Parisian bedrooms always look as though they happened by accident, but there’s usually a fair bit of thought behind that relaxed, thrown-together look. You don’t need Haussmann architecture to re-create the idea, just a handful of the right choices.
Start With A Simple, Elegant Bed
Keep the bed itself understated. A sleek upholstered frame or a plain wooden headboard with a little carving does more for the room than anything ornate, since it leaves space for everything else to do the talking. Dress it in plain linen or cotton rather than a busy pattern, and let a good thread count provide the luxury instead.
Focus On Light, Mirrors And Storage
Paris apartments are famously small, so most of the trick is faking space rather than adding it!! Pale walls in an eggshell or satin finish bounce light around beautifully, and a large gilt mirror propped against a wall does much the same job. If a bulky wardrobe is what’s dominating the room, made to measure wardrobe doors let you fit storage neatly into an awkward wall instead.
Swapping in made to measure wardrobe doors is a fairly painless way to get that fitted, thought-through look without starting a full built-in wardrobe project.
As design experts explain when they break down the Parisian aesthetic, it’s really about mixing old and new rather than one strict look.
None of this needs to happen all at once. Start with the bed and the walls, add a mirror or two, and the rest of the room will build its personality over time.