A bedroom dresser is a great piece of furniture to decorate and show your personality in your bedroom.
Many people miss this design opportunity to decorate a bedroom dresser because they just pile stuff on top without thinking.
You might be wondering how to style your dresser.
Here are a few decorating tips and tricks to make the top of your dresser look its best.
Mirror or Art
If your dresser does not have an attached mirror, consider adding a mirror to the wall behind the dresser to optimize your dresser styling.
Mirrors not only look nice, but they also bounce light around the room and make it appear that the room extends beyond the mirror, which is great for a smaller bedroom.
For the most drama, select a mirror that is at least 2/3 the width of your dresser and is tall to take advantage of the height of your room.
Art is another option for the wall behind your dresser.
Select art that complements the color scheme of your bedroom and your overall design style. Original art is best to make your decor one-of-a-kind, but prints are also a good budget option.
Less is More
Don't junk up the top of your dresser with too many items (unless you love the maximalist style) for the best dresser styling.
Decorate your dresser using fewer items of higher quality instead of a higher quantity of lesser quality items.
Decorating using one larger picture frame is great, but using 5 smaller frames can look cluttered.
Use one larger vase of flowers instead of three smaller vases.
The fewer items you use, the more important each item appears.
Avoid decorating with trendy items that serve no purpose that seem to be very popular all of a sudden. The more popular an item is, the more unpopular it will become once it goes out of style!
Try to create an equal balance on your dresser using the design concept of visual weight, which is not the actual weight of an item, but the perceived weight. For example, a wider shorter vase has a similar weight to a taller skinnier vase.
High, Low, Medium
Decorating your dresser with items that are all the same height gives a monotonous, basic, dull, and boring look.
Instead, decorate using items of different heights for a dynamic designer look and optimize dresser styling.
You can use a tall vase with flowers next to a medium sized clock next to a low stack of books for an interesting vignette.
Consider stacking decor pieces on top of attractive hard back books or other items to create the height that works best for your dresser and decor style.
Feel free to experiment with different items in different positions until your decor looks balanced but not boring.
photo courtesy of Chris flickr.com/photos/chrish_99/5920080207/Group a Collection
If you have a collection of perfume bottles, small figurines, or pretty lotions on top of your dresser; group them together on a tray.
The grouping will feel like one larger item instead of a cluttered mess.
Consider using a vintage silver tray, a mirrored tray, or a crystal tray to contain your smaller items.
If you keep your jewelry on top of your dresser, make sure to have a decorative jewelry box or other vessel to keep all of the items grouped together.
Also consider grouping a collection of smaller items in a decorative bowl.
This might include marbles, candies, decorative spheres, rocks, matchbooks, or any other item that you might collect.
A collection of candlesticks looks best when clustered in a group instead of spread evenly throughout the top of your dresser.
Lamp or Candles
A lamp is a great addition to the top of a dresser because it allows you additional lighting options for your bedroom as well as looking pretty.
Interior designers love providing multiple lighting options per room so you can modify the light level per activity.
You can select a metallic lamp to add a bit of shine to your room or you could add a colorful lamp, or two matching lamps, to complement your bedroom color scheme and decor style.
Candles are another great item to add to your dresser.
They add a cozy and comforting element when lit.
Scented candles also add a nice fragrance to your bedroom.
Plant or Flowers
For a designer touch, add a plant and/or some fresh flowers to the top of your dresser.
Avoid fake flowers or plants, if at all possible, because most of them look horribly fake and only collect dust.
If you cannot keep a plant alive, then feel free to use fake plants, however make sure to get one that is very high quality to look as real as possible (not one from your local big box store down the street of from a lower priced accessory store).
You do not have to buy your fresh flowers from the store. Consider planting some flowering bushes and some plants with attractive greenery in your garden so you can take cuttings to bring inside your home.
Find a Home For EverythingIf you are in the habit of dumping random items on the top of your dresser that don't belong there (loose change, wallet, purse, laundry), make sure to create a specified area in your home for these items.
Creating a home for everyday items is the best way to stay organized and for your home to always look its best.
You might want to invest in a valet tray #ad to keep your smaller items (watch, wallet, phone, loose change, car keys, glasses, etc) organized.
Adding a hook to a wall is a great way to have a designated spot for a purse, computer bag, backpack, or briefcase. The hook might be in a closet or on the back of a door.
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