I would paint the furniture either an off white or espresso, depending on your need for drama. Also, replace all hardware. Hobby Lobby has wonderful and reasonably priced drawer pulls which go on sale on frequently. Keep all window and furniture hardware in the same metals color. I would also remove the double closet doors and hang matching window treatments to give the illusion of another set of windows. White bedding will brighten the room and give it that vacation spa-like feeling, while allowing for seasonal color changes through pillows and throws. Also, a LARGE framed mirror on the wall opposite windows will visually increase the size of your room. Garage sales and flea markets are best for large ornate frames, (got mine for $5 and a bowl of ceviche from a neighbor, it's 5'X3') and mirrors are inexpensive at any Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. Lastly, I disagree with replacing your furniture. We can't always start from scratch, and it is not that difficult to rework a piece to get the look you desire. Save $$$ on the makeover and eventually drop it into some nice wood (or faux wood) floors. Happy Decorating!!!

I know it's counter intuitive and I'm not a professional designer but one thing that bothered me about the wall with the closet doors is that the doors have a lot going on with them -- louvers, raised panels -- and it's visual clutter. A lot of shadows result from all these features which contrast against a pale color so I thought I'd try adding a darker color to that wall and I think the result may be worth considering. This is the wall you face when in bed so rather than accent the wall behind you, accent the one in front. It may minimize all that visual clutter and any focal objects you put on that wall (TV, artwork, etc) may be highlighted better. Anyway, take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

BTW, that valspar.com tool is awesome! Thanks inabunker!

hi ferji, you have certainly received some great ideas, i agree with alot of them. i do like the above one. painting out all those doors with a warmer color, no need to be too dark. does the t.v. have to stay...looks out of sort..if you are keeping it like that, paint that cabinet espresso so it doesn't look so chopped..your dresser i woudl move to where your brown chair is..it will feel more open when you enter your bedroom, which is important too. for lamps look for something fairly tall but not too much. you don't want to see the bulb when you sit in your bed.i do like the elegance of the lamps shown above..a large calm piece of artwork in your favorite colors, something wispy,would look great above the headboard.so if your carpet is light tan , maybe a color like davenport tan for the whole room would warm things up...you could then work with ivory/linen colored window treatments and bed covers...and leave the trims and or ceiling in cloud white.so excited for you. post pics please when you are done :)

The room needs to feel wider,you can acheive that by painting wide horizontal lines across the walls or painting one inc wide strips across the room at an interval that is suitable for the height,get rid of the unnecessary doors but keep the frames add a roller blind or a roman shade to the window.

Those 2 sets of louvered doors are a serious pain. What was the architect thinking?

Anyway, there are a couple of solutions:
1. paint the same color as the walls. This will minimize their impact.

2. replace one of the louver sets with mirror -- who can't use a full-length mirror?

3. paint a different color and make them an interesting look.

4. make the floor-to-ceiling set look like hte other by some minor construction work. If the property belongs to you.

how about removing the louvered doors and replacing them with a closet/barn door type slide mechanism that holds doors that are painted as huge art work or a mural of some sort.

Wow! Thanks to everyone for all your great suggestions. Forgive me for the delay in responding to them. I like the idea of painting the closet doors the same color of the wall that way it all blends in together and the different heights don't stick out as much. I knew the doors were ugly but didn't realize that they add to the visual clutter. Speaking of clutter there is stuff that appears on top of the dresser in the pics but that is just because I was cleaning and moving things around at the moment I took the pictures. Again, the glass desk and big black massage chair will be going to a new home. I know the tv is totally old school and the cabinet is not the best but I had to make due with what I had. If budget permits I would like to get a new tv and unit to place it on. That space b/w the closet doors really does stink. I too have wondered many times what the architect was thinking. The closet to the left by the window is actually a very big walk-in. I even have a craft table in there! LOL. I use to imagine how they could have made better use of the space but no point in dwelling on that. I am still open to painting the furniture but I will wait until the walls are done and see how it looks after that. How about the two fabric panels (not sure what else to call them) in the headboard and footboard....what if I covered it with a different fabric? I was looking at the construction of the bed and I think it can be done. Do you guys think that would be a good idea?

