Ask A Designer™: Gillian Atkins’ Best Advice For Updating a Dated Bedroom

In this edition of Ask A Designer™, Gillian Atkins, senior designer at Lynda Reeves Design Studio (LRDS), shares advice for refreshing a bedroom. Take a look!

Q: I want to redo everything in my bedroom; it feels dated. I’m open to anything you suggest — furniture, paint, floors, anything! — D.K., Toronto

The goal is to give you a new trad look that balances light woods and darker accents. Replace your wall-to-wall carpeting with engineered wood flooring. If you have wood throughout the rest of the house, match it. (If not, choose a mid-tone oak plank floor.) You’ll need new furniture: buy an upholstered bed and place two swivel chairs at the foot. Buy nightstands and swap out the dresser for a shallow cabinet (preferably in a dark colour).

Get a millworker to build you custom drawers in the alcove under the TV and paint them the same colour as the rest of the room. Try colour drenching the room in a warm taupe like Benjamin Moore’s Stone Hearth. Painting the walls, trim, doors and ceiling bulkhead all one shade will help open up the space. Finally, ground the furniture with a vintageinspired rug, and bring in terracotta linen drapes and graphic patterned throw pillows to add life. Enjoy a timeless update to your bedroom!