Masculine Bedroom Decor

One of the most important rooms in the house is the bedroom and for that reason, it needs to be spectacular.

Not only do we rely on the bedroom as a secluded haven for rest and relaxation, but we also draw upon its decor to help inspire us in other ways be it a serene theater for our favorite films or a romantic retreat.

When it comes to design, there are many things one can do to make a bedroom more inviting. In this article, we’re going to discuss decor rather than design and focus on some of the elements you can incorporate yourself, without having to hire a team of renovators.

The Bed

Arguably the most important part of any bedroom, when it comes to choosing a bed you ideally want to pick your mattress and boxspring separate from the frame. While it’s perfectly acceptable to buy a packaged bed, you’ll be given a broader range of design elements if you purchase each part individually. Not to mention that you’ll probably be more comfortable as the premium mattress suppliers usually sell their products independently.

No one is suggesting you need to spend $50,000 on a Savoir bed, but the fact is that you’re going to spend one-third of your entire life in bed and it’s probably a wise idea not to skimp on the price of your mattress. Sealy, Serta, and other name brands offer a more reasonable alternative and comfort can be increased by using various comfort pads and high-quality linens. In the end, most people will never see the actual mattress, but it doesn’t mean that those allowed in won’t feel the difference in quality.

As far as the frame goes, this is a more dynamic and integral part of the room. Like the furniture and accessories, you use to decorate it, the frame of the bed is often the centerpiece of any bedroom. This is a chance to be bold, wild and even daring. You can use it as a showpiece by choosing bold colors, rich woods or rugged stonework. The frame has the least to do with comfort in comparison to the mattress and boxspring so there’s no reason you can’t shop vintage or even have one custom built for you. Or to save money, you can opt for a more expensive headboard and footboard, but skimp on the actual frame beneath the boxspring. If you can’t find a headboard that works for your budget, you can replicate one using textures such as hanging a curtain behind your bed or a remarkable area rug with some texture or shag. Of course, a headboard is one aspect that many find important, and so it’s often recommended as a necessary design element for bedrooms with the most popular for men, being made from fine leather, suede, and dark woods.

Color Palette

A bedroom needs to be cohesive, and each piece should pair harmoniously with every other element in the room. Of course, it’s perfectly acceptable to have feature walls or a design element that pops but it should still flow. When it comes to deciding on what scheme you want to go with there are a few things that should be taken into consideration.

1. Location

While dark reds and natural brick might be very appealing for a New York apartment in TriBeCa, that color scheme may not work as well if it’s for your beach house in the Hamptons. One thing many people don’t take into consideration is the landscape outside their window. Try using the world outside to influence your inner sanctuary. If you’re right on the beach, consider light pastels, lighter woods, and creams. If you’re in a historic warehouse loft, choosing darker stones and woods that are highlighted with pops of deep reds and purples may be the way to go. Also consider the direction your windows face. Do you get a lot of natural light? Is it in the evening or morning when it’s the brightest? All of these elements should be considered when choosing a color scheme for your bedroom.

2. Style of the Estate

If the rest of your home is contemporary or minimalistic, but your bedroom looks like it’s from a French castle in the 1600s, chances are you might want to consider a reno. Granted your bedroom should be a separate and private enclave, it should still somewhat mirror the rest of your home. Painting your bedroom walls black when the rest of the house is cerulean blue might be a bit of a shock to the senses when you walk into your room for the night. Also, unless you’re Dracula, no one should ever go with plain black walls.

3. Use

Other than sleep what do you use your bedroom for? Is it your personal library where you sit and read every afternoon or do you use it for your romantic 50 Shades of Grey trysts each night? Is it a home theater for late night movies or a playground for morning cuddles with your kids? Taking into account each of the bedrooms primary uses is a surefire way to ensure it’s decorated perfectly for your lifestyle.

4. Flooring

For many, renovating is a chore but redecorating is a hobby. Unless you plan to redo the floor in your bedroom, taking into account what type of flooring you have is a good way to ensure the rest of the room works with it. Hardwoods are the easiest to deal with as you can easily stain them darker if you like or use area rugs to give them personality. Plus they tend to work better with a wider range of decor schemes. On the other hand, if you have a shaggy white carpet, you’re not going to want to go with a Renaissance-inspired look without first ripping out the carpet and replacing it.

