Far too often, we are guilty of not putting enough thought into our bedrooms. We exhaust ourselves to make our living rooms, dining rooms, and other places guests might gather the perfect reflections of our style, yet ignore what is probably the most important room in our homes.
The atmosphere created in your bedroom is extremely important. This is the place we come to relax and recharge at the end of a long day. Your bedroom should be like a retreat, offering a feeling of tranquility. Follow my six simple steps and you’ll find your bedroom to be more serene than ever before.
1) Remove Clutter
Clutter create stress. It would be great to remove all the clutter from our homes, but the bedroom is by far the most important. A lot of people have trouble sleeping, and while de-cluttering isn’t a miracle cure, it makes any room instantly more relaxing, which can’t hurt your chances for sleep.
2) Paint
Color sets the tone for any room. For the bedroom, blues and greens are recommended. These colors naturally promote tranquility. Paining is a simple way to make a big impact on your bedroom. It’s relatively inexpensive, and a easy project to tackle on your own. Here are some of my hue suggestions.
I’m partial to Ralph Lauren paint, because I’ve had a good experience every time I’ve used it. In fact, my bedroom is painted in In The Meadow that’s pictured here. Similar hues though in your brand of choice are sure to do the trick.
3) Lighting
I think we can all agree that lighting sets the mood in any room.Warm, soft lighting makes a space more inviting and harsh lighting has the opposite effect. I think it’s clear here, which kind you want to have in your bedroom. In the bedroom, I prefer lighting with some sort of shade. This diffuses the light and makes for a warm, soft glow. Pictured here are the Rhythm Tall Table Lamp, Espresso Floor Lamp, and Dune Table Lamp.
4) Incorporate an element of nature
The serenity of nature offers a needed contrast to the stress of the typical hectic day. Adding something nature-inspired to your bedroom has a similar effect. This can come from the wood used to make your furniture, a print, items made with organic materials like bamboo or rattan, or even by adding a plant or fresh flowers.
From left to right: Amenity Willow Stretched Print , Teakwood Pierced Vase, Osumi Chair, and the Classic Bamboo Nightstand.
5) New Bedding
If you haven’t purchased new bedding in a while, now is the time. It’s easy to forget the simple luxury of great new bedding, until you get some. Bedding not only changes the look of the room, but the way your bed feels. Put some time into selecting it. The higher the thread count the better, so get the highest number you can afford without breaking the bank. Be sure to take a look at Egyptian cotton or Pima Cotton bedding if it’s in your budget. And of course silk makes for great bedding too. Three of my favorite bedding sources are pictured above- Amenity, Blissliving Home, and design your own bedding from Inmod.
6) Separate Work From Relaxation
In an ideal world, neither the desk nor the computer would be in the bedroom. Since many don’t have an extra room to use as a home office though, many people have brought the desk and all of its accessories into the bedroom. If there’s no other place for it, separate yourself from work by sectioning off the room. Consider a screen or some type of room divider, and devote one corner of the room to work. By dedicating one area to work, the rest of the room maintains its focus on relaxation.
