Interior Designer Shares How to Make Bedroom Look Bigger, Cozier

• I live in a new townhouse with my husband in Denver and we need help designing our bedroom.
• We love Joanna Gaines’ style and are trying to recreate elements of her designs in our home.
• An interior designer suggested we add distressed furniture, mixed fabrics, and wall-mounted lights. 

We bought our first home earlier this year and are now in the process of decorating it.

One of our biggest inspirations is celebrity interior designer Joanna Gaines’ book, “Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave.” I love her modern, cozy style and want to incorporate it into our spaces. 

To see how we could create a Gaines-inspired bedroom, I asked lead designer Devin Shaffer from Decorilla Online Interior Design virtually review and offer suggestions for the space. 

Here’s what he thought about the space and how he recommends we bring our bedroom dreams to life.

We should add up to 2 pieces of distressed furniture

As of right now, we’ve only committed to a new bed frame, but there’s plenty of space to add more furniture to the room. To recreate Gaines’ style, Shaffer said, there’s a particular type of furniture to consider.

“Bedrooms are meant to bring softer vibes; however, adding up to two pieces of distressed furniture will create a space straight from Joanna’s latest book,” Shaffer said. 

We purchased the Hudson Bed from Room & Board in walnut, and Shaffer confirmed this was a great color choice as it allows us to consider a variety of finishes for the other furniture we purchase. It’s also nice and simple in terms of shape. 

The windows opposite the bed bring a significant design challenge, but the right furniture can fill the space nicely

Although we love the openness our windows create, they take up a large portion of the wall. They also sit 2 1/2 feet above the floor, which makes it challenging to find furniture pieces that will sit below the window. 

Shaffer recommended Pottery Barn’s Chico console in distressed black, or something similar to fit below the lowest part of the window. 

In particular, a piece like this adds vintage flair and its many drawers add stylish storage that prevents clutter buildup in the space. 

Tall table lamps make the perfect addition to any low console

My husband would tell you that our previous dressers have all been decorated with framed photos, small trinkets, and other knick-knacks. But sometimes all of those extras can make a space feel cluttered. 

To better open up the space, Shaffer recommended we get sleek, tall table lamps instead of smaller items that would match the terracotta-colored duvet we recently purchased. 

Sleek, tall table lamps, such as these tasseled mid-tone wood buffet lamps, would allow us to move away from creating an autumn-inspired, seasonally colored palette. 

Instead, it will enable us to use the colors as part of a warm color palette and incorporate pieces that allow us to feel comfort and coziness year-round. Plus the tall lamps can draw the eye upward and help elongate our space. 

Small, bronze details are a must-add 

In addition to the terracotta duvet, distressed console, and table lamps, smaller accessories like this bronze metallic planter from CB2 would bring our cozy dreams to life. Unlike a bright gold or stark silver, the bronze can add a more antique look to the space. 

I failed to mention to Shaffer that we’re hoping to add plants in nearly every room throughout our home, but this planter would be a great way to do so in the bedroom. 

We should consider mixing high and low-end fabrics 

Shaffer mentioned one thing I love about Gaines: She’s a natural when it comes to design, and her overall approach is a direct extension of her personality.

She pulls from many areas of interior design, and we see this in the way she speaks, the textures she incorporates, and the combinations of clothing she wears.

For these reasons, Shaffer suggested mixing high- and low-end fabrics in the bedroom. That’s not to say we should compromise quality, but instead, we can complement the duvet and sheets we picked out with bedding lines from more affordable places like Zara and H&M.

In particular, Shaffer said this mustard-yellow patterned pillow (and a few others in muted or softer shades) would look great and cozy if we go the dark console route. 

A wall-mounted light fixture would balance out the tall and long windows near the bed

There’s an odd gap near my side of the bed that we weren’t sure how to use.

I love reading before bed and considered a small reading light, but Shaffer suggested I get a bigger one to allow us to make the most of the wall space. 

A simple wall-mounted light fixture like this black bedside lamp or this sleek modern glass globe sconce would give me the best of both worlds — light to read that balances out the long rectangular window.  

A stylish, feline-friendly bed would look great (and lets us spoil our boy) 

Our Bengal cat is spoiled rotten and always top of mind. We have a cat bed in our bedroom for him, but he isn’t attached to it. 

To match our uncovered, open bed, Shaffer recommended this stylish Tree Hugger Pet Bed in a wood finish slightly darker than our walnut bed frame. The bed can help tie the room together a bit more and better fill our space.