Skip to Content

45 Beautiful Primary Bedroom Ideas From Designers

Sweeter dreams ahead.

By
blue bedroom with tiger print pillow
Simon Watson

Where you relax, reset, and most important, rest, your primary bedroom is arguably the most personal space in your home. Even more so than a spa-like bathroom, your bedroom needs to be a place that soothes you and energizes you. The best primary bedroom ideas are designed to streamline your day and encourage healthy sleep habits without sacrificing style or personality. This isn't the place to skimp, even though your guests may not see it. After all, your bedroom is the room you spend the most time in, especially if you’re getting the recommended eight hours of sleep a night.

A primary bedroom is much more than a mattress and a bed frame, although we have strong feelings about both of those elements. Its design should encompass much more than a single piece of furniture. You need to consider the color or pattern of the walls, blackout shades to block disruptive light, storage, seating, and the size and shape of the lighting—such as sconces or lamps for reading and overhead lighting for overall brightness. All these elements add up to a primary bedroom that meets your needs as an individual (or a couple).

If you're in need of a primary bedroom refresh, you're in luck. Whether you want to do a complete overhaul or are just looking for some fresh styling and color palette ideas, these designer rooms will get you excited. Read on to see which main bedroom tips and ideas speak to your personal style, and then learn how bring them into your own home. No matter what size or scale you’re working with, from a shoebox studio apartment (or even a chic RV) to a grand estate with towering ceilings, the inspiration you'll find in these primary bedroom ideas is endless.

1

Honor Your Personality

house beautiful whole home 2023 1906 hinsdale\, illinois house
KEVIN J. MIYAZAKI

Designer Isabel Ladd is a self-proclaimed maximalist and a lover of what she calls "designer camo"—layering a dizzying variety of prints over each other—so of course the primary bedroom she designed for House Beautiful's 2023 Whole Home is over-the-top. Wallpaper illustrated with exotic birds, bamboo, and an abundance of florals provides a playful backdrop for Ladd to build on: "The whole aesthetic is 'more is more; less is a bore,'" she explains.

2

Keep It Soft

bedroom
Sean Litchfield

A neutral Fornasetti wallpaper from Cole & Son sets a warm, quiet tone in the primary bedroom of this historic Boston home by Thiara Borges.

3

Evoke a Place You Love

a bedroom with a large bed
Haris Kenjar

Katie Hodges wanted the primary bedroom of her Hollywood Hills home to feel like an Italian hotel. The butterscotch-and-saffron color palette is "rich and soothing," she says.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
4

Use Soft Materials

linda hayslett
Lauren Taylor

The bed in the bedroom of this San Francisco condo practically fills up the entire space, but it's worth it. "It makes you feel like you want to fall into the bed and get engulfed in it," says designer Linda Hayslett. The curves and the performance velvet fabric of the headboard make it irresistibly cocooning.

5

Embrace Escapism

vacation home in maui, hawaii designed by breeze giannasio interiors cottage bedroom a jungle print voutsa mural sets a very hawaiian scene headboard norwegian wood, etsy bed frame article pillows st frank blue, chairish bolsters blankets shoppe by amber interiors cream and pom pom at home green shades the shade store side table crate barrel rug jaipur living
Stacy Zarin Goldberg

Stepping into your bedroom should feel like a departure from real life, like a vacation. It really can be a place of total relaxation. Bring on the tropical getaway vibes as Breeze Giannasio Interiors did in this Maui home by adding a mural inspired by the relaxing natural surroundings.

6

Showcase Your Furniture

christopher kent project shades of blue and a velvet platform bed set the mood in this chicago bedroom by kent, founder of studio cak
Aimee Mazzenga

If your bed frame is as fabulous as this velvet-upholstered, channel-tufted masterpiece, it would be a shame to cover it up with pillows, bolsters, and blankets. Keep your bedding simple, as Christopher Kent did here, and opt for a minimal coverlet to let the bed shine.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
7

Maximize the Square Footage

a couple of beds in a room
Alan Tansey

If your primary bedroom isn't as big as you'd like, consider installing a Murphy bed to save space. Ignore everything you thought you knew about these humble fold-up beds. They can be stylish and add color and interest to a space, the way this one designed by Michael Chen does.

8

Invest in Quality Materials

emily janak teton mountains, jackson hole, wyoming home primary bedroom
Lisa Flood

Designer Emily Janak's primary goal when designing the primary bedroom in her Jackson Hole, Wyoming, cabin was to make it feel as luxurious as possible. Cue an indulgent Loro Piana bed curtains and a West Elm bed frame that she had reupholstered in mohair.

9

Make Use of Every Inch

a bed with a lamp on the side
Seth Smoot

No room for wall sconces or table lamps? No problem. You have a ceiling perfect for a pair of pendant lights. The rattan Atelier Vime ones in the bedroom of this Orinda, California, home by designer Lauren Nelson provide light and texture that amplify its warmth.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
10

Create a Cozy Corner

main bedroom wood panels cover the rv original closet doors, which were mirrored bed custom, using wood from a michigan mill
Kevin Wilkerson

An RV may not seem like the right place for a sanctuary-like primary bedroom, but you deserve good design even on the road. Here, in Karlee and Weston Marsh's renovated RV, wood panels cover the original mirrored closet doors, and a custom headboard from a local Michigan mill adds warmth to the all-white space.

