How to Decorate a 21st-Century Bedroom

Decorate a 21st-century bedroom with neutral colors and floor-length curtains.

Decorating your 21st-century bedroom offers a range of options for creating a sleek, contemporary sleeping space. Planning for the function, mood and colors of the room allows you to create a harmonious, up-to-date look, the Sheffield School of Design website advises. Create a soothing atmosphere with solid colors and modern furnishings, or an eclectic-themed bedroom by adding antique or vintage furniture. The resurgence of shabby chic creates an opportunity for an economical, feminine bedroom. Creating a streamlined bedroom with neutral colors and bold accents provides an option to suit the tastes of both a man and a woman.

Things You'll Need

• Floor-length drapes or curtains
• Floor-length sheers
• Comforter
• Solid, two-color or bold print, reversible comforter cover
• 2 cushions, 24-inch or larger
• Matching pillow shams and pillowcases
• Pleated or flat-front bed skirt
• 1 or 2 armchairs
• Floor lamp
• Paintings, photographs, posters or other framed wall art
• Sculpture or vase
• Small table (optional)

Instructions

1. Hang floor-length curtains to maximize the sense of space in the room. Neutral colors such as gray, taupe, tan, brown, cream or white work well in a contemporary bedroom. Hanging sheer curtains behind opaque curtains allows you to control light and privacy in your bedroom. Soft colors from nature, such as shades of green, blue, yellow -- or bold colors such as orange, lime, red, turquoise or purple -- also provide options for your 21st-century bedroom.

2. Decorate the bed with a comforter, and a reversible comforter cover provides an economical option to change the look of the room. For example, make the bed with a dark or bright color for winter and with white or a light color for spring and summer. Alternatively, decorate the bed with a bold-patterned comforter cover, such as a geometric, tropical or jungle print.

3. Lean large cushions against the head of the bed to serve as backrests. This strategy makes any style of bed more comfortable to sit up in. Cover the headboard cushions and bed pillows in matching shams and pillowcases. Complete the streamlined look with a flat panel, rather than ruffled, bed skirt.

4. Add a large, comfortable chair -- or a pair of them -- to the bedroom for reading, putting on shoes, using a laptop or relaxing. If the bedroom's layout allows, arrange the chairs so that they have a view through a window. Select chairs in a style and color that suit the desired mood of the room, such as big slipcovered armchairs for shabby chic, or rattan armchairs for a tropical theme. Set a floor lamp near the seating to provide light for reading or hobbies in sleek metal design.

5. Decorate the walls with a grouping of paintings, photographs or prints in matching frames to express the mood of the room or your interests. Choosing work by a favorite artist or photographer personalizes your bedroom, making it contemporary in an intimate way.

6. Use a sensual rug to offer a practical decorative element for your 21st-century bedroom. Select ecologically friendly natural fibers such as cotton or wool in a thick pile that feels good on bare feet. Choose neutral or bold colors to match or coordinate with your bedroom curtains. For example, pair dark tan rugs with cream curtains and red bedding.

7. Center a sculpture or an eye-catching abstract vase for a floral arrangement on a dresser or small table to create a focal point in the room. Keep the room spare and uncluttered for the sleek, 21st-century look by keeping decorations and accessories to a minimum.

Tips & Warnings

• In a small bedroom, matching the window treatments to the walls offers the optical illusion of spaciousness. In a larger bedroom, the floor-length curtains maintain a sense of flow, rather than having curtains that end partway down the wall.

• Hardware stores carry double curtain rods designed for hanging sheer curtains behind opaque curtains.

• A floor lamp with a dimmer switch allows you to reduce glare or create mood lighting.

References

• Sheffield School of Design: Safari Bedroom
• The New York Times: Making Shabby, Chic, Again
• Apartment Therapy San Francisco: Dress Your Bedroom Windows for Healthy Sleep