apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I would definetly paint the accent wall behind the bed. Especially to show off the white trim. I would do it in a dark rich color. An indigo color, or Chinese red would look great. I would only do one accent wall in the bedroom in order keep the room light feeling. Getting a rug for under the bed would help. I good full shag, like 70's flare would be nice. Also maybe some simply drapery.

When selecting paint, keep in mind your wood floor tones!

Good Luck

New lampshades in a complimentary color.

You're lucky-it appears as though you have already have a look that is put together and paint is about the only thing you need to finish it up. I would maybe try pulling out a contrasting color from that piece hanging over your bed. Only other thing I'd suggest is paint the chest of drawers to match the rest of your furniture.

I would paint the room, a light color to complement the colors in there. I wouldn't bother painting the dresser. I think you also need a much bigger piece above your bed. That painting (?) is just floating up high on the wall, it's lost. Put it on a smaller wall.

Instead of a whole accent wall -i would maybe do a red box behind the headboard ( to chunk it up ) which you would see behind it ( since it is lattice ) and maybe 1 foot larger around the perimeter. Then paint the rest of the room a 'neutral' color -maybe a straw yellow or celedon green to contrast with the red you have going on. I would paint the dresser you have black or a DEEP DARK green and distress that.
Hope this helps!

I love the colors in the pillow, so I would pick one of those as the color to paint the wall behind the bed. Then move the painting to another wall & see if above the bed needs something there. Finnally, the dresser. It doesn't work well with your other pieces so I would crawl underneith it and see if you can easily remove that decorative front piece on the bottom. If not perhaps take a saw & clean up the line so it's more in keeping with the rest of the room. Then paint it the other color from the pillow.

Paint the wall behind the bed and the windowed wall Chinese Red....dangle a lantern somewhere above the window and call it a night! :) {Make sure you don't paint the trim red, keep it white!) LOL

Looks like you've got a few windows and doors around that are breaking up your continuity.
Yes, an accent wall behind the bed is good (probably not the square, either the whole wall or a circle?) But I'd definitely mask off the trim (base board or whatever it's called) and keep that white.
The painting over the bed is too small. You might move it somewhere else. If you don't want to put a mirror over your dresser, you might try putting the painting there and moving those other three somewhere else? All those small framed photographs should be grouped together somewhere.

The curtains or some window covering is a good idea, also.

Looks like all the other posters have given you great inexpensive advice that you could do with a bucket of paint and accessories and some inexpensive window coverings!

If you do go with a Chinese red, you could always paint the dresser a shiny black, almost like lacquer to go with the Asian motif a bit. Getting new drawer pulls or even painting them is also a cheap, quick way to change the feel of furniture.

I painted a hideous dresser apple green and the pulls a shiny black, and it looks really great.

in the first photo, your look is very warm. dark wood, red and warm beige accents. in the second photo, things seem cooler, mostly due to that very minimalist wardrobe.

the first thing i'd do is decide on whether you're going for a 'warm' or 'cool' vibe in there. it seems like it might be easier to go cool than warm it up, as all you'd have to do there would be to change the pillow, blanket, and art above the bed (you might want to go with something bigger there anyway). that said, maybe your favorite color is red and you're going for a warm, snuggly look in there. that said, your biggest job will be to warm up the armoire. i think an accent wall over there (maybe a warm brown?) might be the easiest way. you could also probably do it with lighting, a rug, or some other accessory, but it would be rather complicated.

as for your dresser, it'll blend more into the modern style of the room if you repaint it with a non-shabby finish. you could even just keep it white, just paint it in either a flat or gloss paint, no faux finish. a warmer color might help warm up the room, though, if that's what you're going for.

I would look at that cute living room featured a while ago (Junedanish's, maybe?) with the blue wall and red accents. I think that color could really work in here.

The color of that wood floor is great -- take it into account when you choose your paint and fabric colors, either to coordinate or to contrast. In a small living room with medium-tone oak floors, I painted the walls about the color of a brown cardboard box (Ralph Lauren Kawai Jungle), and used a lot of red accents and a little golden yellow. It really closed the room in, but it did let the floor become an important element.

Red!

