Interior designers reveal the 10 things in your bedroom you should get rid of

You may be unknowingly making your bedroom seem cluttered and small.

• Insider asked two interior designers to share what sort of things they hate seeing in people’s bedrooms.
• One designer said that you should get rid of or move the extra pillows on your bed and the plants on your windowsills because they can add clutter to a space.
• The experts also said that nightstands should be free of clutter and your walls shouldn’t have too many decorations.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Everyone has their own idea of how their bedroom should look and what should go in it, but certain items and trends could be making your space seem smaller and more cluttered.

Here are some things you should avoid having in your bedroom, according to interior designers.

Get rid of those extra pillows on your bed.

Too many pillows can make your space look cluttered.

Pillows are a great way to add dimension and texture to a bed, but too many of them can cause clutter, according to Jody Wallace, owner of and designer at Greylyn Wayne Home Staging & Interior Design.

Plus, the more pillows you have the longer it will take you to make your bed, she added.

Wallace told Insider that, to keep your bed looking well-decorated but practical, you might want to stick with just three pillows since it will create a satisfying balance.

Remove any plants that are crowding your windowsills.

You might want to space out your plants a bit more.

You’ll also want to get rid of any excess plants, especially if you have many small ones in front of your window.

“Windowsills clutter quickly, so we recommend hanging small plants from the ceiling in a macrame swing to make more space,” Wallace told Insider.

She said she recommends you only keep two small plants or one large statement plant in your bedroom.

Lose the rugs that are too small for your space.

A rug that’s too tiny for your space can actually make your room look smaller.

There’s a very common misconception that a small rug will make your space feel bigger.

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However, the size of the area rug actually dictates the size of the visual space that you create, according to Sara Beverin, interior designer at Interior Marketing Group.

“It’s important to select the biggest size rug that will fit comfortably in your room in order to optimise the appearance of space,” Beverin said.

Keep the wall decorations to a minimum.

“Decorative wall accents with kitschy themes or ironic phrases are one of the many things cluttering walls all over America,” Wallace told Insider. “When everything has a quote or phrase on it, our brains become overwhelmed with reading information and can’t focus on the most important motifs in the home.”

Wallace said it’s best to keep your walls pretty simple by just hanging a few photos, mirrors, or sentimental items.

Get in the habit of removing dishes and leftover midnight snacks from your bedroom right away.

Don’t get in the habit of letting old dishes, water bottles, and snack wrappers build up on your nightstand and dresser, said Beverin.

“Not only can traces of food cause odor and health hazards, but also it makes the room look untidy and unwelcoming,” she told Insider.

If possible, keep your workspace out of your bedroom.

If having a desk in your room is necessary, try to keep it free of clutter.

Desks, reports, folders, and to-do lists belong elsewhere, said Beverin.

“Seeing the pile of work papers you need to finish or list of things you need to do will not help you get a good night’s rest,” Beverin told Insider. “The bedroom is a space to relax, recharge, and unwind.”

If you must have a desk in your room you’ll want to minimise the amount of clutter that’s on top of it by utilising drawers, bins, and other storage solutions.

Find a new home for the pile of receipts and loose papers that are sitting out in the open.

You might want to tuck them away in a storage bin or drawer.


Organisation is key to creating a relaxing retreat in your bedroom, according to Beverin. She said that if you can’t throw out receipts, mail, and other stacks of paper in your room, you should at least store them out of sight.

“Designate a place, such as a chic storage bin, for things such as receipts or stray papers to maintain a tidy space that won’t cause any added stress,” she told Insider.

Remove extra clutter from your nightstand.

The goal when designing a bedroom is to create a serene environment that makes you feel at ease, Beverin said. So if you have excessive clutter, especially next to your bed on your nightstand, it can be distracting when you’re trying to fall asleep.

“Stick to the essentials: a glass of water, a tissue box, and chapstick. The rest is just taking up space and collecting dust,” she told Insider.

You might not want to keep a lamp on your nightstand. Instead, try a wall sconce or hanging light.

By removing a lamp, you’ll also have more space to place your essentials.


To free up even more space in your bedside area, replace the table lamps on your nightstands with wall sconces or hanging lights.

Beverin said doing so can also add an elevated element of style to your space while also adding more light to your room.

The television belongs in the living room — not the bedroom.

Having a TV in your room may be convenient, but it could be messing up your sleep schedule.

For some, watching television in bed may cause restless, sleepless nights, Wallace said.

But beyond that, having a television or entertainment system in your bedroom can also cause clutter – the wires, stands, speakers, and monitors can take up a significant amount of space that you sometimes can’t afford to lose, she added.

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