Victorian style furnishings and décor are a touch on the feminine side, and oh-so romantic.  Are you ready to trade your modern bedroom, or perhaps one that just needs a little something to make it come alive, for one that offers a romantic, antique look?  You can easily make the changes yourself, and transform your bedroom into one that is relaxing, beautiful and perfect for those nights when you just want to cuddle up with that special someone.

The Perfect Bed

In Victorian style décor, you want a bed that is constructed of wood but one that includes intricate details.  Wrought iron or brass also work well and add a romantic ambiance.  Instead of blending into the background, a Victorian bed should be a bit on the showy side.  Period type quilts that look as though they were crafted in the 1800′s are a perfect topping, but you can use any materials that are frilly or flouncy.  Canopies, drapes and fluffy pillows outlined in ribbon and flourishes finish off the look.

Include the Perfect Furnishings

Tables are a must in the Victorian style of decorating, but not just any old table.  Nightstands are often square and to put it bluntly, lacking in style.  In this type of décor, you want round nightstands topped with marble or made of wicker or bamboo.  A delicate skirting that flows to the floor adds further to the feminine appeal.  You can often find tables like these in a local junk store or at flea markets.

Dressers and chests of drawers are typically made from dark woods such as mahogany, and are adorned with intricate carvings.  Embellishments may include fancy brass drawer pulls or intricately carved wooden pulls.  If you can find an antique looking dresser topped with a round tilting mirror, all the better!

Accessories Make the Room

Some decorating styles require a minimum of accessories; with Victorian décor, the beautiful accessories that you add complete the room and add dimension.  Consider including period style art for the walls.  Baroque and brushed brass frames are perfect, and add to the elegant appeal.  Place old-style vases around the room and fill them with fresh flowers.  Old or antique figurines, china and other Victorian style collectibles fill the room with character.

For the floors, oriental rugs and wicker mats are perfect.  Place a large oval rug at the foot of the bed, or two smaller rugs, one at each side.  Wood floors work well with Victorian decorating, but if you have carpeting the accent rugs will pull the look together.  Window treatments should be elaborate as well; velvet or brocade can be used to dress the windows, while a lace sheer can line the underside.  Delicate florals, braids, and lace all work to make the windows an intricate part of the room.

You can definitely see that the Victorian style of decorating is not for those who prefer simple, basic lines!  If you love rooms that offer the atmosphere of years gone by, touched with a little romance, Victorian décor will make the bedroom your favorite room in the house.

Are you a modern woman who loves things kept sleek and simple?  If you desire a contemporary bedroom, you are most likely the type that likes to keep fuss and details to a minimum.  In creating a contemporary bedroom, your objective is to make the room blend together, and not have any one thing that attracts attention and overshadows the rest of the room.  This article explains how to go about creating a simple, modern bedroom with plenty of interest and appeal.

In most decorating themes, a focal point is necessary to draw the eye in any room.  This is exactly what you want to avoid in modern décor – you want the entire room to be well put together, so that all of the lines flow without interruption.

Take a Minimalist Approach
With contemporary décor, you want to keep accessories, clutter and other things that are not necessary to a minimum.  The only thing you really want in abundance are light and space, so light, neutral colors work perfectly in this style of decorating.  Sand, cream, tan, and light brown work to create spaces that are relaxing and open.

Furniture should also be kept to a minimum.  All you really want in this room are a bed, nightstand, dresser, mirror and possibly a chair, all styled in clean lines that flow without the interruption of intricate details.

Leave the Accessories in the Closet
While lots of accessories may look great in a room decorated in a country or chic theme, accents are not a vital aspect of contemporary decorating.  All you need are a modern lamp for the bedside, and possibly one or two large pieces of modern or abstract wall art.

Extra pillows for the bed, accent rugs, and knick knacks are definite no-no’s in modern decorating.  The more visual effects and clutter, the harder it is for you to relax your mind and enjoy a restful sleep.  Contemporary bedroom décor is all about a tranquil environment with no visual stimulants.

