Gothic Style Bedrooms - Themes, Ideas, Design, Decorating

Traditionally, Gothic is a style known for it's intricate architectural features, such as the pointed arch, ribbed vaults and the arc-boutant on many cathedrals in France. The style was under appreciated, and so coined as Gothic - meaning everything "rude and barbaric". Instead, the Gothic style remains appealing many centuries later and seen as classical artistic vision.

A Gothic style bedroom should include similar architectural details, including moldings, arcs and a stone-type atmosphere that closely represents castles and cathedrals. Faux paint stone walls (with or without stones outlines) and include wrought iron in as many pieces as possible.

If you are a do-it-yourself designer, plaster of Paris and foam are your best friends for creating gargoyles, pillars, arcs, and other appropriate design elements.

The Victorian style is known for it's intricate design and elegant ornamental features. Over-sized dark wood furniture was popular in the Victorian era, soon to be painted white by their children. Crown molding, four-poster beds with canopies, vanities with huge mirrors, chaise lounges, and other low sitting chairs with thick wood borders are easily pin-pointed as Victorian styled.

With Gothic Victorian, the same style is applied but with even darker accents and appeal. Pink, white and gold were popular Victorian colors. Victorian Gothic rooms are usually dark jewel tones of red or purple with black accents.

When creating a Gothic Victorian theme, small details are the key to a successful room design. Include tablecloths, lace doilies, drawstrings for your curtains, vintage glass pieces, fringed and beaded lampshades, and figurines to display on all shelves.

Dark Gothic influences on home decor items include skulls, skeletons, graves, coffins, angels, demons, fire, nocturnal animals, and sometimes religious props. A hint of death with a spark of life is captured by using symbolic treasures to capture a morbid but poetic bedroom theme.

Coffins are most commonly used for couches, entertainment centers, or storage chests. I've seen them turned into almost anything, but it's just not big enough for a 2 person bed. So, unless you're going solo - most Goths choose to do the black furniture thing. Plain black lacquered wood frames, and then use accent pieces to create their setting.

Here's a few popular items for this bedroom theme:

Even before the Twilight book series was introduced, a Gothic Vampire themed bedroom was a popular design for all bat and coffin lovers. Line your walls with drapes of velvet or purchase a few rolls of Velvet Flocked Wallpaper, available in black, red, and various shades of gray.

You need a coffin somewhere in the room as a main design element. My coffin furniture guide is available here: Gothic Coffins, or you can build a simple coffin shaped bookshelf out of plywood. Line the shelves with velvet and store your vampire figurines and bats in style. No crosses, stakes, or garlic should be found in your secret lair! LOL

A romantic Gothic bedroom theme is symbolic of love through life and death. Black roses, feathers, ravens, hearts, and bats are popular items in this theme. Candles are placed in sconces, candelabras, and other appropriate holders to set the mood.

Rich, passionate shades of red or purple tone are painted on an accent wall (or all walls). Heavy brocades, velvet, and lace are commonly used for the fabrics throughout the entire room for bedding, pillows, upholstery, and curtains. For dramatic appeal and added texture in the room, tuft fabric along the top of an entire wall. Lace, satin, and panne velvet are the easiest fabrics to use.

Gothic fantasy art has become very popular; especially dragons and fairies. A fantasy bedroom theme allows you to incorporate unique and whimsical figures with your traditional Gothic designs by including natural elements in your setting.

A traditional Gothic setting would be within stone walls, while Gothic fantasy envisions the darkness of the world outside by representing forests, land, sea, and air. You're more likely to find fabrics used that are light and airy such as lace, rather than heavy brocades and velvets.

A Jack and Sally bedroom can be easily completed for a couple to include both masculine and feminine appeal with a dark twist. The advantage of having a Nightmare before Christmas Gothic bedroom theme is that decorations, props, and home decor is always available and widely collected. Options are unlimited...

Here's a few unique Nightmare before Christmas decor finds, including lamps, candles, and snow globes: