Bedrooms. They are the space in our homes where we arguably spend the most time, and for many, it is the most important room in the house. Designer Emily Meszkat of Emily Meszkat Interiors recently finished a project with not only one but multiple beautiful bedrooms. We asked her to share her best tips for creating a bedroom with personality but that is also serene, whether it be a primary, a guestroom, or a children’s bedroom.
“Bedrooms are forgotten rooms because no one ever wants to really spend money on them since they are not seen by all guests, and yet people complain about their bedrooms the most,” says Meszkat. “To successfully decorate a bedroom, it needs a point of view, or at least a hint of a theme, even if it’s a sophisticated primary bedroom.”
The bedroom is the perfect space to have fun and let your personality shine through. Although these bedrooms are in the same home, they each have their own style. “We wanted to invoke a different feeling in each bedroom — almost as if you were on vacation at a cool, bespoke B&B, and they gave you a choice of experiences,” says Meszkat.
The designer adds that the bedroom designs also can be different from the design of the rest of the home because they are set apart. “We really gave ourselves permission to be creative and go there!”
Primary Bedroom
Primary bedrooms can be hard because you are bringing two personalities together into one design. “You often have competing aesthetics and needs between partners,” she adds. “I resolve those issues by making sure everyone gets to have their say about what they think is important.”
But Meszkat says that it takes more than that to make a great primary bedroom. You also need “serene color palettes, good lighting for reading, and solving the window treatments, which are what I lead with,” she says of starting a design.
Guest Rooms
Beds are often the stars of the show in a bedroom of any kind as they are the largest piece of furniture and a focal point. “In the seaside cottage room, my favorite part is the aqua Jenny Lind bed,” says Meszkat.
Next most prominent is the bedding. Every bedroom should have comfortable and stylish bedding. For this, Meszkat sources bedding from all over, from old faithfuls, like Pottery Barn and Serena & Lily, but she often finds herself in offbeat boutiques, online, or using bedding the clients already own, like the handmade quilt in the guestroom — or “guest womb” as she refers to it.
The purple-and-red wallpaper make it feel dark and cozy, plus make a big statement. She says you should always include wallpaper in a guest room.
For the seaside cottage room, there is a coastal vibe with vintage touches. For the bedding, she went with white linens overall, with touches of color thanks to throw pillows and blanket.
Children’s Rooms
Rooms for kids need to be multifunctional. They must house a lot of things — toys, a desk for homework, books, clothes, and more. They also come with the challenge of pleasing the grownups in the house, as well as the children who reside in these rooms.
For the daughter’s room, a vibrant shade of pink, her favorite, was chosen to add pops of color. It has feminine touches but will grow with her as she ages.
Traditional pieces like furniture and lighting were chosen for this space and then more vibrant accessories add personality, so you get the best of both worlds: high design and high fun.
And no matter what type of bedroom or who it is designed for, make sure it has personality. “If there is no personality in a bedroom, it feels too much like a hotel room,” says Meszkat.
Must-Haves for Bedrooms
“Just like in other rooms of the home, textiles are an important way to get your design into decor,” says Meszkat. “Pillows and throws with white bedding is my choice over printed.”
A center light.
“It helps add beauty and function to a design scheme,” says Meszkat. “Sconces do the same. I would say no matter what, have a switch close to the bed, so you don’t have to do rock, paper, scissors for who must get up and turn it off!”
Blackout shades or drapes.
“If you can spring for motorized, that’s the epitome of luxury,” she says.
Try not to have too many things.
“Like chairs or benches that will just become a clothing collector,” says Meszkat. “It happens to us all.”
Related: The Primary Suite in This Larchmont Home Is All About Neutrals
