8 Modern Bedroom Decor Mistakes and How to Avoid Them 

There’s nothing quite like the thrill of decorating the perfect new place or just revamping one of your favorite spots in your home. But when it comes to modern bedroom decor, things get a bit complicated. Your bedroom should both look inviting and get you a good night’s sleep, so designing your sleeping area requires a delicate balance between beauty and function. To help you decorate a chic bedroom without sacrificing style or function, we made a list of the design mistakes you should avoid so you can unleash your creativity with minimal intrusions:

Mismatched scales

When interior designers talk about scale, they’re referring to how the size of various furnishings and decor pieces relates to the room’s size. In modern bedroom decor, the most common scale mistake happens when you get too-large furnishings for the space you have. Specifically, make sure your bed, dressers, end tables and carpets are the right size for your bedroom — we’d all love a king-sized bed, for example, but if it takes up the entire room, you’ll wind up with a cluttered, uninviting sleeping area.

Matching furniture 

Since most showrooms feature complete bedroom sets that are easy to order and cheaper than getting individual items, it’s very tempting to get a matching set and be done with shopping. However, if you’re aiming for a modern bedroom design, matching sets are never a good idea. Why? It all comes down to texture. Matching sets make a room feel flat and one-tone. Avoid this effect by playing with colors, textures, even materials. For example, you could mix a light-toned wooden bed with deeper-toned dressers and cast iron end tables. 

Using the wrong colors 

Speaking of things that match, color is at the center of two common modern bedroom design mistakes. The first thing you want to avoid is opting for an all-cold color scheme. Light blues, greys and greens are usually bedroom favorites, so you needn’t avoid them — but you should combine them with warmer accents to keep the space cozy. At the same time, avoid using bright hues as the primary tones in your color scheme, as they turn tiring fast. Use softer tones as your base colors and add brighter spots sparingly through decorative items.

Forgetting artwork

While you definitely don’t want to overdo it with the decor, any beautifully designed bedroom features a few art pieces. It may seem like forgoing wall art will make your sleeping area seem more spacious and less cluttered, but more often than not, it will just end up feeling bland — especially if the entire room is painted in a single color. Opting for a few well-placed pieces will tie the decor together and add some texture to the space while showcasing your personal style. And don’t forget to hang them at eye-level! Artwork that’s hung too high or too low makes for another common decor mistake. 

Too much clutter 

You can never have enough pillows, right? Wrong. There’s a fine line between cozy and messy and it needs to be threaded carefully in modern bedroom decor. Decorative pillows, chic knick-knacks and patterned blankets will make you feel at ease. However, if you go overboard, your bedroom will end up feeling less calm and more cramped. For a typical full-sized bed, two standard pillows and one or two accent pillows are more than enough.

Too little storage

Of course, clutter doesn’t happen by itself. The first step in avoiding a messy bedroom is making sure you have plenty of storage options. This may be tricky if you’re working with a smaller space, but you can always go for smart storage options, such as:

• beds with built-in storage 
• headboards with shelf space 
• wardrobes with mirrored doors
• ottomans with hollow interiors
• large decorative baskets
• floating shelves instead of bedside tables

All-white lighting 

Cold lighting is never a good idea, even in modern bedroom decor. There are three types of white light: soft white, warm white and bright white. The ideal lighting scheme for your bedroom is either all-soft white or a combination of soft and warm white. Soft white is warm and yellow, perfect for a relaxing atmosphere. Warm white is less yellow, brighter and works best in kitchens and bathrooms — but you can also use it to define a reading nook in your sleeping area. Bright white is to be avoided at all costs in a bedroom since it has an energetic feel that will keep you up rather than calm you down. 

Dull textures

If you’ve ever entered a bedroom and the room felt dull and cold, textures most likely had something to do with it. After all, the online design community is filled with warnings against clutter and overdoing it with the busy fabrics — and for good reason. But decorating a bedroom so it looks both modern and cozy requires a delicate balance between minimalism and playful fabrics and patterns. You can make a bedroom feel welcoming and lived-in by incorporating: 

• textured blankets
• fabric window treatments
• a patterned rug 
• contrasting accent pillows
• houseplants 
• a ladder or coat rack 

Looking for a new place with a beautiful bedroom to decorate? Check out thousands of apartments near you and find your ideal home.