HMM I could see a fabulously crazy wall paper behind the bed like this: http://www.twenty2.net/wallpaper/pages/promenade_page.html in either the red or the light blue. Or even this: http://www.flavorleague.com/wallpaper/flower-of-love?colorway=cookies-and-cream
OR you could get some amazing printed fabric (i'm thinking organic pattern - not geometric) and hang it like drapery behind the bed - across the whole wall.
And then you could get some mirrors cut for your dresser drawer fronts to funk it up a little more like this: http://www.capitolfurnishings.com/itemdetails.php?id=74348

I see two choices here:

Choice #1: Find a color you like that's not too overwhelming (apple green, turquoise blue, sunshiny yellow?) and paint the entire room with it. Get linens and a rug to match. Leave dresser white.

Choice #2: As other commenters have pointed out, go with the red direction that's been started with your linens and paint just the wall behind your bed bright Chinese red. Paint the dresser in a dark brown/black to match with your West Elm bedroom set. (It won't look too dated if you go dark enough, and I suggest a matte finish - check out Brocade Home's catalog for an idea of how this might look.)

Warm up your wardrobe to match the wall by either wallpapering the white panels in a vivid red and white wallpaper with a large-scale pattern or applying red wall graphics (like these: http://www.whatisblik.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=B&Product_Code=BL-140 ) Also add a rug to match.

No matter what direction you choose, you should make some changes to your lamps. The two by your bed seem a bit too traditional for the bedroom set, and the one by your wardrobe unit is too small. Large drum shades, perhaps in a fun pattern for the ones by your bed, will help tie things together.

And as discussed, the art over your bed is way too small. If you can't find anything you like, go to Ikea or Bed Bath & Beyond and get a largish mirror to mount there for now. Putting a pretty scarf and some more objets on your dresser will also help, the things you have there now seem a little lonely.

I very quickly and very sloppily (a word?) photoshoped your photo to show what a red wall might look like. Like many other who posted, I like it too.

look at the photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72524617@N00/278582566/

I would sand and stain your dresser a dark brown.

Actually, I don't mean that I would stain your dresser. I would probably never get around to it. But I think that you should sand and stain it.

Ok, well, it was open in Photoshop and easy to do, so I've (digitally) painted your wall with some more colour options.

green wall:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72524617@N00/278591801/

blue wall:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72524617@N00/278591800/

I love the red wall that Vanessa photoshopped. If I were you I would play woth the red/white/wenge thing you have going on and hang some filmy white fabric from the ceiling right above the bed and drape it behind the headboard.

Get something big and red to go on the dresser (lamp, vase, etc) and attach a red paper or fabric on the back of the cool blue doors to bring the wardrobe in line with the rest of the room. I would wait to change the white dresser until after you make the other changes. Painting a single flat wall is a lot easier that sanding and painting or staining a piece of furniture. Something as simple as draping it with a piece of black silk could make the whole thing really pop.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of accent walls, but I realize that most people are.

I would paint the whole room either a warm neutral tan (which I know sounds boring, but really doesn't have to be) or a pearl grey type of color. Then pump up the color throughout with accesories. Spray paint the baskets under the night stand red, put a bigger piece of art over the bed (or maybe two or three medium sized pieces,) and figure out a few more places you could add some accents (curtains in a great print? colored/patterned shades on the lamps?)

Paint the dresser high gloss black or red. Dark purple could also work.

Love that headboard, am considering it for my own bedroom right now!

I'd paint the wall behind the headboard red, and I would go all the way to the floor. I think the lamps are fine as is. Never really understood why people hang art over their headboards--you don't need it to anchor the bed to the wall (the headboard does that) and you can't see it from the bed--just move it rather than replace it. Never understood why people want rugs in a bedroom--I think rugs are only useful when they tie together seating areas. I'd paint the dresser a dark brown color to match the bedside tables. What is the big white thing on the table to the left? To me, the only thing that doesn't fit is the wardrobe.

Wow! Thanks so much for all of your feedback and for the photoshoppping! I think i am going to go with a green accent wall but i will ditch the red pillow and use some off white (keeping the bed white and clean looking which i like). Drum shades are a fabulous idea (i knew those lamps needed some help). Unfortunately i have to keep the light next to the massive wardrobe as nothing else fits there and i need light at that end of the room. Also going to move that piece of art elsewhere - it does just float above the bed and looks weird. I dont really have anything bigger and am not really into the mirror idea. Does anybody have any ideas on how to come up with a big piece of art (i was thinking of picking up a couple of pieces of fun fabric and framing them in a couple of large frames and hanging them side by side?).

