10 mistakes people make when designing a bedroom

Original article written by Houzz

When designing your own bedroom, it can be easy to make some mistakes that completely ruin the final result. Our friends at Houzz show us the 10 most common design errors and how to avoid them.

1. The bed's too big: Big beds are definitely a luxury, but be sure to check precisely how much space your dream bed will take up. A bed that is too big can mean tripping over the edge or legs every ten minutes.

A possible solution: If you don't want to keep getting bruises because you're bumping into the bed, it's helpful to carefully reconsider your measurements. The space at either side of the bed should be big enough for you not to have to squeeze through, and the same applies to the area in front of the bed. The secret is to be realistic about the size of the room, to choose as large a bed as possible but proportional to the space available.

2. There's no space in the room to move around: If you share a room with someone else, you've probably identified the most ‘crowded’ areas. If you always have to squeeze past each other and you can’t get to the bed while the wardrobe is open, you may have to rethink the spaces. The main culprits are usually open doors and drawers, but a curtain placed in that narrow corridor between the wall and the bed can play a role in creating a feeling of crowded space.

A possible solution: Try to identify the flow of movement in the room and find out how to prevent these movements from being obstructed. Perhaps, as in the case of the picture, you can choose sliding doors for the wardrobe or move the doors you use most to a quieter corner.

3. There's not enough room for clothes: When you think of closets to put in your room, you'll probably be faced with two conflicting needs. On the one hand, you’ll want to use that beautiful piece of furniture that you already have and you’re attached to. On the other hand, you will need lots of space to store all your clothes, including shoes and bags. A stylish sideboard may go well with the style of the bed, but it may not be big enough for all the things you want to keep in it.

A possible solution: Before you embark on impulse buying, take the time to check how much space you need to store all your clothes. Make a note of how many inches are needed to hang things up. Don't forget to think about where you'll keep your shoes too. Built-in wardrobes solve many problems, providing you with space to hang clothes and even drawers. You can get a custom-made one or look for a piece of furniture that you can assemble yourself.

4. There aren't enough electrical outlets: The lack of plug sockets is a design error that gives rise to enormous frustration, especially in the bedroom and especially since most of us now have several devices to recharge frequently. Where the traditional double socket behind the bed used to be enough, it is now normal to have multiple sockets with wires and cables of all kinds.

A possible solution: If you're planning to renovate your bedroom, make a list of all the devices you'll need to plug in regularly and make sure you have enough power outlets for each of them. You can hire an electrician to add a few extra plugs to your room. Don't forget, however, that after this electrical rewiring, you may need to plaster and paint back the wall sections where the work was done.

5. You haven’t been brave enough: When we think about our bedroom, it turns out that we are a little shy and we do not embark on projects that are too daring, as we want this room to give out a feeling of peace and calm. It is possible, however, that one might exaggerate in being cautious. A well-designed room should have some element of character and personality.

A possible solution: If you want to keep the walls white and the floor uncovered, be sure to bring something interesting and special into the room. A good place to start is having a headboard for the bed with geometric motifs in the picture, which together with notes of yellow and purple, fills the otherwise dull atmosphere with personality.

6. Unused parts of the room: Bedrooms often have many seemingly useless corners, especially in penthouses and top-floor apartments. The design challenge in this type of room is to identify all the possibilities of creating containers for your stuff in poorly exploited spaces under sloping roofs or next to a structural element.

A possible solution: Carefully study an area of your room that at first glance seems unusable. Under the sloping part of the roof you can incorporate drawers or chests, or place a cabinet with doors cut to the slope of the roof to optimize the available space. Make the most of one wall and create built-in shelves, as was cleverly done in the room shown in the photo, where a hole in the wall serves as a bedside table.

7. The desk is very bulky: Often, the bedroom is the only space in the entire house where a desk can be placed. However, an inhospitable office corner covered with all kinds of abandoned documents is not exactly the best recipe for relaxing, nor the most effective workspace.

A possible solution: Your desk shouldn't mess up the use of your bedroom as a rest area. Choose an elegant table model that fits the style of your room and offers you a place to store your letters and documents, so that at the end of the day you can hide everything from view.

8. The light is too strong: Very often the bedroom ends up being dark and a little unprotected, illuminated only by a central light. Avoid making the mistake of having a single strong light source throughout the room and instead concentrate on creating a warmer atmosphere.

A possible solution: It is important to have night lamps in the bedroom, and a couple of wall lamps or hidden LED lamps can also be very useful. Wall lamps usually require a previously existing design and the intervention of an electrician, but there are also models on the market that can simply be plugged into a socket. To create the restful atmosphere you’re looking for, choose LED lamps and lightbulbs in warm tones.

9. You hate that radiator! One element that is often overlooked in bedroom design is the radiator. Unless you've expressly chosen a particular style or model (for example, a large one to place under the window, or a stylish mirror radiator) you’ll probably have inherited one that you don't like very much.

A possible solution: If your budget doesn't allow you to change the radiator, consider covering it. The radiator cover can be custom-made or available in standard sizes in DIY stores. There are several models on the market and, of course, you don’t have to choose white. You can also paint it the same colour as the walls to integrate it with the rest of the room. The top can be used as a shelf for decorations and books, and the heat, instead of going directly to the ceiling, will spread to the sides.

10. There's no room to sit down: Obviously, not all bedrooms have extra space for furniture, but a place to take a seat while you're dressing can be very convenient.

A possible solution: A good armchair in a corner or a little bench at the foot of the bed is an excellent answer to the problem of finding a seat.