How To Give your Bedroom A Contemporary Twist

If you're on the lookout for some stylish ways to revamp your bedroom in a contemporary style then check out these handy ideas, and create a cool, sophisticated haven that you will love to relax in.

The first thing to consider when designing a contemporary bedroom is how to create a feeling of space. Contemporary style is defined by its creative use of space, so this is a chance for you to flex your imagination and come up with something uniquely stylish that really expresses your individual personality.

This bedroom may be a bit too modern for some

Let's start by stripping the room right back - no fussy picture rails, wainscoting or other room features, remember, the watchword is simplicity. If your room is small, you face your first creative challenge, in selecting a colour and decoration scheme that will create the illusion of space. Pale colours such as ivory, white or even lemon yellow reflect light around a room, adding to the feeling of space. Choose curtains in plain colours that can be pulled right back to maximise light. You could also consider painting the floorboards for a Parisian-style feel.

Once you've got the room in order, it's time to furnish it. If your room is small, you may want to consider using a spare room to house your wardrobe, dressing table and chest of drawers, so that the bedroom can be dedicated to sleeping.

The bed is the most important part of any bedroom, and it's worth taking some time to consider your options. Even though your room is contemporary, a solid wooden bed can really help to introduce some warmth as well as some variation in texture.

For more great bedroom ideas, check out casa sugar's feature on the top bedroom trends for 2010

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Double or King? How To Decide On The Size Of Your Bed

Choosing a new bed is a serious commitment - it will be your partner for years to come, and if you're going to get on well, you'll need to make sure that you choose carefully. The first decision to make is on the size of your bed - will you go for a double, or opt for a king size?

It may sound obvious, but the main consideration in this case is the size of the room, although it is not as simple as it may seem. Even if your room is huge, you may have different ideas for the space - by going for a double over a king, you may be able to fit an extra wardrobe or a stylish and seductive chaise-longue into your room plan, or, conversely, you can minimise the furniture in a small bedroom, relegating wardrobes and dressing tables to a spare room, and dedicate the whole space to the bed.

If you have the space, a king size
bed can be luxurious and inviting

The difference in sizes between a double and king is not much, but it makes a difference in room design - a double bed measures around 4'6 in width, while a king size comes in at 5', but that six inches can mean the difference between having a bedside cabinet on either side of the bed and either you or your partner having nowhere to put their bedtime drink.

Minimise furniture to maximise your bed!

As well as the size of your room, another important consideration is your sleeping habits. If you and your partner both need your own territory at night, and fight over space, then a king could give you both plenty of room to toss and turn. If you're the kind of couple who like to sleep close, you may want the cosy feeling of a double, which can be just as luxurious and romantic, providing you select some beautiful bedding to complement it.

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Using Bunk Beds to Create a Beautiful Kids' Room

Picking beds for your childrens' room can be daunting, especially as kids grow up so fast - will the bed you pick today meet their needs in a year or two? A great way to get some versatility is to choose bunk beds, which can be separated when your kids outgrow them.

Bunk beds are a great way to maximise the floor space in your childrens' rooms, and even if your kids' room is on the large side, using a bunk bed can help you to create space for them to play in, or to get their homework done, without cluttering the room with furniture. When they're old enough, you can split the beds, giving each child their own separate bed, so it can be a good idea to order two matching bedside cabinets when you buy your bunk bed, so that when you split the beds you will have matching furniture.

bunk beds can be stylish as well as practical

If you need a bunk bed to make the most of a small room, why not look for a bed that includes some storage, allowing you to keep the room as clear of clutter as it can be. If the bed does not come with its own storage, you can buy under-bed storage drawers that slide out on wheels, letting your kids keep their toys carefully stored and safe from damage.

Sharing rooms can be a chore for a lot of kids, but bunk beds can be easily customised to reflect your childrens' personalities and allow them a little privacy - you can create a cosy little reading nook by mounting a curtain beneath the top bunk, allowing the bottom bunk to be curtained off into its own little room. You can also put curtains above the bed on the ceiling to allow the top bunk some privacy too. Try selecting fabrics that feature some of your kids' favourite cartoon characters to really make them feel like they have their own space.

If you need some more inspiration on how to use bunk beds to create a beautiful room for your children, check out this great feature from about.com

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Worst Home Designs

Normally, we like to celebrate great interior design, but today we're going to take a look at some of the most unpleasant home blunders around, from neon velour curtains to hideously chintzy sofas, and try to learn some valuable lessons from them.

Our first horrible home is this explosion of 70s excess, filled with over-the-top colours and horrendous clashes. Some of the furniture, such as the retro coffee table, may look good in a much less busy environment, but taken as a whole, this house is a migraine-inducing blizzard of optical confusion. Such bold and bright colours need to be contrasted with some plainer areas, to create a harmonious feel.

This home defines excess - how would you tone it down?



Could you get to sleep in this room?

Next up, the owners of this house have tried to stamp their personality all over their home, but only succeeded in creating a mess of poorly-thought through and hugely distracting features. First up is the conservatory, with its massive indoor rock garden and flimsy, unpleasant freestanding bar. Rather than go for such an ugly and inconveniently placed unit, the owners should have chosen a sideboard that could be moved to the side of the room if necessary. The indoor garden is bound to attract insects, and requires a great deal of maintenance, while the bar has not been designed with any kind of style in mind. The ugly pool table cover and zebra print rug don't do the room any favours either.

Would you like to spend time in here?

