Your bedroom should be your private sanctuary; a personal space where you can relax, unwind and ultimately enjoy a deep, peaceful sleep.
Too often though our bedrooms are crammed with clutter or teeming with technology, which can only result in keeping our minds busy and our senses switched on. Here are some quick tips on how to turn your bedroom into the restful idyll that it should be…
Calming colours
In the Houzz article Set the Mood: 5 Colors for a Calming Bedroom, architectural colour specialist Jennifer Ott recommends dark grey-blues, soft greys, icy blues, soft neutral greens or lavenders as the best options for creating a relaxing and soothing space. “These colours have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety,” says Jennifer. “They can also make a space seem more expansive, so they’re a great choice if your bedroom is on the small side.”
Use soft lighting
Strike a good balance between natural and artificial lighting, keeping the latter soft in tone. Natalie Wain in the Telegraph article How to perfectly light your bedroom recommends soft accent lighting to create a relaxing haven. “Installing a dimmer switch with different settings is a quick and easy way to set the scene,” says Natalie. “But clusters of church candles and strings of fairy lights work just as well.”
For reading, she suggests opting for a relaxing glow with suitable brightness to avoid straining your vision. She says: “Height-adjustable, wall-mounted lamps are a versatile option, but make sure they’re well shielded so you don’t see the bulb, and you can read without disturbing your partner.”
At your convenience
If you’re at the initial stages of designing your bedroom, don’t forget those all-important touches that you’ll truly appreciate in the long run; as Natalie says: “Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that provide the most satisfaction, and installing light switches conveniently beside your bedside is one of them. No one enjoys getting out of bed to switch off the light and fumbling back in the dark.”
The marvel of minimalism
It goes without saying that a clutter-free bedroom can help in calming the mind, and this is not restricted to the tops of dressers or the bedside table. It’s not easy to strip everything back, but it can have an enormous benefit on your emotional well-being.
Maxwell Ryan of Apartment Therapy discusses embracing minimalism in his blog, 7 Tips for Creating a Cozy, Calming Bedroom. “This is a difficult one for me,” he says. “But it seems to be the most important. To create calm in the bedroom, free it of clutter, not just the floor, but the walls too. Choose one or two pieces of art for one wall and leave the rest alone.”
Fit for purpose
Not only should we limit the amount of trinkets, wall art and mementoes on display, we should also ensure they are the right sort of items for the bedroom. Have you ever had a stack of work or household bills on your bedside table? The right place for these items is the home office, or a desk or workspace completely separate from where you unwind and go to sleep.
Pet-free sleeping space
Finally, we love this piece of advice in Forbes’ 10 Key Elements of a Relaxing Bedroom from Houzz Contributor Janelle Beals, urging us to make “a spot for Spot.” The best solution may well be to have the bedroom as a no-go space for your furry friends, however some of us just don’t have the heart or willpower to train them out of the habit.
At the very least, try at least to reclaim your bed, making this specific area a pet-free zone. Janelle says: “If you have a pet that sleeps in the bedroom, provide a cushion or bed they’ll love, particularly if you’d like to avoid them treating your bed as their bed!”
