Gray and yellow are a popular combination now!

can you post pics so people can see your furniture and layout?

When doing bedrooms, I always find it easier to start with the bedding first as it's easier to pick a paint color to match the fabric than vice versa...

Since you are leaning toward pastels, what about something like this:

I think the reason this works and looks bright despite the dark colors is that the pastel greenish-blue isn't muddy. It has a fresh look. The darker colors keep it from looking like a nursery or looking too feminine.

I got that picture when I googled for images for "ionic sky" which is a paint color by Behr. I think the blog said the image was from Domino. IOW - this isn't a room in my house (but I did help my sister paint her office that color and it is really energizing and bright without being overpowering).

what could I buy that's gray and yellow?

ok...here are the pictures. Please don't judge the messiness of my room. As you can tell by the wedding dress hanging on the wall, we got married recently and just moved in. Everything is a mess!! I haven't had time to properly organize anything, and I have no clue how to beautify my room. As you can see, there is not much space! Oh, and I have NO experience in home decor. I never had to decorate a single room.
So...please share your honest thoughts. Thank you!

Pics: http://photobucket.com/bedroom22

ohh...forgot to mention that the color of the wall cannot be changed...
I loved the picture that Engineerchic posted...but I can't do blue walls.

here are your pics - you just copy the html code

{{!gwi}}

Oh honey, you don't know messy! It's a nice room. You can accomplish a lot with fabrics and artwork. Maybe look for inspiration pictures on decorating blogs and magazines, decide on colors you love, etc. The following pics are from Apartment Therapy - here are some ideas to get you started, all in very neutral rooms...

colorful draperies and bedskirt

layering of pillows and texture with bedding...

Pattern in fabrics and bold color (or use the gray and yellow as suggested)

This is a great idea to bring more color and softness without painting

Since you can't paint, you could think about adding color and interest with removeable wall decals. They just adhere with friction, no adhesives at all...

Here is a link that might be useful: decals

Thank you, Olychick, all the pictures look great and I love the ideas. I think the pillow layering is great, and so is the colorful draperies and bedskirt.
I also love the yellow and grey idea. But which one do you think would brighten up my room more: doing white+black+grey+yellow, or doing the bedding in ivory with different textures, and do all of the decoration in ivory, and maybe add a little soft pink?
I like both ideas but can't decide on what looks best.
I'm also open to rearranging the furniture in the room to create more space. Thank you so much for the help! I will check out the link that you posted.

It's so much a matter of your preferences...either would look great. Maybe you should shop around and see if you find something that you think you can't live without and have that be a starting point.

Here are some ideas for yellow and gray bedrooms. I think some of the greatest looking ones have strong color on the walls, though, so be sure to notice if the walls and flooring are similar to your colors.

Not sure why that other pic of the fabric ceiling didn't post; I'm trying again...if it doesn't show up this time, go to Apartment Therapy and look at the bedrooms. This is from "10 ways to get the canopy look"... and had some great ways to bring fabric into the room. I was trying to just post the blue fabric one, but it won't copy by itself.

Here is a link that might be useful: Houzz, gray and yellow bedrooms

You can also hang fabric with starch and it will peel right off later.

ok, I think I've made a decision. I'm gonna do yellow and gray in my living room, and pastels in my bedroom. My living room is already black, white, and gray, so all I have to do is add the yellow. I think it makes more sense that way. Now, which specific pastel colors do you recommend for my room? Would light blue and taupe look good? or light blue and light orange? Thank you

May I suggest that another way to brighten up your bedroom is to add more light. One of the reasons your room feels dark is because it is--there aren't enough light bulbs in there.

You have two lamps in there and no other lighting. I'd suggest having taller lamps on both nightstands, or wall-mounted swing-arm lamps. Then add other lamps. One on the low dresser. Maybe on on the tall dresser. You might be able to squeeze in a small chair where the guitar now is, and add a floor lamp next to it.

My bedroom has no overhead light, just like yours. I have two lamps on the bed tables, a floor lamp, a small lamp on a side table, two tiny 10 watt lamps on my dresser, and another small lamp on a bookcase and sometimes, even with all that, it still seems dark in there.

Also, add in some things that sparkle and will reflect the light. A small decorative mirror on the wall. Some glass or metal that will reflect the light--candlesticks, small boxes, a bowl of potpourri, the lamps themselves, drawer pulls, a tray to hold things on the bed table, etc.

My take is that in addition to not a lot of lights, the doors are making things seem dark. Since you can't paint them (although I'd ask - maybe they would go for painting them white?) I wonder if you could get a decal to put on the doors, or maybe contact paper or wallpaper that is removable without taking off the finish or veneer. The window films like sold at Lowes and HD for privacy are much less expensive than the decals, but I'm not sure they are dark enough to really work. Might be worth a try, however. If you could lighten the closet doors and hallway doors I think it would go a long way toward making your space look brighter.