Easy Tip to Determine if You Have Accomplished Your Goal
Here is an easy way to decide if you have been successful in creating a modern bedroom that offers peace and tranquility:  Upon leaving the room, turn around quickly.  Does anything catch your eye?  If it does, it needs to go.  Any one accent or accessory that immediately jumps out at you when you look at the room is a distraction.  That is precisely what you want to avoid in this style of decorating.

A bedroom decorated in the contemporary theme makes a statement all in itself and needs no fussy accents and accessories.  It should look totally harmonious, feel natural and comfortable, and look absolutely beautiful.

Creating the sleek, simple atmosphere offered in modern décor is simple!  Just remember to keep color and accents to a minimum, and make the room flow by using basic, simple furnishings in contemporary shapes.  No fussiness here – just a pure, natural and totally relaxing atmosphere meant to be thoroughly enjoyed.

Many people think of their bedroom as simply the place where they sleep at night.  While you may not spend a lot of your waking time in this room, you want to create an atmosphere that is relaxing and comfortable – this helps you sleep better at night!  Besides, you do want every room of your home to be as attractive and appealing to the eye as possible.  This article will provide a few exotic decorating ideas for your bedroom.

Create the Atmosphere in Your Mind
What do you think of when you imagine an exotic island get away?  Most likely, lush tropical foliage, fresh island breezes and a totally relaxing atmosphere play a big role in your mental picture.  The word ‘exotic’ often brings to mind wild animals; zebra and leopard prints are common in this type of décor.  Interestingly enough, this look usually combines a fresh, light and calming aura with the bold excitement of the exotic.  Asian inspirations add to the relaxed, easy charm.

Exterior Surroundings
The exterior of your bedroom, areas such as the walls, floors, ceilings, should be kept light and airy.  To create this stunning look, start with cream or lightly colored walls and flooring.  Wood floors that are of a light shade or cream colored carpeting are the perfect foundation for the exotic island look.  Integrate colors from the beach – pure white sands and caramel browns create the perfect foundation for the rest of the look.  Any shade from the lightest beige to rust, caramel and coffee incorporated with bold black and white accents work amazingly well in this style of décor.

Make the Bed the Focal Point
Boldly carved Colonial style furniture is the perfect choice for this décor.  Decorate with an abundance of plush coverings, toss on several thick throw pillows in dramatically bold designs, and your bed will become the center attraction of the room.  Now, it’s time to add the finishing touches!

Furniture, Plants and Other Accessories
To complete the exotic island look, add a few silk tropical plants, a touch of rattan and a simple yet elegant chandelier.  A simple rattan chair makes the perfect addition to the room and a few Asian inspired woven baskets add interest without detracting from the focal point.  Windows should be adorned with light, airy curtains.  The romantic chandelier should be simple; nothing overly dramatic or too detailed.  Throw a zebra skin rug into the mix, and the look is just original enough ensuring that the bedroom is your favorite room of all.

Incorporating décor from different countries is a growing trend.  In this example, you can easily see how Asian accents blend with the exotic patterns of Africa, while the overall theme of the room is totally relaxed, light and seems to float on a breeze.  You can almost visualize basking at the edge of the ocean, while warm breezes gently float across your body.  Make your style your own!  With a little creativity, your bedroom can be transformed from the everyday ordinary to a world all its own.

This is it, you have finally found your dream home; it seems perfect, everything is in place, at least until you get to the master bedroom. This is something that occurs all too often. The rest of the home is exactly what you have been searching for, even though the master bedroom is a bit small. The living room and kitchen are perfect. What can you do to make the master bedroom look and feel larger? This article offers many tips and ideas that will assist in visually opening space in your room. Most of these tips may be used in any small room.

The appearance of space can be a simply accomplished feat. You don’t need to sacrifice personality and style when making your room look open, all that is necessary are a few small changes. These ideas will help you create a larger looking master bedroom. However, they aren’t exclusive to that area of the house, they can be used anywhere!

