Tips for Designing a Tricky Shaped Bedroom

Thinking about how to design a uniquely shaped bedroom can bring certain challenges. The area where you sleep has to be peaceful after all, which means an absence of chaos. So, how do you achieve that look without compromising your vision and the use of space? This guide has a few tips for designing any awkwardly shaped bedroom. 

Draw Up a Blueprint

As a starting point, consider drawing up a blueprint either by hand or on an app. The drawing should be a physical depiction and therefore point of reference for how you want the final design to look. Even if you can only draw stick figures, it’s worth a shot nevertheless. 

Roughly sketch the layout. It can be from any angle, it really doesn’t matter, though most people find looking down from above the most helpful. Make sure you get all the awkward detail labelled like edges, corners, low ceiling areas, and so on. Try moving around the furniture in different places and seeing which feels the most natural. 

Nail the Measurements

Ensuring that you have absolutely perfect measurements of every wall from top to bottom and side to side is essential. It will help phenomenaly when sourcing appropriate furniture, and it means you won’t waste money on moot purchases either.  The best tips for accurate measurements are to invest in a decent measuring device, and write everything down as you go along. If you are able to, ask someone to double check your readings vs theirs to see if there are any major discrepancies between the two comparisons. 

Just Embrace it

Embrace the shape, and the size of the room, and the design will feel more natural as you proceed ahead. Embracing means finding acceptance that you can’t change the format lying in front of you, so you have to find ways to move with the tide rather than against it. 

Let the Room Guide You

A part of embracing the layout will look like being led by the room itself. Of course, bedrooms can’t speak. However, walls certainly can, symbolically at least, and it is easy to gain a sense of space by peering inside it. Where there are chips and places begging for improvement, you can spend time fixing these issues so that when the day comes that it is ready, everything will be completely safe and above board too. 

Get the Bed Right

One of the most important pieces of furniture in a bedroom is, of course, the bed. This is where sleep happens, and we all know how vital that is. So, the bed has to be just right which is difficult when you don’t have bed shaped spaces to work with. You run the risk of making the rest of the room look disjointed when it’s already unconventional if it is too big. Strategies are needed and there are a few below that are really useful to think about. 

Custom Built Options

The most obvious choice for non-cooperative room layouts area made to measure beds. The concept is simple but impactful. Make contact with a custom company such as Odd Size Beds. Talk to them about your room and the requirements, for instance, the layout and measurement options you have to work with. Commission a custom built bed for the room which will therefore fit perfectly and complement the space rather than hinder it. Just don’t forget these types of beds may also need made to measure mattresses, but not always. It depends on the size and stature of the bed you want in the room. 

Deciding Where to Put it

You’ve got your plan, and the room has been fully measured. By now, you have a good idea of what will fit into which part of the room and what would look wrong. Whether you go custom built or standard model, the bed has to go somewhere and this decision is a big one. Remember, the first place you put the bed is not set in stone. You can move it as many times as you like, as long as you are careful not to damage the floor and the frame. This is a try until it feels right kind of moment, so lean into it and let the process play out. 

Embrace Large Statement Features

Even the smallest of rooms will benefit from a large statement feature. The beauty of oddly shaped bedrooms is that this provides plenty of opportunity for places to put these statements whether it’s a wall or a ceiling, and it will always look interesting. It’s just not just about having a talking point though, filling this bedroom with interesting artwork or a decent set of furniture feels like a necessity. There has to be some sort of contingent theme to pull it all together, and big pieces (if there is the space), are the perfect way to do it.  

Never Underestimate the Power of a Great Rug

Finding a great rug that fits the space is your next task. A rug, as long as it’s the best fit, will make any room feel like it has a centre whether the shape of the space allows for it or not. The best part is there are thousands of rug designs on the market in hundreds of different materials. 

Try to Separate the Areas Out

For the larger, weird rooms, separating out different areas can create an intriguing kind of bespoke nuance that is unachievable anywhere else. Not only will distinct zones make the room appear bigger, but they will also detract from the general awkwardness too. Try installing a seating area with its own rug in one space opposing the staple bed plus a bedside table in another. These two zones will contrast but complement each other in a sort of perfect yet complex juxtaposition. 

Implement Continuity In Singular Colours

If you are looking for continuity rather than separation, think about how you are going to impact that through your choice of colour. When you pick consistency over contrast, there is a natural smoothness within the room. Walls blend into other walls in a way that wouldn’t if they were all different shades and features, and this emits an optical illusion in a way, in that everything feels more connected. 

Make a Space for Plants

Whether it is a hanging basket or a potted variety in the window, plants breathe life into any area in the home. You can match the pots up with your décor theme, and they bring calm with them wherever they go. 

Make the Light Count

Your overhead light counts more than you might think. How you bring light into a space is important because it makes the difference between a dreary space and an inviting one. It is likely that, given the random dimensions and quirky layout, the room’s overhead light is not central at all because nothing feels central. However, this doesn’t have to be an issue. You could think about changing the singular light into multiple spotlights, or installing wall lights lower down instead to create consistent brightness throughout the whole area. 

Tricky shaped bedroom design takes a little extra thought and creativity. The final results will never disappoint, though, if you pour your heart and soul into the process as you would for all the regularly shaped rooms in your home. As long as you perfect the measurements and adopt a trial and error based task list, the room will come right by the end.