The big white thing next to the bed is an alarm clock that also plays and charges ipods - it has great sound (my husband - a techie - insisted on it so though its big and white, i had no choice).

Maybe a group of pictures, instead of a large one?

I think your room is very nice but the most obvious thing that makes it unfinished is the bed. It needs to be dressed with your take or direction on style; but a cohesive spread/comforter etc... with pillow shams would make a real difference. Your lamps are not the right proportion for the tables and clash a bit with that great headboard. The artwork could be larger so it doesn't float on your wall or another complimentary piece of the same size. I love the lightness of the room and the way you use the space.

Here's what I'd do. Paint the dresser in a glossy red to match the red pillow. Paint the walls a silvery blue or sage, will go with modern feel, a nice complement to red, and tie in the silver parts on the armoire. Plus the dark wood of the bed and nightstands will be a nice contrast if the walls aren't painted dark. Get one more pillow for the bed in a silvery grey.

Then, get a larger peice of art above the bed, and hang it a bit lower. A mirror above or leaning on the dresser, framed the same as the art above the bed. Put a white vase on the dresser, with something asian inspired in it. An orchid, or bamboo.

Revamp your bed linens - the cheapest and easiest thing to do in the long run when accent walls and colors go out of fashion. A solid red colored bed would probably pull the whole look together a bit more. But I agree that you have to decide the whole look for the room first. Warm or cool. Then slowly work on that.

In the current issue of domino they took a dresser similar to yours and stenciled it with a large cane pattern and it looked great, modern in a v. domino way.

I myself could not do something like a red wall in my bedroom, well actually I myself could not do a red wall anywhere, but especially in the bedroom, too violent. Why not start easy? Move the picture (maybe over the dresser, maybe to some other room). Maybe find a really really nice bedspread that you totally love, and get some flow-y solid color curtains to go with it. Then you'll know what to do with the walls and furniture. Have fun!

Hmm, I find it interesting that Joanne considers red to be violent. In the Asian culture it is a very good color that means very good things. It is interesting that the color denotes violence because of it's resemblance to blood rather than passion. I had a ruby wine colored room once with a pumpkin gold silk drape.... it looked like a saffron thread. I loved it but my ex found it too enveloping. That is why I loved it... cozy and dark... with candles it looked so rich and opulent.

As far as this room, I wouldn't paint the wall red... some beautiful red fabric lampshades though and as a back treatment perhaps a nice honey colored wood panel to bring the color off the wood floor below or a spicy pumpkin. Paint that white dresser a laquered red and for the armoire.... put a beautiful colored panel (yes some red and pumpking in it to bring in the room colors) behind the frosted doors and change all the handles in order to create a sense of unity.

How about just putting colorful knobs on the dresser, color behind the headboard, new lampshades & a much larger piece of art? It sounds like less work than painting the room.

Colored walls: paint the wall behind your bed in a linen or other yellow/tan tone - will pick up the browns int he floor and give some oomph to the room.

Hmmmm . . .

going with your green accent theme my suggestions/comments are:

1. Paint the dresser a color (red is a good contrast color to green, or blue or whatever), add fun hardware to play up the contrast to the modern pieces, thus making it more modern . . . . (anthropologie has some funky/vintage pieces at decent prices). Painting the dresser a dark brown doesn't always work, and staining is a bigger time investment. I dig the mix of the "ornate" dresser and more modern headboard, it creates a warm, refreshing less manufactured aesthetic.

2. Move the artwork above the bed to above the dresser. The silver frames next to all that white of the armoire is a bit cold.

3. Think about lining the back of the frosted glass on the armoire with a graphic to add some interest and break up the starkness of that piece (easier than covering the outside). You can find interesting paper at a staionary or art store.

