How to Stop an All-White Bedroom from feeling Sterile

There’s nothing more wonderfully bright and airy than an all-white bedroom. But have you ever tried to rock this look and had it backfire? Did it end up feeling a little cold, sterile and uninviting?

If you’ve tried but not loved the result of your all-white bedroom efforts, then today I’m coming to your rescue. I want to give you some quick hints and tips from my own home that’ll give you the confidence to give a white bedroom a go again.

So let’s read on and look on as I show you how easy it can be to rock white bedroom ideas at your place. There’s also a video further down that’ll help explain things further too. So you get to watch on too!

You Actually Can’t go All White

I know, I know; this post is about all white bedroom ideas. But truth be told, you can’t have every element in the space be white. As you’ll see from the room in my home above, some moments need to be in tones that complement the white but aren’t actually white.

The carpet is a great example. It’s a gorgeous warm beige tone that makes the space feel cosy and inviting (get the details of the carpet makeover in this post).

Imagine if the floor was covered in a white tile or floorboard. It would feel so clinical. If there was a darker grey carpet, you’d run the risk of it feeling too cramped and closed-in. The beige tone is a winner here if you ask me.

The paint colour on the walls also has a brown undertone, which means it appears white but isn’t pure white. And the artwork on the wall (a bargain buy from Kmart), brings some chic black moments into the space.

All in all the room feels fresh and inviting, and not at all sterile.

You Need some Detail in your Bedding

When you turn the colour down in a room you need to amp up the texture. And that’s exactly what I’ve done here on top of the bed.

The divine new bedding set you see here from my friends at Lorraine Lea, called Milan, is a great example of bedding with texture and interest. Notice the amazing pattern detail throughout? It brings so much life and dimension to the room. It’s 100% cotton and mimics the style of hand-stitched quilts. I love it.

Bedding with an intricate pattern like this is also great because you don’t have to cover it with loads of throws or blankets. The quilting makes it warm in winter, and I like it left uncovered in the warmer months. It lets the pattern detail do all the talking.

As always, I like loads of pillows at the head of the bed (grab some killer pillow styling ideas here), so I’ve got an all-white arrangement here. Having them all lined up like this makes the room feel more formal as well.

You Should Bring in Other Textures

Outside of the bedding itself, you should look to other textures to bring life to the space. Out of the all white bedroom ideas I’m sharing in this post, texture is the most important element.

Look to an upholstered headboard in a colour that’s not white. In my bedroom above, I’ve gone for a bed with a headboard that matches the carpet; a nice warm beige. The woven fabric in the headboard brings even more texture to the room. And you’ll also notice that it matches the stone wall outside the room.

Bedside tables in warm timbers are a nice idea here too. And of course, you know I love me some bedroom table styling. So grab a few gorgeous lamps like I have here, and then style up the rest of the vignette with your fave decor.

Here I’ve used Newhaven lamps from Lorraine Lea, along with some affordable candles and jugs. Flowers are always a nice idea too if you want them, and you can get flower styling tips here if you need.

What’s Happening Outside?

It’s important to think about what’s happening directly outside your bedroom window. My bedroom has a balcony attached to it, and it is in need of some outdoor styling, I will admit.

Notice though, in the image further up, there’s a stone wall outside. I used this as inspiration for what was going on inside the bedroom. By pulling colours from the stone and replicating them throughout the bedroom, both spaces make sense side-by-side.

You might not have a balcony outside your bedroom, but I’m sure you have window. Consider what plants or flowers you have in this area and see if you can use inspiration from them for some of the styling inside.

If you’re going for an all white bedroom, perhaps it’s time to plant something with white flowers. I reckon it’ll look divine!

All White Bedroom Ideas in the Video Above

The video above, which I made in conjunction with Lorraine Lea, will bring some of these all white bedroom ideas to life for you.

But to sum all of this up, if you want some quick-fire tips to take away:

• Use white in large doses but look to beige to bring warmth too
• Ensure you have loads of other textures in the space so it doesn’t feel cold
• Bedside tables in warm timbers are a great idea here
• Choose a warm carpet colour and avoid tiles or floorboards
• Bedding with detail in it, or a pattern, will bring life to the room
• Consider what’s going on outside your bedroom (plant some white flowers)

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading and watching my tips on all white bedroom ideas. Do drop me a comment below if you have any additional questions for me. Happy styling!