The bed is always the focal point of the bedroom and to create a gorgeous bedroom, you have to start with the bed, bedding and bedding accessories. The incredible variety and styles of beds and bedding means that you can create any look or style that appeals to you, from minimalist and modern to frilly, floral Victorian. However, you have to know where to begin.

Here are some guidelines and considerations to keep in mind when creating the bedroom of your dreams.

The Furniture: Deciding on Style

If you’re starting from scratch and creating a new bedroom, the bed will define the style of the room so shop long and hard before making a final choice. Furniture stores, home decor magazine and websites, and decorated model homes are great places to get ideas. Are you drawn to the sleek lines of a glossy black platform bed with minimalist lines, or are you a sucker for a deep cherry wood four post bed? Narrowing down your style preference will automatically make your choice easier because you can eliminate those styles that don’t match your ideal.

This size of your bedroom and the amount of furniture you need will determine the size of the bed you should choose. Most couples prefer a queen or king size bed and even someone who sleeps alone will be more comfortable in a queen size bed if there’s room. Whether you need just a dresser and mirror or that plus a bureau or high boy depends on your storage needs and the size of your closet. If you have a large, efficient walk-in closet you won’t need as much furniture storage as someone who has a small closet.

While it’s easy to buy bedroom furniture in “suites”, designed sets of furniture have a very predictable, showroom look. To achieve a designer look, try to mix furniture choices with pieces that are compatible but not perfectly matched. If you’re not confident enough to totally mix things up, you might choose a bed and dresser from the same set but add night tables that are different from that furniture and maybe even different from each other. Coordinate pieces by wood type or general style to create your own designer style.

Building on the Style

Once you’ve chosen the furniture, turn your attention to the walls and think about colors that will support the style and color of your furniture. Cool blues and greens or sedate gray are good choices for a modern look; or you can add traditional warmth with a warm caramel color; or add casual flair with sunny yellow and white accents. Once you’ve chosen your wall color, you can begin shopping for bedding that coordinates with your wall color and introduces accent colors that you can repeat in other accessories. For example, if you’ve chosen traditional dark cherry furniture and have painted your walls in a rich taupe shade, you might choose a comforter and bedding in shades of cream and taupe with burgundy accents. Pick up the burgundy again in lamp shades, a throw for the foot of the bed, and in a metal tree art, flowers and grapes wall decor or other wall art. You may want to mix these colors again in an area rug or upholstered chair for the room.

Bagged bedding sets make it easier, but they can look too regimented. A better approach may be to choose a comforter and mix and match other bedding accents to create an individual look.

Creating a gorgeous bedroom is not difficult if you start with the basics – the furniture – and then build your color palette, style and decor from there.