Even if you spend most of the time in your bedroom with your eyes closed, there’s something about a beautifully designed space that invites you to truly relax and restore. So we’re looking for clues in some of our favourite Western Living feature homes for how to do bedroom design right: designer tips and tricks for cultivating the perfect environment for dreaming big.

1. Let the outside in

Whether you’re letting the fresh air breeze in during a summer heatwave or watching November storms, safe behind glass, an oversized window or glass door is going to connect your bedroom with the great outdoors. In this stunning BatersbyHowat-designed home, the primary bedroom opens up right onto the back patio thanks to a full wall of stacking glass doors. See more from this bright and airy renovation here. 

primary bedroom teal bed
Photo by Phil Crozier.

2. Embrace some colour

So often, designers turn to whites and creams for the bedroom to invoke a sense of clean calm—but blues can bring the serenity, too. In this Reena Sotropa-designed bedroom, a teal upholstered bed frame brings in some bold colour that’s soothing, not startling. See more from this Calgary home here.

Photo by Janis Nicolay.

3. Accentuate the architecture

In this MA+HG Architects-designed home, the unusual angled ceiling is drastic and impossible to ignore… so the designers leaned in, choosing to place the bed at the base of the triangular wall to create a moment of drama. See more from this striking Vancouver renovation here.

oak and white bedroom
Photo by Ema Peter.

4. Chandeliers aren’t just for the dining room

We love the dramatic pendant lamp that hangs in this Andrea Rodman and Scott Posno-designed Victoria home. Consider installing a statement-making fixture of your own to bring not just a little extra light to the bedroom, but another layer of style, too. See more of this chic Oak Bay home here. 

Bedroom design of a Sunshine Coast home
Photo by Ema Peter.

5. Don’t forget the ceiling

Ceilings are often left stark white, but this surface is ultimately a great opportunity to add a little texture and warmth. Another BattersbyHowat-designed home shows us how it’s done, with wooden panels and slats that bring some coziness to the white-and-concrete space. See more from this coastal dream home here. 

 

Photo by Eymeric Widling.

6. Wallpaper brings the wow

Applied behind the headboard, this moody wallpaper creates a sophisticated focal point that still blends beautifully with the rest of the grey-and-black design palette. More of this mountainside Form Interiors home here. 

Modern black and white bedroom design
Photo by Rebecca Frick Photography.

7. Install a headboard that goes up, up and up

Why limit the headboard to a mere few feet, when the whole wall brings even more glamour? This upholstered leather headboard from Studio Felix stretches up to the ceiling. See more of the texture-heavy home design here. 

Measured Beach House Bedroom looking out glass window
Photo by Ema Peter.

8. Cozy up by the fire

If you’re going all out with your bedroom renovation, may we suggest considering the addition of a fireplace? It’s one of those little luxuries that take a space to next-level cozy. See more of this effortlessly cool Measured Architecture home here.