Jean Carroll
Join our newsletter Name: Your Email Address Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Thank you for signing up to Realhomes. Above the bed decor ideas can solve that tricky problem of how to deal with that space between the top of your headboard and the ceiling.
We're all for double usage here, and this rattan bookshelf ticks all the boxes as Trish Lynn, founder and principal designer at Colette Interiors (opens in new tab) explains: 'It adds dimension and texture to this over-bed area, plus it's a welcome place to set books and décor.'
For a design scheme to work, it needs key elements like color and texture, and a shelf made from rattan will certainly offer both. Don't overload it with clutter, keep it simple with a couple of books, a scented candle, and a small trailing plant.
The gold finish works really well with coral tones and the amber glass lamp base ties in the color perfectly. IKEA's Eket (opens in new tab) boxes are ideal for this, you can hand them in different combinations, paint them to suit your scheme and use the top of them as a shelf as well as the interior – what's not to like?
'The bed is the focal point of any bedroom, and the area above is the perfect spot for artwork and wall lights.
For maximum impact, opt for larger pieces of art over the bed, this elevates the room and brings the entire scheme together.' Whether that’s black used in the furniture or a color from the soft furnishings, sticking to this rule will make the room flow and feel cohesive. Wall lights make a great alternative to table lamps as they free up the space while creating symmetry and balance.
Swingarm wall lights are both decorative and functional, the extendable fixture works for directing light while you’re reading or can be swiveled to the side for a soft ambient glow,' say Jen and Mar, co-founders of Interior Fox (opens in new tab). The black frames draw your eye to that magic spot between the headboard and picture rail. This is a great above the bed decor idea, if fact it's almost two if you consider the eggplant, gray and white paint design as well! These large rattan bowls really create impact visually, if you want to copy this idea then opt for even numbers – a stylist tip – and vary the sizes. Make sure what you choose will work with your color scheme, if you're on a budget then source round rattan or seagrass placemats, they will do the job nicely too. It could be a collection of favorite flags – they create an interesting shape when placed in pairs and certainly aid to fill negative white space.
You can tie them in visually by pulling through the colors into the rest of the scheme, here the black of the flags becomes an accent with the headboard, table lamp and mirror. In this room the space between the headboard and ceiling is very narrow due to the downlights – which of course have their use, and a very good one at that – so this means you need to consider the shape of what you choose carefully and this wood carving is perfect. One of the most obvious ways to fill that space is to hang a mirror, yet it's not always something we consider, especially if we've chosen a beautiful wallpaper (opens in new tab) on that wall.
There are several bonuses to using a mirror idea, it can make a room feel larger and it will bounce light around in darker spaces. Follow the color scheme through into the window drapes and pick out key tones for the decorative accessories, which in this case are the pretty floral quilt and matching bed pillows. Naturally, it depends on the size, shape, and position of the window, but it's a great interior design trick that can work wonders.
Janelle Burns, lead interior designer at Maestri Studio (opens in new tab) says: 'Wallpaper is a great way to create an accent wall behind the bed, and adding wall sconces can give it a special sophisticated look,' says Lindye Galloway, founder and CCO of Lindye Galloway Studio + Shop (opens in new tab). 'If we place artwork over a bed, it's typically something graphic and easy to fully appreciate from afar,' says Janelle.
'Something too detailed or just really interesting and nuanced can lose effectiveness when placed over a bed- since, to properly view the piece, you would have to be on the bed itself.
