Creating the Ultimate Bedroom Retreat

Your master bedroom should be your sanctuary. It should be filled with things that you love and promote a sense of well-being. From the color palette to the drapery, there is a seemingly endless array of options to help you build the ultimate bedroom retreat. If uncertain with  where to start, read on for some of our favorite design tips for creating a new luxury bedroom.

Introduce a Canopy Bed

There is something undeniably romantic about canopy beds. The designers at Traditional Home agree: “A canopy bed offers a luxurious nest in [any] master bedroom.” Depending on the design of the bed, you can take your restyled bedroom in a vintage or modern direction, almost immediately.

Choose a lovely floral fabric for a traditionally feminine vibe, or pick something with a jewel tone to bring instant warmth to the space. The material you select for the draping can also pop up as pillow coverings for occasional pillows, covers for window seats or even as a desk topper.

Update Your Bed Linens

In addition to making your bedroom look like a luxury oasis, you want it to feel like one. A significant step toward making that dream a reality is choosing decadent bedding. It is not enough to get a high thread count; the touch and feel of the bedding must be appealing to the specific owner. Don’t be afraid to take your time in sampling a variety of high-end products, from sheets and pillowcases to duvets.

Architect and designer Jon de la Cruz tells Southern Living that he recommends clients start with percale cotton sheet sets that are ironed and touched with scent for an upscale sleep experience. He explains: “Forget about thread count, rather, touch and feel the quality of the fabric and iron with some DIY linen spray kissed with lavender or rose essential oils, and you will truly feel like you’re sleeping in the lap of luxury.”

Have you thought about your pillowcases? Chances are you have taken them for granted, but the designers at Southern Living want you to consider some of the latest high-tech options for getting an incredible night’s sleep. They love the “SleepCycle Pillowcase with Silver Ion Technology ” that “provides a natural antibacterial effect, preventing future breakouts and soothing sensitive skin” as a start. They also recommend aromatherapy pillow protectors and silk pillowcases that claim not to dry out skin, effectively acting as “anti-aging” products.

Dramatic Drapery

While you may have already introduced eye-catching drapery with your canopy bed, dramatic window coverings help create a sumptuously livable master bedroom. If your new designs call for a modern space done in creams, ivories and grays, don’t be afraid to bring pattern to your drapery. Designer Juan Carlos Gutierrez tells Traditional Home, in this case, he loves the addition of “wool sateen drapery panels decorated with geometric borders and backed by ivory shades” to both complement the color scheme and bring visual interest to the windows.  

Experts implementing luxury bedroom designs also favor layered window treatments. While you will need to invest in double curtain rods to create the multi-layer effect, you will adore the options they give you for letting in light or closing out the light when you need a sound night’s rest. Real Simple suggests that you “hang plush draperies made from richly textured fabrics, like velvet, to give a … bedroom a touch of quiet sophistication.” If you have interesting moulding or other architectural details, you will want your drapes to draw the eye upward by installing your new curtains significantly above the existing window frame (unless they are already quite high). Placing the dramatic bedroom drapery above the frames will make the windows look bigger and the room feel taller.

Soothing Neutral Palettes

Often people choose shades of white and cream to create a crisp, clean space. But decorating with too much white may create a bedroom that feels cold, and you may want to elevate the visual appeal. This doesn’t mean that you have to throw out your neutral palette; instead designers are suggesting you mix it with a color you love to enhance your luxury bedroom design. Interior specialist Heather Chadduck tells Southern Living that lately, she has been incorporating “a pale shade of blue-gray.” This calming wall color is complemented by shades of navy in the room’s accents, from borders and geometric designs on the drapery to indulgent sheets and duvets. 

Design specialist and owner of Zero George hotel, Lynn Easton, agrees. She wants every bedroom of her luxury boutique hotel to promote a calm state of mind. Easton explains to Southern Living that she accomplishes this with a neutral palette, also highlighted by pale blues, and not only on the walls. “Neutral drapery and upholstery work together to create a peaceful space where guests can escape the chaos of the day,” she tells the magazine. It is not surprising that decorators are using this design element to bring that sense of tranquility into luxury, residential bedrooms.  

Adding texture to the walls is also a possibility. As you go from darker tones to lighter ones, explains Edyta Czajkowska to Traditional Home, you can still get a visual boost from products like a “textural sisal wallcovering from Thibaut [that can] lend subtle sheen.” It’s a design practice that gives the space a luxury feel, quickly and easily. 

Stylish Sitting Areas

If you are considering constructing an addition to your existing bedroom, ponder the benefits of creating an exquisitely comfortable and elegant looking sitting area. A luxury, custom-made settee or vintage, curved-back sofa in a deep hue will offer visual appeal, as well as an inviting place to relax after a busy day. Does your bedroom design include a fireplace? That space is calling for a tall-backed armchair, perfect for reading by the fire.

You also may want to include an elegant writing desk. This piece can be a vintage or modern addition to your new bedroom design. It isn’t meant to replace your office, so the space should be kept relatively clear. However, it could be an excellent place to journal, answer correspondence or otherwise organize your thoughts for the day. Rather than bright overhead lights, design experts suggest to Real Simple that an interesting table lamp or intriguingly designed task lamp would work best for the space. 

Add Mood Lighting

Picture adding geometric light sconces by the bed, pendant lights over the sitting area or floor lamps to cast large pools of illumination. Want a glam update to your bedroom lighting design? Edyta Czajkowska explained to Traditional Home that she recently brought in “Circa Lighting’s ‘Bistro Chandelier’ [which] crowns the master bedroom with mid-century style.” Vintage crystal chandeliers also can take your master bedroom from ordinary to extraordinary, as long as their size is a complement to the space. Chandeliers work equally well in modern bedrooms, rooms lightly dappled with antiques and Art Deco-inspired spaces.

Choose Your Art

Choose art that you love. Your bedroom is your sanctuary, and you want pieces that inspire you on the walls. Design experts tell Real Simple that often people skip hanging artwork in the bedroom in favor of putting it in public spaces. Your luxury bedroom design should create a space that reflects you. As for placement, Real Simple explains: “The bed is the focal point of the room, so be sure to hang art above it. Just as important: remember to hang art on the opposite side of the room, too, so you can admire a favorite work from the comfort of your bed.”

Splurge on the Details

Real Simple recommends that you start by examining your hardware, both on your furniture pieces and your doors and walls. They suggest splurging on something “modern and metallic” as “attractive door knobs, brackets, and light switch plates add elegance by creating visual interest in otherwise overlooked areas.”  

Area rugs can make a space feel instantly warmer and more intimate. Art Deco mirrored tables can be added as bedside tables or consoles in the bedroom’s sitting area. Architectural wood cabinets with intriguing accents can bring a luxury element to your bedroom storage, while sculptures made from metal can complement other metallic elements, including your new hardware. As Lynn Easton reveals to Southern Living, making yourself feel pampered with little touches is the key to luxury bedroom design. Her final suggestion, “leave a glass and a water carafe on the bedside table and invest in a sound machine.”