I like the light blue walls with a white ceiling idea above. I also love the idea of replacing the bigger closet doors with drapes. See picture.... Also notice the artwork/lamp placement above/on the dresser. Unless you hate your furniture, don't bother replacing it. Just work to bring in colors and elements like artwork that you like. If your keeping the tv, definiately put it on the wall or in a cabinet with doors. The way it's on that little stand, reminds me of my teenagers bedroom. lol. =) Curtains on the windows will also help to make the room pulled together.

Love blue gray, very neutral and anything goes. I don't know how you feel about warm colors, but I think you should either stain furniture a warm wood color, darker than it is and add golds and metallic, bronze and sliver accents. Or but new. To brighten things up add mirrors to reflect light, makes room seem larger. Also you could paint ceiling a shade or two lighter in a gray sometimes helps with making a room seem endless. If your head board comes off you can really jazz up your space with a bright headboard, Use fabric be creative, or I know you might think no way to wall paper, but there are so many nice patterns and it's in! Only for a feature wall though, very little. Do something behind your bed. Looks like there are only the one wall with windows, so keep in mind you need to kee things bright.

I may have missed it, but I don't see where you mention what style decor you prefer? Here are some thoughts if you are wanting clean, simple and classic look. I would consider paint/staining the wood espresso and replacing the hardware with a brush chrome. Soft blue on the walls would look awesome. Have you looked at Ikea's window panel system, Kvartal? You mount a multi-track system and hang window panels that slide back and forth...or you could do sliding Shoji screens. Hang them both on the window and across the closet doors, possibly even taking the closet doors completely off. You would need to fill in above the tall closet door. This would eliminate the oddity of the doors and streamline the room. As far as the bed panels, I would coordinate with the window treatments. I think glass lamps would go perfectly. Now you have a pretty clean pallet to add color, if you like, with art above the bed and pillows. Add luxurious bedding (maybe a satin look) and some texture with a nice fur throw.

You've gotten a lot of great suggestions so far!! I have floor to ceiling closet doors in my guest room and we painted them to match the wall color and it made such a difference they blend in so much better now so I would suggest doing that. If the furniture is in good condition I would definitely consider painting it white if you can the lighter funiture would really stand out and brighten it up. Another good idea might be to get rid of the bed if possible and maybe just get a standard bed frame and make an upholstered headboard. You could use a fun patterned/striped fabric and then you wouldn't need something over the bed. Not having the footboard might open up the space a little bit. Can't wait to see what you decide to do!

Rather than painting your furniture, would you consider removing the head and footboards? The footboard looks as though it might "divide" the room a bit. I would also either look for a massive mirror for the wall behind your bed, or consider covering the wall with something like distressed mirror tiles. ( They are available here in the UK) They come in several finishes and look amazing. They will add depth space and reflect the light in your room. I would keep your colours light and rich if that makes sense....oysters, greys...You may want to consider doing the same with the other furniture. I might also consider covering the dark chair with a lighter fabric..it stands out. I think you have been given good advice as in keeping your closet doors the same colour as the wall as well. Remember its all about flow. If your keep your colours similar then the room will be less broken up and will appear more spacious..Good luck to you....there are fab ideas coming your way, and I look forward to seeing the end result!

I would remove the footboard. It takes up visual space and doesn't serve any real purpose. If you really want something at the end of the bed, a narrow simple bench might work. I would also reupholster the headboard in the same color as the wall behind the bed. The more different items, colors, etc. the busier a small room looks.

to make your ceilings appear higher, add wall mounted sconces or ceiling mounted pendant lights on either side of the bed in place of lamps - in fact they can be more over the bed than next to it and tall, slender shades in glass or paper would be fabulous with dark or light walls. Mirror or painting or poster over the bed that is tall and wide will lift the room, too. Or, three black and white photos would make it pop and add some contemporary flair.

