Balance your bedroom with negative space

Packing your bedroom wall-to-wall with furniture and accessories doesn't always translate into a restful night's sleep. It also can make your space seem cramped and smaller than it is. You can create breathing room in your interior design by balancing the positive and negative space.

Embrace empty spaces around your furniture and break up blocks of solid colour to make your bedroom feel expansive and evenly decorated. Here are some design tips on how to achieve a serene and balanced room using negative space.

Lift furniture off the floor

Adding negative space by raising furniture off the floor maximises precious floor room and gives an airy feel to your bedroom. Whether you're going for a maximalist vibe or minimalism, this design technique helps to break up your interior and makes individual pieces of furniture stand out.

Consider replacing bulky cabinets with floating shelves or fitted alcove shelving to create empty space below and around the sides. You can also swap your traditional wardrobe for an overbed design from Hammonds, which is particularly impactful in small bedrooms where space is at a premium.

Use spacious patterns

Wanting more negative space doesn't mean you have to step away from exciting patterns and wallpaper. You just need to select a more spacious design with a plain background. This helps to distinguish solid blocks of colour and bring balance to the rest of the room by creating a sense of visual harmony.

Staggered patterns like minimalist florals are more subtle than geometric designs that risk closing off and dominating areas. Make the wallpaper's motif the standout feature by pairing patterned walls with a plain floor or neutral colour below the dado level. This prevents your floor-standing furniture from getting lost in the competition from your wall.

Raise up the eye with décor

When the eye is drawn up, it means that your bedroom design is balanced from top to bottom. Placing artwork and mirrors between the floor, furniture and ceiling allows negative space around each object and draws attention to individual features. Another complementary touch to your interior is placing trailing plants at a height to break up solid blocks of wall.

Vertical space is often wasted in bedrooms, but by suspending pendant lights or a chandelier from the ceiling you can create the perfect solution. This directs eyes upwards particularly when incorporated with wallpaper designs that seem to climb to the ceiling.

Keep the windows clear

If your bedroom has a great view or good natural light, move items that might pull focus and let your windows take centre stage. This design feature comes with a natural dose of negative space that is packed full of charming character.

Opting for sheer curtains and blinds instead of intrusive, window-hogging blackout curtains allows you to maintain your privacy without obstructing any of the colour and light coming in from the outdoors. You can maximise this effect and give the illusion of a bigger space by accessorising with a mirror opposite the window.

Give statement pieces space

Your bedroom is a space that is truly yours so it may be tempting to go overboard with your décor, but we advise showing restraint and prioritising statement pieces. Don't cram furniture against interior walls and allow a flow of negative space by choosing stand-alone pieces.

If you're using art to make an impact, choose one large piece or design a feature wall with symmetrical space between everything.

Get expert design advice from Hammonds

Need help getting started? Get in touch to book a free design visit from Hammonds for expert advice on how to introduce negative space into your bedroom. We've got all the inspiration you need to design your vision and the expertise required to make it a reality.