Worst Bedroom Designs

The public areas of our homes - our living rooms, halls, kitchens and dining rooms - often receive more attention than the more private areas like the bedroom, but if you neglect your bedroom, you are only neglecting yourself. Because they are not on public display, bedrooms can be more of an individualistic expression of our personalities, and while this can result in some stunning rooms, it can also see the creation of some real monstrosities (check out the first example to see a literal monstrosity in action). As well as misguided attempts at capturing a style, some bedrooms are ruined by sheer neglect, untidiness or poor planning, so read on to see some of the worst bedrooms in existence and learn how to avoid making the same mistakes.

It's easy to go over the top
when furnishing a child's room

This child's bedroom was obviously planned with the best intentions, but instead of being an exciting, inspiring place, the effect is nightmarish as well as impractical - after all, when the occupant of the room starts to grow up, will they still want to sleep in a Tyrannosaurus Rex's mouth?

This room is dark and uninviting,
but it doesn't have to be this way!

It's always a good idea to co-ordinate patterns on textiles and walls, but the owners of this room have gone too far - check out the duvet and the border at the top of the wall. By overdoing the matching pattern, the room becomes dark and unwelcoming, and the heavy, poorly-chosen dark wooden furniture does nothing to lighten the mood. If your room is small and dark, avoid large, heavy beds and pick a well designed modern bed that will help you to maximise your space.

If all these horrendous bedrooms have left a bad taste in your mouth, take a moment to check out the simple, elegant room below, with its carefully co-ordinated textiles and beautiful stripped-back wall. The owners of this room have focused on comfort and simplicity and created a sleeping space that is truly inviting and relaxing. If you want to create a similar effect, keep furniture to a minimum, co-ordinate your textiles and make the most of your room's more unusual features. To really make the most of your space, turn a spare room into a dressing room so that you can avoid clogging up the bedroom with wardrobes and dressing tables. This will also give you the opportunity to create a beautiful space where you can dress in tranquility and peace.

This room combines simplicity, comfort
and style for a truly elegant space.

If you feel you need a little more inspiration, check out the BBC's great selection of bedroom decoration tips and ideas, and transform your room into a welcoming haven.

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How To Turn Your Dining Room French

Think of a French dining room, and what comes to mind? Furniture that is somehow comfortable, rustic and effortlessly chic all at the same time, carefully chosen colours that create an environment that is perfect for long conversations over bottles of wine. If this sounds like heaven to you, why not consider creating your own French-influenced dining room, and bringing some of that unique continental charm to your home.

The centrepiece of any dining room is the dining table and chairs, and to get that distinctive French look, you'll want to go for elegant high-backed chairs to really get that sense of chic. For the table, you have a choice - if you are after the look of a sophisticated Parisian apartment, then go for a dining table with slender legs and a delicate design, and accessorise with matching occasional tables and sideboards on which to place lamps and flowing plants. If you crave the rustic French countryside style of a Provence cottage, then go for a rustic table that accentuates the natural beauty of the wood - distressed furniture can help you to get that lived in look without having to pay the high prices of antiques.

This room uses pale tones and a simple
chandelier to maximise space

Once you've got your furniture sorted out, you'll want to think about the decor. French-style dining rooms can, if they are small, benefit from a traditional lemon yellow or powder blue, which will maximise the light and evoke the sense of space found in a refined French apartment. If your room is larger, why not go for something bold and daring like vertical stripes or even a trompe l'oeil painting (although with this you'll want to go to a professional, as an amateurish attempt is a real fashion faux-pas)

This room uses a rustic dining table to create
a relaxed yet stylish atmosphere

The crowning touch to a French-inspired dining room will be a chandelier, although that doesn't mean you should forget about subtlety. Pick a lighting centrepiece that is in keeping with the scale of the room - a small glass chandelier can be an imposing presence simply because it is the source of light, whatever you do don't go too big, otherwise the sense of space will be lost.

Once you've successfully incorporated a French influence into your dining room, you'll want the food to match. Check out the BBC's piece on the differences between French and British cookery, and create some marvellous dishes to serve to your friends and family.

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Things to Look Out For When Choosing A Console Table

Console tables are highly practical, and can be adapted to many purposes, from serving as a handy hall table where you can keep your keys and where post can be kept to serving as a miniature writing desk in a small apartment. A console table will fit into any room, and as such, you may want to consider choosing one that will suit more than one room in your house should you ever decide to rearrange.