Smart to rehang sheers to the ceiling or just below - but sheers do not have to go to floor - as long as they reach below the bottom of the window they will have the effect you are looking for.

If you paint the walls dark, you may notice the furniture is more pleasing. You can recover the head and foot boards altogether without painting anything - it is very easy since you would not have to build anything, and it would not ruin the current finish on the wood so you could remove it if you get sick of it.

Get rid of the recliner and replace it with a bench at the end of the bed that can be used for storage, or a nice decorative chair where the recliner is right now - just make sure it has open spaces - a directors chair or something like ti can be a great accent chair in a room because you can see through the legs and it creates depth of space.

I agree that the tv needs to be wall mounted or moved out of the room altogether, along with the desk and laptop, and the vac.

One thing I do not see in your room is any sense of who lives there. Do you have favorite things that can be used in your decor? An old quilt that can be made in to a pillow, for example?

have fun!!!!

I see the paint chips tacked to the wall. Do yourself a favor and buy some cheap posterboard and sample-size containers (about $3.00 at Home Depot) of the colors you like most. Paint the boards and tack them to the wall. If you find a color you think you really like, it is sometimes helpful to buy samples in a couple of shades. You get a much better sense of what the color will look like on the wall throughout the day with differnet light and a better idea of what items in the room will look like against the color. Sample sizes don't always come in all finishes (flat, satin, semigloss, etc.) so be sure to ask so you can consider the difference the final finish might make.

I would move the bed in front of the window and a nice, light color on the wall... also some mirrors... just get rid of the vacuum cleaner, don't want to see that when you have to relax LOL. And I agree with the furniture... I bet they look nice when all is done, no need to buy new or paint.

sorry... I forgot something else... if you can buy a flat screen tv... you can hang that above that dresser.... (better no tv but if can't sleep without)

please post pic when it is done ! now you have to many great ideas ! Go do it Friend

vanill17 wouldl love the copy the look for my new house. Tell me where you got the photo in magazine or website. Love the look. Its beutiful. thanks. mk

I like the idea of painting the walls grey or blue-grey or even charcoal grey. Not too light because the yellow in the wood is fairly strong so I'd want a colour that can hold it. Yellow and blue are opposite on the colour wheel (and charchoal does have blue in it) - hence you great a real brightness. I'd also put a fairly large black and white photo with white matting over the bed - you can get them pretty cheap at Ikea. You will be impressed with how well a charcoal grey wall goes with light maple wood and how the B&W photo pulls it together. I do find the footboard a little overwhelming for the space, but maybe address that after you paint. I think painting the closet wall one colour is a cheap and chearful way of creating unity. Other alternative is to remove the tall door and with the short door create mirrored doors - so you get some reflection in the room to create a sense of space. I loved the idea of the wall mounted closet doors that slide back and forth for a closet wall - that could just cover up the whole thing and you just slide a door when you need to get somethig. Keep the dresser - it is fine. Needs something on top to finish it though - either flat screen TV or perhaps another B&W print/photo. Big lamps on the night tables - crystal or perhaps a darker metal base if you want the look to be more casual. Also - have you thought about lighting over the bed? Maybe a modern chandelier - consistent with the look of your lamps. Post pictures when you are done!!

kreider1030: It was on this site! =)

It really depends on what your budget is and what you like. If you go with light walls I would Paint out the wood on the bed and night table in a rich brown and change the hardware to something in a nice silver or glass, I also would remove the foot board and add a nice bench to the front instead. I agree with the choice of lamps that jansgirl mentioned. As for wall color i would consider thinking about what colors you enjoy first before selecting, then go from there. We all can tell you to use blue or grey but if those colors don't appeal to you then you will not be happy with the end result. Now if you have your heart set on dark walls then I would consider painting out the night tables and the wood on the bed in a cream white, and use soft light colors on window treatment and bedding. I added some pictures of small bedrooms painted in dark colors for you to see.

