Whether you’ve moved into a new home or want to spice up your existing décor, start with your bedroom walls. After all, you’ll spend about a third of your life in bed and bare walls just can’t capture the warmth and spirit you need to rest easily at night.
Add some color, character, and personality to customize your bedroom and cast out those bland white walls.
When decorating your bedroom walls, start by applying paint or wallpaper. Some color will help set the tone for your room and create a foundation to build from.
Then, begin adding artwork and shelving to further accentuate your style. Finish off with a few other final touches and your bedroom will feel like a personal sanctuary.
Let’s go through some of today’s most popular décor options and see how you can transform your boring bedroom walls into something truly special.
Find The Color That Suits You
If you’re on a budget and can’t afford to pay for a full remodel, you can still make a big difference by painting your bedroom walls.
Just a splash of color will transform your room from a stale and sanitized block into a vibrant and joyous space, you just have to find the right colors.
Over the years, researchers and psychologists have studied how colors affect our moods. Warmer tones, such as a subdued red, ochre, or mustard, tend to make us feel comforted, whereas brighter tones, such as a bold sunflower yellow or scarlet, produce feelings of anger and aggression.
For a bedroom, we recommend sticking with cooler tones, such as gentle blues and greens.
These colors are evocative of nature and can make your bedroom feel more like a peaceful forest or a relaxing beach. They’ll also help you sleep better at night than overly aggressive colors like bright red or pink.
Add Wallpaper For Texture
Back in the early 1980s, wallpaper started to fall out of favor with most modern homeowners.
They felt that it harkened back to older generations and stuffy parlors plagued with the tinge of cigarette smoke.
Yet, over the last 40 years, wallpaper has slowly come back into fashion and for good reason, (it adds much-needed texture to your bedroom walls.)
Even if you opt for a simple wallpaper, the added texture can liven up your bland bedroom walls. You don’t even have to apply it to the entire room.
Create an accent wall using a vivid pattern or make a theme by implementing floral, traditional, or even geometrical designs. Shop around to find a wallpaper that matches your personality and start spicing things up.
Add Subtle Paneling to Divide Space
If you prefer a simple, classical design, consider installing wall paneling to divide up the space. Paneling works best in large bedrooms with plenty of wall space that can be split into separate sections. It can also help with your design plans by creating designated areas for hanging shelves, pictures, and other artworks.
If paneling sounds like a design feature you might like, consider the following styles:
- Dado rail-height panels – Rail-heigh panels rise about halfway up the wall to create a classic Victorian look.
- Nautical shiplap panels – These panels create a nice beachy vibe that pairs nicely with other beach-themed decorations.
- Molded wainscotting panels – These panels harken back to colonial period homes yet manage to create a classy look while simultaneously adding depth to your walls.
- Shaker panels – These panels are similar to wainscotting panels but are more uniform in size and create a sort of checkerboard design. They resemble a barn door and work well with rustic home designs.
- Floor to ceiling oak – If you really want to go back in time, install floor to ceiling oak panels to give your room the feeling of an 18th-century library
Once your panels are installed, you can then further decorate them with wallpaper. Some wallpaper above rail-heigh panels creates a beautiful contrast and will help accentuate the paper’s design.
If you want to keep things simple, you can also paint your panels. Darker tones on molded wainscotting panels create added depth and a crisp white on nautical shiplap panels adds to their seaworthy appeal.
Color Blocking With Paint
If wallpaper and paneling are a little too old-fashioned for your tastes, you can still mix things up by creating interesting patterns using paint. When you head to the hardware or paint store, be sure to grab a large supply of painter’s tape. You’ll need it to create your designs.
The idea behind color blocking is to create different regions with different colors. Or you can create entire patterns of color, such as diamonds, triangles, or even art-deco-themed half ovals.
Once you’ve applied your design to the wall, paint around the different regions to create your final look.
Let the paint try thoroughly before you remove the tape. If you remove the tape too early, the paint could run and ruin your design. Be patient and the results will pay off.
Create Space By Adding Shelves
Adding some color might not be enough to transform your walls from bland to brilliant. If you’re short on space or don’t want to buy bulky bookshelves, you can create more space by thinking vertically. After all, you have all that extra wall space so why not use it?
By installing a few floating shelves, you can create space for displaying knickknacks, small picture frames, or even hanging ivy. If you paint the shelves the same color as your walls, they’ll even blend into the background to create a total floating illusion.
Design Your Own Gallery Space
If you love photography and art, you could transform your bedroom walls into your own personal gallery space.
Hang paintings, photographs, or even framed posters to create a customized art space that speaks to your personality.
Not only will art add character and fill the area, but it will also bring in a variety of colors, textures, and creativity.