Use Mirrors!
You have probably heard of this trick millions of times before, but it works. A mirror should be hung on your bedroom wall, opposite a window. A perfect place to hang a mirror is on your bedroom wall, just opposite a of a window. The window’s reflection, especially with light colored curtains, makes the room appear spacious and sun filled. You can use this trick in a bathroom or living room as well.

Paint – The Solution for Many Problems
You can do many things in your home with the help of paint. The walls of a small room should be painted with light colors. Cream, off-white and soft pastel shades of peach and yellow are great colors to use in a small room. White paint for the ceiling will add a lighter look to the room. Light shades make an area feel more open, darker shades will diminish it.

Floors Should Be Light as Well
Small rooms should have lightly colored floors to visually add space to the room. If you are more inclined towards using carpet, using carpet with light hues such as sand and cream also works. In the case you use wood flooring good choices are light colors and natural woods. If you do not have the means for replacing a dark colored carpet, light colored rugs can always be added to each side, and the foot, of the bed.

Headboards usually look bulky. Solving this problem is as easy as taking the headboard out and replacing it with a tapestry or rug hung on the wall behind the bed. This can really open up the area, adding a more spacious feel to the room. To open up space on your night table hang swing arm lamps on the walls instead of using lamps.

Here is a cool tip: Use light colored curtains that are higher and wider than your windows in order to visually open up space in the room! This will make it appear as if you have larger windows, adding to the openness and airiness of the room. If you have the room, opening up the floor area can be as easy are moving a chest or drawer into a closet.

Keeping comforters, curtains and throw pillows light colored is always a good idea. Always keep in mind that darker colors tend to absorb light causing the area to recede and diminish; this is not something you want. Things should be kept as light and as open as possible in your master bedroom; this will keep things looking large and spacious.

The bedroom is one of the most popular rooms in which people like to practice feng shui. With feng shui, you can create a bedroom that’s a peaceful retreat and the ideal place in which to get restful sleep every night. When you practice feng shui, you can design and decorate a balanced room filled with positive energy.

When it comes to decorating with feng shui, there are several guidelines, but some are more important than others. If you’re looking to create a balanced and peaceful bedroom, here are some feng shui tips that can help get you on your way.

1. Your bed should be the main feng shui element in the room.
Above all, wood beds are the primary source of intimate, personal energy in the room. It’s hard to get restful sleep at night if you have an uncomfortable bed.

2. By placing the bed in a feng shui position, you can create optimal positive energy and love.
For instance, you should be able to see the doorway from the bed, but you shouldn’t be directly in line with the door. Choose a strong supporting wall against which to place the bed.

3. You should have balanced energy on both sides of your bed in feng shui.
This means you have the choice of placing side tables on both sides of the bed or on neither side. You also don’t want to have any sharp angles from the tables or other furniture in the room facing the bed.

4. When you remove the television, you maintain balance in the room.
The less electricity flowing through your bedroom the better, as removing as many electrical appliances as possible is a key part of feng shui. By removing electrical flow from the room, your body won’t take in those harmful EMFs that can cause an internal imbalance. The distraction of a television or computer can also keep you from getting good sleep at night.

5. When designing your bedroom, don’t get obsessed with the rules of feng shui.
For instance, your bedroom may be too small for you to follow all the correct guidelines of feng shui. This attitude can cause you to feel stressed out, creating disappointment. It’s important to remember that feng shui is all about creating positive energy. Concentrate in making the room comfortable for you by doing what you can with the space that you have.

Some people may not believe in feng shui or find it too difficult, but its goal is to create the most comfortable, healthiest room you can. Feng shui has been born from a long philosophical tradition that demonstrates how these decorating principles can improve your sense of being and life. Start with these tips to improve your bedroom and fine-tune your feng shui.

