I’ll say without shame that I have a strong eye for design. Be it clothes, art, or furniture.
It wasn’t something I was born with, but I did hit the decor lottery.
My mom owned two furniture boutiques before she became a full-time interior designer, and while I loathed her for the monthly furniture reconfigurations my sister and I got sucked into, it taught me how to fill a room with taste.
Alongside the nepotism was my hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan, AKA “Furniture City USA.” Home of Steelcase and Herman Miller. My family and everyone else’s had an Eames or Karman chair in their home. I didn’t realize it then, but good decor always surrounded me.
I’m not fishing for recognition in Architectural Digest, so who am I to gatekeep? If a bedroom update is what you seek, here are some of my favorite decor ideas to animate your chambers.
A Tasteful Headboard
There’s no better springboard into bedroom decor than the bed itself. The crown jewel. The summoning force. What everyone’s eyes guide towards in a man’s sanctuary. A fancy headboard can transform even a bare-bones bed frame into an aristocratic nest.
Carved wood, brass-studded leather, or quilted fabric—it doesn’t matter. As long as it isn’t a plank (or nothing at all), you can bet it’ll lift the atmosphere.
Statement Lighting
Not all of us are blessed with south-facing windows to let the sun’s rays bathe our rooms in natural light. Enter statemight lighting, otherwise known as “a big lamp.”
The lighting world is crazy. I’ve dipped into NYC consignment shops to find lamps that cost more than my annual rent. Luckily, there are plenty of floor lamps that look like they’re heirlooms but cost less than a new pair of sneakers.
Just make sure to go with a warm-toned light bulb as opposed to white LEDs unless you want your bedroom to look like a hospital triage.
Mood Lighting
Mood lighting is less about illuminating your room and more about dramatic effect or casting attention to a particular spot—reading nooks and the like.
I love this one from Lithuanian brand Kismas. Using a glass brick to project color-changing LEDs is such a distinct switch-up from ordinary light bulbs, and there couldn’t be a better way to achieve that 1980s Miami design ethos in a space.
An Art Centerpiece
You could arrange a scattered display of framed family photos behind your bed. I know my grandparents did.
But hey, who am I to knock a family man? It’s just hard to nail a cohesive aesthetic with mismatched photographs. Call me a creative, a man of the arts, or a snob if you’d like, but nothing says a man has taste like an original, framed painting in his room.
It doesn’t have to be an original Goya. Frankly, I’d recommend a trip to the local artists guild above anything else. Point being, it should be bigger than any other wall fixture in your bedroom, thereby defining your quarters.
Plush Bedding
I could’ve gone several ways with this concept. Printed bedding says something, but I’ve had a hard time finding a pattern stylish enough to justify a spot on this list. Should you do the same, prepare to trudge through Temu bedding with a pixelated image of Bob Marley or smiling cartoon giraffes.
So, why plush bedding? Any time I’ve seen a neatly-made bed with a down comforter, duvet cover, and a bed scarf, the whole ensemble does justice to the surrounding decor. A flimsy top sheet tears it all down. In fact, a man with bare-minimum bedding is somewhat of a meme among the ladies.
A Media Stand
One of my best friends is a borderline vinyl addict. His collection is insane, and his mid-century modern media stand not only makes pallet’s worth of discs presentable, it draws me into them.
A media stand’s relevance is inverse to the adoption of media streaming, so don’t go running to the local record shop to fill a void if you aren’t into vinyl or CDs. If you are, this is a big step up from milk crates lying around.
Premium Candles
Recommending candles for a bedroom is hardly groundbreaking. I’m meticulous about the feng shui of my living space, and dollar-store candles disrupt all of that woo-woo synergy, both in fragrance and appearance.
I love Diptyque and Le Labo, but I have a hard time with spending that caliber of cash on something disposable. I get tons of compliments on the Brooklyn Candle Studio burning in my spot, and their packaging punches above the price tag.
Brooklyn Candle Studio believes in providing a full sensory experience, which is why they make candles that smell great in packaging with a modern, minimalist aesthetic. They also take a sustainable approach to sourcing and manufacturing, and their candles are made right out of their studio in New York City.
A Watch Case
Unlike sculptures or wall art, a watch case is a multi-faceted decor piece. It keeps your watches free of dust, and if it looks nice, cradles them elegantly to all who have the privilege of seeing where the king gets his rest.
If you can spend the dough, nothing beats dark-stain wood set with suede leather. Pure class.
Small Trays
Not long ago I was the merchandise planner for the dinnerware department of Bloomingdale’s. One of the Versace reps gave me a trinket tray with my last initial on it, and the simple little thing is so convenient, not to mention how it adds a subtle layer of luxe to my dresser.
Your phone, keys, and wallet deserve to rest their head in style seeing as they’re the holy trinity of a man’s belongings.
A Cool Nightstand
If you’re seeking a stylish bedroom update, nightstands are second to none behind a bed. Most bedrooms have them, but I can’t help but admire someone who has matching nightstands on either side of their bed. Not everyone has this kind of space, so don’t be afraid to go for something fancy as a single nightstand wouldn’t define the room like two would.
