Photography: Jody D'Arcy
Most rooms of a home are shared spaces, but the master bedroom? That one is (mostly) all yours. And if you think about it, you spend much of your life luxuriating in the main bedroom. However, the boudoir’s often not a top priority when designing a home or curating interiors.
It should be! From layout to decor, there are many wonderful ways to personalise your master bedroom so it suits your needs, is practical and gives you a serotonin hit every time you walk in.
Here are 12 master bedroom design ideas to help you be the master of your domain.
1. Create a cosy master bedroom nook
Sure, bedrooms are for sleeping, relaxing and, well, you know… But to really make the most of your master bedroom layout, carve out a nook for reading and contemplation. You don’t need a lot of space — just enough real estate for a plush chair, a side table and a piece of inspiring artwork.
2. Make your main bedroom dark and moody
There’s nowhere better suited to a slightly gothic interior than the master bedroom — opting for dark and rich colours, velvety bedlinen and mood lighting makes a bedroom feel like an enveloping hug and somewhere to retreat to. The master below focuses on a striking panelled feature wall, painted in Dulux Monument. “We chose it instead of a bedhead,” explains the owner and designer, Veronica, a.k.a. the ‘Builder’s Wife’.
3. Add a makeup station to your bedroom layout
Turn a corner or nook of your master suite into a makeup station or dressing table: a space that’s just for you. “I will sit down here to do my makeup and hair if I have a big event on,” says owner, Christal, interior and design consultant at Zou Build, of the space below. It can also boost the value of your home.
“In a luxury house at the higher end, it’s good to have these features for resale purposes. Personalise your master suite, but think about making the makeup station versatile; it could also be a study nook,” explains Christal. Keep the joinery tones timeless and neutral, she adds, and you can introduce colour through soft furnishings and artwork.
4. Look to nature for bedroom ideas
Make your master bedroom soothing and inviting by getting on the Australiana trend bandwagon. No, we’re not talking about hanging Ken Done paintings (as lovely as they are) or stuffed crocodiles, but evoking the colours, tones and textures of the Aussie landscape and sunset.
“It’s about bringing a slice of the Australian countryside home with you, even when you’re a city dweller,” explains Home Beautiful style forecast director, Fiona Gould. Think, a palette of dusky rose, sand, ochre and gum leaf-like green.
5. Create calm with minimalism
If you’re from the ‘less is more’ camp, then you’ll want a perfectly pared-back master bedroom, such as the one below, in the vein of minimalism and Scandinavian (or ‘Japandi’) design. The wall-to-wall oak timber bedhead by Intermain in American oak veneer spans more than five metres and is super functional.
“The bedhead houses electrical components to power the (Örsjö Belysning ‘Lean’) bedside lamps, USB chargers in the bedside tables and a recessed LED light along the top,” says owner, Nikki, an interior designer. Letting just the right amount of light in is the ‘Bottom Up’ honeycomb blinds by Veneta.
6. Add sumptuous details to your master bedroom
More of a maximalist? Then you’ll be needing details — lots of ’em. Layer your main bedroom with cosy cushions, draped curtains, tiers of bedlinen, an upholstered bedhead, a plush rug and bedroom decor that makes you smile. This is achievable if you’re renting, as well.
According to eBay, purchases of rent-friendly homewares are up, such as artificial plants (sales have increased by 280 per cent), removable mirrors (up 110 per cent) and Command strips for hanging art (up 65 per cent). Updating your bedding is an easy win.
“Replace your old pillows and quilts with thick plush inserts that will fill out bedlinen,” suggests stylist Nikki Hoskins. “And change the layout of your cushions. All of this will make you feel like you’ve got a completely new bed while only updating a couple of items.”
7. Think outside the box
The master bedroom doesn’t need to be in a bedroom. When it comes to creating your dream sanctuary, colour outside the lines! Nothing’s stopping you from setting up a sleep space in what’s typically a living room, attic or even a shed. That’s what the owners of this Spanish villa-inspired Byron Bay home, below, did.
They created a separate parents’ retreat by converting a shed that used to house trucks. The walls were insulated, lined and painted in fresh Ecolour Builder’s White and the oil-stained concrete floor was painted and softened with Turkish rugs.
8. Add a window seat or daybed to your bedroom
Nothing says laid-back luxury like a daybed. A banquette can hide storage underneath and you can update the upholstery when boredom strikes. The delightful daybed, below, features VJ panels for added character, nautical striped fabric and cushions from Coco Republic and Few & Far plus a Papaya linen throw.
9. Colour-drench your master bedroom
For a really enveloping space, strongly consider colour-drenching your bedroom (we dare you). According to Homes To Love, this new-ish trend involves making every surface of your room the same-ish colour: walls, window frames, ceilings, doors, soft furnishings and even decor items. It’s not for the faint of heart but it’s striking and can actually make your bedroom seem bigger because the lines in the space are ‘blurred’.
The mostly-blue master bedroom, below, in a home on the NSW South Coast was thoughtfully put together by interior designer Melinda Hartwright. While the walls are shrouded in Schumacher ‘Khilana Floral’ wallpaper in Peacock and the bedhead and lamp err towards blue, the ceiling and cornice are painted in a muted silvery green, Dulux Antarctica Lake Half. But an overall colour-drenched feel is certainly achieved.
10. Create wonder with wallpaper
The master bedroom is the ideal place the play with wallpaper. “If there is a chance to use wallpaper in any room, I will grab it,” says Melinda. “If you don’t want pattern, you can add glorious texture, interest and depth of colour.”
If using patterned wallpaper, opt for simple upholstery, plainer curtains and a smaller scale print or texture on the bedhead, advises Penny Sheehan, interior designer at Anna Spiro Design. “This is to not over-complicate the room and to let the wallpaper sing.” Penny isn’t a fan of feature walls, however.
“Always wallpaper all walls — feature walls cut up the room and can make it feel smaller and piecemeal,” she explains. “Wallpaper above and below picture rails for the same reason; it allows your eye to travel to the highest point of the room and makes the room feel larger.”
11. Make it a little bit country
Last year, Block host Shaynna Blaze embarked on the restoration of this 120-year-old cottage in Keyneton, in regional Victoria — the subject of a six-part series, Country Home Rescue. And the romantic master bedroom has all the decorative trimmings that make a country home feel snug: custom bee-inspired wallpaper, a vintage chandelier, furs, luxe bed linen, a rattan bedhead and an original fireplace.
12. Incorporate a headboard into your master bedroom
A built-in headboard serves a few functions: it adds another layer to your main bedroom layout, provides a spot for keeping books, vases, candles and other accoutrements close by, and it can accommodate electrical facilities for lights and power points. This nixes the need for bulky bedside tables and table lamps, which is great if your master bedroom is on the smaller side.