5. Theme

The theme is, all things considered, the most important part of the room.

When it comes to traditional rooms, the standard colors we recommend are darker and more elegant monochromatic shades of grey with a secondary use of deep reds, blues or purples. We especially recommend using natural products like stone or wood and complimenting it with textures like suede, leather, natural fabrics and bold window treatments.

If you’re looking for a more casual beach-inspired environment consider nautical elements like blues, creams, brighter reds and woods from ships or ports. Putting your personality into the room is vital. I once saw a great beach house owned by a passionate surfer where he had a surfboard hanging on the wall as art with oars from a canoe on an adjacent wall. There was little doubt about what his hobbies were and the ‘art’ served as a great conversation piece when he had company.

Furniture

Aside from the bed, furniture is pretty much a necessity for any bedroom. Of course, the furniture costs are cut if you have a built-in closet, but for many older homes without walk-in closets, having dressers, chests and wardrobes are essential. At the minimum, you’ll want at least one large dresser that can be used both for storage as well as a table for anything from pictures and a valet to holding your stereo or television.

Aside from that it’s always a wise idea to have a nightstand on each side of the bed. Even if you don’t use them regularly, they’re very useful for holding everything from a bedside valet to a table lamp or alarm clock.

If your bedroom is large enough, one thing worth considering is a small sitting area. This can simply be two chairs by the window or a separate living space with a few couches and a coffee table. The bedroom will always be your most relaxing and serene room in the house. By having an area other than the bed to relax in can prove to be very calming after a long day or a moment of stress. From sitting to watch television to reading a book or working, it’s one area you won’t entertain in but will spend a great deal of time by yourself or with a loved one.

Art & Accessories

From pillows and throws to wall art and picture frames, one way to really personalize the bedroom is by using art as inspiration. There are very few rules, probably the most important being leave pictures of your family out of the bedroom. If you bring someone home with you, the last thing they want to see is a picture of your mom on the nightstand. Nothing will kill the mood quite like Mom smiling back at you.

Pictures are intended for the top of the piano, not the boudoir. Focus on perhaps a picture of your significant other if you’re in a relationship or use art. From sculptures to wall hangings, there is no limit to creativity. Nautically inspired rooms can be highlighted with ships in a bottle or model yachts. From a ship’s wheel to portholes on the wall, even items such as signage from the ships underbelly can infuse a sense of character and passion into the bedroom. For classic and more traditional rooms consider fine art or a magnificent ballroom chandelier and accessories like a humidor or whiskey decanters on a bar cart. All of these added accessories can take the place of art and be used to express yourself. If you prefer a modern or minimalistic decor consider art that matches, using a shag area rug for texture and dimension or stone sculptures and oversized posters and landscape photographs.

One area often overlooked is your choice of linens and throw pillows. These should never be a set, but always reflect each other and work well paired together. Throw pillows – like a duvet – aren’t intended for sleeping on. They’re decorative and therefore they can be an integral part of any bedroom’s decor. They can also be quite inexpensive.

Window Treatments

Something that’s worth being used in every room with windows, bedrooms are one area of the home where bold and dynamic window treatments (curtains) can be used. One idea is to focus on curtains made expressly for the bedroom since they’ll help block out sunlight if you nap or sleep during the day. One tip to consider is putting them on a remote controlled track or a timer. Not only will that help prevent them from wearing due to the natural oils of your skin and having to pull them closed, but if there is one room in the house it’s acceptable to be completely lazy in, it’s the bedroom. There’s no feeling worse than crawling into bed only to remember you forgot to close the curtains. Having them on a remote or timer can make your life just a little bit easier. Plus, you’ll look really cool doing it.

Conclusion

Bedrooms are the hidden sanctuary everyone loves. If you’ve ever questioned the need for a well designed bedroom and whether it actually affects your sleep and lifestyle think back to college days and that friend of yours that slept on a mattress on the floor in a room where his only dresser was cardboard boxes he stuffed his clothes into. We all know or knew someone like that at some point. Now do you see the difference?

With the bedroom it’s best to go big. If you need a queen sized bed consider a king and if you need a chair consider a Chaise. In the end not only will you thank yourself but so will everyone you ever bring home for the night.