A Stunning Dresser
Without any extra storage space, my dresser is mainly for putting my off-season wardrobe on ice. I was using plastic containers under my bed before, and let me tell you, hunting for a vintage dresser was worth all of the Facebook Marketplace bartering and the exhausting retrieval that ensued.
Capsule wardrobe guys need not apply.
Art Toys
This is by far the most niche inclusion in this roundup, and one that’s near and dear to my heart. Hear me out on this.
My parents had a no-toy policy during my childhood—books and art supplies only. My desire for toys only grew in their absence, and with an adult salary now in the picture, toys have a place on my shelves.
Not Beanie Babies, G.I. Joe action figures, or Tamagotchi—art toys. Searching for “designer vinyl” or “Japanese sofubi” will help narrow your search if I’ve piqued your interest. In short, these fixtures aren’t for slamming together in make-believe battles, but simply to look good wherever they rest.
Nice Blinds
Blinds are a criminally underserved component of the male living space. Every single rental I’ve lived in had the same set of dusty, bent blinds, but that didn’t stop me from throwing a couple screws into the wall to hang blackout curtains in my color of choice.
Options widen for homeowners. If you aren’t feeling curtains, you can swap plastic blinds with wooden venetian blinds or shutters.
Putting blinds on this list illustrates one main point in all of this: no matter how functional something is, you can find a design-centric alternative to elevate your space.
A Presentable Television Setup
I’m guilty of obscene cable management. Between my Nintendo Switch, sound bar, and the television cables themselves, the whole thing is unsightly.
Once again, a little bit of forethought into a functional object can shake things up for the better. At best, you could mount a Samsung The Frame TV that looks like a painting when idle and requires little cordage. At worst, you could buy cable guides keep things neat.
A Supportive Chair
What do I mean by supportive? Two things: supporting your aesthetic and posture.
No matter how small my room is, I always have a chair for reading. When I’m not throwing myself into a book, it serves as a crash pad for outerwear I’m too lazy to hang in my closet. Having grown up in the same town as the Herman Miller headquarters, I hit the jackpot with a molded plastic rocker on discount.
Timeless and recognizable no doubt, but classic chairs don’t need to be an investment. Real lookers are abundant in vintage shops, Facebook Marketplace, and even Wayfair.
A Unique Rug
Rugs, particularly of the Turkish or Persian variety, are within my top-three favorite decor ideas on this list.
A large area rug adds symmetry (a key tenet to interior design) to a bedroom, and handmade ones can bring a worldly aesthetic if the surrounding furniture is minimalistic.
Vintage Prints
Teenage me was a big poster guy. A friend of mine worked at the movie theater, and he’d save any of the posters for me once the movie discontinued screening. They were huge. Nobody could possibly question my affinity for Star Wars and Alien with an entire wall dedicated to them.
There’s no shame in being a pop-culture buff, but modern advertisements don’t match the cultured flavor of vintage prints. I found an incredible poster shop in a Paris flea market and brought home several.
Like art, a proper frame will reinforce maturity and pride in your bedroom more than paper sticky-tacked to the wall.
Plants
It’s no coincidence why plants became the new pets over the pandemic. Humans naturally resonate with the calming aura of vegetation, and bringing that into the home isn’t hard with a bit of green thumb know-how.
Whether it’s a petit succulent on the windowsill or a 6-foot monstera towering over your bed, plants of any size can mute a sterile feeling in a man’s bedroom.
A Mirror
I love the way large mirrors make a room feel bigger, and there are two main camps among bedroom mirror advocates: vanity mirrors and floor mirrors.
Because vanity mirrors are normally connected to a dresser, they can be expensive while taking up more space than you’re willing to surrender. I side with the latter. Floor mirrors aren’t hard to come by, and leaning one against the wall is an easy way to fill empty space if you’re all set on furniture.
Aesthetic Audio Equipment
Now here’s where I get really picky. Like I said before, I’m not an analog media connoisseur even though most record players actually look cool. For those with a discerning palate for all things aesthetic, consider something like the Teenage Engineering OB-4 for your bedroom jam sessions.
The design alone brought me to my knees, resulting in a purchase that I normally wouldn’t make. Forget about audio quality. I’d be damned if it isn’t the cherry on top of my room’s vibe. Put simply, if you’re an audio nerd with a knack for interior design, a high-end speaker satisfies both interests.
Ceramic Vases
If you’re all set with wall art but your eye for design still has an appetite, consider a vase to scratch that itch.
Vases have filled homes since before the local entertainment was a man vs. lion showdown. They embrace humanity. Mankind’s innate calling to create. When has a guest gawked at a host’s vase?
I know this is a list for men, but you’ll probably score some brownie points with the ladies if you fill yours with flowers. Let me pitch 21 masculine floral arrangements to my editor. Check back soon.
For those who only needed a couple of ideas to fill the last remaining gap in their ideal decor assortment, I hope my taste served as your north star.
If you’re a guy soon to embark on a bedroom makeover that borders on home improvement, I hope I didn’t leave you with a daunting shopping list.
Regardless of which you identify with, I’ll leave you with this: Let those creative juices flow, and never let anyone tell you that interior design is for girls.
