The One Item That Immediately Makes Your Bedroom Outdated

Your bedroom is the most personal space in your home. It's a room that should echo the feelings you want to manifest at the end of a long day: calm, comfortable, and relaxing. With hectic schedules dominating our lives, designing the perfect bedroom often comes last on our list of priorities. If you've decided it's time to shift the focus or you've been coveting cozy trends that turn your bedroom into a calming escape, there's one thing you should tackle first: your ornate headboard. While intricately carved wood, iron scrollwork, and tufted upholstery were once signs of luxury, these features are making your bedroom look dated. It's time to explore other options.

When a headboard is too decorative, it can mess with the space's overall vibe. In general, ornate furniture "disrupts the balance and undermines the sense of calm a bedroom should provide," said Jordana Ashkenazi, designer and founder of Element One House, to The Spruce. You'll likely grow tired of looking at an ornate headboard long before it's time to retire it. Swapping out a heavily detailed headboard doesn't mean opting for a bland replacement that does nothing for your room. Instead, choose bed heads with upholstered accents, curved silhouettes, or natural textures like rattan. Likewise, lower-profile bed frames are timeless and versatile. When you're ready to ditch your outdated ornate headboard and turn your bed back into the status symbol it deserves to be, certain designs are rising to the top of the pile right now.

If you're looking to turn your outdated bedroom into a modern dreamscape, there's no need for a major renovation. Updating a heavy, ornate headboard can completely change the mood of the room. There are lots of enviable new options to pick from, too. One of the easiest ways to turn a bedroom headboard into a statement piece is by installing a wall-to-wall headboard, sometimes also called a shelter headboard. This design can be tailored to your style, whether that means wrapping it in a pretty patterned fabric or finishing it with a curvy silhouette. A shelter headboard with that quiet luxury feel can revamp an outdated space into a high-end hotel-inspired aesthetic.

If you're ready to put all that ornateness behind you in favor of an understated, natural vibe, headboards made of cane, rattan, and bamboo bring an airy look to a bedroom. A woven headboard adds lightweight texture to an interior. The feature will blend in with the rest of the room rather than overwhelming it or seeking attention. This simple change — switching an ornate headboard out for something minimal — catapults your bedroom into the modern era. In fact, you don't even have to use a headboard. You can layer pillows or paint a mural behind the bed. This idea is perfect for small bedrooms, where less furniture enlarges the space. Once you have the room of your dreams, employ Martha Stewart's method for making your bed to keep your bedroom looking its best.