however. An indigo wall in an otherwise white interior, for example, will create spectacular contrast. Less flashy colours, such as taupe, smoky grey or blue-grey, contribute to a subtler more muted, atmosphere.

• Wood is the preferred floor covering. To define certain areas of the room, try adding rugs in plain colours or with geometrical shapes.
• Furniture should have pure, square lines. To emphasize the impression of space, conceal storage areas. Hide them in the closet or in wall-to-wall cupboards. For more furnishing flexibility, choose furniture on casters. Leather, metal and pale wood all complement each other well.
• Window coverings should be plain and unfussy: put up metal or wood blinds, shutters, or simply have plain-coloured fabric panels without ruffles, which reach down to the floor. Bedding should be limited to a duvet or a bedcover made of natural fabric. Forget large floral prints; you’ll find that tone-on-tone checks, delicate stripes or plain colours suit this style best.
• Lighting is recessed in the walls and ceiling.

TRENDS

• Today's beiges are stronger and more dynamic and have regained popularity

• "Colour blocking" (also called "colour zoning") is the hottest trend. Paint a large square (or any geometric shape) on the wall to create a backdrop for a favourite painting or item of furniture. It is one way of defining a simple and original headboard for the bed, for example. To ensure harmony, paint this zone two shades darker or lighter than the main colour.

• Many master bedrooms are forgoing the fluff and streamlining into simple, modern styles. Furniture with clean, sharp angles, neutral backdrops with bold, abstract artwork, and tabletops with minimal accessories are becoming popular.