Bed ideas – 12 sophisticated and stylish beds for your sleep sanctuary

Our favorite bed ideas and bedroom design rules will help you find the right bed for your sleep sanctuary. 

The bedroom is the most private room in the house, so your choice of bed should be the most personal. 

But there are still some key considerations when choosing a bed for your room. One that will allow you to escape from the trials and tribulations of life at the end of a long day. 

Whether you’re after quick tricks that you can pull off over a weekend or are in need of inspiration for a complete bed overhaul, we’ve come up with a host of bright bedroom ideas that we think will inspire you.

Bed ideas

These are our favorite bed ideas – chosen just for you.

1. Light a daybed

Beds can take many forms, from classic doubles in main bedrooms to daybeds in studio apartments. Whatever size yours is, you can give a bed a dazzling twinkle with the addition of beautiful bedroom lighting ideas. 

Here, a daybed cocooned in a simple linen canopy, which is festively lit with string lights, creates a stylish daybed idea to while away winter evenings with a good book.

2. Give a wingback headboard a modern look

Stylish headboard ideas can give the most ordinary of rooms a stylish upgrade, creating a focal point effortlessly. This wide-width bedroom wallpaper idea, which evokes the feel of a secluded woodland glade, makes a great substitute for traditional country-style floral papers, while plain upholstery gives the wingback headboard a modern look.

3. Highlight the bed frame with background pattern and color

Use a small-scale backdrop to draw attention to the star of the show – the bed. 

In this blue bedroom – an oasis of indigos and blues – the small design of the wallpaper makes it appear to reed, bringing the more exuberant patterns on the bedspread and curtains to the fore. 

The oversized table lamps and the dramatic four-poster bed have an architectural dimension that lends structure to the scheme. This is a particularly good double bed idea for small rooms; the bed's proportions are slim and tall, as are the bedside tables', showing you can create visual impact with a pared back look.

4. Get creative with your headboard

Add color and character in the most unusual way. For a versatile alternative to a headboard, hang tie-top cushions from a curtain pole above the bed. This is a wonderful way to style a bed, particularly if you are looking to create impact with beds for small rooms.

5. Embrace a bold color scheme

Certain upholstered beds can create a cocooning space to relax. This high wraparound headboard and footboard does just that. The wide red stripe, in bold contrast to the white walls, introduces a suggestion of deckchairs and beach huts. 

6. Paint your bed in a mood-boosting shade

When choosing double bed ideas for small rooms, go for a statement design that will truly sing out. This bedroom features plenty of tranquil green, but adds unexpected yellow accents in the form of an eye-catching four-poster bed. 

‘Waking up with such a mood-enhancing shade is a great start to the day,’ says Ruth Mottershead, Creative Director at Little Greene. ‘Softer tones likes primrose work well, too – just painting the bed or skirting gives instant joy.’ 

7. Invest in an opulent design

With patterned walls, choose a plain fabric that complements the colors in the wallpaper and experiment with the shape of the headboard instead. 

In this luxury bedroom, the baroque-style silhouette of the Origo design by Oka adds a bit of punch to the pretty country-house florals. 

8. Set up a canopy above the bed

Contemporary curtained bed canopies make a pretty, cocooning design feature, perfect for just a little privacy in twin bedrooms or shared bedrooms. 

In the guest bedroom idea shown above, we used a dainty floral design in a warm gray for the canopy interiors, which has been teamed with mink-colored linen bed valances for a modern take on a neutral palette. 

9. Evoke a dream-like setting

If you are hoping to create the ultimate sleep sanctuary, then a four-poster bed is a must. 

‘I have always slept in a four-poster bed – for me, it is my sanctuary within the bedroom,’ says William Yeoward, interior designer. ‘A four-poster also gives the bedroom a point of focus which, of course, should be the bed.’

The bedroom is the one place that really lends itself to fantasy decoration. Here, a rich wallpaper depicting leafy trees gives this scheme a soothing, sylvan feel, which is reinforced by a fairytale four-poster bed hung with delicate drapes. 

Luxurious wool throws and heavily textured flooring add to the cozy bedroom aesthetic.

10. Prep a cozy escape

A trick often missed when revamping a spare room or guest bedroom is to make it feel as comfortable as other rooms in the house. 

Add cushions and layer fabrics, or carve out a snug sleeping area and decorate with dark, cosseting tones. If the room layout is narrow, a single bed might slide in horizontally under a window. Then one option is to hang a curtain at each end of the bed, creating an alcove. 

Alternatively, copy Beata Heuman’s scheme shown here, which boxes in the bed area with a theatrical frame. 

To ramp up the coziness of your nook bed, paint the interior of the alcove a different color from the exterior. Use the same treatment for the curtains by interlining them with a shade that matches the bed nook.

11. Dress the bed

‘A bedroom provides the ideal opportunity to step a little outside of your comfort zone,’ says Tiffany Duggan, director, Studio Duggan. 

‘An easy way to create an eccentric boutique hotel look is to use luxurious bedding and patterns with a feature headboard in a bold color.’ 

Adding an upholstered headboard can also work as a great little update. In this traditional bedroom idea, the low-slung, shell-shaped headboard design, part of the newly launched home and lifestyle collection Trove by Tiffany Duggan, lends a pretty and soft shape to the bedroom.

12. Rewrite all old-fashioned conceptions

Gingham is back in a big way for 2021, and no more so than in the bedroom. 

London-based furniture suppliers, Arlo & Jacob, have notably jumped on the bedroom trend, and have recently released a gingham collection which could sit comfortably in any modern home, as their Buying and Merchandising Manager, Laura Barnard, shared:

‘Gingham is a very confident upholstery choice, and rather than being too frilly, it’s bringing attention to an interior.’ 

How can I decorate my bed? 

If you're wondering how to style a bed, there are many beautiful yet simple ways to do so.

‘In your zeal to be creative in every other area of your home, don’t forget about the bedroom,’ says Irene Gunter, founder of Irene Gunter & Co. 

‘To make it inviting think about texture and layers. Bedding doesn’t have to cost a fortune and will transform the space, making it look sophisticated while feeling cozy and warm.’ 

'In small guests rooms, dispense with a substantial bedspread,' says Nina Campbell, founder Nina Campbell Interiors. ‘Use a thin pique design instead, which doubles up as a blanket. It means you don’t have to find somewhere to store a spare quilt.’

What should I put behind my bed?

A statement headboard is the perfect object to put behind a bed. ‘Headboards are a great way to introduce drama,’ says Kit Kemp, co-owner and creative director, Firmdale Hotels. ‘They can be used as an artwork in a bedroom and provide a chance to show off beautiful designs.’ 

‘When selecting a new headboard, it’s essential to know the height of the divan as well as that of the mattress: ideally the headboard should sit snugly on the back of the divan and be cut back for the mattress, believes Emma Deterding of Kelling Designs. 

‘We usually go about 160cm/63 inches from the floor; too high and they can start to look like tombstones, especially on single beds.’  

In small bedrooms, play with scale, recommends Tiffany Duggan of Trove. ‘Opting for an oversized or playful shape can actually make a small room feel larger.’

How can I decorate above my bed?

Above the bed wall decor can range from bedroom wallpaper ideas to bedroom art.

But have you considered decorating with ceiling ideas? The 'fifth' wall in a bedroom – the ceiling – offers a myriad of surprising yet stylish ways to decorate above the bed. All too often the ‘fifth’ wall is left untouched but it can be a great opportunity to incorporate color or pattern. A design on your ceiling – be it wallpaper or paint – is best enjoyed when in bed, so choose a pattern that is calming and beautiful to marvel at.