My Modern and Minimalist Bedroom Design with Havenly

After such a wonderful experience designing my living room in partnership with Havenly, I knew immediately that I would use their services again to design the bedroom of my dreams.

My bedroom sat pretty much bare for the entire first year that I lived in my apartment. No dresser. No bed frame. No art or personalization of any kind. It was a blah space to say the least.

My focus had been on my kitchen, where I spend the vast majority of my time as a food blogger and YouTuber, as well as my cozy and comfy living room.

So with those two rooms done I immediately set out to design a modern, minimalist, plush, dreamy bedroom sanctuary. I also reached out to my same Havenly designer, Asia, to see if she was available for my bedroom and she was. I was thrilled.

The process of designing my bedroom was identical to that of designing my living room, so if you’d like to understand the process of working with a Havenly interior designer online make sure to watch that video. And then, watch my bedroom tour video below.

My Modern and Minimalist Bedroom Design Tour

All of the Bedroom Design Details

The first order of business in designing my bedroom was to select the major furniture pieces – the bed frame, dresser and nightstands.

Asia recommended the Oliver bed from Interior Define and I instantly loved it. It was sleek and modern, yet warm and inviting with the upholstered frame. And since I’d already purchased my living room sofa from Interior Define, I knew they produced quality pieces. We opted for a warm beige fabric (heavy cloth in natural) and I increased my bed size from a queen to a California king.

Having a new, large bed also meant getting a new large mattress. After much searching for the best organic mattress, I chose Naturepedic and went with their EOS Pillowtop mattress. And wow, the quality is unsurpassed. Dreamy sleep here I come! So it only made sense to cover my sumptuous mattress with the best organic sheets and bedding I could find, which led me to Boll and Branch.

Ideally, I wanted that luxurious and crisp hotel look. Therefore, I went with Boll and Branch’s Signature Soft sheet set in white, a down-filled duvet with matching white duvet cover, standard-sized down pillows with white pillowcases, king-sized pillows with stone-colored pillowcases (great for propping up against) and the cozy, classic grey cable knit throw. I’m not one for unnecessary pillows on a bed and I found this setup to be elegant, simple, luxurious and totally me.

Alright, let’s move on to the dresser, which proved to be a bit more challenging a task. Initially, I had my heart set on a white dresser, but every dresser I loved didn’t fit within the two windows on that wall.  So we switched gears and searched for a dresser that would fit the space (first and foremost) and then discussed ways that we could customize it to bring out that modern flair.

I loved the wood tones of the Gia Dresser from Crate and Barrel and the fact that it had full-extension drawers (one of my “must haves”). Yet it was a bit more traditional in style than I was going for. So we selected these gorgeous, hand-painted knobs from Anthropologie. The gold, brass and white added just enough flair and sparkle without going over the top. And because there’s a little more depth to these knobs, they actually made it easier to open and shut my drawers. An added bonus and definitely what the dresser needed.

On top of the dresser, I wanted to keep it simple and uncluttered so opted for these glass shadow boxes from West Elm for my jewelry and this low geometric planter from CB2 for my orchid. The blown glass art is a personal piece from a trip to the island of Murano in Italy several years ago.

So with a dark dresser and not wanting my bedroom to feel too dark overall (light, bright and neutral was my goal), Asia found these sleek and sophisticated white and brass Avalon nightstands from Restoration Hardware teen. Yes, I purchased furniture from their teen line. This is actually a pro tip from Asia – you can find many awesome pieces of furniture and decor from the teen lines of furniture retailers – and many times at reduced cost.

I loved the white nightstands and my bedroom instantly felt balanced again. White wood, dark wood, neutral bed, I was loving how my bedroom was coming together.

In many of my example bedroom photos I sent Asia at the beginning of our project, the color palette also included grey. So she recommended these Belgian flax linen drapes in grey. I then opted to go for the blackout version, to reduce any light infiltrating the bedroom. But they had a secondary bonus (because blackout drapes are so thick), they also muted ambient street noise – contributing to the best sleep I’ve had in ages. So much so, I think I’ll have to do another post with tips on improving sleep and reducing insomnia.

Initially we thought one panel on each side of the windows would be sufficient, but my windows are extra wide and I always like the plush look of two panels on each side. It just feels more substantial and hotel-like. So four total panels is what I went with.

For decor, my instructions to Asia (similar to my living room) were lots of greenery and weaving in that SoCal vibe. I’d had my eye on this Eden Cross-Base Standing Planter from West Elm for months so was striving to find a home for it. Ironically, the ZZ plant you see in the planter I nearly killed on my patio six months prior (as it got too much direct sun). So moving it to the bedroom in front of that East facing window did wonders for it. It immediately shot out new growth and blossomed.

For the space on the other side of the dresser I wanted a small chair. Something I could sit on to help put on shoes mainly. Asia recommended this mid-century modern lounge chair, which I was smitten with, but unfortunately it didn’t fit in the space once I added the double panel of drapes (as they project 10″ out from the wall). But you know I’m filing that chair away for the future.

Instead we opted for the smaller footprint of dining chair rather than a lounge chair and chose this Bacci mid-century modern chair. In hindsight, I think this was a better move as it sits higher than a lounge chair, making it easier to get in and out of and assist with shoes. Then, I added this fluffy wool accent pillow from CB2.

But the space above the chair felt like it was missing something, so Asia recommended these Glisan hanging planters from CB2. As soon as I laid eyes on them, I was beaming with excitement. I loved the geometric design and it was the perfect pop of greenery. Needless to say, I can’t wait for my ivy and pothos plants to start trailing.

For lighting, we went with these very edgy Bente table lamps from Lulu and Georgia. They’ve got a concrete base, an awesome triangular shape and brass accents. Stunning for sure. And next to the table lamps on one nightstand I have my sunrise alarm clock (that I’ve had for 10+ years and swear by). And because mine is so old, the style has been updated, but I’m loving the new look.

On the other nightstand I have a Nefertiti statue from my trip to Egypt and a fake potted aloe plant from CB2. You know I always opt for real plants, but that corner is actually quite dark with no natural light, so I knew if I wanted green, I’d have to go with a fake plant there.

One decor item that’s also hugely functional is my floating wood floor mirror. It’s the first thing you see when walking into the bedroom. It’s also beautiful, matches the dresser, makes the room look spacious and of course, helps me to get ready in the morning.

Finally, a beautifully designed bedroom wouldn’t be complete without beautiful artwork. It sets the tone, mood and ambience of the room.

I already had one small, modern piece of art (the one in the upper left) and asked Asia if we could keep that but make a gallery wall above the dresser. Asia and I went back and forth, selecting several gorgeous artwork pieces from Minted and ultimately chose Aurum Sand, Plant Cell 4, Balboa Park, Seagulls and Model9. The gallery wall seamlessly tied together my SoCal, modern and minimalist vibes with hints of ocean and sand, greenery, contemporary angles and soft human touch. The perfect balance for my bedroom sanctuary.

But I think the truly epic artwork is the one above the bed. An extra large, wow-worthy, joyful yet relaxing beach print called Seaside Contrast (ironically, taken in Southern California). And I’ll admit, waking up to that beautiful scene every morning makes me feel abundantly happy.

So there you have it – my new bedroom sanctuary! I hope you enjoyed my bedroom tour video and if there’s any decor I’ve missed identifying, let me know in the comments below.

A special thanks to Havenly for partnering with me on my bedroom and sponsoring this post. I couldn’t be happier with the end result!