When it comes to decorating, the bedroom is always my favorite part. Maybe because it was the first room in which I was allowed to flex my personal design freedom, but also because it is just that — very personal.
A bedroom should be your favorite place to rest. A luxurious (whatever that means to you) place to tuck yourself away from the world. Below are a few tips to help you have a relaxing, stress free bedroom.
BED & BEDDING
It all starts with the bed and bedding. Chose a mattress that feels best to you and offers you enough support. If you aren't in the position to upgrade your mattress, try embellishing it by adding a feather bed or egg crate. For additional support, you could also try upgrading only your box spring. Try an assortment of pillows and stick to what you like. A combination of firm and soft are great for layering. Use pillow protectors for easy cleaning.
Keep it simple with 2 sets of 100% Egyptian cotton sheets, which get softer as you wash them. If money is no object, try ABC Carpet or Bloomingdale's. If bargain shopping is more your thing, HomeGoods usually has a nice selection. Sheets should always be 100% cotton, and over 200 thread count. Feel them with the back of your hand before buying them (are they really soft?) and always wash them before you put them on your bed. To get that crisp hotel feel, you can starch and iron your sheets too.
A down comforter is always my go to because you can easily switch out the duvet to change the look, plus it can easily be thrown in the washing machine to clean. Duvets should also always be 100% cotton.
Everything on your bed should be soft and comfortable. Avoid beaded pillows, stiff coverlets that are scratchy, or metal bed frames that may poke you when you walk by. The sturdier the bed frame, the better. The one pictured above is an antique, and while it looks pretty, it was the opposite of 'stress free', since the wood slats underneath constantly fell out and the entire thing squeaked.
One last note, don't buy the biggest bed you can fit simply because it can fit. Bedrooms are more charming if they aren't swallowed up by a giant bed.
COLOR
You could go any way with color but whatever you chose, you should be in love with it. Going back to the picture above, I was not allowed to paint the white walls, so I added pops of my favorite colors using pillows, potted plants and a mobile. These colors are all very energizing. It is more difficult for me to wake up in the morning than to fall asleep at night, so a more vibrant, light-filled bedroom works to stimulate my senses and get me out of bed.
For those who have trouble sleeping, darker, more calming shades may be best.
CURTAINS
Drapes that pool on the floor and can easily open and close to control the light are my personal favorite. Choose window treatments based on how much privacy and light you need.
LIGHTING
Avoid overhead lighting, which is highly unflattering, and instead try several smaller, dim lamps around the room to highlight different areas. Bedside reading lamps are also a must, and add lovely touches of ambient light. Avoid florescent (blue or green toned) lighting in the bedroom and go for warm (yellow) light.
DECOR
Limit yourself to only a few precious objects to keep your bedroom clutter free. A couple of chairs or a bench, a dresser, a large plant, and a few of your favorite pieces of art will do nicely.
ORGANIZATION
Organization is key to having a stress free bedroom. If you take the time to make sure everything has a home and keep it there as often as possible, keeping your bedroom de-cluttered should be fairly simple.
Keep clothes hung in the closet or folded in a dresser, add under the bed storage if needed, and group like things like jewelry, handbags and shoes together and keep them in a designated spot. Buy pretty hooks and use them as part of the decor if it works. Bedside tables with drawers are always best so you can hide books, your ipod, a sleeping mask and personal items.
If you feel like stuff is popping up everywhere, then consider downsizing. You will feel better when your days are not spent managing your stuff. The rule of thumb is, if you haven't worn it for six months, pass it on. Move seasonal items to another space if possible.
CLEANING
Making your bed, putting away your clothes, vacuuming the floor, and a light dusting should make your bedroom sparkle. Generally, I vacuum the room and dust and wash my sheets every two weeks, put away my clothes a few times a week when I do laundry, and only make my bed when company is coming over. It's a fairly relaxed routine and it works for me!
(Image: Violet Marsh Photography)
100 DIY Ideas for the 3-Day Weekend
Danielle's Charming, Classic Walk-Up
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
White Enamel Flatwa...
On Saying No to Paleo: Why Eating Isn't One Size Fits All
Perfect Summer Cocktail Recipe: Honey Bourbon Lemonade
This is funny to me because my living room is my favorite place to rest. I don't mean sleep, but when I get home I don't sit on my bed and contemplate peaceful things. I plop on my couch and hang out with my pets.
Funny that the author says she rarely makes the bed because for me the easiest way to make the bedroom stress free IS to make the bed. It looks so much nicer and is a quick way for me to tolerate the end-of-the-week clutter before the weekend comes.
Limit yourself to only a few precious objects to keep your bedroom clutter free.
I thought this was a site for small-space living? I would limit myself to a few precious objects if my bedroom wasn't also my library, craft room, exercise room, dressing room etc.
Even though his wardrobe is another room (for this very reason), tripping over my fiance's clothes is VERY stressful.
Changing the bedding makes for a wonderful sleeping environment.
When I moved, I thought it would be annoying that my new place didn't have a closet in the bedroom. Wrong! It's so great. I never have the clothes-accumulation that bedrooms seem to get, which keeps it SO much more peaceful.
The mere idea of using a down comforter in south central Texas makes me sweat. With lows in the 60s, a sheet and a light blanket or two is more than enough for me. Sure, I want heavier covers for our 2 months of actual winter, but come August, with nightly lows around 78, I'll be sleeping under a sheet and the ceiling fan.
I recently upgraded from queen to king..the best thing I did for myself. LOVE it..so yeah, i believe in big bed even though they don't look as good as queen size bed.
I like this idea, but I think one thing was downplayed too much. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not as comfortable in a room without quite a bit of artwork to stimulate my mind. I like to keep my room full of paintings and sculptures. My friends always comment on how they feel like they're in an art gallery...
One of my big keys to a stress free bedroom is the temperature. For me that's leaving the window open a couple inches for fresh air, and having a few extra blankets at the end of the bed I can just drag up (no complicated unfolding, in the middle of the night when I'm cold & not completely conscious that drives me nuts) in case I get cold.
I just bought a sleep mask a few weeks ago and it's changed my life! I have a hard time getting to sleep, and I've had heavy light blocking curtains in the past that have helped falling asleep enormously, but made getting up in the morning much more difficult. Now I put on a light-blocking sleep mask at night, and in the morning I slide it off to my light curtains letting the morning light filter in and I can actually wake up!
If the slats are falling out of your bed frame, they've been cut too short. You can use sticky velcro to fix them in place and keep them from moving or you can cut slightly longer ones.
I used an antique bed frame for decades and never had a problem (not even as a kid prone to leaping into bed!). The squeaky frame amused me; it never stressed me out!
I keep my bedroom stress free by making sure my bedroom is only for sleeping. I don't allow tv or work to be done in there. The only things we have in our bedroom are a bed, bedside tables, and storage for clothes. Nothing else belongs (or at least is hidden away).
I currentlylive in a flat and have the smallest bedroom I've ever had - so small there's only room for the bed and I have to keep all my clothes in another room. It's brilliant! I have a really comfy King Size bed with a pair of bedside tables and that's it. No telly, no clutter, no nothing. Just a little blue fireplace with a mirror over it. I love it, it's so relaxing, and I live by the sea and watch the boats from my bed... http://cecilymae.com/#wpcom-carousel-3555
I totally agree with the 100% cotton bedding...even better if it's line-dried after washing, the fresh-air scent is completely soporific!
What Pi says.
CecilyMae, that's one adorable bedroom! Love your bed linens.
I like having nothing on the floor and a made bed and no TV. That is the epitome of relaxation for me in the bedroom.
Like @MonicaK, I am completely in love with my king sized bed. In a long-distance relationship, I'm happy to share the bed with my sweetie when he's here. And I'm super comfy in it solo. It may be decadent, but I adore my giant bed island. My 12'x13' bedroom fits it fine.
not making your bed...I find that making my bed makes my sleeping space feel relaxing...unmade feels like I have rushed too much.
I'm an artist and work from home...the bedroom is my oasis from my work, so no personal artwork in there. Mirrors are forbidden in the bedroom, it's terrible feng shui:) I'm going to rearrange it soon so this article is helpful...thanks:)
And as to the post about small spaces and rooms being multi-use. The rest of my home us multi-use which is why it's sonimportant to have one refuge from everything else:)
Even if your bedroom is a multi-purpose room, there are still things that can make the sleeping space stress free, like:
1) Don't use your bed for work, internet surfing, etc. Use it for sleep only. I've struggled with insomnia for years, and when I'd use my bed as multi-purpose, it'd take 3-4 hours to fall asleep, now it probably takes me 1 or 2.
2) Hang curtains. Not just in front of windows, but if it helps, block off the work space in the room when it's time for bed.
3) Make the bed. If I'm getting things done in the bedroom when it's not made, the bed is terribly distracting. Keeping it made also helps keep me from using it for other things too.
Hi Everyone! I think the point the author and all of us are trying to make is to have a room desinated for total relaxation. For me this is "our" bedroom. We have been married 35 years. When I still worked; the kids knew that when I got home from work that I had 1/2-1hr. of private time in my room. (Of course I checked to make sure no one was bleeding before I headed for my sanctuary.)
The kids were not to interrupt me unless "blood" was involved. (My out of home job was that of a nurse; so that down time was important for everyone.)
After my half hour I came out; got dinner started; and each child (there are four) had a turn telling me about their day (sometimes all ay once!!). Autumn is my favorite season; so our room always reflects those warm shades and I have several quilts I change out now and again when I need a fresh look(all in autumn colors) Those kids are now 36;34;33;and 31 and every afternoon I still head to my sanctuary before my husband gets home!!! Besides a very few autumn landscapes (the room does "tie in" really) ow I have pics of those "kids" in my bedroom as they bring me joy and comfort everyday!
1. According to studies, darkness is extremely important - even the amount of light that comes through the crack under a door diminishes melatonin production, causing all kinds of health issues not the least of which is lack of deep sleep.
2. And I think even people who can sleep through noise are still potentially affected by it, so doing anything possible to minimize that is a very good idea. The FIRST thing to do is NOT allow yourself to fall asleep with the TV on! What a consciousness interrupter!
3. Someone mentioned fresh air - another consideration of major importance that folks with heat exchangers often aren't aware of.
4 Make sure you've exercised enough during the day that you're physically tired, not just mentally exhausted!
Otherwise, I like all your suggestions, and the ones about line-drying the sheets and having artistic things around.
I kind of wonder whether the person writing tweets isn't reading the articles real closely! For example, the tweet with this link said it was about waking up stressed, not being stressed while you're in the room (by clothes on chairs or whatever) - and then there was that big uproar yesterday when the drop-leaf tables, averaging over $500, were described in the tweet as "affordable!"
Clothes you do not wear for six months are probably seasonal. Are you actually telling people to dump 50 percent of their wardrobes every six months? Dumb.