When it comes to decorating, it’s not uncommon for people to leave the bedroom for last since no one else really sees it. It’s hard to know what to do with that dull and boring bedroom when you don’t have a lot of time or money left for decorating. Here are some simple and inexpensive ways to spruce up that dull bedroom.

Paint the Walls
The easiest way by far to spruce up a boring bedroom is to paint the walls. Nothing adds style and color to a room more quickly than adding a coat of paint or two to the walls. Although it’s important to choose a color you like, it’s also important that it adds some interest to the room. Be sure the paint color accents or matches the accessories you have in the room, as that will make the décor look more cohesive.

Add an Interesting or Colorful Bed Set
Since the bed tends to be the largest item in the bedroom, it usually serves as a focal point for the space. Therefore, by adding color to the mission bed, you can instantly add interest to the room. You want a bed set that’s interestingly patterned or colorful but also coordinates with the other items in the room. Add a few decorative pillows to the new comforter or bedspread. If you’d prefer to stay away from a patterned bed set, then get a set that’s a single color and add accent pillows in a contrasting color to add interest to the area.

Hang Photographs on the Walls
If part of what is keeping your bedroom dull is empty walls, then you need to hang up some items to add some style and pizzazz to the décor. An easy way to cover your walls is to hang up framed photographs of you and your family. You might also consider hanging photographs of nature scenes such as ocean shots or pictures of flowers. Or if you like, go with some old black-and-white photographs.

Perhaps photographs just aren’t your thing or you’re looking for something a little different. Then consider hanging a large piece of artwork that’s caught your eye. You might even make the artwork yourself, if you’re feeling creative. If you like, you can base your entire bedroom scheme off that one piece of art. This approach to decorating can be very inspiring when it comes to design.

Add a New Piece of Furniture
If you have the space, consider adding a new piece of furniture to your bedroom to make things more interesting. Replace your old or out-of-style furniture with new pieces, as this will lend more style to the room as well. You might get a new oak dresser, a chest or bench for the end of the bed, or a new bed if you can afford it.

You want your bedroom to be a place where you can relax and enjoy hanging out. If your bedroom is dull and boring, that can certainly be a drag. So follow these simple ideas to create a stylish and interesting retreat in no time at all.

Decorating your child’s room is not always the easiest job. It may be that your child is really too young to let you know what they want. Or perhaps they don’t really have an interest in what their room looks like. Or you may have the opposite problem and your child has so many ideas for the décor that you don’t even know where to start. Read on for some important tips to help get you started decorating your child’s room.

Instead of a Theme, Decorate Around a Child’s Interests
When deciding on a décor for your child’s bedroom, you don’t want to just randomly pick a theme. If your child is old enough to have some specific interests or collections of items, then decorate around those instead. This ensures that the room will mean more to the child, and this way, they may not grow tired of it so quickly. For instance, if your son loves the beach, then create a beach theme by incorporating some stripes and checks into the décor and then decorating around his seashell collection or pictures of the beach. On the other hand, if your daughter can’t get enough of her dolls, then you might pick out some fabrics that coordinate with those dolls and base the room off that.

Keep It Simple and Allow Your Child to Change the Room Often
Kids will often change their minds from one minute to the next. For instance, your daughter may love Hannah Montana one day and the next day she won’t be able to stand her and will move on to something else. It makes more sense to keep the basics of the room really simple and allow your child to decorate as they wish, thus avoiding having to completely redecorate the room every year. To start, paint the walls a neutral color or a favorite color that you know they won’t want to change for a while. Then simply let them hang up whatever pictures and posters they want and accessorize accordingly. One week they may have Jonas Brothers pictures up, and the next it may be Hannah Montana or Selena Gomez.

Be Sure to Add as Much Storage Space as Possible
Over the years, kids tend to collect an awful lot of stuff. Inevitably, this stuff will all have to be stored in their rooms. But if you provide them with lots of storage space, you won’t have to look at all that stuff since it will be stored away and out of sight. When adding storage areas, you can really get creative, such as placing bins under the bed. Pick wood dressers with plenty of drawers to organize items in. Unless you want to live with your child’s room overflowing with things, you need to provide them with as much storage and organizational space as possible.