And congratulations on your recent marriage! :)

Or try ann's idea of fabric with starch. Sorry... had missed that post and it's a great idea!

"Would light blue and taupe look good? or light blue and light orange?"

A lot depends on how you what your bedroom to feel. Serene and calm? Comfy and cozy? Alive and vibrant? Romantic? None of these are better than the others--it really depends on your personal taste, and that of your new DH. Decide how you want the bedroom to feel.

In your first post, you said you'd like the room to feel romantic/vintage. Orange is an active, vibrant color, so I wouldn't pick that for a romantic bedroom.

Light blue and taupe, on the other hand, could easily work in a romantic/vintage setting. Crisp white sheets, taupe coverlet, blue throw on the end of the bed. Blue curtains with a taupe trim. A small taupe upholstered chair with a blue pillow (or switch the colors around). A light blue area rug.

wow, so many great ideas! I don't even know where to start! I also think that the brown doors are darkening my room (they're so ugly!). I don't really understand the fabric with starch thing...can someone please explain?
I will look for decals, both for the walls and doors, and I will also add a lot more lighting to my room.

I guess I want my room to look romantic and vintage, but at the same time a little modern. I guess a bit old-fashioned would go better with my furniture, don't you think? I don't want a super vibrant bedroom, but I want it to show life and energy at the same time as being serene and romantic ....do you understand what I'm saying?
Another color combo might be light blue and light peach/salmon. Do you think these 2 colors would be appropriate for the type of atmosphere I'm trying to create? I chose them because they are colorful enough to show life and energy, but at the same time they are light colors, delivering the romantic/vintage feel that I want. What do you think?

I think you should look for some inspiration pics that speak to you...you maybe will find something that you love so much that will be IT! Try Apartment Therapy, Houzz, Young House Love, etc. for pics and ideas.

I think peach and blue are very pretty together...but again, you might want to spend some time looking at fabrics/bed coverings and find something that you can build your room around. If you want to stay more neutral, then use creams and whites on the bed and bring in accessories, pillows, etc with the colors you want.

{{!gwi}}

Here is info about using fabric as wallpaper with starch as the adhesive. It's easy to remove and won't harm the walls.

Here is a link to closet doors covered with all kinds of things, but some are with fabric.
closet door makeovers

Here is a link that might be useful: Fabric Wallpaper

How about something like this bedding? It seems to have a bit of that taupey gray from your carpet but it's light and airy. Also has some nice colors you could pull out for accents like drapes and pillows.

Here is a link that might be useful: West Elm bedding

olychick: Yeah, I've looked at many pictures of bedrooms online, but the problem is that I cannot visualize what I like in MY bedroom. Thank you for the sites that you mentioned, I will check them out and get some ideas.
I think it would be easier to build my room around the bedding, but the problem is that I like to change my duvet covers often. But maybe I can start with neutral bedding like you said, and add color and accessories as I go?
As to the fabric wallpapers, do they normally get very dusty? I have dust allergies, so that is my only concern. Thank you!

I have a similar style to yours and I just bought bedding at Touch of Class. I got the Floral Trellis Comforter. They have lovely romantic styles and accessories to help pull a room together.

Here is a link that might be useful: TouchOfClass

OMGGG all of those comforters are breathtaking!!! I love the Floral Tellis one, it's beautiful!! Thank you for sharing the website, I think I'm going to get either the Solitaire comforter or the Duchess Damask one. They are both ivory, so I think I can get some peach and blue pillows to add some accents to it. Would that look good?

Before settling on colors for your bedroom, look at a lot of bedroom pictures first. Do a lot of google searches for ideas. Check out Pinterest.com which will have a lot of ideas. Just don't rush buying anything with color until you know for a fact you love it.

The first order of business which will give you a clearer idea of how you want your room to be like, is to get rid of all the clutter and try to organize things. I know you just got married (congrats!) but put everything away first.

Then decide if you want to rearrange the furniture.

Also check out runners for your carpet to lay along your bed. They add a lot of color to a room and IMO, cozies them up!

ok, that's a great idea, to organize everything first. I also don't have a lot of storage space, as my closet is very small. That's why I bought that black dresser, which doesn't go very well with my room. I have to look into storage systems as well...

After browsing around, I came to redefine my tastes lol... I think peach and yellow look great together. I also realized that what I really want is more of a modern bedroom, with a romantic edge.

ok...so now I am leaning towards dusty pink and gray. Would that look good? I also love those lamps. Do you think they would go well with the style I'm trying to create?

Here is a link that might be useful: Lamp