How to Create a Cozy Minimalist Bedroom You’ll Never Want to Leave

It’s easy to ignore your master bedroom decor and focus on highly trafficked areas like the living room or kitchen first. But creating a cozy minimalist bedroom to escape to at the end of the day is worth your time now.

This is especially true if you’re in the middle of a never-ending home restoration project. We’re coming up on six years in our fixer upper. Through all of the floor installation, tiling jobs and kitchen demolition, the master bedroom has remained a peaceful escape from drywall dust.

I think of it as my sensory deprivation chamber. And you deserve one, too.

So I wanted to share my master bedroom decor and the basic elements that go into a cozy minimalist bedroom. Here’s how you can create your bedroom getaway.

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Color Scheme for a Cozy Minimalist Bedroom

While much of my home decor is all about turquoise, orange and rainbow everything, most people prefer a simpler color scheme for a minimalist bedroom.

I love having just gray, white and wood tones in my room. It creates a relaxing vibe, especially in contrast to the colorful cat-themed room across the hall.

Cat in midcentury bedroom

My bedroom paint color is Pratt and Lambert Shadow Beige. I often use this color as a backdrop for loud decor items like my orange couch. But it works well in a minimalist room, too.

Related: Find more neutral paint color ideas


Easiest DIY Headboard Ever

My bedroom has been mostly done for years, but the main element it was missing was a headboard. And I’m someone who needs a headboard. It’s the focal point of a bedroom to give it that polished look.

Finding a mid-century modern headboard for a California king bed like this can be a struggle. Most of the larger headboards are upholstered these days, but I was hoping for something in wood.

If you have a king or queen bed, you could hunt down a vintage option at an antique store. Eventually I might build a custom wooden headboard. But for now I came up with the easiest DIY solution: large pillows. And I have actually loved this alternative.

To create a quick and easy pillow headboard, layer two king-size pillows with king pillow slips behind two standard pillows.

To create your quick and easy pillow headboard, layer two king-size pillows with king pillow slips behind two standard pillows. It gives you support for reading and makes the bed feel complete. Plus, having a couple extra pillows can help put the coziness in a cozy minimalist bedroom.

Here are some other modern headboard ideas available in different sizes.

Modern pillow headboard alternative - minimalist headboard idea
Mid-century modern cane headboard
Mid-century modern headboard - walnut and gray

Soft and Cuddle-Worthy Bedding

For minimalists, less is more, except when it comes to thread count. Soft sheets and heavy, luxurious blankets make the bedroom feel like a fancy hotel.

Look for a bedspread or duvet that matches your simple color scheme. You can add cozy interest by picking something in a solid color but with a variety of textures. Both my gray duvet and the white blanket on top have a fun texture.

Super soft sheets and heavy, luxurious blankets make a minimalist bedroom feel like a fancy hotel.

And if you’re a pet owner, textured blankets are more forgiving of kitty claws. All those snags just add to the visual appeal.

Layer on blankets and pillows until you find your preferred balance between coziness and minimalism. For me, having four pillows and one or two extra blankets works well. It’s quick and easy to make the bed every day, but still super cozy to crawl into every night.

Here are some minimalist bedding ideas. I use and love these soft microfiber sheets.

Soft microfiber sheet set for a modern cozy minimalist bedroom
Textured gray duvet cover for a cozy minimalist bedroom
Soft and cozy gray throw blanket with poof balls
White quilted coverlet blanket for a cozy minimalist bedroom
Soft gray faux fur throw blanket for a cozy minimalist bedroom
Gray quilted coverlet blanket for a cozy minimalist bedroom
Modern white pleated bed skirt

Modern Nightstands (and Your Favorite Books)

I feel like it’s not a bedroom until it has nightstands. They add functionality as a charging station and storage for your nighttime necessities. Keep a couple books from your to-be-read pile, a magazine and a puzzle book as a fun escape.

Nightstands don’t have to be formal, either. Some people use alternatives like a stool, a step ladder or a wall shelf. You can be creative to find something in your style.

There are lots of mid-century modern and minimalist nightstands to choose from these days.

Mid-century modern nightstand
Mid-century modern nightstand
Mid-century modern nightstand
Mid-century modern end table

Adjustable Reading Lamps for Night Owls

Reading lamps are another must for me. It’s nice to have easy access to a lighting source from bed, and you can use the dim lighting to slowly wind down before going to sleep.

The modern Nymane wall lamps from IKEA are dimmable and adjustable with extending arms.

Adjustable wall lamps are especially helpful for night owls because you can angle the light toward your book and away from any sleepy morning people or cats. My modern Nymane wall lamps from IKEA are dimmable and adjustable with extending arms.

Here are a few more options I considered. I almost picked two of these adorable yellow lamps to add a splash of color in my minimalist bedroom, but I decided to stick to the gray, white and wood tones.

Mid-century modern wall sconce - reading light
Mid-century modern nickel wall lamp - reading light for a minimalist bedroom
Adjustable wall lamp for a minimalist bedroom

Minimalist Modern Drapes

I’m glad I chose these gray drapes for the bedroom. They are room darkening, and the heavy wool material adds a bit of drama.

How to Find Mid-Century Style Curtains: Wool back-tab curtains have a modern look

The following gray and white drapes would work well for a cozy minimalist room. For more ideas, check out my favorite mid-century modern curtains used throughout my home.

Gray velvet drapes for a cozy minimalist bedroom
White faux linen back tab curtains for a cozy minimalist bedroom
Gray velvet drapes for a cozy minimalist bedroom

A Touch of Green

Houseplants add instant interest and liveliness to a room. You can find my houseplant care tips and favorite low-maintenance houseplants here.

With that said, I had a hard time keeping a plant alive in this room. Those room-darkening curtains mentioned above keep my northern bedroom very dark. It’s also outside of my usual plant-watering route, so I often forgot my little nightstand plants in here. Until they died.

Little faux succulents arranged in a 6-inch planter on modern nightstand

To get some green in the room without the constant disappointment of dead plants, I finally switched to an artificial plant for my nightstand. I bought little faux succulents and arranged them in a 6-inch planter. Cuteness.

Faux succulents to create a modern houseplant arrangement
Artificial string of pearls houseplant in a modern planter with stand
Modern white planter with faux houseplant for a cozy minimalist bedroom

Clutter-Free Environment

Ultimately, creating a cozy minimalist bedroom is more about removing things than adding things. You can instantly make your bedroom more inviting right now by storing all the clothes out of sight, minimizing the knickknacks and art, making the bed and removing anything that doesn’t (you know it) spark joy.

It’s worth taking some time to freshen up your master bedroom so you have a cozy place to start and end your days in peace.

Related: See the ultimate guide to mid-century modern decor


3 thoughts on “How to Create a Cozy Minimalist Bedroom You’ll Never Want to Leave”

  1. Lots of great ideas and suggestions Tara! Our master bedroom is probably the least cluttered room in our house. (As you know the rest of our house has lots of collectables and knick knacks and “whimsey”). I do have my nightstand with lamp, a couple of my “must read” books, flashlite, glass case and kleenex. When we lived in Oregon our master bedroom colors were blues and greens which were soothing and cooling colors. But here we opted for more desert colors of browns, golden tones. (I do know that Jane and Charlie also enjoy your master bedroom!!)

    Reply
      • Thanks Judy! I love your desert style bedroom, and all your whimsy!

        I was happy with how the little succulents turned out…much better than a dead plant. Succulents are some of the best artificial plants because even the real ones look fake. 🙂

        Reply

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