Simple Ways To Decorate Your Bedroom Like Fixer Upper Star Joanna Gaines

Joanna Gaines has been completing chic home makeovers on HGTV for over a decade now. Gaines and her husband, Chip, have starred in the hit show Fixer Upper since its premiere in 2013 and have left audiences stunned with their design prowess. Her ongoing influence in the home decor industry has led to countless viewers who decorate their own homes like Joanna Gaines would, taking tips from the professional to make their own space feel elevated and trendy. One area in which you can apply Gaines's tenured skill is in the bedroom by adding seating, a large rug, and other important accents. 

Because of Gaines's long-term stardom, we've drawn from plenty of different pieces of advice she's given over the years. The HGTV star has been forthright with information on topics like making a small bedroom feel larger and using a rug as a room's decor centerpiece. Most importantly, Gaines has been transparent about what her own home looks like. She has shared details and tours of her personal oasis which offer plenty of insight into how she brings her bedroom tips to life in her own space. Combining her own personal touches with some of the makeover looks Gaines has done throughout her career makes for an ultimate guide to bedroom decor that will upgrade one of the most important rooms in your home. 

One clever design trick from Joanna Gaines's repertoire is to paint or wallpaper only half of a wall, allowing for a pop of color without overdoing it. Gaines has done this trick in a few different home makeovers, with both patterns and solids. She accomplishes this technique by adding some sort of shelving or paneling that goes up to about the midway point in a wall, just enough to go a little above a bed's headboard. When you only cover a portion of the wall, you're able to lean into darker, bolder colors and patterns that would feel overwhelming if applied to the entire space. For instance, Gaines opted for a complex navy wallpaper for a kids' bedroom that would be too busy for the whole room. However, by leaving the top half of the wall white, she allows for natural sunlight to bounce off the upper half and create a more soothing effect. 

Gaines also adds variation to her half-covered walls with some three-dimensional wood paneling. You can replicate this by painting some simple wainscoting and applying it to your wall to meet the midway point, giving the room a more elevated and trendy look and feel. Alternatively, you can swap the wainscoting for some DIY paneling; simply paint some slim wood molding or trim to match the color of the wall and create faux panels and shelves for a fraction of the cost. 

Gaines has also been open about the importance of having extra seating built into one's bedroom. Adding chairs, loveseats, and even built-in benches can elevate a bedroom and make it feel like a cozy hangout area. After all, limiting your bedroom time to only when you're laying in bed means you're getting less use out of your home oasis. Even a simple reading chair can make a bedroom feel more welcoming and dynamic. 

You can replicate this design hack by finding simple, cozy furniture that fits into the rest of your bedroom's decor. Opting for soft white seating, like the shearling upholstery seen in Magnolia's Ruby Chaise Lounge (which retails for $1,699 on Magnolia's website.) The VANOMI white accent chair ($399 on Amazon) is a cheaper option that has the same trendy, chic style. You can also opt for a velvet loveseat to bring out the color of your bedding or artwork. If you don't have the square footage to fit an entire seating area, you can also add a short bench to the end of your bed which will offer comfort and extra seating without taking up too much extra space. 

In an interview with Country Living magazine, Joanna Gaines talked about the importance of a rug. "A good rug will ground the space and that's where you can bring in more color," Gaines said. "A rug sets that stage for everything else that you layer on top of it." Gaines even mentioned that she will sometimes build a bedroom around a beautiful rug, highlighting the fact that this simple item can be a complete game-changer. You can follow this advice by finding colorful or otherwise grounding rugs to base your bedroom decor off of. Or, if you're in need of a refresh, swap in a new rug and see the shift it creates. Gaines herself has been known to love a simple patterned rug, and her lifestyle brand, Magnolia, has plenty of options that she uses in her own home makeovers.

One common Magnolia style is the Anatolian rug, a patterned look that came from Turkey and used to only be hand woven. You can shop the Magnolia rug collection for picks like the Janey Indigo Multi Rug (shown above) that are Gaines-approved. However, pattern isn't the only important thing to look for. You should opt for large, grounding rugs that can tie the room together — and sometimes that means going neutral. Another selection from the Magnolia online storefront is the Ashby Oatmeal Sand Rug, which has simple stripes that alternate between two light, earth tones. 

It's not just the zeitgeist that bemoans turning on "the big light" or bedroom fan light in favor of using other lighting sources to make a space feel more comfortable. In her interview with Country Living, Gaines also underscored the importance of lamps as an alternative to the dreaded ceiling light that can be too harsh for a bedroom. She said that a good bedroom needs "lamps for when you don't have lights on and you want to have that softer light," adding that "lamps are great for making it feel even warmer." Indeed, many of Gaines's bedroom makeovers feature wall sconces on either side of the bed (perfect for night reading) and lamps in other parts of the room. 

The best part about this tip is that it's easy to incorporate into your already-decorated space. While you may not have the budget to fully renovate your bedroom, you can easily discover some chic lamps and sconces to add warmth and style to your home. The Magnolia shop has plenty of lamp options that will help get your creative wheels turning, and many of them feature long, metallic stems with chic and unique shades on top. The shop also has plenty of wall sconces which also feature metallic, unique stems that plug into the wall. For increased convenience (without sacrificing style) you can opt for cordless sconces like the NIORSUN battery-operated gold wall lights, available on Amazon. 

While Gaines typically relies on chic wallpapers, wood paneling, and paint to decorate the bedrooms in her makeovers, she doesn't think that homeowners need to completely tuck away all art or knickknacks just for the sake of minimalism. And, instead of investing in expensive art, Gaines is a fan of  In her book, "Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave", Gaines wrote about opting for personal decor instead of buying mass produced artwork for your bedroom. "These [serve] as reminders of where we've been and what we hold dear," she writes, "to keep us grounded and really make this space feel sacred."

To incorporate your own mementos into your bedroom, consider using the half-wall paneling as shelves and place simple items on them, just like Gaines did with three trophies in a kids' bedroom. You can also invest in chic frames that correlate with the rest of your room so that the displayed personal art does not detract from the decor. For instance, getting a set of uniform frames for various sizes, like the upsimples wooden frame 10-pack, will make it easy for you to display different mementos in one stylish look so that your gallery wall still has that elevated Joanna Gaines look and feel. 

One of the most important parts of any bedroom is the central focus: The bed. Joanna Gaines calls herself an "OG homebody" in her Instagram bio, so it's no surprise that she invests in nice linens to make her own bed, and sleep experience, all the more enticing. When it comes to picking out your own linens, you should opt for "Bedding that's practical, but also pretty," Gaines told Country Living. "You can find a blend that's both, and that's comfortable and not stuffy." White linens are an easy choice — they provide a neutral, clean base and seem to never go out of style — and the Magnolia shop has a plethora of simple and patterned white and cream options. The Isla Floral print, for example, has soft and simple flowers on an off-white background. 

Beyond the base sheets, you can opt for soft, earth tone comforters and duvets as well as comfortable, enticing pillows and blankets. Another choice from the Magnolia shop is the Dusty Green cotton duvet cover, which features a trendy olive green on one of the softest materials, perfect for a good night's sleep. Gaines also mentioned that she loves to add "A good throw at the end of the bed" for an extra flare. You can snag simple, textured blankets, like Magnolia's Silver Fern tassel throw, that add a little pop of pattern and dimension to your made bed in a Joanna Gaines-approved touch. 

The last piece of advice is to level up your bed with a unique or interesting headboard. In one episode of Fixer Upper, Joanna Gaines opted for a fresh take on this traditional bed piece. "I found this old cathedral window frame and knew it would make the perfect unexpected headboard for the Whytes' [primary] suite," Gaines wrote in her blog about the home makeover. "My favorite part about design is when I get the opportunity to use unique pieces as a substitute for common ones, such as a headboard." Even if you can't find a large cathedral window, you can follow Gaines's sense of creativity by opting for other fun touches for your bedroom. 

For instance, you can DIY your own headboard with Dollar Tree items like peel and stick wallpaper or pool noodles. You could also paint an interesting shape that serves as a faux headboard, living on the wall itself for little extra cost or hassle. If you don't like the idea of doing this yourself, you can invest in a pre-made headboard that still feels funky and different. The HOYA wicker headboard on Wayfair, for example, is a rattan piece that has a floral shape and will make for a great addition to any bedroom. The geometric shapes in Magnolia's Riley Bed also provide dimension and texture to a space.