Decorate a Moroccan Themed Bedroom

Moroccan design provides a sense of the exotic, romantic, mysterious, and adventurous. Bring this atmosphere into your own bedroom using colorful paint and textiles, ornate furniture, and unique accent details.

Steps

Decorating the Room

  1. Use hanging lamps. Hang lamps made of metal and glass in your bedroom for mysterious lighting and an instantly recognizable Moroccan feel. Choose less modern styles for more of an old-world atmosphere.
    • Get lamps with colored glass to match or complement the other colors in the room.
    • Hang lamps or lanterns from the ceiling right over your bed, or from the frame of a four-poster canopy bed if you have one, for a cozy focal point.[1]
    • Try making your own lanterns or candle holders with glass jars and paint.[2]
  2. Place cushions everywhere. Use pillows and cushions in bright colors and patterns to adorn your bed and create soft floor seating. Combine colors, shapes, and sizes for casual vibrance.
    • Include poufs or low ottomans, as well as rugs and throw blankets, for a cozy low-to-the-ground seating space.
    • Spice up an old plain pillow by buying or making a pillowcase in a bright color or pattern. You can even paint on a pattern with a stencil and fabric paint.[3]
  3. Lay down embroidered rugs. Put down rugs in rich colors and patterns on the floor to make it feel soft and inviting. A striking rug can also provide another point of focus to the room.
    • Look for rugs that are woven, with simplistic, abstract patterns. Berber rugs, traditionally handwoven and knotted by people in the region, are still a popular style imitated by modern makers.[4]
    • You can also use decadent rugs as wall hangings for a soft, decorative touch.
  4. Hang mosaic mirrors and paintings. Adorn the walls with mirrors, paintings, and images that evoke Morocco and the Middle East. Try mosaic mirrors for a visually unique, light-reflecting look.
    • Make your own simple wall designs with a Moroccan-themed stencil design, paint, and watercolor paper or canvases.[5]
    • Think of classic Moroccan motifs, like camels or an “Arabian nights” style, when you buy or make your wall decorations.
  5. Layer different textiles. Don’t be afraid to add on lots of different textiles in different textures and colors throughout the room. This creates a very soft and rich feeling.
    • Mix up your bedding with different color fabrics, and have more throw blankets and pillows throughout the room.
    • Pick curtains that extend all the way to the floor, even if the windows in your bedroom don’t.

Painting the Room

  1. Stick to warm colors. Try out wall color in dusty shades and warm colors, evocative of the desert or cooking spices. Choose a main color that you can complement with other decor in the room.
    • Try out reds, terracotta or orange colors, yellows, and golds. Accent with cooler turquoise, silver, and greens.
    • You can also stick to more neutral warm colors for the walls if you plan to accent with a lot of colorful tapestries, rugs, wall hangings, and cushions.
  2. Paint the ceiling. Don’t leave out the ceiling when you paint all four walls of your room. This will add extra color and richness to the overall look.
    • If possible, you can even create patterns with stencils or by freehand on the ceiling, reminiscent of the beautifully decorated ceilings of the East.
    • Do the ceiling in the same shade as the walls or a lighter complementary color. Choose a lighter color to visually expand the height, or a darker one to create a closer, cozy atmosphere for the room.[6]
  3. Create an accent wall. Bring some extra color and drama to a room with a statement wall that is a different color or shade from the other three walls. Try a pattern, a complementary color, or a contrasting color.
    • Choose as your accent wall the one that has any interesting architectural details, other built-in focal points, or the most light.[7]
    • Try using a stencil to create a Moroccan-inspired pattern on your accent wall. Remember to paint the entire wall whatever color you want to show in the negative spaces of the stencil pattern, be it a white or neutral, or another warm complementary hue.[8]
  4. Tape and paint with stencils. Affix pre-made stencils to an accent wall or ceiling to create a Moroccan pattern. Carefully tape a stencil to one portion of the surface, paint, then move it to the next portion to keep the pattern consistent.
    • Try out a common pattern found in Moroccan art and textiles, such as the eight-pointed star, octagon, and other repeated geometrical patterns.[9]
    • You can also create your own stencil by taping shapes onto a wall with painter’s tape. With both this and pre-made stencils, you should always let paint dry completely before moving a stencil or removing tape.

Getting Furniture for the Room

  1. Choose dark wood or stain. Go dark on the wood furniture you use for your bedroom. Select furniture that is made with a naturally dark wood like mahogany, walnut, or rosewood. Or use a dark stain on a lighter wood.
    • You can re-stain a piece of furniture yourself by sanding it down, then applying the appropriate dark wood stain.
    • Go for a high-gloss lacquer for a very polished look for your room, or stick to a rougher matte or even aged quality for more of a casual “shabby-chic” style.
  2. Look for carving and ornate details. Choose furniture with carved wood designs, inlays, or other details if you can. Find these qualities on older furniture from vintage or antique stores.
    • Watch for any furniture with arched or scalloped details, a popular design in Moroccan architecture and furniture.
    • You can even affix carved wood pieces to a piece of furniture like a headboard or chest of drawers for an easy update to a plain piece of wood furniture.
  3. Get a statement piece bed frame. Use a large bed as the focal point of a Moroccan bedroom. Create an exotic oasis feeling for the room where you sleep.
    • Try a four-poster bed with a canopy for a dreamy touch. You can also get a canopy that hangs from the ceiling to drape over the bed.[10]
    • Find or make a headboard for the bed that will become a statement piece for the room. Look for ornate wood carvings or inlay details, or simulate a headboard simply by hanging a rich tapestry or rug on the wall at the head of the bed.[1]
  4. Find matching nightstands and chairs. Add a couple of tables or a chair in a similar style as your bed frame to complete the room. Keep furniture minimal and low to the ground.
    • Easily match your bed frame by staining a wood table or chair with a similar shade of stain.
    • Update an old table that doesn’t match your theme by repainting it in a new color or pattern.[11]
    • If possible, building in a window seat or just using a low bench thoughtfully can add to the soft and comfortable low-to-the-ground seating in the room.

Tips

  • A Moroccan room is all about mood. Use things like incense and exotic music to really get the most out of the theme.
  • Try placing small knick-knacks or other Eastern-inspired items around the room for an instant themed touch.

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Sources and Citations