Style Guide: Dress Up Bedroom Walls

For a restful space, choose muted, calming paint colors. To reduce the pollutants in your bedroom, use a low-VOC (volatile organic compound) product.

Create large-scale, custom designs using paint and painter’s tape.

Wrap the room in pattern with wallpaper. There is an endless variety of options—both classic and modern—to choose from.

Grasscloth is a woven wallpaper that can be purchased in many colors and patterns. Its textured surface adds warmth to a room.

If you have more time than cash to contribute to a project, try painting one wall of the bedroom with a stencil for the look of patterned wallpaper at a fraction of the cost.

Trim out a section of wallpaper with molding as an accent.

Another patterned alternative to wallpaper is fabric. If you use fabric as a wallcovering, you can also use the same textile to create matching linens and drapery.

The natural look of stained wood is warm and cozy on bedroom walls.

Get both the pattern of wood and the uniform color of paint with painted wood walls.

Apply wood molding to flat walls to create pattern or highlight a specific area. This is also a great way to define areas for a color change.