The more traditional style of console table features thin, tapered legs, a slim top, and a drawer for a little extra storage. This look really helps to bring a sense of elegance and chic to a room, and can evoke the unfussy style of a Parisian apartment as well as the traditional warmth of a country cottage. A traditional console table is a versatile piece, and can really make a difference.

This traditionally styled reclaimed oak console
table is perfect for a warm, cosy home

If you're after something that has a little more of a contemporary edge, then why not go for a more modern piece with chunkier legs that may also incorporate some extra storage such as additional drawers? Unlike the more traditional style of console table, a contemporary piece will probably have a chunky design, and will look great when combined with modern decor.

This contemporary oak console table will
fit in with an up-to-the-minute home

If you're after some extra storage for your hall or landing, why not look for a console table that incorporates some extra storage, such as a shelf at the base of the legs that can be used for storing shoes or even presenting houseplants. By ensuring that even a piece of furniture as small as a console table fulfils a practical role, you'll help to keep your home stylishly organised and refreshingly free from clutter.

If you need some inspiration for your hall's decor, and really want to make the most of this often under appreciated space, check out howstuffworks.com's great guide to decorating halls and landings.

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How to Turn Your Bathroom French

We would all love to live in a chic Parisian apartment, or a charming cottage in Provence, which is why we've come up with these handy hints to help bring a distinctively French feel to your home, starting with the bathroom. Over the next few weeks we'll be turning our attention to the other rooms in the house, allowing you to rejuvenate your home with Gallic chic.

1: Don't be afraid to be bold

The French have a passionate relationship with interior design, and classic French-style looks make the most of bold, fresh colour schemes as well as more traditional looks. In the bathroom, which is often a very small room, wall colour can really help to create the illusion of space. For a classic French feel go for Celadon walls with a slightly darker shade of eggshell paint for the skirting boards and other detailing. If you want to go for a modern look, why not try bold vertical stripes?

Even though this room is small, the bold
vertical stripes bring a fresh, airy feel

2: Choose your furniture carefully

French-style rooms make great use of space, and avoid clutter. If your bathroom is small, don't waste space by trying to cram extra cabinets into the corners. Pick one carefully chosen feature piece that looks great, but which also provides enough storage, and accessorise it with a cut-glass perfume bottle for that classic chic look. Try going for a solid wooden bedside cabinet, as these are designed to be compact, but also have ample storage.

3: It's all in the details

If you really want to nail the Parisian look, you'll need to make sure that all your accessories are up to scratch. Think elegant art-nouveau influenced vases, cast iron door furniture and fresh long-stemmed flowers for a really indulgent feel.

If your interest has been piqued, and you'd like to further research the intricacies of French-inspired design, why not visit the Interior Design School Review's site and check out their article on incorporating a French feel into your home.

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Tips to Make the Most of Your Bedroom

A bedroom is a place for rest, relaxation and indulgence, whether you're sleeping off the day's stresses or simply enjoying a lazy Sunday morning lay in with the newspaper and a delicious breakfast in bed. That's why it's so important that you make your bedroom a place that inspires restful feelings, where you can really get away from it all. This handy guide offers five tips that will help you to get the most out of your bedroom, so dive in and get inspired.

1. Make sure your bed is pulling its weight

The bed is the most important part of any bedroom, so it's worth your while taking a little time to make sure that you get the right option for you. Start with the frame, making certain that you pick one that is appropriate for the room - a four poster is great, but only if you have a high ceiling and enough floor space for it. If you make one investment in your bedroom, make it the mattress, as nothing else will have the same impact on your sleep and rest.

This beautifully dressed bed makes this
room inviting and relaxing

2. Get your entertainment options sorted

Sometimes, after a hard day, nothing's better than having an early night and watching one of your favourite films in bed, so it's a great idea to bring some unobtrusive entertainment to your room. Go for a small flatscreen TV, and mount it on the wall so that it doesn't take up floorspace. You can install an extendable bracket so that you can angle it closer to the bed when you want to use it, then fold it away when you don't.

3. Do you have enough storage?

If your bedroom suffers from an excess of clutter, then you may want to consider either storing some of your items elsewhere, or if your room is large enough, investing in some new storage solutions. If you can never find a place for spare blankets and pillows, try keeping a linen chest at the end of the bed. This not only provides great storage, but makes a great place to put a breakfast tray when you've finished with it.

