TL;DR
Get furniture and decor delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Apartment Therapy published advice from four interior designers on six bedroom choices they dislike: matching furniture and bedding, poorly scaled furniture, visible clothing racks, missing headboards and TVs used as focal points. These are the designers’ preferences, not universal design rules; the article offers alternatives for creating a more personal, balanced room.
Apartment Therapy has published a bedroom-design report drawing on comments from four interior designers, who identify six choices they say can make a bedroom feel impersonal, unbalanced or unfinished. The advice covers matching furniture and bedding, furniture scale, clothing storage, headboards and television placement, giving readers practical ideas while reflecting professional opinions rather than formal rules.
Dorothy McGhee, founder of McGhee Studios, objects to buying a complete matching bedroom furniture set, saying it can leave the room looking as if it came directly from a catalog. She recommends combining different textures, tones and styles to make the space feel more personal. McGhee also says a bed without a headboard may look unfinished, though she notes that a simple upholstered panel or vintage piece can provide the needed layer without an elaborate purchase.
Orna Fathers, founder of Grace This Space, advises against bedding packages in which shams, pillows, bedspread and curtains all share one pattern. She says mixing colors and textures can create a more relaxed look. Fathers also cautions against making a television the bedroom’s focal point, suggesting it could be framed, placed in a cabinet or set among artwork. A projector and screen that can be put away are another option.
Lauren Winsor, founder of House of Winsor Interiors, focuses on proportion: a large bed with undersized nightstands or a rug that is too small can look unbalanced. The report relays her guidance that nightstands alongside queen or king beds should be at least 30 inches wide when possible, and that a rug should extend at least two feet beyond the bed on all sides. Natalie Hager, founder of Natalie Hager Interiors, recommends keeping overflow clothing off bedroom racks, suggesting seasonal storage or finding another closet instead.
Small Choices Shape a Bedroom
The advice addresses decisions that can affect both the appearance and everyday feel of a bedroom, including whether furniture fits the bed, where clothes are stored and how prominent a screen is. For people furnishing or refreshing a room, the suggestions offer ways to make it feel more considered without requiring a complete renovation: changing a rug, rearranging objects or adding a modest headboard may be enough to address a specific concern.
The report also stresses that designers’ reactions are subjective guidance, not a checklist every household must follow. A coordinated set may suit someone’s taste, and a TV may be useful in a bedroom. Readers can use the designers’ explanations to weigh the trade-offs—such as visual balance or visible storage—against their own needs, budget and preferences.
upholstered headboards for bedroom
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Four Designers, Six Decorating Choices
The Apartment Therapy report, written by Sarah Lyon, presents responses from four design professionals asked what they least like to see in bedrooms. It frames the list as advice for people decorating from scratch or making a refresh, while explicitly allowing readers to disagree and treat the opinions with some flexibility.
The six points are fully matching furniture sets, overly coordinated bedding, furniture that is out of scale, bedroom clothing racks, a bed without a headboard and a television that dominates the room. The suggestions are practical alternatives rather than claims that these choices are unsafe or universally wrong. The source includes no survey, measurements of consumer preferences or independent evaluation of the designers’ recommendations.
“They lack soul.”
— Dorothy McGhee, founder of McGhee Studios
Design Advice Is Not a Rulebook
The article reports four designers’ personal preferences; it does not establish that the six choices harm sleep, reduce home value or cause a measurable design problem. It also provides no evidence that one furnishing approach works best for every bedroom. Recommendations about nightstand width and rug extension are attributed to Winsor and should be read as guidance, not building standards or universal requirements.
The source does not compare costs, explain how room dimensions may change the suggested measurements or assess alternatives for renters and people with limited storage. Whether a headboard, visible clothing rack or bedroom TV is a poor fit depends on the room and the people using it.
Apply the Ideas to Your Room
The report describes no announced follow-up or formal design standard. Readers considering a change can start by identifying the issue that matters most in their own room: proportion, storage, visual coordination or the bed’s focal point. Measuring the bed, rug and available wall space before shopping can help avoid buying items that do not fit.
For lower-cost updates, the designers’ suggestions include mixing existing bedding textures, moving overflow clothes to concealed storage, or making a television less visually prominent. The source does not say which changes are most popular or whether any have been tested against one another; the appropriate next step is a matter of individual taste and practical needs.
Key Questions
What six bedroom choices do the designers criticize?
They name matching furniture sets, overly coordinated bedding, furniture that is out of scale, clothing racks in the bedroom, beds without headboards and televisions that dominate the room.
What rug size does the report recommend?
Lauren Winsor’s guidance, as reported by Apartment Therapy, is for a rug to extend at least two feet beyond the bed on all sides. Room layout may affect what is practical.
Do bedroom furniture and bedding have to match?
No. The designers quoted favor mixing textures, tones and styles, but the report presents this as personal design advice, not a universal requirement.
What can replace a clothing rack in the bedroom?
Natalie Hager suggests using another closet or storing seasonal clothing in bins, including under the bed or in an attic where available. The source does not offer a one-size-fits-all storage solution.
How can a bedroom television draw less attention?
Orna Fathers suggests using a Frame-style television, putting it in a cabinet, arranging artwork around it or considering a projector and screen that can be stored when not in use.
Source: rss
Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day Picks
long weekend sales
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