4. If you don't want to commit yet to painting the walls (I agree with the posting above that suggests the headboard is already the accent) you can either a)paint a large canvas the color you like and hang it over the bed, although hanging something over your head like that is bad feng shui . . . or b) hang tall, skinny fabric pieces on either side of the headboard so that they run behind the sidetables to just above the floor (maybe 2'x 5') to frame the bed, you could find beautiful silk pieces patterend or not, you could also do painted canvas here again . . .

Good luck!

Just get rid of the freaking dresser already ... geeeze, Louise.

Shanghai 30's & 40's. Walls to cinnabar. Chest to tobacco or just add a gloss coat.

I would consider painting it a lighter shade of brown, it would pick up the baskets as well as the tan in the painting and would look nice with the red.

I loved the photoshopped red wall, but a red accent wall just makes me think of Big's wall in Sex in the City.

I'd like to award 100 points to Vanessa for going beyond the call of duty by photoshopping the room and showing Laura different color options.

Vanessa [see above], you're hired! I like both color suggestions, and thank you for taking the time to demonstrate each color in action, so to speak. But I still have a problem with the pair of bedside lamps. They just seem too brittle and corsetted in temperament to want to reside in a bedroom. How can I put it? That it would be like sleeping with earrings on?

Colorful knobs on dresser (red would be good, you should check @ Anthropologie they have a good selection), a funky mirror over the dresser, colorful lampshades and a new duvet cover that pulls all the other colors. A bigger piece of art over your bed or a hanging fabric/shawl/scarf/tapestry as well. You could also attach some pretty colored rice paper on the glass doors of your armoire and perhaps get some window coverings as well.
No need to repaint anything!

One more thing...I would consider a drum shaped lampshade for those lamps to counter the base.

Laura, you want cheap, big, art? How about a 2' x 3' sheet or two of fancy paper from one of those fancy paper shops? (if you live in NYC there are a few on 18th and 19th streets b/w 5th and 6th. Kate's paperie might have some stuff too, not sure.) The sheets run between 3 and 10 dollars and they have things like colorful marbling, woodblocks, or (my favorite) old maps of cities like London or Paris or New York. You could throw a frame around them or (if you use the marbled paper or similar) you could use them like wallpaper.

love the ideas - its really easy and pretty cheap to pick up a big canvas at Utrect or pearl paints or similar and paint it yourself. Either a block colour, or a block with a stencil over it (chinese characters? in keeping with the look)or geometric shapes with a few colours are really easy. If your feeling ambitious you could actually paint something!

I might like to hang (or even pin (less work)) bright sheer drapes either side of the bed to bring colour to that end of the room up the wall. The dresser could be brightened with some fabric across the top, that hangs on the sides almost like a table runner.

Paint walls aubergine colour. Use fawn accents.

I like vanessa's flickr photo where the wall is red. I also like the green.

i'm with rayona, and would add consider pretty fabrics instead of paint.
i'm thinking a white silk spanish shawl, embroidered with red flowers, draped over your white distressed dresser -- hottttt.
there's something about the scale of the night tables and the lamps that's -- too short?

I live in a trailor one of my bedroom is painted white on 2 sides also a double window on the painted side ..one side is paneled in a med color with a closet and other side is 1/2 dark at the bottom and a light from the middle up
what can i do to make it look bigger and welcome guest do i paint the paneling ? It's a small room but gig enough for a queen bed and night stand but no dresser i wanted it in 2 light colors help we have guest comming on the 26 of feb what do I do desperate Debbie In Fl

I think all the color suggestions are great and I'm sure you are now overwhelmed by the choices. Red is a very common color choice because it add drama yet it is warm. If you do decide to re-change the closet color which I think you will find yourself wanting to do, stain it instead with color that works with the floor and the bedhead.
B-t-w, I LOVE THE CLOSET. WHERE DID YOU GET IT?

I WANT TO SUPRISE MY BOYFRIEND BY DECORATING HIS ROOM ITS WHITE WITH A DARK ORANGE LOOKING WOODEN WARDROBES AND WHITE WALLS WHAT COLOURS CAN I USE FOR FLOORING AND ACCESORIES

Thanks everyone for all of your comments and suggestions! a few changes and i LOVE my bedroom. Coco - its Ikea - i have to say it was a LOT of work to put it together but there is a TON of room it in (plenty of shelves, drawers and two rods on which to hang clothes).