4. Get the arrangement right

It doesn't matter how attractive your furniture is or how well decorated the room, if your bedroom is not arranged well, then it will never look its best. The BBC has a really handy guide to planning the layout of your bedroom, so if you're struggling to come up with ideas, it's well worth a look.

Even though this room is small, the
arrangement gives the illusion of space

5. Maximise your space

Often a bedroom can become overcrowded with furniture, as you cram a bed, bedside tables, wardrobes, chests of drawers and linen chests into the same space. If you have a spare room, why not try using it as a dressing room, so your bedroom can be stripped down to the essentials, helping to create a spacious, tranquil atmosphere where you can dream in peace and quiet.

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How to Create a Contemporary Dining Room

In the age of the celebrity chef, the pressure to create sumptuous restaurant quality meals means that even the most friendly dinner party is expected to be a dazzling culinary display in a sophisticated, stylish setting. If you want your dinner parties to be fondly remembered, it's important to make sure that your dining room is up to scratch, and one of the best ways to ensure that your dining area inspires relaxed conversation is to go for a sleek, elegant contemporary look that will also help your food to look irresistible.

A contemporary dining room is defined by its fresh and innovative approach to colour, texture and space, which makes it hard to successfully navigate the huge range of modern dining room furniture and accessories. That's why we've provided this guide, which is intended to help you to achieve a contemporary look that is warm, inviting, and which suits your individual tastes and personality.

Colour

Contemporary style demands an intelligent approach to colour, a departure from the norm. Try using bold, unusual colours with modern ideas like feature walls to really give your dining room that cutting-edge feel. If you need some inspiration, check out Fired Earth's stunning range of wall colours, specially selected by Kevin MacLeod, architect, designer, and presenter of Channel 4's Grand Designs.

Texture

This room uses a wooden dining table to
bring warmth to its contemporary look

Use of texture can really make an impact - when you think of a contemporary styled dining room, you may get an image of sleek, glass or metal furniture and unbroken straight lines, but in recent years, designers have incorporated the more warm, soft and inviting textures of more traditional materials such as solid oak, pine or ash. This allows you to build your dining room around a wooden dining table, for a great combination of traditional character and contemporary design, saving more modern textures such as metal or glass for other items and accessories, providing variety.

Space

The fabric blind used on this window
maximises the light

The use of space is really what defines contemporary style, with a focus on clean, uncluttered surroundings and the creative use of lighting. Use sideboards or chests to provide enough storage to keep your surfaces clear, and make sure you get curtains or blinds that allow you to maximise the light that comes from your windows, but which also look good when drawn. Make sure that you choose a lighting scheme that keeps the ceiling clear - think recessed halogen spotlights and carefully positioned low level lighting.

If you need a little extra inspiration, Channel4.com have a great gallery of contemporary dining room design ideas, which is well worth a look.

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How to Repair Your Oak Furniture

Wooden furniture brings a real sense of individual character to any room, but it is vulnerable to damage, whether from spilled drinks, accidental knocks or even from the environment itself. That's where this handy guide comes in. These tips will allow you to keep your wooden furniture looking at its best, so if your dining table is looking a bit worn, don't worry, help is at hand.

If you have a lot of oak surfaces in your
home, learning to care for the wood is a must

Before you attempt any repairs, it's a good idea to make sure you know how the wood is finished. If it is untreated, then it will be less resistant to damage, but repairs can be easier as you don't need to worry about how the finish will react to treatment. If it has been finished in lacquer, it's best to allow a professional to repair it as achieving the evenness of finish by yourself can be a challenge. If the wood is waxed, then make sure you have a pot of wax with which to touch up any areas that are in need of repair.

Minor dents

You may be surprised to know that minor dents can be easily repaired using a few drops of water, a cloth, and an iron. Simply allow a few droplets of water to soak completely into the dent, and, when the wood becomes moist, place a clean cloth over the top, then - taking care to be gentle - use a warm iron to heat the area. The heat will cause the oak to expand, and as the water dries it allows the wood to set, keeping the new shape and completely ironing out the dent. Do not attempt this on lacquered furniture, as the heat can cause the lacquer to bubble and melt, and you may find that the cloth becomes stuck.