There are a handful of ways to display art in your home. You could go with a few large pieces and center them in the middle of the wall or display many smaller pictures and hang them in frames to create a mosaic of art.
If you’re unsure of how to display your pieces, you can try out a few designs ahead of time using painter’s tape.
Recreate the shape of the frames in tape and rearrange them until you’ve created a designed art space that matches your room and personality. Then, start hanging!
Decorate On A Budget With Wall Stickers And Decals
Art, photography, and framing can all get expensive. However, if you’re working on a budget, you don’t have to spend a small future on decorations to create beautifully styled bedroom walls.
Nowadays, you can easily find full-sized wall stickers to help create the look you want.
Although wall stickers and decals started out as upgraded versions of posters, they’ve come a long way over the past decade.
No longer are they just life-sized stickers of your child’s favorite superhero. Instead, you can find beautiful floral designs, inspirational quotes, or a starry night.
You could even create beautiful-looking decor dipping below your bed or create a flower blossoming from the ceiling. Stickers come in all shapes and sizes, including half-murals, and some are even customizable.
Whether you’re decorating a children’s or adult’s bedroom, you’re sure to find wall stickers that match your décor. Some even go as far as to replicate the look and feel of wallpaper without the upkeep that wallpaper requires.
Brighten Things Up with Lights
Just because something is decorative doesn’t mean it can’t also be practical. By that same logic, though, just because something is practical doesn’t mean it can’t also be decorative.
If your bedroom walls already have existing lighting fixtures, you could jazz them up by switching out their tired and boring shades for something more exciting.
If your walls don’t already have lighting fixtures, consider installing a few wall sconces. They’ll brighten your room and add some flare to your décor. Sconces come in all shapes and sizes:
- Candle sconces – As the name suggests, a candle sconce imitates an old-fashioned candle holder but works using an electric lightbulb.
- Swing arm sconces – Swing arm sconces resemble mid-century desk lamps with their iconic movable arms. These sconces work well above your bed since you can swing them around if you want to read a book without disrupting your partner.
- Lantern sconces – Although lantern sconces are typically reserved for outdoor lighting, they make a wonderful addition in the bedroom since they create subdued, moody light. Add them by the window and enjoy the view.
Installing lighting can get expensive, though, since you’ll have to work with an electrician. If you’re working on a budget, we recommend trying out our next suggestion.
Add Personality With Signage
If wall sconces seem a bit too pricey or overly formal you can still add spice to your bedroom walls with signage. It’s affordable, iconic, and—best of all—won’t require an electrician to install.
If you want illuminated signage, you can also opt for an LED or Neon sign.
Although neon is slightly more expensive than LED, it’ll add a warm glow of light to your room that very few things can replicate. If you prefer a digital, video-game style, we recommend LED.
Either way, both types of signs are customizable and allow you to brighten up your bedroom walls in a completely unique way.
You can request illuminated signs depicting your favorite inspirational quote, a sports logo, or even a brand. The sky is the limit as long as you know where to order from.
Use Mirrors To Expand the Room
If you are feeling cramped in your bedroom and want to expand outward, you can do so without tearing down your walls.
The trick is to manipulate the light in your room to create the illusion that it’s larger than it actually is. How can you do this? Mirrors!
Mirrors are multi-functional and also a little magical. By positioning a few mirrors in just the right spots, you can make your bedroom feel twice as large as it actually is.
While the added space will really just be a reflection, it can help reduce feelings of claustrophobia and fatigue.
But that’s not all mirrors are good for! Because mirrors work by reflecting light, your room will also feel brighter and happier as light fills the open area.
Just be careful not to position them directly in the sun or they can overheat and create strong breams of reflected light.
Decorate With Plants
Our last recommendation is for anyone without the time or means to paint, install lights, or hang shelves.
Sometimes all a room needs is a splash of color and texture to transform it from dull to dazzling and you might not even have to change the walls.
Instead, consider buying a few indoor plants and positioning them around the edges of your room.
Plants not only add a dash of color but also help make your room feel more natural. Often, bland white walls feel sterilized, like a hospital, but just a single potted plant can transform the space into a healthier and more vibrant area.
Even if your room is short on natural light, you can find indoor plants that do well in the shade. We recommend buying:
Plants are inexpensive, easy to maintain, and can also help boost indoor oxygen levels.
Conclusion
Your bedroom is a place for relaxation and recuperation but how can you expect to reach tranquility if you’re surrounded by boring walls?
Take your bedroom walls from depression to dramatic with a splash of color, maybe some wallpaper, a wall decal, some new lighting or signage, and a potted plant or a mirror. In no time, your bedroom will feel like the personalized oasis you always wanted.
