Blue and white is easy. Making blue and white feel interesting without adding seventeen different shades of blue is the harder part. Soft blue linen, warm wood, natural jute, crisp white bedding, and beautiful picture frame moulding give this bedroom a calm, classic look with plenty of character.

Some bedrooms need a lot of decorating. This one mostly needed getting out of the way. Vaulted white shiplap, exposed wood beams, soft blue bedding, warm wood, and relaxed linen give this coastal bedroom plenty of character without asking the furniture to compete with the architecture.

Matching bedroom furniture is one decorating rule I am very happy to ignore. A white cane bed, black furniture, warm brass, and soft blue create a classic bedroom with plenty of contrast—and prove that everything absolutely does not need to match.

If one wall can do most of the decorating for you, I am very happy to let it. A soft scenic mural, ivory upholstery, dark furniture, warm brass, and layered blue textiles create a bedroom with plenty of impact without filling every wall with artwork.

Color drenching sounds considerably more dramatic than it actually has to look. Soft sage walls, ceiling, trim, and paneling paired with warm white upholstery, light wood, brass, and natural texture create a bedroom that feels colorful, calm, and surprisingly easy to live with.

A canopy bed looks like it should make a bedroom feel smaller, but I think it usually does exactly the opposite. A tall white canopy bed, soft blue grasscloth, crisp bedding, woven texture, and relaxed linen create a primary bedroom that feels airy, calm, and beautifully pulled together.

If I could change just one thing in most bedrooms, I’d probably move the curtain rod. Floor-to-ceiling linen drapery, soft blue-gray walls, warm brass, whitewashed wood, and relaxed upholstery create a calm bedroom that feels taller, brighter, and beautifully finished.