Scratches

Scratches are especially common on the tops of furniture, like dining tables, sideboards and coffee tables. There is a myth that rubbing a shelled walnut on a scratch will help, but this is not true. If the scratch is not deep, and your furniture is either untreated, waxed or stained, you can try lightly sanding the scratch, if it is not too deep, but you will need to re-stain or re-wax the sanded area. If the crack is deeper, you can buy crack-filling crayons from your local DIY centre. Simply heat the end of the crayon to slightly melt it, apply to the scratch, then buff very gently with a soft cloth. This is ideal when dealing with waxed or stained surfaces as you can get a crayon that matches the colour of the finish rather than the colour of the wood.

Burns

Most burns are tough to remove, and will need to be tackled by a professional, but small burns on untreated oak can be removed with this odd sounding tip. Simply apply a little toothpaste to the burn, leave it overnight then clean it off, polish the area, and you may find that the burn has gone completely. This works as the toothpaste absorbs the oxidised, blackened wood particles.

Fading

beeswax can be used on finished wooden surfaces to enhance the shine. If you want to get your hands on some, check out the Furniture Clinic's range of wood treatment products.

Moisture damage

If your furniture becomes moisture damaged, whether it's a ring stain from a carelessly placed glass or coffee cup or a major spillage, then you need to act fast. It may sound strange, but after mopping up excess moisture with a paper towel, you should apply some mayonnaise directly to the stain, rubbing it in well. Leave the stain for a couple of hours, then wipe the area clean with a damp, lint free cloth.

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How To Use Floors To Enhance Your Furniture

The choice of flooring can totally define the look of a room - when visitors arrive, the floor will dictate how they perceive the size, shape, function and style of your space, and by selecting the right flooring choice, you can make sure that your furniture is properly presented and your home looks its best.

Choose a flooring option that is
sympathetic to your furniture's style

Changing your floor is not as expensive as you might think- there are a huge range of options to suit all budgets. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Although they aren't as hard wearing as traditional carpets, foam-backed carpet is very cheap, and allows you to make a quick, cheap impact on a room. Make sure that if you have heavy wooden furniture you invest in some rubber or foam pads for the bases to prevent them from permanently marking the carpet.

Carpeting can stifle the style of modern furniture, especially if the carpet has a bold pattern, but when combined with more traditional pieces can help to create a warm, cosy effect.

Modern furniture relies on clean lines, and to reflect this, it works best with a sleek wooden parquet floor. If you want a wooden floor, but haven't quite got the money to spare, try installing some click-system, wood-effect laminate - it's cheap, and properly fitted it can be almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Make sure you place any large items of furniture, such as coffee tables or sideboards, on top of rugs or rubber pads to prevent them from marking the floor.

If your room is split into different areas for differing purposes, like an open-plan kitchen with a lounge area or a lounge/dining room, then it can be very effective to vary the flooring according to function, using ceramic tile for kitchen areas, carpet for lounge, and laminate for dining. This also allows you to create differently styled areas within the same room - a sleek contemporary dining set nestled at the end of a more cosy carpeted lounge, for example.

Make sure you consider the consequences of your new flooring choice - Ceramic tiles have the benefit of being easy to clean and totally waterproof, but they can become dangerously slippy, so make sure to use rugs to provide grip and warmth. Likewise, laminate flooring looks great, but can quickly deteriorate if used in a damp environment like a bathroom or kitchen, or in hotter rooms like conservatories.

A real wooden floor is great in any room, and really brings out the best in any type of furniture. It's a practical option too, as the wood can be sealed against moisture, and can naturally expand and contract with changes in temperature. The only drawback with wooden flooring is the cost and difficulty of installation.

If you're feeling adventurous, and think you've got what it takes to lay your own wooden floor, check out this youtube video which will show you exactly how it's done and warn you of some of the most common difficulties you may run into.

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Must Have Office Items

A home office can quickly descend into chaos - one minute it's the hub for your personal empire, the next it's a dumping ground for home gym equipment, sports gear, the kids' old toys, and you're wading through clutter to somehow find your desk. By planning ahead, and by making sure that your home office is well-designed and inviting, you can make sure that it is a valuable and productive space, rather than a forgotten storage area. By filling your home office with useful, practical items and avoiding clutter, you can make sure that you maximise your productivity. We present our eight top picks for the best office items.

This office has lost the war on clutter

10. Top pot plants

gardeningknowhow.com has compiled a list of the best office plants - easy to care for, attractive, and perfect for breaking up the harsh lines of office furniture.

9. Dress your window for success

Whether it's sleek wooden blinds or richly textured curtains, you'll really notice the difference a well-dressed window can make.

