6 Ways to Design a His and Hers Bedroom

Sharing a bedroom with a significant other can get complicated – and we’re not just talking about how one of you will definitely hog more than 50% of the sheets.

If you’ve had the privilege of enjoying your own childhood bedroom, or at least sharing a bedroom with a sibling of the same gender, then this headache might be new to you.

If you’re a woman, how do you resist the delicious callings of a reflective gold side table, or velvet burgundy headboard that might just be too girly for your plus one? And if you’re that plus one, how do you convince your partner of a leather chaise lounge, or brass lights?

Designing a gender-neutral room isn’t about going plain, it’s about being inclusive and striking a balance between masculine and feminine elements.

Look at your walls, flooring, ceiling, and the bed (your biggest furniture). Out of those 4 items, make sure that at least 3 of them are in a neutral or semi-neutral colour.

We’ve said this many times, but it bears repeating: neutral doesn’t mean boring, or beige. Try zen yet interesting colours like light grey or taupe. Warm colours like pale yellow, wood tints, and browns are also neutral while staying out of drab territory.

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Once you’ve picked out a neutral base, sprinkle the room with smaller furniture, art pieces, or even feature walls with colour accents that flatter those neutral colours, such as a blue with grey, pale yellow with grey, and golds with wood stains. Starting with a neutral base keeps your design grounded, so you won’t veer into too much of a feminine or masculine zone.

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Somehow, darker (and gloomier) colours are more typical of masculine palette, while lighter colour are more typical of feminine palette. So between your architecture and furniture, balance the two!

If you already have dark walls, flooring, or sheets for instance, then add light-coloured décor, art pieces, or throw pillows to balance the look.

SOURCE: gdrarchitects.com

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The lines in a room (shapes of your furniture, architecture, and decor). While clean lines, geometric shapes, and patterns like stripes are more reminiscent of masculine tastes, abstract shapes and rounded edges are more reminiscent of feminine tastes.

Try a combination of furniture with clean lines paired with sculptures, round rugs, or even padded headboards. You can also keep a general modern and minimalistic interior, then throw in floral patterns for a soft touch.

SOURCE: Instagram user adairs

Similar to soft vs hard shapes, rougher textures (masculine) are the antithesis of smooth and lush textures (feminine). Complement contrasting textures by incorporating “rougher” textures like tweed, metal, exposed piping, and rustic wood and “softer” textures like fluffy bedding, lush seating, cosy carpets, and satin pillows.

SOURCE: ahouseinthehills.com

SOURCE: thedecorista.com

If you’re not a pro at balancing masculine and feminine elements, then stick to natural elements which tend to be non-gender biased. Think woods, light-coloured leather, greens, and greenery.

One successful theme for his and hers bedroom is the relaxed, beach house chic. It’s unfussy, gender inclusive, minimalistic, and reminds you of a vacation!

SOURCE: bloglovin.com

Feminine pieces tend to be overpowering, think lush textures and floral prints, while masculine and neutral pieces are more muted.

With that in mind, reserve them for accent pieces or add them later on in the design process because it might be too hard to offset a floral-printed wall and too easy to add a feminine touch with a piece of dreamy watercolour art, for example.

So if you take away anything, take: start neutral, add masculine elements, and end with feminine touches – perfect union!

Cover image from dulux.com.