I don’t know about you, but for the longest time I opted out of participating in most bedroom design trends. Why put so much stock in a room that is barely seen by anyone else? Given that this zone of my home is designated for sleeping (or disco naps), it always felt like a waste of space to splurge on bedding and bedroom furniture—I could get by on the basics, or so I thought. But the moment I entered my 30s, I experienced a vibe shift so intense that it basically rebooted my internal mainframe. Not only have I started struggling to get out of bed, but there are days when I catch myself falling victim to “bed rotting,” like Veronika Slowikowska during hibernation season.
Even if you aren’t intentionally seeking it out, the influence of bedroom design trends is currently everywhere. Before the pandemic fully unfolded, nightgowns and nap dresses became an It-girl staple for life in quarantine, so it’s no coincidence that the theme for this year’s Met Gala is “Sleeping Beauties.” Is a good night’s sleep the road to domestic bliss? I can’t confirm or deny this because I’m not certified, but that didn’t stop me from investigating further.
“I spend more time in my bedroom than my living room,” says New York–based interior designer Sebastian Zuchowicki. “I love my bedroom, it’s my sanctuary.” At the end of the day, bedtime is sacred. All I really want is for my bedroom to look like some variation of Goodnight Moon so I can feel exactly like the Celestial Sleepytime Tea bear, is that asking for too much? “The comfort of it all, even before I get into the mind of designing it, is really important to me, because it’s the last place you land at the end of the day,” says Shannon Maldonado, founder and creative director of Yowie.
Get in bed with stripes
From Tekla and Deiji Studios to HAY, KkCo, and Dusen Dusen, all the cool brands seem to be getting in bed with stripes. For some people prints can feel too busy, but there are different levels for everyone to enter into it. (If you’re keen on taking pattern play to the next level, might I suggest checkered bedding like these sheets? You can also get the matching pajamas while you’re at it!) Ellen Van Dusen, founder of Dusen Dusen, insists that she’s “always been drawn to the repetition and juxtaposition of colours” and patterns, ever since she was a kid. The designer continues to be fascinated by how contrasting bold patterns draw the eye on an evolutionary level.
“To me, stripes are the purest form of pattern and the best way to pair colours and see how they react (my favourite activity!),” she explains in an email. “You’d think after 13 years of designing stripes I’d get sick of them, but there’s so much you can do with a stripe—and an infinite number of colour combinations that can allow you to see each individual colour in a new way. There’s something very relaxing to me about a perfectly balanced stripe—be it via colour combination, widths in relation to colour, or scale.”
Shannon absolutely loves “a striped bedding moment.” Plays on shirting stripes always remind her of a button-down shirt (or pajamas), which looks clean, preppy, and signifies that it’s time for bed. There are so many variations of stripes: pinstripes, pencil stripes, halo stripes, awning stripes, hairline stripes, candy stripes, butcher’s stripes, track stripes, etc. “I think that that’s a very digestible way for someone to add colour into a bedroom,” she adds.
Dim the lights
Lighting serves a variety of purposes, but setting the mood should never be a complicated process. Shannon specifically appreciates how lighting can add more colour, movement, and texture to a space. Kat Bell, cofounder of Argyle Design, is a huge advocate for ambient lighting. “I’m personally super sensitive to lighting and I think a lot of people don’t realize how much that can affect a space or your mood,” she says.
Shannon fully agrees while emphasizing that “you don’t want to just be on or off” so being able to control the level of dimness is the way to go. “Having the ability to adjust light depending on your mood, having separate bed lights on each side so that if one person wants to stay up and read, the other [can] to go to sleep, or whatever the case might be, I think that’s really important,” she adds. You want your bedside lighting to complement the space, not disrupt it.
Embrace the power of sconces and orbs
“We don’t want to be in bed reading and have to get out and turn off all your lights and get back in bed,” he continues. “It kills that moment of calmness you get when you’re reading and you’re about to go to [sleep].” For those that are less enthusiastic about getting in bed with a book, he’ll go with a fabric shade that softens up the space with some texture. “I like to stay away from lamps that are metal or littered with hard materials in bedrooms,” he adds. “I don’t mind if the base is metal, but I feel like it should have a fabric shape. The light moves a bit better and it just feels softer and warmer.”
Shannon highlights how brands like RBW and Color Cord Company have introduced plug-in sconces to their lighting collections, which is a great option for renters that can’t get behind the wall to install hardwired versions. Kat is a sucker for sconces as well, but also recommends reading lamps in addition to floor lamps. “Obviously, there’s a necessity for some sort of overhead lighting from a functional perspective, but I prefer to use chandeliers or flush mounts, things that create a really nice warmth to the space,” she adds.
The monastic bed inside Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent’s primary bedroom really sets the scene. The space also features Panoramic Bellagio wallpaper, a Frits Henningsen leather sofa from the 1960s, Samuel Marx travertine tables, Roman shades by The Shade Store, and an RH rug.
Bolder colours in smaller doses
Ellen proposes an important question: “You spend so much time in bed, why go with something boring?” You can’t go wrong with the colour palette of your choosing, but what if you dared to make a statement? “I think it’s important to have a little levity in all parts of the home, and what better way to wake up than surrounded by something that brings you joy? To me, bedding is all about the a.m. and starting the day off right,” she says. “Bold colour in the bedroom isn’t for everyone, but it certainly is for me!”
Maybe you’re not ready for full-on “colour drenching,” but there are methods to easing into a new hue. Kat prefers neutrals for her bedroom, so she has a rotation of colourful coverlets from Nickey Kehoe on hand whenever she feels the urge to switch things up. “That’s a simple thing to be able to change up in a room without redesigning the space,” she adds. If you’re hesitant about introducing a new colour to your bedroom, she recommends testing it out with a throw blanket in that shade.
Although Shannon leans toward more muted and warm tones for her own bedroom, she appreciates an accent wall as seen in many of the hotel rooms at Yowie. “My favorite accent wall that we have in this space is a terra-cotta colour that’s romantic and soft,” she says. “I was looking at some stuff yesterday for a project that had burgundy and plum tones, and that feels really luxurious to me in a bedroom.”
Sebastian acknowledges that everyone has a different profile, so he advises staying away from colours that feel too shocking for a bedroom in favor of calmer tones that are commonly seen in nature. “For example, I love the colour red,” he explains. “But when I see red, it pumps me up. My bedroom right now is this dark, dark green. It’s very specific to the person.”
This story originally appeared on Architectural Digest US.