dark colors tend to make spaces looks smaller than they are and lite colors tend to make rooms looks " airy and more spacious " at the same time, one as a Professional MUST understand how color affects how one feels in a room. Dark colors are reserved for larger rooms than can handle it, not small rooms in which you would feel like you are suffocating. 2X

As a Professional MUST understand that the clients needs are the most important in any room design. We mite not agree with every clients decision, but we need to consider the fact that we are not the ones living in there space. I have worked with meany clients that prefer dark colors over light colors, regardless of what I have suggested as professional. You have to keep in mind, It is all about how you as a designer can make the clients vision a reality.

Well, that goes without saying, but MOST clients hire Professional Interior Designers to guide them and advise them on what works and what doesnt, otherwise, they can make the mistakes on their own, and to be sincere, I believe most of the people posting comments are not Professionals, we need a lot of criteria in order to make decisions and suggestions, a couple of pictures, are not sufficient. Most people have no clue as to what they want, they have ideas, but cannot bring them to conclusion. See my work, I dont make mistakes and I ALWAYS do rooms that Clients love and would never hired anyone else, because I know what I am doing.............

well... someone is on her horse!!!! I agree with Decor Innovation...

I like Decor Innovations suggestions. Is there a rule of thumb on which wall to place the headboard. Furthest from door , longest wall ???

Decor Innovations gets my vote as well....Georgeous Homes, you do make some good points, but nowadays there really are no limits.....dark colours can work beautifully in a small room if done properly. There are designers for all different types of clients and perhaps your ideas are suited more for the more traditional minded client.

Hi Everyone!

I'm Emily, the Community Manager at Houzz. Let's remember that Houzz is an open discussion forum where we are bound to have differences of opinion sometimes, but let's keep things polite and respect our differences.

There is definitely room for everyone here. If you see a comment with advice you disagree with, your best bet is to take a step back and post your own advice. We don't all have to agree, but we do need to be polite.

Thanks guys!

Hi
We had a small bedroom in another house and to be it called for a soft blue or yellow. I had my husband make a white picket fence (if you are using mattress & box springs only), The white fence acted as a headboard and went about 1/3 of the way up. He then make a picket window box for the inside of the window. From there you can be as creative as you want, stencil or stick on bird houses, a few butterlfys or whatever. Our bedroom always felt welcoming but a few birds or whatever are enough. Good luck

that sounds lovely Mallorybeach... do you have a picture of that?

Gorgeous Homes: I commend you for your work designing "Italian Villas, French Chateaus, Classical Modern Interiors, English Traditional, Ultra Modern, etc ," Sounds intriguing-but- please don't say that people post for FREE advice. Houzz is a GREAT site to get ideas to create our own environment and to share our own ideas. We don't all have to be professionals to have great ideas. Some of the most beautiful ideas come from people you wouldn't expect. Do you have one of your best tips for designing a sitting area not matter the style, that you'd like to share?

Sorry Ferji425, I should have asked Gorgeous Homes for a Master Bedroom tip.

I should have used the word inspiration instead of ideas. As a quilter, I get inspiration in a lot of things, tile, stained glass, color inspiration, etc

you are doing great Gorgeous homes ! You gave us a very good advice and i even took some from you ! WE ** who like to decorate our homes("stay home mommy") ** need your comment ! STAY around PLEASE ! :) and i think you as a decorator should think you are better than me for example,but is just not nice to hear that lol heuheuhueueuuehehuuehuehehue :)

Yes, I understand how color works - and its not dark colors that make a space feel smaller, it's warm colors. And it's not light colors that make a space feel more open - it's cool colors.

