As you transition into adult life, you start doing a lot of more adult things – sometimes because you want to and sometimes because you have to. But as you start going to work and paying bills, not everything keeps up with your new, grown-up lifestyle. You can realize that some areas of your life don’t match the adult aesthetic that you want. This can especially happen at home, where it can take a while to create a more grown-up space.
When you’re a young adult, you might move around a lot because you’re renting or chasing career opportunities, so settling into a property might not be a priority for you.
But what if you do want to start making your home feel more permanent? Not only that, but you also want it to reflect your adult life. One area that you can start with is your bedroom. It might not be the first place that visitors see, but it is the one space in your home that can serve as your sanctuary and really reflect your personality. If you want to make your bedroom more grown-up, take a look at some of these ideas for more adult decor.
Choose a Color Scheme
Is your room looking pretty plain? Maybe it has some color to it, but nothing really matches. You might just buy bedding and other items on a whim, but nothing really matches. The first thing that you might want to do is choose a color scheme that you can use to decorate your bedroom. This might mean that you decide to paint or add some wallpaper, although if you’re renting, you might not be able to do this. A color scheme can still help to inform your decorative choices, even if you’re not able to paint or make any permanent changes.
Focus on Your Bed
When you don’t know where to start, take a good look at your bed. A grown-up bed is the one thing that every adult needs in their bedroom. Of course, you might already have a double bed, but does it really give you what you need? Do you have a quality mattress and does the frame of your bed enhance the look of your bedroom? If your bed is a little boring or you just bought the cheapest one you could find, it’s probably time for an update. A comfortable mattress that will last for years and a well-made bed that reflects your taste will update your bedroom.
Coordinate Your Furniture
As you move into adulthood, you can end up collecting mismatched furniture – and even some things that aren’t really furniture but get used in place of it. These things can serve you well for a while, but eventually, it’s time to admit that you can do better. A set of matching bedroom furniture will immediately make your bedroom more adult. Look for best quality king size bedroom sets that bring the design of your room together. You don’t have to match your furniture exactly, though. You can also choose complementary pieces that go together without having them be completely matched.
Get Proper Storage
Do you have piles of clothes around your bedroom? Maybe you have a tower of books by your bed. When you don’t have a lot of money to spend on furniture, it doesn’t seem necessary to buy extra storage or things like bookshelves when they’re not strictly necessary. But as you get older, it’s not really appropriate to just leave piles of your things around or use makeshift storage to contain your stuff. Getting some proper storage for your clothes or other items that you keep in your bedroom will help you to keep everything neat and tidy.
Add Layered Lighting
One of the ways to quickly make a bedroom look more grown-up is to change the lighting. Table lamps are an excellent addition to any bedroom if you want to make it more sophisticated. You can create layered lighting so that you can control how much light is in your room. As well as an overhead light, you might have table lamps by the bed, a tall floor lamp or even wall lights or other lighting options. Installing a dimmer could be a great idea too, allowing you to have complete control over the lighting level whenever you want.
When you’re choosing lighting, consider making the light fixtures and lamps something worth looking at. You could just focus on the light that they bring into the room, but you can also choose some stylish options that are more than just practical features of the room. A stylish light fixture enhances your room, instead of being just a standard feature that needs to be there, so you’re not in the dark.
Create a Dressing Area
An area where you can get dressed and ready to go out is great to have in your bedroom if you have the space. You don’t need to have a huge space to do this. It might just be that you add a full-length mirror to your room so that you can use it to check your outfit, apply makeup or do your hair. You could also have a vanity, which gives you somewhere to keep beauty products and jewelry. Add a chair, and you also have somewhere to sit while you’re doing your hair or makeup.
Hang Some Art
Art is a great way to make any space in your home more adult. In fact, you don’t have to choose particularly “grown-up” art to make it work. Even a band poster can look more adult if you hang it in the right way. Framing your art is a good way to elevate it immediately and give it a more sophisticated look. Not only will it make anything look like proper art, but it will also help to protect anything that you frame. You can hang anything that you like, whether it’s photos or prints of your favorite paintings, but think about how it fits in with the room.
Get Some Good Curtains or Blinds
You might already have blinds or curtains over your window to keep out the light and give you some privacy. However, they might not be great quality. Maybe you didn’t even pick them yourself. A good pair of curtains or set of blinds can really make your bedroom look better, not just from inside by from outside too. Think about the practicalities of curtains and blinds, as well as what you want them to look like. Do you want them to completely black out the light or even provide some extra thermal insulation to keep your room warm?
Add a Chair
A comfortable chair in your bedroom can be so much more than just somewhere to put your clothes. When you add a chair, it can provide an accent piece for your room, and it offers another way to use your bedroom. You now have a chair to sit in if you want to read a book or just take some time to yourself, without having to sit on the bed. Making your bedroom a sanctuary where you can relax and unwind is a great idea. An eye-catching armchair could be the latest feature in your bedroom if you have the space.
Mix Textures
A mix of textures in your bedroom can give it a layered look and make it feel a bit more exciting. It’s easy to do in the bedroom, where you can use different textiles and fabrics, especially on the bed. Use throws or throw pillows, as well as other items that you can use to dress the bed. Consider using different materials throughout your bedroom, mixing wood, metal and others to build up the design of your room.
Have Some Greenery
Adding plants to your bedroom is another great way to make it look more grown-up. You could have fresh flowers, but these need to be changed regularly, so it can feel a bit wasteful. Potted plants offer an alternative, which you can take care of and keep looking good. If you’re not particularly good at looking after plants, there’s always the option of artificial ones. You can get some that look pretty real, and you don’t have to remember to water or feed them. Plus, they can be less messy than the real deal.
Curate Your Shelves
If you have shelves in your bedroom, you can do more than simply drop things on them. Your shelves can be a place where you really think about how you want to display your stuff. Even if they are mostly filled with books, you can enhance them with a couple of matching bookends or add some ornaments in front of your books if there is space. Use your shelves as a gallery and not just somewhere to dump stuff when you have nowhere else to put it.
Your bedroom can easily look more adult with a few updates, and some careful thought put into what you want it to look like.