11

Add a Seating Area

12,000 squarefoot, tuscan style residence in rancho santa fe, california designed by kari arendsen, principal at intimate living interiors
Karyn Millet

Bedrooms are so much more than just a place to sleep. To make the most of your space, consider placing a bench or pair of armchairs at the end of the bed as designer Kari Arendsen did in Hillary and Chase Daniels' California home. You can use your new sitting area as a reading nook and handy drop-zone or even as a place for your little ones to hang out while you get ready for the day.

12

Frame It Out

a bedroom with a bed and a fireplace
Francesco Lagnese

To accentuate the four-poster bed in this primary bedroom, Thomas Jayne added a subtle rectangle of light blue paint to the wall to frame it and coordinate with blue accents in the bedding.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
13

Offer a Respite from the Rest of the Home

bedroom a custom mural gives the bedroom a softer feel than the richer hues in the rest of the home bedding abc carpet home pillows clare louise frost bed, sconce, nightstand, vase, and art vintage
Thomas Loof

High-gloss jewel tones adorn most of the walls in a Brooklyn Tudor designed by Katie Curtis, but she took a softer approach in the primary bedroom. A custom mural in a soothing, nature-inspired color palette gives the homeowners a break from the richer hues in the rest of the home.

14

Go All In

a bed with a colorful wallpaper
Paul Raeside

Too many walls, not enough cohesion? Take inspiration from this Pennsylvania bedroom designed by Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey. Chipper yellow gingham wallpaper by Scalamandré unifies the many angles of this attic bedroom.

15

Supersize the Scale

owners suite by mark williams design thanks to architect yong pak 14 foot tall vaulted ceilings, williams and papadopoulos were inspired to impart a romantic sensibility in the bedroom overlapping led fixtures that look like crystal necklaces are draped from the ceiling drapery panels in a sanderson fabric embroidered with leaves and acorns cover the entire wall behind the custom bed and the reading niche one thing atlanta is known for is our tree canopy, williams says we loved the idea of bringing that natural vibe into this house all of this ornamentation adds up to a sort of luxe cocoon youd never want to leave i think we created a room that feels cozy, intimate, and calm williams says
Rustic White Photography

If you happen to be blessed with towering ceilings like ones in the primary bedroom of our 2022 Whole Home, take advantage of them by accentuating them. Mark Williams Design and architect Yong Pak set an extra-tall headboard against ceiling-height curtains to draw the eye up toward the stunning paneled ceiling.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
16

Set the Mood With Lighting

house beautiful whole home 2023 1906 hinsdale\, illinois house
KEVIN J. MIYAZAKI

Whether you're reading in bed or getting ready for a night out, you want bedroom lighting that can adapt to multiple settings or moods. Take a note from Society Social, who designed our 2023 Whole Home's guest suite, and use multiple sources. Sconces allow for soft, in-bed direct lighting, while dual table lamps cast a wider glow when more visibility is needed.

17

Utilize the Color Wheel

main bedroom and connected bath with mustard wallcovering made of linen and paper, touches of tobacco browns, milky creams, and pale pinks also features whitewashed vaulted ceiling and contrasting beams, upholstered canopy bed, and plaster chandelier a custom wool woven rug, designed to fit around the fireplace, was topped with a plush merino rug lighting circa lighting bed fabric fabricut wallcovering phillip jeffries bedding tencel, pottery barn weighted throws tencel, bearaby mattress stearns and foster rugs the rug company top, shown below and fibreworks bottom, shown at right bed custom, toledo geller side tables bungalow 5
Stephen Karlisch

Purple and yellow may seem too high contrast for a calming bedroom, but when you adjust the tone and saturation, they're perfect color complements. This main bedroom, designed by Toledo Geller for our 2021 Whole Home, proves that an ochre wallcovering works beautifully with deep brownish purples and earthy pinks.

18

When in Doubt, Color Block

long island, ny home interior designed by revamp interior design bedroom
David A. Land

Take inspiration from the bedroom in this Long Island home by Danielle Fennoy and forgo patterns and prints in favor of solid swaths of color. The cobalt throw breaks up the all-white bedding, while the yellow throw pillow coordinates perfectly with an equally sunny task lamp.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
19

Play with Patterns

rosemary beach, florida vacation home of vern yip primary bedroom a cambria quartz desktop suits the sophisticated mood, but ever require resealing, reconditioning, or polishing says yip bedding and drapery fabrics vern yip for trend lamp rh
Robert Peterson

Pattern play is best achieved when you use a common through line to tie them all together. From the geometric curtains to the tiger-stripe accent pillows, each of the patterns in the jungle-inspired bedroom of Vern Yip's vacation home references the bedspread.

20

Try a Tonal Palette

brown bedroom, design fiona lynch paint color rich biscuit, dulux
Amelia Stanwix

In this bedroom, a mix of warm-toned browns and reds craft a cozy color palette that's ideal for a cocooning sleep space. By choosing shades that are on the same side of the color wheel, you don't have to worry about them coordinating or looking too busy.

Watch Next
 
preview for Home Tours
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Refresh and Inspire

a couch with a table and a lamp

The Best Sofa Covers to Transform Your Living Room

living room with fuzzy chair

The Best Reading Chairs to Transform Your Space

best bathtub trays

The Best Bathtub Trays for At-Home Spa Vibes

boho bathroom ideas

12 Boho Bathrooms to Inspire Your Self-Care Space

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below