3 interior design tips to help you redesign your bedroom
From headboards and lighting to wallpaper and rugs, every element in a bedroom adds to the space’s overall look. As Kristen Pawlak of KP Designs/Decorating Den Interiors knows, interior design is a personal expression of style — that’s how she works with homeowners to incorporate their aesthetics into the spaces she creates for them.
The following bedrooms were designed for three different houses in Louisville, and each offers a distinct look and feel.
Contemporary and chic
Grays, whites, and sleek lines make up this contemporary bedroom in Buechel. The client wanted an upholstered headboard with shelter sides and button tufts, which Pawlak set against a metallic, geometric wall covering.
“Our accent color here is a pretty goldenrod (hue),” Pawlak told The Courier Journal, pointing out the accent pillow that pops among the all-white bedding.
“Something else (the homeowner) wanted was a gas fireplace insert,” she added. “It changes colors — it’s really cool.”
Part of the renovation included building a customized closet system, which boasts hanging rods, shelves, drawers, pull-out pant holders, and a built-in vanity.
“(The homeowner) can tuck in here in the morning (to) get ready,” Pawlak said. “It’s a nice luxury. It’s very lit up, between the recessed lights and the LED-lighted mirror. It’s all that and a bag of chips.”
Pawlak’s pro tip when it comes to renovating a main bedroom and closet is to be very thorough with measurements, always considering the space needed for baseboards, electrical outlets, and the like.
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“It will save you a lot in the long run to have very careful measurements and placements,” she said. “Work with a professional … who knows closet systems.”
Transitional and timeless
The renovation in this Middletown house included a revamp of the main bedroom and bathroom.
“If we have a client who is interested in a (primary) bathroom makeover,” Pawlak said, “we have them really think through the bedroom (as well). … It makes sense to think of them together. … There’s a functional standpoint because people can move to a guest bedroom (during the renovation, and) those two areas really need to flow together from a design standpoint.”
Much of this bedroom boasts cool, neutral tones, but Pawlak says this homeowner also enjoys a bit of sparkle and bling. She incorporated glitzy touches with crystal-accented drapery hardware, well as mirrored and silver accents throughout.
The homeowner also wanted to utilize some of their existing furniture — including a chest and a nightstand — in their new space. Pawlak rearranged the pieces, added new ones, and brought in matching rugs to unite both the bed portion of the room as well as the sitting area.
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“We also spruced up (the built-in shelving in the sitting area) with this really cool, small-scale wallpaper to make it pop … and add color,” Pawlak said.
Vintage and whimsical
This Norton Commons basement bedroom was part of a designer showhouse, so Pawlak had free reign to design the space as she saw fit.
“The builder (created) an egress window so that it could be called a bedroom,” she said, explaining that to be considered a bedroom, a room must have two exits.
Though the window was built for practical reasons, Pawlak dressed up the space with hurricanes, a roller shade, and drapery panels.
“By building code, (you might) need an egress window, but they can be pretty, too,” she said.
Her goal with the overall design was to give it a collected, well-traveled feel. It’s dotted with suitcases, travel boxes, globes, and other travel-related décor.
“We (included) a lot of cool stuff that signifies a lot of different places,” Pawlak said, “and there’s a nod to antique looks.”
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The metal bed frame, she adds, mimics the grill of an old Chevy, and its headboard rests against a complementary wallpaper mural.
“It’s put up in panels … at a certain level so that it would be a beautiful backdrop to the bed,” Pawlak explained. “That’s why the bed is minimal — so you can really appreciate (the mural) like a big piece of art.”
She adds that color was the name of the game in designing this bedroom, so she incorporated lots of bright, bold hues.
“I loved doing this,” she said. “It’s just a super fun room.”
Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com.
nuts & bolts
Contemporary and chic
Home: This is a 4-bed, 4-bath, 2,800-square-foot, two-story vaulted home in Buechel that was built in 2008.
Distinctive elements: Quartz countertops and custom cabinetry; custom closet and home office built-ins; vaulted ceilings; hardwood floors; two gas fireplaces.
Applause! Applause! KP Designs/Decorating Den Interiors
Transitional and timeless
Home: This is a 5-bed, 4-bath, 2,800-square-foot, traditional two-story home in Middletown that was built in 1988.
Distinctive elements: Hardwood floors; custom cabinetry; quartzite and granite countertops.
Applause! Applause! KP Designs/Decorating Den Interiors
Vintage and Whimsical
Home: This bedroom is in a 5-bed, 4-bath, 3,500-square-foot, modern arts-and-crafts style home in Norton Commons that was built in 2015.
Distinctive elements: This was a Bellarmine Designer Show House home.
Applause! Applause! KP Designs/Decorating Den Interiors
