At Apartment Therapy, we have a passion for talking about great finds, classic pieces and DIY projects for our homes, but today we'd like to step away from all things tangible and talk about 5 things you need to complete a space — but can't see. Can't see? But if you can't see it why would you want it in your space? Read below and you'll catch our drift!
1. Passion: No it doesn't have to take place between the sheets (although that doesn't hurt) we're talking about passion for the space. Often, bedrooms are easy to forget or be the last space you complete. Company doesn't always visit them so it's easy to put them on the back burner.
Even if a budget is slim to non-existent, you can still take a few moments to pick some fresh flowers, dust or make the bed. Although these seem like basic things, caring for your space will only cultivate a passion to do more down the road. Spending awake hours thinking about how to build a bench for the foot of the bed or what style curtains would make the space sing — these are all good things!
2. Comfort: Folks find comfort in many different ways. It doesn't always have to be fluffy blankets and a soft glowing light by your bed. For some, clean lines and a few treasured items bring peace of mind. Regardless of your preference, your bedroom should feel welcoming to not just yourself, but others as well (even if you have no plans to share it). Think of it has the heart of the home (although it rivals the kitchen for this title), and indulge the side of you that seeks comfort at the end of a long day.
3. Energy: Any room that makes you want to spend any sort of time in it has energy or flow as part of the it. Think of the negative or empty space in your room as a river. If water were to come flooding in, where would it go? Would it swoop in one area and gracefully out the other side? Would it get stuck and pool up, sucking in anything that came near? Try rearranging furniture, art, lighting and area rugs to help increase the energy in a space — even if you think it will turn out horribly, you'll be amazed what you learn about the relation of your pieces to your mindset!
4. Fresh Smells: No one wants to walk into a bedroom and exclaim, "Who's making soup?!" The smell of your bedroom is as important as the overall look of it. Obviously keeping things clean is the first place to start, but even spic-and-span spaces can have icky smells once in awhile. Try opening a window, adding an air purifier or soft natural smells in small quantities. Yes candles are ok, just light them for a little bit and extinguish them quickly so you don't have the adverse effect and walk into your bedroom and yell, "Holy cranberry-mountain-meadow-cotton-fresh it's funky in here!"
5. A Lack of Dust Bunnies: Although the other things on our list are slightly more philosophical, nothing makes a room look more polished than cleaning it from top to bottom, touching every surface along the way. Even bedrooms that are cleaned regularly can always use a little extra sprucing up. Try washing your curtains, waxing your hardwood floors or dusting all those nooks and crannies on your headboard. Clean it up and you're always be rewarded 10 fold for your time.
What do you think should be in every bedroom but you can't see? Do you have something to add to the list? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Image: Flickr member jm3 licensed for use by Creative Commons, Sarah Rae Trover
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"Holy cranberry-mountain-meadow-cotton-fresh it's funky in here!"
LOL... so true. A little goes a long way
I feel like my master bedroom meets all of those requirements, which makes me happy.
I have been working on putting panel curtains over my closet for like a two weeks now... it's become a bit of an ordeal, getting the logistics just right.
Just last night I was thinking of scrapping the whole project entirely, but this post is making me more enthusiastic about finishing it. I definitely enjoy a project that I've committed passion into, that's for sure.
I like this. I'm redoing my bedroom (the Before pictures of which I had posted here on AT to get some feedback) and I got the sense that if my bedroom wasn't As Chic As Could Be when I was finished, I might as well not bother coming back here to post the After photo. As I've been going through the re-do project, I've discovered that the estehtic for that room is going to be very calm, relaxing, comfortable... and not remotely decor-mag chic. No awesome light fixtures, no expensive widow coverings, no trendy paint-colour-of-the-moment, maybe not even any art (I'm loving the serenity of the bare walls). It really took a lot of pressure off.
great tips!
I put all the color in my decor in my bedroom. Because I already had too much money invested in the more-subdued rugs and furniture in my living and dining rooms. It's easier to switch out bedding than to switch out a sofa. I know that most of the posters here would poo-poo my bright, non-calming bedroom aesthetic (references to PB Teen might even be made), but it did afford me that spot in my house where I could get my color fix. Granted, it's more fun to be in that room at 8 a.m. than 2 a.m., but I can always roll over and bury my head in a pillow.
Don't give up hope, EC.
This is a great list. I put Chanel No. 5 bath powder in between my sheets. I love a soft comfy bed with clean sheets and lots of pillows. And the no dust bunnies is a must. I have decided a Roomba is the only way to make sure there is no dust under the bed.
A couple of months ago, my husband and I repainted our bedroom a much lighter colour (think of the inside of a cucumber). We kept our bed, night tables, and bureau, and we re-hung two large photos of our kids as babies, but we kept putting off bringing the other furniture back into the room or hanging anything else on the walls. Slowly we came to realize that we actually liked our semi-bare room, and the fact that the only "decoration" is photos of the two things that are most special to us.
(The room also has lovely wooden floors and great light. I'd be lying if I said that these weren't major aesthetic contributions, as well.)
With our room now radically decluttered, it's so easy to keep clean and tidy (in contrast to the rest of our house, which... well, let's just say "We have kids" and leave it at that), and it really does feel like a calm sanctuary at the end of the day.
Great advice. The highlights (for me):
"No one wants to walk into a bedroom and exclaim, "Who's making soup?!"
"Holy cranberry-mountain-meadow-cotton-fresh it's funky in here!"
Hilarious.
I love how you look at it in an intangible fashion! great designers think alike!
Iva
Interior Designer Melbourne
www.ilhamblossom.com
I'll attest to the smell thing. My master bedroom is a basically a loft up in a wonderful cathedral ceiling. It's quite a comfortable room, with plenty of light and perceived isolation, but because it's so open, the smell of last nights dinner persists up there. I have stopped cooking anything that requires frying because the bedroom smells like burnt oil for days after.