Design a Better Bedroom: Sidestep These Easy-to-Make Mistakes
The bedroom isn’t just a key part of expressing your home’s style — it’s the room that can set the tone for how you feel the rest of the day. So work a little harder on how you arrange and decorate this area; we’ve got six key decorating and arranging mistakes to avoid.
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1. Thinking you have to have two nightstands
Or rather, that you even have to have any nightstands. Though it’s certainly expected, for certain folks the standard sort of arrangement might not be ideal. For one, you might not have the room for two nightstands, and trying to stuff two in there for appearances sake might make the space feel cluttered and overwhelming. You might not actually be a nightstand user, and can make do with a small shelf or just a wall-mounted light. Consider how you best might use the space to determine your nightstand needs.
2. Forgetting about the foot of your bed
Even in small bedrooms (perhaps especially in small bedrooms), this area of the space is often forgotten about. Reclaim space and function by rethinking it and finding a way you can make this space work for you.
3. Not really considering the best placement of your bed
We always advocate choosing the wall farthest from the door. This will visually expand your bedroom by putting the bulkiest, most substantial furniture piece the farthest from when you walk in. But you know, that just might not work for everyone. Don’t let conventional ideas about bed placement — or things like closet doors (which can be removed and replaced with drapes) or windows — get in the way of the optimal place for you to put your bed.
4. Not thinking about the first thing you see when you wake up
We’ve mentioned this briefly before, but it bears repeating. Go and lay down in your bed in the usual way you sleep, close your eyes, and then reopen them. What do you see? A pile of laundry that needs cleaning? A TV? Or do you see your workout clothes neatly organized and ready to go? Do you see a bouquet of flowers and your favorite art?
5. Putting more in there than you need
We’re big advocates of simple sleep spaces. Not only are they easier to keep clean (less stuff to move around means more thorough cleaning means less dust in the place you are most vulnerable) but they also just tend to feel a bit better. Of course, this is up to personal preference, but you might consider spending a day where you take out a number of things you don’t actually need — the chair that ends up a pile of clothes by the end of the week, the hamper that could easily live in the bathroom — and see how it changes the feel of your bedroom for the better.
6. Not putting enough effort into organizing (and maintaining) your clothes storage
This might not feel like a part of “designing” your bedroom, but it can actually have a huge impact on how your bedroom feels. Case in point? My overstuffed current dresser and desperately-needs-organizing-closet means I keep taking clothes out, not putting them back up, and sprinkling them around my bedroom. It’s making the room feel messy and me cranky. It’s my battle to overcome. Consider your own clothes situation. Do you tend to sprinkle clothes around your bedroom because your own clothes organization and storage isn’t working for you? Finding the right balance on storing and using your clothes will have a big impact on the upkeep and look of your bedroom.