Think About the Future When Decorating
Do you plan on being in your home for several years? Then you need to take this into consideration when decorating your kid’s bedroom. Unless you want to change the room every few years, you need to think about the future when planning out the room’s décor. You need to remember that your child is not always going to be 5 and someday may not want the Superman wallpaper anymore. So when picking your decorating theme, consider how many years you want the décor to last before you have to change it.

Decorating a kid’s room can be quite fun. Not only that, but also provides a great opportunity to spend time with your child and learn more about them. But do keep these tips in mind. That way, you will get the best you can out of your kid’s bedroom décor.

Most people want their bedroom to be a relaxing retreat from the craziness of the world, but many time it doesn’t end up that way. Sometimes trouble relaxing and sleeping at night can be traced to the way the bedroom is decorated and organized. If you want to create a peaceful and relaxing environment in your bedroom, here are some things to keep in mind.

Get Rid of the Television
The number-one distraction in the bedroom that keeps people from relaxing and even falling asleep at night is the television. One room in the home that a television definitely doesn’t belong in is the bedroom. Although some people swear by falling asleep to the television at night, many experts believe that having a television on before you go to sleep does more harm than good. So when planning out your bedroom, skip the television, because you absolutely don’t need it.

Choose Relaxing Colors for the Walls
If the colors in your bedroom are either too bold or too dark, that can also be a distraction. Be sure the colors on the walls are relaxing and peaceful, which will result in a more serene environment. Stick with neutral or pastel colors in your décor. Colors such as tan, cream, light pink, and light yellow work great in a bedroom. Harsh colors such as red, black, and dark green can actually affect your mood in a negative way and thus you want to avoid them in the bedroom.

Get a Comfortable Bed and Mattress
While it’s nice to have a wood bed that matches your bedroom’s décor, it’s much more important to be sure that it’s comfortable. It’s not easy to fall asleep at night if your bed and mattress are uncomfortable. If you absolutely must have a certain type of design for your bed, than be sure to buy a really comfortable mattress in order to compensate for any awkwardness.

Include a Water Feature in the Bedroom
When creating a relaxing bedroom atmosphere, consider adding a water feature such as a small fountain. Many people really enjoy falling asleep at night to the soft trickle of water. For many, the sound helps clear and calm the mind, allowing them to fall asleep much faster. If you’re considering putting a water feature in your bedroom, just be sure that the sound is soothing to you, and not annoying.

Buy the Proper Window Treatments to Block Out the Light
In the bedroom, window treatments have double duty. They need to be functional, as well as adding some character and style to the décor of the room. Your bedroom’s window treatments should be able to block out the light. That way, you’re not having to wake up at 5:00 a.m. with the sun. A great option is to choose a great curtain or valance with which to dress the window and then add a pair of functional blinds as well.

Before you start to decorate your bedroom, consider what items most help you to relax. These are the things you’re going to want to incorporate into the room’s design. No matter how perfectly a décor item fits with the theme of the bedroom, that doesn’t necessarily mean it belongs there.

Typically, dorm rooms are very small box-shaped rooms with white walls. Most people do not want to live in that type of room for eight months. Although most colleges have policies that prevent any major redecorating, there are still plenty of unique ways to create a more stylish dorm room and make it your own.

Personalize the Dorm Room
In most college dorm rooms, you are not allowed to use nails in the walls. But this doesn’t have to prevent you from hanging photographs and such. Use sticky adhesive to hang your wall decorations. Just be sure to find the variety that’s meant to hold heavier objects, such as framed photos and pieces of art. You can also create an entire collage of photographs pasted on to a piece of cardboard or poster board that can be hung on the wall as well.

Another great option to further personalize the room is to add picture frames to your wood desk and other shelving areas. Displaying pictures of your own in your dorm room will not only lend some style to the room, but it can also help you get through those times when you are homesick and need reminders of home.