And now through to the bathroom - don't worry, that's paint on the walls. By attempting to create a homely, hand made look, the owners of this house have slipped up badly, and created a truly nauseous bathroom.

Don't worry, it's paint, but it's still unpleasant

Believe it or not, these kitchen cabinets aren't dirty - they've been rubbed with old teabags to give the impression of age, but the place looks smoke damaged. A distressed look can be stylish, but keep it subtle, and make sure it doesn't end up being just distressing.

This kitchen looks like a bomb has hit it

Our final home is in Mexico, and its owners obviously have a peculiar affinity for Louis Vuitton:

How would your neighbours react
if you did this to your home?

So what is the lesson here? All of these houses suffer from being too busy, and the owners have got carried away with implementing a style without considering how it actually looks. So, before you redecorate your home, consider your options carefully, and make sure that you come up with a careful plan that makes the best use of your space.

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How To Make The Most Of Your Hall

The hall is the first room that visitors will see when entering your house, so instead of seeing it as simply a corridor between rooms, why not take the time to create a welcoming and inviting entryway, perfect for receiving guests so that you can be confident about showing off your home.

What you can achieve with your hall all depends on how big it is. Some hallways, especially those open-plan type ones that also incorporate a staircase, can hold large items of furniture, and actually serve a useful purpose as well as setting the tone for your home. A comfy armchair, footstool and occasional table makes a great reading or telephone nook, and will show visitors that your home is comfortable yet filled with practical touches.

A console table makes a
great addition to a hallway

If your hall is smaller, it's still worthwhile using furniture to create a cosy and inviting feel. Look out for slimline console tables which make the perfect place to display family portraits or treasured ornaments.

It's worth spending a little time thinking about the choice of decor - you want to create a cosy, inviting feel, so it's important to find a warm colour scheme, and to match it with soft, pleasing lighting. If your home is traditionally styled, consider using simple warm colours such as cochineal for the walls, and a traditional carpet, accented with Turkish rugs.

A hallway can provide a handy
place to sit and take phone calls

If your home is more modern, then why not be bold and go for an unusual modern colour. Visit mydeco.com for some great colour scheme inspirations. housetohome.co.uk also has a fantastic gallery of the best hall designs, so why not check it out and get your imagination going.

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How To Give Your Home Office A Traditional Look

There's nothing like an old-fashioned study to make you feel at the same time relaxed, comfortable and businesslike. In today's age of flimsy flat-packed home offices, wouldn't you like to bring a little of the sense of solidity and timelessness of times gone by into your study?

To get the look start with the walls - wood panelling is the most desirable option, but can be prohibitively expensive. A cheaper option is wainscoting, but if you're on a budget, even this can be a bit much. A cheap option is to use a dado rail to split the wall in half, and then either paint or paper the lower section a darker colour, accentuating the open space above.

A traditional study is a great place to think

The most important item of furniture in any study is the desk, and in a traditional room, it is even more important to find the right desk. Think heavy, chunky furniture in solid dark-stained wood. If, however, your room is a little on the dark side, you may want to opt for lacquered oak or ash to bring a bit of light to proceedings. Keep the look goinf by using matching wooden shelving and filing cabinets.

If you find yourself writing letters by hand, there is no more comfortable and luxurious writing surface than leather, and a desk with a green leather writing surface is the definition of this look. However, leather inlay can be tricky to keep in good order, especially if you have children who might draw on it. Choose a solid wooden desk, in dark oak or stained beech, and invest in a separate leather writing surface. This allows you to leave space for a computer, which could permanently mark leather.

A rug is vital for the look, especially if it's a Turkish woven rug, which helps to give the room a professorial feel and provides a focal point around which to arrange the furniture.

Nothing evokes that timeless study
feel like a banker's lamp

The ultimate finishing touch for a traditional study is a green glass banker's lamp, which casts a warm glow over the room, and especially complements leather and dark wood tones. Search online for antique lamps, or if you're on a budget, look for a cheaper reproduction, and get the look at a fraction of the price.

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How To Create A Traditional Dining Room

Sitting down to a delicious meal in a beautifully designed, refined traditional dining room is one of the real pleasures of life, and with this handy guide, you and your family will soon be eating amidst the rich tones and timeless charm of a traditional dining area.

Of course, no traditional dining room would be complete without a beautiful dining set as a centrepiece. There are many woods that are used to create dining tables, so it's worth thinking about what effect each timber might have. Pine, although mainly used in modern, Scandinavian inspired pieces, is also used for traditional pieces, and looks especially good when it has been stained and lacquered. Oak is the classic choice for an old-style dining table, as its natural colouring and grain are the epitomy of traditional style.

This room uses frame wainscoting to break up the walls

For the full traditional dining experience, you'll need a dining table, dining chairs, a sideboard, and maybe even a console table or display cabinet, depending on how much space you have.

Once you've chosen your furniture, consider the type of decor you would like to go for. Within the traditional style, there are many options, and many possibilities to create something special. For an opulent, time-honoured look, why not consider wainscoting the lower part of the walls? If you're designing your room around a wooden dining set, you can use wainscoting to complement the wood - if your table is oak, oak wainscoting will allow the timber's distinctive grain to be the defining presence in the room. By reducing wall space, the impact of wallpaper is reduced, so that you can choose a bold pattern without it overwhelming the room.

The look of this room is defined by its stylish
stained and lacquered oak furniture

If you're still looking for information, check out this great guide to creating a traditional dining room from hgtv.com

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