How to Make Your Room Look Cool

Co-authored by Juli Roland

Last Updated: July 8, 2024

There are many ways to have an awesome bedroom and impress your friends. However, if you're stumped for ideas on how to revamp that plain room, let your budget and schedule dictate what you can change. You may simply reorganize your room to freshen it up and make it look cool.

Part 1

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Creating a Cool Foundation

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A shag rug can be a nice and soft addition to your room’s floor but you may also nail it up on a wall for a unique display. Choose a rug with a unique pattern, shape, or color so that it draws the eye.
You may be able to find pillows with interesting quotes, pictures, designs, and textures to add to your room. Shop at furniture stores, thrift stores, and online stores. You can also print your own designs onto pillowcases at custom t-shirt stores.

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Amp up the light for your closet. If you find it difficult to see into your closet or you just want to add a splash of light into your room, try adding some fashionable lighting, like twinkling fairy lights or LED light strips. Make it look like you opened the door to another universe or a cool dressing room for a rock band.^{[1]
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- Use hooks or tape to keep the lights in place. Purchase the lights and hooks at a dollar store or local arts and crafts store. Some lights may come with adhesive tape or hooks.
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Dress up your walls. Use temporary wallpaper that you can purchase at a dollar store or arts and craft store to dress up boring walls. Research online for fun ideas if you are looking for inspiration. You can also cut the wallpaper into shapes, like stars, before placing it on your wall.^{[2]
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- Make sure to use temporary wallpaper so that you can change the style as often as you please.
Chip and Joanna Gaines, Remodel & Interior Design Experts

Choose things you love for your home. "We can get so bogged down with design rules and comparisons that we forget to focus on the simplicity of choosing things that we love for our homes. It’s not about sticking to a specific, prescribed style. It’s about a story."

Part 2

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Finding Cool and Useful Accessories

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Give your room a psychedelic feel or simply add some colour. You can purchase these lights online or at a vintage store. You may also be able to find them at a thrift store. Try adding two or more to create a symmetrical design or a pattern.
Whether you frame them or just pin them up, old maps can create a certain vintage atmosphere for your room. You may also use them as a pinboard for places that you have traveled. Purchase them online, your local map store, or find them at a thrift store.
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Display some posters. Choose posters of your favourite movies, TV shows, or anime or select interesting designs from other countries. If you are in university or college, there are often poster stores that provide unique designs that resemble artwork. You may even be able to find vintage music poster replicates. Shop online, at a thrift store, or at your local poster store.
- You may also look for posters at theaters, bookstores, and record stores. Don’t be afraid to ask the owner of a store if you find a poster that catches your eye.
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Place potted plants around your room. Choose unique pots and plants to take advantage of colour and texture. Remember to choose plants that need little maintenance or are fake if you have a busy schedule. Plants add life to a room. Group plants two or more plants together for symmetry or to create a pleasant pattern.
- If you decide to purchase live plants, remember to water them. A dead or wilted plant is not a great decor choice.
It doesn't make sense to hide jewelry that you are proud of. Find a display case or jewelry frame that complements your room’s decor to display your jewelry. You may also simply display them in a pattern on the top of your drawer.^{[3]
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You may have a lot of mobile devices along with your lamp, TV, and computer. All the cords may be a nuisance and an eye sore. Purchase some storage for your chargers and cables when they need to be out. Shop online or your local electronics store for displays that keep the cords out of the way while blending in with the rest of your decor.^{[4]
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Magnetize your makeup. If you have a messy cosmetic bag or just a lot of makeup, simply stick magnets on the products you use often. Store them on a magnetic board by your mirror so that they remain tidy and convenient.^{[5]
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- Purchase stick on magnets at a dollar store or arts and crafts store.

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Personalizing Your Room

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Lay down a yoga mat for stretching or yoga, or a rubber mat for weightlifting or more vigorous activities. Designate a corner of your room strictly for activities. You can also make a mini studio complete with motivational quotes or inspirational images for yoga.
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Add pops of color. Instead of painting your entire room a dramatic colour or even a single wall, paint only small accents. For example, you can paint just the inside strip of your door or the sides of your dresser. While the colour may be subtle, the creative process will be fun.^{[6]
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- You can also add colour in your decorations. You don’t have to paint if you add colourful stuffed animals or cool ornaments.
Use washi tape around your room in creative designs or intricate patterns. You can purchase a variety of colours and patterns at your local arts and crafts store or your dollar store. Find inspiration online or simply add borders to pictures or posters.^{[7]
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Fairy lights and LED light strips can be purchased online, your local hardware store, arts and crafts store, or even dollar store. Frame pictures or create designs with these easy to shape lights. Use hooks or tape to keep them in place.

