Help Me Take My Bedroom from Meh to Wow

[booglass]

My bedroom is booooring!  We are by the beach so I used grey, brown and white to get a beach cottage feel even though we are in Costa Rica.  But I have run out of ideas and the room looks pretty bare and boring. 

Ideas anyone?

[cute_anarchy]

Well, you've got a great neutral slate to start from!  Some sort of bright color to make all the white pop would be great.  How about you add multiple tones of blues to give a water feel?  Coral colors would also be fun - sunset over the ocean?  Even some warm sand colors would be nice too. 

You could glue ribbons around the lamp shade, or weave wide ribbon or fabric through your head board?  Throw pillows/blanket and a big art piece above the bed?  I would think about textures too!  Have fun!

[booglass]

I love the lamps as they are.  They cast a warm light when lit and light up the crystal base.  But I think pillows are needed.  I was thinking of knitting some that have a rustic feel but have yet to find a pattern or invent one. 

Art above the bed is a must.  But we are in earthquake country so we are hesitant to put something huge and heavy up.  So silly, I know. 

[redredrogue]

I think the neutral color theme would work better with some pattern or texture added. Brown and white printed fabric pillows would be easy to DIY and more lightweight/beachy than knit pillows. I can't really see what the curtains look like from this pic, are they solid grey?

[Phoenyx]

Me, I'd go bold.  Beach cottage does not have to be "New England". 

A quick google image search of Costa Rica shows lush rain forest right up to the beaches, waters in every shade of blue, and brightly colored flora and fauna (loved the golden tree frogs!).  Bring this in.

Use an aqua placemat as a runner for the nightstands. If the bulb temperature is right (more white than yellow) you could get a waterfall effect with the crystal bases.

Not all wall art needs to be heavy.  A poster, or patterned fabric on a thin rod would do the trick.  Pick pillow and throw colors from either to tie them together. 

I'd had the brief thought of literally bringing the outdoors in... banana leaves or palm fronds, carefully done, could be great decor without going to far... but I'm not sure how well they hold out.

Flowers, particularly local varieties, would bring in an enormous "pop" to the room.  =glances at the images page again= Can one dry Birds of Paradise? 

One a side note, for a rustic knitted pillow, try a basic basket weave (alternating squares of stockinet and reverse St) with a garter border.  Easy to adapt to size and yarn. 

[booglass]

Interesting ideas.  We do have lots of bold colors in Costa Rica.   My other bedroom is very vibrant so in this one I wanted to use a more tranquil and muted color scheme.  But I think bringing nature in is a great idea.  Why not use the shapes of the flora and fauna but with these lighter shades?  That could be very interesting. 

[K3lly]

Neutral is not my cup of tea, but you can add a lot to what you already have here and make it so wonderful.
If it were my room the first thing I would do is pick out the colors I want to see in that room.  Personally
I would probably go with yellows, gold tones, reds, something bright and yummy.  These photos really spark my
interest, and have great colors in them.

http://pinterest.com/pin/51721095690184228/

http://pinterest.com/pin/51721095690169901/

http://pinterest.com/pin/51721095690075440/

This really is a great pallet to start from!  Have fun, and I can't wait to see what you come up with.

[FoxInDocs]

i'm thinking cane and ropes, maybe a vintage life-ring if you can get your hands on one.....

waaallllllll decallllls....... won't fall off, and if they do, won't kill you when they land on your head.... they're the solution to all art-hanging problems...

[booglass]

After re-reading the replies and giving things some thought, I decided that you guys are right there should be a pop of color.  So after careful consideration I have decided on a muted dusty orange tone.  So today I am off to a fabric shop to see what I can find for pillows.  Wish me luck!

[talented20]

Art above the bed is a must.  But we are in earthquake country so we are hesitant to put something huge and heavy up.  So silly, I know. 

just put some fabric above the wall and use the color that you shoosed for the pillow
just like this:http://www.google.tn/imgres?start=118&hl=fr&sa=X&biw=1600&bih=796&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=UVroM83rkcTkRM:&imgrefurl=http://harvestfurniture.blogspot.com/2010/11/above-bed.html&docid=1jq6GUl_BSUheM&imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OpZouKLcfKc/TNOYI2E2M7I/AAAAAAAAAxY/ZOd5d0Q-cTs/s1600/fabric.jpg&w=480&h=640&ei=FV0aUOKpOsfi4QSKyoCgAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=391&vpy=327&dur=790&hovh=259&hovw=194&tx=105&ty=154&sig=100062401073758826664&page=4&tbnh=144&tbnw=118&ndsp=41&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:118,i:138
or a wall tattoo