A new year often brings an urge to refresh our bedroom, but before looking ahead, it’s worth pausing to reflect on the spaces that resonated most. In the quieter weeks of January, when rest and reset feel especially front of mind, we’ve been revisiting the homes Homes & Gardens were lucky enough to get a peek behind the curtain of.
This time, we’re stepping into the bedroom. Looking back at our 2025 house tours, we’ve gathered the sleep spaces you loved most – rooms that balanced calm and comfort with considered and memorable design.
These are the four bedrooms you couldn’t get enough of – saved, shared, and returned to again and again. Chic, characterful, and endlessly serene, each space is proof that great design is as much about feeling at home as it is about good looks.
1. A 1920s Jewel Box Bedroom and a Surprise Murphy Bed
Image 1 of 4
When designer Caitlin Jones Ghajar took on this tiny 1920s colorful apartment in San Francisco, she had her sights set on creating a jewel box-style space bursting with all the character and charm of a much larger home.
But for what it lacks in square footage, boy, do these sleep spaces make up for it in color and personality.
‘The project brief from the client was to create a space that was ‘Accidentally Wes Anderson’ layered, and elevated eclectic,’ Cailtin told us. ‘They encouraged a primary focus on high-quality and restored second-use and vintage items. Inspired by the Art Deco style, we also chose to mix periods for dynamic layering that is more interesting than sticking to a literal deco palette.’
And nothing is more ‘accidentally Wes Anderson’ than this primary bedroom. Caitlin chose a custom wallpaper to pick up the tones of the reconditioned 1930s storage in the room, and created detailed elevations of every wall to ensure the birds and other elements of the wallpaper were perfectly placed. ‘Every color, every bird, and leaf placement was lovingly chosen to lay out perfectly with the architecture and represent the palette of the entire condo.’
‘The vintage rosewood nightstands were newly lacquered with custom Calacatta tops cut for durability. The skirted lampshades add a feminine nod to balance the strong lines of the bed.’
And if that wasn’t enough to inspire – the small guest space is sure to do so. Because it is a one-bedroom, one-bath, the team had to think creatively about multi-use spaces. While a Murphy bed in the dining room might sound unexpected, the effect is like something out of a bijou hotel suite. ‘The dining table can also be moved to make way for a Murphy bed cleverly hidden behind this new paneling detail,’ Cailtin explained.
2. Studio McGee’s Serene Modern Rustic Bedroom
Image 1 of 4
Without us having to declare this a Shea McGee project, you can see her design personality stamped all over it. Located in San Antonio, Texas, the home is ‘brand new but feels like it’s been thoughtfully crafted over time.’ Shea says of The Oaks, a well-loved Studio McGee project from 2025.
Designed with a blend of modern and traditional style, it’s a modern rustic home that feels imbued with inviting warmth, taking most of its inspiration from the grove of oak trees lining the property.
As one of our best-loved house tours from last year, the bedroom in this home, like so much of the house, overlooks the scenery outside and takes most of its charm and palette from that enviable view.
‘The oak trees play a huge part in the design of the home, from the textures and the tones that we used, and also the positioning of the build of the home,’ Shea explains. ‘The architects were really thoughtful of the placement, so you get these views of the oak trees out the main windows,’ she says.
To double down on that organic scheme, the ceiling has been clad in wooden beamed ceilings that can be seen throughout the home, and upped the coziness with a neutral yet earthy palette throughout the textiles in the space.
And to further enhance the room’s ambiance, Shea has employed a clever layered lighting scheme using a contemporary candelabra, wall sconces, and a pair of stone bedside lamps that add some rustic texture to the nightstands.
The stand-out area in this space has to be the seating area. With two moss green tub chairs and a large indoor plant, Shea’s managed to create the ultimate relaxation nook that still remains airy and bright, despite the deeper tones. It’s the perfect blend of comfort and style that Shea knows best.
3. A Neutral Yet Charming Master Bedroom in London
Image 1 of 4
London-based homeowners Charly and Jonny (alongside their children) undertook the renovation of an old Victorian house with a leap of faith and a balance of beauty and utility in mind.
With the help of Smith Brooke Architects and interior designer Emma Ainscough, the couple aimed to create a space that felt both deeply personal and highly practical. ‘We live fairly casually,’ says Charly, ‘but we also enjoy a balance of beauty and utility. We wanted that to be reflected in the design of this house,’ Charly explains.
‘We wanted to retain a sense of playfulness, creating spaces that were visually cohesive while exploring possibilities with pattern and color,’ Charly adds. And while they stuck true to the home’s original characteristics – while reinstating some of the would-be original features like cornices, sash windows, and high ceilings – they also made some rather bold design choices.
But, you’ll find that in this home, the boldness is not jarring or unexpected and sits alongside a common thread of subtlety and softness that designer Emma managed to carry throughout each room. Including the inviting master bedroom.
Emma added custom Delft tiles by Petra Palumbo to frame the entrance to their bathroom and dressing area, choosing meaningful designs for the family, such as an ice cream cone, a bear, a martini and fries, a cat in honor of their pets, and even Queen Elizabeth II, as a nod to their patriotism.
A striking headboard covered in La Pannonie by Pierre Frey fabric is framed by a soft canopy, while the neutral walls allowed Emma to create a statement with the rich red nightstands and plenty of vintage decor.
‘We’ve taken a giant step forward decoratively with this home,’ says Charly. ‘It symbolizes a new stage in our life, but also expresses greater design confidence.’
4. Two Floral and Fresh Singapore Sleep Spaces
Image 1 of 5
‘When you’re in this apartment, it feels like you’re in a cozy cottage,’ said Elizabeth Hay of this colorful new build apartment in Singapore. And despite its small footprint and new-build status, that is exactly what she has achieved.
Once boring and soulless, this small home is now a fresh and floral haven that displays Elizabeth Hay’s signature layered style and love of color and pattern.
When speaking about the clients, who Elizabeth had worked with before, she said that they ‘wanted the apartment to be very cozy with lots of layers and color, but practical too, as they have a young child.’
Elizabeth was able to indulge both her and her clients’ love of color and pattern in the two bedrooms within the apartment. The main bedroom brings the real wow factor with a beautiful triple-height vaulted ceiling that was uncovered during the renovation and a four-poster bed that was chosen to draw the eye upwards.
The entire room was then pattern-drenched in Croquis Collection No. 142 wallpaper by Christopher Moore, and paired with a vibrant Schumacher fabric on the headboard that picks out tones of red, green, and pink.
‘It feels very fitting and lovely for Singapore because it features ginger flowers and pomegranates and all the things that grow locally,’ Elizabeth says of the floral fabric.
In the second bedroom, the Nasturtium wallpaper in Biglead by Lake August was chosen to pack a punch, offset by verdant green closets bordered with an orange scalloped detail. The result is a joyfully colorful yet super restful home with two rather stand-out bedrooms.
While the house design of these projects might each fall into totally different interior design styles, the bedrooms of these homes all share something in common – a sense of deep comfort. No matter if you like your sleep space to be wrapped in neutrals or pattern-heavy wallpaper, you’ll find a bedroom that is sure to inspire your home makeovers long into 2026.
link