For example: if you were to paint a room dark blue, Dark Green or even Black for instance, one's eye will have a more difficult time determining where the walls actually are, so the space will feel larger...
...whereas if one were to select a medium-toned Red, Orange or Yellow - those hotter colors tend to advance on you - almost "attacking" you - and your room will feel smaller.

This is why porch ceilings are painted light blue - it feels like the limitless sky - and restaurants, stores and nightclubs paint their ceilings and/or walls black - it makes even moderate spaces feel enormous...
...but give that same restaurant or bar red walls - or panel a room in Southern yellow pine (its a light wood, but warm orange and yellow colors) and the space will feel tight and enclosed, even if it's a huge room.

White, being the opposite of Black, isn't cool - it's warm and it's easy to see...
...which is why the idea of painting a room white to make it feel larger isn't necessarily true. Painting that yellow pine or those red walls white will definitely make a room feel larger since you've eliminated a hotter color - but painting a blue or black ceiling white will warm it up and make the ceiling easier to see, thereby making it feel lower and the space less expansive.

First, let me thank everyone who has continued to provide me with awesome advice and suggestions. Several of you mentioned getting rid of the footboard if possible. From the pictures some of you posted I definitely see how in my room the footboard gets in the way. The space looks larger to me when I am looking at beds that only have a headboard with maybe a bench at the end. Unfortunately, I can't get rid of it on my bed. It is all one piece with the legs of the bed. I had the paint chips tacked to the wall because I was just getting an idea of some of the colors I liked. Once I narrow it down then I will buy the samples and paint the actual wall. I did this when painting my living room and am so glad I did. One of my favorite colors which I thought was a gray ended up looking like lavendar on the wall! For those who keep mentioning to get rid of thing such as the desk or vacuum....don"t worry....they are not permanent fixtures in the room. I had already mentioned the desk I am giving away to a friend and the massage chair as well. Now the vacuum cleaner only made it in the picture because I had just used it when I took the picture. I clearly do not keep it in my bedroom =)

I am still leaning toward a bluish gray for the walls and am still considering what to do with the hideous closet doors. I really like vanilli17's idea of replacing the larger closet doors with drapes. If I do that then I will just get a new door for the other closet. I will be doing either a mirror or some artwork over the dresser. I knew the tv stand was bad but vanilli17 definitely hit the nail on the head...it most certainly does look like a teenager's room! LOL =) As far as the bedding I actually was super excited when I got the duvet cover (which was just at the beginning of the year). I loved it then and still do but I understand how it can be distracting in a way. From the photo ideas I see how patterns are typically incorporated in the the pillows and the rest of t

To Elaine Pelletier Comment

The bed is the key piece of furniture in any bedroom, and it naturally becomes the focal point. Bedroom furniture is traditionally arranged according to a few general rules. For the most part based on common sense, here are some general guidelines for you to follow:

Traditionally, folks tend to place a double, queen-sized, or king-sized bed against the center of the wall opposite the main door to the room. With this arrangement, the headboard is the center of attention as you enter the room.
If the dimensions of your room prevent you from positioning your bed on the wall across from the door, other possible choices depend on which walls are long enough to accommodate the bed. Diagonal placement works well when you have the space.
Do not place a bed under a window, if the window will frequently be open. Open windows can create uncomfortable drafts. Positioning a bed between two windows, however, works well.

Hope this help you out.

I think you may be able to get rid of the footboard by purchasing a bed frame for approximately $30 at any furniture store. It will attach to the head board or not and the footboard can also be attached if you ever wanted to do so. I did that for all my beds from twin to king size that had footboards. Also you may want to look at bedding and bedrooms on the websites of upscale hotels. Some are really beautiful and very spa like and can give you a lot of different ideas. Good luck with the project.

jpritchett ...that is a good idea! I

I have the same doors and just took them off. I hung satin curtains on a rod that matchess the window rods. The curtains are an off white, like the walls, and I found 30 feet of antique rice cloth in the same color to hang on the side of the windows. No closet doors frees up space all around the closet, and the tone on tone, but different textures allow for both light and depth in the room. My bed and dresser are dark wood, to add contrast, and I have an indigo and gold mohair sleigh blanket at the bottom of a of the bed on a linen duvet from Target. I'm working up the courage to reupholster a small dark walnut settee in linen. I love going to bed!

