6 Bedroom Mistakes That Make Interior Designers Cringe Every Time
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Apartment Therapy published advice from four interior designers on six bedroom choices they find unappealing: matching furniture and bedding, furniture that is out of scale, visible clothing racks, a bed without a headboard and a TV used as the focal point. The recommendations are subjective design opinions, not universal rules; the designers also offered ways to address each issue.

Apartment Therapy has published a roundup of six bedroom design choices that four interior designers say they dislike, including matching furniture sets, poorly scaled pieces and a television that dominates the room. The recommendations offer readers practical ideas for refreshing a bedroom, but they reflect the designers’ preferences rather than formal design standards.

The report, written by Sarah Lyon, quotes Dorothy McGhee, Orna Fathers, Lauren Winsor and Natalie Hager. Their advice focuses on how choices involving furniture, storage and visual emphasis can affect whether a bedroom feels personal and balanced. McGhee criticizes buying a bed, nightstands and dresser from one matching collection, saying a room can look as if it came straight from a catalog. She recommends combining different textures, tones and styles.

Fathers makes a similar case against bedding sets in which the pillows, shams, bedspread and curtains all share a pattern. She favors mixing colors and textures for a more relaxed look. Winsor points to furniture scale: a large bed with small nightstands or a rug that is too small can make the arrangement feel disproportionate. She suggests nightstands at least 30 inches wide alongside king- or queen-size beds where possible, and a rug extending at least two feet beyond the bed on each side.

Hager advises against using an exposed clothing rack in the bedroom when closet space runs short, suggesting seasonal storage or another closet instead. McGhee says a headboard helps make a bed feel grounded, though she notes it need not be elaborate. Fathers says a television does not have to be removed, but recommends making it less dominant by placing it in a cabinet, framing it with art or using a screen that can blend into the room.

At a glance
reportWhen: Published about four hours before the s…
The developmentApartment Therapy published a roundup of four designers’ opinions on six bedroom design choices they would avoid.

How These Choices Shape a Bedroom

The advice matters to readers planning a bedroom refresh because it identifies specific, visible decisions that can change how a room feels without requiring a full redesign. Furniture proportions, storage and the bed’s visual presence may be easier to address than replacing every item. Several suggestions also leave room for budget-conscious choices: McGhee says a headboard can be simple, and Fathers offers ways to integrate a television rather than insisting it be removed.

These are, however, individual professional opinions. The report does not present a survey of designers or evidence that matching sets, clothing racks or televisions harm a room. Whether a choice works depends on the space, the resident’s needs and personal taste; the advice is best read as a set of options rather than strict rules.

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Four Designers Offer Bedroom Advice

Apartment Therapy’s report is framed as guidance for people decorating a primary bedroom or making smaller updates. Lyon says she asked four design professionals what they least like to see in bedrooms. The article presents their responses as subjective preferences and explicitly encourages readers who disagree to take the advice with a grain of salt.

The six points cover two related themes: avoiding an overly coordinated look and making sure the room’s practical elements feel considered. The designers discuss mixing furnishings and bedding, choosing pieces suited to the bed’s size, managing clothes that do not fit in a closet, adding a headboard and keeping the television from becoming the room’s central feature.

“They lack soul.”

— Dorothy McGhee, founder of McGhee Studios

Where Personal Taste Sets the Limits

The report does not establish that the six choices are disliked by interior designers generally; it records the views of four named professionals. It also does not provide a method for measuring whether a bedroom is balanced or personal, or evidence that following the advice improves comfort or property value. The suggested furniture measurements are presented as Winsor’s guidelines, not universal requirements. Individual room dimensions, storage needs, budgets and preferences can lead to different decisions.

Options for a Bedroom Refresh

Apartment Therapy’s article does not announce a product launch, policy change or scheduled follow-up. For readers considering updates, the designers’ suggestions point to practical next steps: check whether nightstands and rugs suit the bed’s proportions, rethink visible overflow clothing, consider a simple headboard, and decide whether bedding or furniture feels too coordinated. The source also advises readers to use their own judgment rather than treat the list as a set of mandatory rules.

Key Questions

What six bedroom choices did the designers criticize?

The four designers discussed matching furniture sets, overly coordinated bedding, furniture that is out of scale, visible clothing racks, beds without headboards and televisions that become the focal point.

Do the designers say a bedroom must follow these rules?

No. Apartment Therapy presents the advice as the opinions of four professionals and says readers can take it with a grain of salt. The suggestions are not universal standards.

What rug size does Lauren Winsor recommend?

Winsor says a bedroom rug should extend at least two feet beyond the bed on all sides. The report presents this as her design guidance, not a requirement for every room.

How can a television be less prominent in a bedroom?

Orna Fathers suggests putting it in a cabinet, surrounding it with art or choosing a Frame-style television. She also mentions a projector and screen that can be put away or made less visible when not in use.

Source: rss

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