Add Color and Style with the Bedding
You bedding is one of the best ways to add some color and style to your dorm room. If you are sharing the room, you and your roommate can even try to coordinate the bedding so that it the two sets complement each other.

Often in a dorm room you can afford to go with a louder and more vibrant bedding set, since the walls will always be the normal white or cream. This is a great chance for you to express your style and favorite colors via your bedding. Just be sure that the bedding you get is the correct size for the dorm room, as some colleges only offer extra-long twin oak beds that will need extra-long sheets.

Organize with Style
Your dorm room is probably going to be a tight living space. Thus, you need to make sure that you are organized and that everything has the proper place. However, you can certainly make your organization stylish. You should be able to find baskets and bins that reflect your style and what you like in décor. Not only do baskets and bins add some personality and color to a dull room, but they are a great way to keep things organized. When shopping for baskets and bins, look for all different shapes and sizes, as you may want some to go on your desk, in your closet, on the floor, and under your bed.

Keep the Décor as Simple as Possible
It’s important to keep in mind that your dorm room isn’t going to be that big. If you end up sharing the room, you’re going to have even less space. So every inch of the walls doesn’t need to be covered, and you shouldn’t feel like you have to bring everything from home. If you don’t want your dorm room to get overcluttered—which will cause it to appear even smaller than it already is—then you need to try to keep things as simple as possible.

Your dorm room is probably the first living space you’ve had of your own outside of your parents’ house. Thus, decorating it should be a fun and rewarding process. Just be sure to add some of your personality to the room. You want to enjoy the area you’re living in, as you are going to be spending quite a lot of time there.

If you’re fortunate enough to have an extra room in your home, turning it into a guest bedroom is a great way to help your house guests feel right at home. Guest bedrooms are usually kept simple, but you can still choose to add some of your personal style to the room. By balancing simplicity with style, you’ll be able to make the room appealing to any guest who may stay in your home. If you are unsure on how to go about decorating your guest bedroom, then here are some simple tips you can follow.

Keep the Colors Neutral
In a guest bedroom, you should mostly stick to neutral colors, although it’s okay to add a pop of color here and there. By sticking to neutral colors, you can make the room more appealing to guests and also more comfortable for them. With a neutral base, then you can add style and a little bit of color with different décor items such as paintings, flowers, and pillows. You can have a stylish guest bedroom, but keep it on the neutral side so that your guests aren’t waking in the middle of the night frightened and stimulated by the bright red walls.

Provide a Comfortable Sleeping Area
Some people choose to furnish the guest bedroom with their old furniture and an oak bed. Do be sure that the bed is still safe and stable, though. However, you might want to buy a new mattress. It is courteous to provide a comfortable sleeping area instead of your 20-year-old mattress. You can also easily stain or paint your old bed another color to match the décor of the room. Another option is to find an inexpensive and simple bed that will not break your budget.

When you look for bedding for the guest bedroom, you don’t want to buy the cheapest sheets you can find. Rather, try to find something in the middle, so that it will be comfortable but will still fit into your budget. You should be fine going with a basic cotton sheet set, along with a comforter or blanket. You might even inject some style and color into the room through the sheet set, although you want to be sure that it’s not too obnoxious.

Provide Storage Space
You want to provide any guests who stay in your guest bedroom with some storage and closet space. If you use that closet space to store your own items, you might want to think about moving them elsewhere for the time being in order to give your guests that space. Of course, this all depends on who the guest is and how long he or she might be staying. For example, if you’re hosting a family member for a day or two, then storage space may not matter. On the other hand, if you have an out-of-town guest who’s staying for a week or longer, you’ll want to provide them with ample storage space.

Decorating a guest bedroom can be fun. But when planning your décor, you need to keep in mind that even though the room is in your home, it’s other people who will be using it. Thus, it’s always best to keep it on the simple side, adding your stylish touches here and there.