8. Stylish and Inspiring Wall Art

You'll need to make sure that your office's walls are inspiring and pleasing on the eye, so take a look around and find yourself some wall art that captures your personality. You could even get one of your own photos blown up, so that when you're busy with your tax return you can look up and be back at that tranquil beach you remember from holiday, or gazing at a breathtaking city view.

7. Inspirational toys and gadgets

Check out iwantoneofthose.com's great selection of office toys and gadgets, perfect for de-stressing in between filing invoices. We especially love the Dead Fred pen holder and the Everlasting Calendar Tape.

6. A comfy couch

Working at a desk can really take it out of you, and sometimes you need extra comfort to really think through an idea. Try bringing in a small couch to give yourself a place to think deeply, and also to bring a touch of style and sophistication to the room.

5. Extra storage to combat houshold clutter

One of the biggest threats to the order of your home office is from the mounds of household clutter that can be dumped there. Invest in a couple of wooden sideboards and you'll not only gain some expansive surfaces where you can keep plants or printing equipment, but you'll also have some spacious storage for all those items that can never seem to find a home.

4. Make sure you have enough filing space

Nothing makes an office uninviting like huge piles of paper and files. Stay on top of your filing by making sure that you have enough filing space. For a stylish feel, avoid traditional metal filing cabinets and go for sleek, stylish wooden cabinets that will make keeping your files in order a pleasure.

3. Get the lighting just right

When lighting your home office, consider the various requirements that you have - you'll definitely need a desk lamp for close reading, and a large, warm central light for a clean, clear feel, but isn't it all a bit harsh? why not accessorise with different lighting options such as low-level lamps or halogen spotlights in the ceiling so that you can remain in total control.

2. Make sure your chair is comfy

If you work from home, or even if you just use your office to organise your finances, you'll need a comfy place to sit. It's worth spending a bit extra to get a chair with full lumbar support and a fully-adjustable form.

1. Get the right desk

The desk isn't just a surface for you to work at - it can also bring a real air of stylish professionalism to a room. Pick a desk in a stylish material such as solid oak, and your study or home office will be a place you'll enjoy working in.

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Worst Living Room Designs

The living room is the heart of the home, and should be a space where you and your family can relax, and where you can entertain guests in style. Sometimes, things don't go to plan, and you can end up with a horrendous mish mash of unflattering styles that will make guests run screaming. Check out the pictures below for some of the worst living rooms in existence.

Would you want to sit in here?

The owners of this room have tried to use a red feature wall to tie the room together, but only succeeded in making it dark and unwelcoming. If the fireplace was painted white it would help to prevent the red from overwhelming the room, but the choice of chintzy sofas and gold-coloured furniture and accessories means that even with a better standard of decor, the modern wall colouring clashes horribly with the heavy traditional furniture. It's vitally important that you make sure that furniture such as sofas, coffee tables and sideboards match the style of the room.

This room is suffering from pastel overload

Everyone knows that it's important to make sure that colours are complementary, but this room takes this way too far with a stifling reliance on dated pastel shades, paired with some furniture choices that could charitably be described as 'unusual'. Check out the bizarre soapstone coffee table with its matching detailing over the window. The decoration could easily be toned down by replacing the coffee table and side table with solid timber pieces, and by choosing a sofa in a neutral tone that will not overwhelm the eye.

This room gets everything wrong

The combination of dated vinyl flooring and scruffy-looking stencilled walls makes it impossible to furnish this room stylishly. The floor should be carpeted, taken back to the floorboards or laminate flooring should be installed, while the complex shapes of the wall need to be toned down, ideally with a white or ivory toned paint scheme. The position of the furniture really doesn't help - have you ever seen a desk so narrow and in such an awkward position? By experimenting with furniture position you can achieve harmony, even in a room as unusually shaped as this. It's worth taking the time to look at a range of coffee tables, desks and console tables and planning the scheme of the room.

Just in case these tasteless rooms have sapped your will to live, let's leave on a high note.

This room makes the most of its small size
by keeping things simple

By pairing the unusual and potentially overwhelming red tiled floor with simple white walls and white-upholstered rattan furniture, a truly relaxed environment has been created. Remember, simplicity succeeds much more often than an over complicated design. If it's getting complicated, chances are that it's going off course.

There's a great article by Nina Campbell on the BBC Design Inspiration site that provides a step by step guide on how to make the most of your room and avoid making blunders like the ones above, so if you're about to redecorate, make sure you check it out before you start.