Lesson: pick something you love, build around it, and keep it simple. Most importantly, lose those closet doors==it will set you free!

I don't know what happened to my last comment. I had written some other things but it was clearly cut off in the middle. I had mentioned that I was definitely going to paint the room first before deciding to do anything to the furniture. I like the idea of a rich espresso color but I am now not even sure if staining it is even possible. I was doing some research online as I have never stained a piece before and found all the pieces had an unfinished look prior to staining. When looking at my furniture it appears to have some sort of finish on it if that makes sense. From what I am trying to describe do you guys thinking staining the furniture would be possible?

Ginamsottile, would it be possible for you to share some pics of your room? =)

I wouldn't try staining your bed unless its 100% solid wood (not pres-board). I would look at using Para's Cabinet Paint or Valspar Paint. I have used this paint on many furniture pieces and its very durable and chip resistant and It has a beautiful finish to it. Here's a tip for a smooth finish us a solid sponge roller.

Trying to stain the furniture would be a very tedious job, not to mention, since you are not a professional, most likely, you will ruin your bed. Why dont you paint the bed instead, this technique will give you a better look. Buy painters tape and make sure you cover your floors, remove the mattresses, and cover with plastic the areas where you have fabric. lightly sand the wood ( if it is solid ), 150 grit sandpaper will be sufficient and when I say lightly, I mean, run the sand paper in the direction of the wood grain once, there is no need to sit there and sand for hours. Wipe the wood with a wet cloth to remove the dust. Apply two coats of the Behr primer and paint in one material, you can use a dark beige with a satin or semi-gloss finish. Let it dry completely ( a day or two ) but, you can apply the two coats a few hours apart. Using, a 400 grit sandpaper, very lightly sand the wood, and wipe down again with a moist rag, dont rub hard on it, paint dries in a few hours to touch, but, actually takes about 7 days or longer to fully cure. Buy a quart of Glaze paint and have the paint store tinted a very dark brown. Get a piece of heavy card board, paint it with the same paint and apply the glaze following instructions, you can find in the store brochure, when you are comfortable with it, do your bed. Remember, always brush in the direction of the wood grain. When its fully dry, apply two coats of a water based polyurethane. It sounds a bit complicated, but , it really is simple. I wont give you any recommendations on how to design the bedroom, there are so many suggestions, I bet you are now more confused than ever!!
Good Luck!!

I painted my house with Duron Paint - http://www.duron.com/builders/color/color_palettes.asp
I found that the best way for me to pick a lighter color was to like the darker version of it. My bedroom is painted Resolute blue #6507 and my ceiling is Atmospheric #6505 - all because I loved the 6509 & 6510 colors on the same color swatch. Does that make sense? I know the chart online is small, but the samples in stores are normal. =)

This is kinda out there, but mirroring the doors/walls on the closet wall with something like vintage mirrored panels (you know the kind with a little bit of age to them) could create the illusion of a mirrored wall with no doors on it. I haven't worked all the particulars out on that idea, but got it when looking at the idea to paint the wall green (previous poster's idea above). It would make the room look larger and reflect lots of natural light.
If you go with a different color on the walls, you may find you like your furniture. Also, if you are still not sure, you could change the upholstery on the headboard/footboard and see if that makes any difference to you! :)

I think it definitely need some splashes of color. I would try to pull of some blues or greens in the quilt and add a few throw pillows or framed art prints. Bring some bold color in by dressing up your windows too.

Georgeous Homes, inc I would appreciate some of your thoughts about my crap for space rental!