How Do You Balance Function and Style When Designing a Room?

Expert Q&A

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Question

What color walls will make my room feel peaceful and serene?

Juli Roland
Certified Color Specialist
Juli Roland is a Color Specialist and the Founder of PaintColorHelp.com, one of the first companies in Dallas, Texas metro area that provides in-home color consultations and helps clients create paint color schemes. Juli has over 15 years of commercial and residential color consulting experience, including seven years as a custom-matcher in the paint industry. She earned her certification in color strategy from Camp Chroma and is a member of the Inter-Society Color Council. She has a BA in Advertising from Texas Tech University.

Juli Roland

Certified Color Specialist

Expert Answer

Serenity comes from using colors that are lower in chroma (more muted), and a palette that doesn’t combine too many colors. It can even be varying shades of the same color (monochromatic). Schemes that are high contrast, like black and white, feel dynamic and exciting, but not necessarily soothing. Usually lighter or mid tone shades work best. A super-dark palette is dramatic, but will not feel chill to the average person. While people think of watery colors like blues, greens, and aquas as being relaxing, you can actually achieve a similar feeling with muted pinks, peaches, or beiges. Again, the key is colors that aren’t too bold. And avoiding extremes of light and dark within that color palette.

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Question

What colors will pair well with turquoise in my bedroom?

Juli Roland
Certified Color Specialist
Juli Roland is a Color Specialist and the Founder of PaintColorHelp.com, one of the first companies in Dallas, Texas metro area that provides in-home color consultations and helps clients create paint color schemes. Juli has over 15 years of commercial and residential color consulting experience, including seven years as a custom-matcher in the paint industry. She earned her certification in color strategy from Camp Chroma and is a member of the Inter-Society Color Council. She has a BA in Advertising from Texas Tech University.

Juli Roland

Certified Color Specialist

Expert Answer

A classic combination is turquoise with orange or coral. These are called “complementary colors” because they’re opposite each other on the color wheel. This combo tends to have a beachy or retro feel. But you can pair almost any pure color with turquoise and it will work, as long as the other color is similar in intensity to whatever turquoise you’re using. The right pink, yellow, green, cobalt blue, or lavender can all be stunning with turquoise. I’ve also seen it paired with red to good effect.

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Question

How can I incorporate more bold colors into my bedroom decor?

Juli Roland
Certified Color Specialist
Juli Roland is a Color Specialist and the Founder of PaintColorHelp.com, one of the first companies in Dallas, Texas metro area that provides in-home color consultations and helps clients create paint color schemes. Juli has over 15 years of commercial and residential color consulting experience, including seven years as a custom-matcher in the paint industry. She earned her certification in color strategy from Camp Chroma and is a member of the Inter-Society Color Council. She has a BA in Advertising from Texas Tech University.

Juli Roland

Certified Color Specialist

Expert Answer

My rule is, the bolder the color, the smaller the area. If you gravitate to strong colors, introduce them first in small touches, like a lamp, curtain, or pillow. These items are easily changed if you tire of them, and don’t usually require a huge outlay of cash. Want more color? Go a little bigger. Try a colorful rug or side chair.

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Tips

Add lighting. Lights can add energy especially if you choose different colours and designs.

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Create DIY decorations that match your room's theme.

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If you're using fairy lights, the best place to put them is above your bed. It will look absolutely beautiful when your bed is made and the lights are dimmed.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Add personalized touches through easy DIY projects. Displaying your creativity makes your room unique! There are endless ideas online for all skill levels if you need inspiration.
Hide battery-powered LEDs around dark corners or under furniture to make your room glow an eerie blue when the lights go out. It's simple but looks awesome.
Incorporate items with personal meaning, like childhood toys, instruments you used to play, or favorite books. The history they represent tells your story.
Your bed is the centerpiece — make it cozy with soft textures like fleece and furry throw blankets. Adding plush pillows encourages actual use, too!
Make a dream vision board with pictures of your hopes, goals, and favorite things. Fairy lights make great backlighting to highlight it!
Show your inner self through purposeful decor — don't just follow trends. Surprise people by fearlessly revealing what matters to you.

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Warnings

Make sure you get the okay from your parents or landlord if you are planning to paint walls or furniture.

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Try to keep paint away from younger kids and pets, as it may contain lead or other toxic ingredients.

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Ask a family member to help you paint your walls for you if you're young.

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If you want to paint the fan, clean it first so that the paint stays and looks clean.

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