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Tips to Make the Most of your Dining Room

TV shows like Come Dine With Me and Masterchef have sparked off a surge of enthusiasm for dinner parties, but with their emphasis on Michelin star quality food and super-stylish surroundings they have also increased the pressure that hosts are under to deliver an unforgettable evening.

The pressure to create
restaurant-quality meals is on

In fact, the Telegraph reports that researchers have found that 57 per cent of people find that inviting friends for a dinner party is more nerve-racking than commuting to work, while a quarter said it was more stressful than a job interview.

The number one fear is that dishes will go wrong, with the number two spot taken by a fear that guests will not enjoy themselves. Fear number three is that their choice of decor will be mocked.

Jim Haynes, host of a supper club, estimates that he has invited up to 130,000 people round for dinner over the last 30 years. He says: 'People shouldn't stress when hosting friends for dinner. The key is to have a nice environment and guests who want to be there.'

That's where this guide comes in - if you can get the decor and furnishings right, then you will be taking a significant stress off your shoulders and will be able to concentrate on creating some delectable dishes with which to wow your guests.

1: Pick a Colour Scheme

There's nothing worse than sitting down to dine in a room that is filled with clashing colours that make you want to keep your head down. That's why it's important to select a palette of complementary colours for the walls, curtains and even tablecloths, napkins and other textiles.

You don't want to end up with a room like this

2: Choose the right furniture

The dining table is the most important piece you will have to choose, so make sure that you find the right one for you. You may want to invest in an extending dining table in order to accommodate more guests, but remember to get extra matching dining chairs, as mismatched chairs can stick out and ruin the carefully designed look of your dining room. Pair the table with a matching sideboard to provide great-looking storage.

3: Get the lighting right

Too much light and your guests will be dazzled, too little and conversation gets tricky as people peer through the murk. Dining room lighting is a real chance to get creative - to make sure that the table is well lit, you can choose a centrepiece chandelier style light for the centre of the room, hanging down over the table to provide a pool of light. Choose some warm-toned lamps to place in strategic corners of the room to pick out the details of your decor for maximum style points.

This room gets everything right, from colour to lighting scheme.

4: Accessorise!

With your dining room decorated, furnished and lit, you'll want to make sure that the details are right - choose a stylish bread bowl for the centre of the table, and pick some stylish wall art. You can also select some attractive plants to help keep the atmosphere fresh and to break up the lines of the room.

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Choosing The Right Colour And Style For Your Bedroom

Your bedroom should be a restful and inviting haven where you can relax and recharge your batteries, so its design should be an expression of your personality. Use this handy guide to explore your options, and allow yourself to be inspired to rejuvenate your room's colour scheme and track down the perfect bed and mattress.

Colour has always been associated with our moods and feelings, and has always been used to help us to understand our environment. Originating from cavemen instinctively seeing fiery red as potential danger, or leafy green as a sign that water is near, our capacity to use colour has developed, and modern interior design can help you to take advantage of the complex network of associations and emotional responses to colour, allowing you create and control the atmosphere that you want.

These winterberries may be beautiful, but the red
colour lets us know that they aren't safe to eat.

The BBC have a great article on the psychology of colour, complete with a guide to which colours stimulate which feelings, so take a look and plan out your room's new colour scheme.

This bedroom makes the most of contemporary design features
such as vinyl flooring and halogen spotlighting.

Modern interior design moves quickly, and if you're looking for some up-to-the-minute design ideas for your bedroom, then take a look at this video, from interiorcomplex.com, that shows some of 2009's hottest new looks, and let yourself get inspired.

This bedroom is filled with traditional touches like carefully matched
textiles and antique effect wooden furniture.

For the more traditionally minded among us, there really is nothing better than a traditional wooden bedroom set, accessorised with floral print curtains and bedding, for a timelessly inviting feel.

Once you've decided on your bedroom's colour and style, you'll need to start thinking about furniture. A luxurious, comfortable bed is obviously the most important piece, and will set the tone for the rest of the furniture, so it's a good idea to find the bed you want, and then pick the rest of the furniture to complement it.

It's possible to get some great deals on your bedroom furniture and accessories, but if you're having trouble finding the best deals, why not take HGTV.com's budget bedroom quiz, and get some tips on sniffing out a bargain.

Once you've settled on a colour scheme, found the furniture that is right for you, and picked your accessories, all that's left to do is settle in for a wonderful night's sleep in your newly designed, peerlessly stylish bedroom.

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