The Two Things Nate Berkus Says You Do When Decorating Your Bedroom (and One You Shouldn’t)

Designer Nate Berkus has put together many beautiful bedrooms over his career, both for his clients and his own family. For that reason, he knows firsthand that the key to a serene sleep space isn’t just about appearances; you have to build function and utility into any area where you’re hoping to peacefully snooze. That’s why when Beautyrest tapped him to collaborate on a limited edition sleep collection that features mattresses, a mattress protector, and pillows, I knew the line would be more than just pretty products (though, yes, the pieces are quite the lookers and feature fabrics that contain recovered ocean plastics). To celebrate the new collection, I got a chance to chat with Berkus about what truly makes a bedroom restful, and he gave me a handful of tips that you can use to take your sleeping quarters to the next level. Plus, he spilled the tea on the one thing he thinks can sometimes bring the look of a bedroom down and how to fix it.

“Sensitivity to light is huge,” says Berkus. The easiest way to shroud yourself in a cocoon of darkness every night for your best rest? Proper window coverings. According to Berkus, they’re not a luxury, they’re a necessity — that is, if you ever want to be able to sleep past sunrise. Consider investing in quality blackout shades, which you can team up with drapery for a pop of pattern and color. Once you draw your window treatments at night, the total darkness can signal to your body that it’s time to drift off, while opening them in the morning may help you feel extra energized upon waking. If you get good natural light during the day, you may even consider painting your bedroom a moody color, which Berkus has been leaning into lately in his own work.

“I can’t sleep if there are piles of things around my room,” says Berkus. Do yourself a favor and start your bedroom makeover journey by decluttering. Not only will putting away your things or tossing excess stuff create sleeker, more visually streamlined surfaces, the process of clearing out can also create a sense of spaciousness in even the smallest of bedrooms. Once you’ve cleaned up, you’ll also feel better about rewarding yourself with a little bedroom upgrade, such as a new set of sheets or pillows.

Symmetry may be visually soothing and calming in a bedroom, but that doesn’t mean you have to go matchy-matchy with all of your furnishings. “The best bedrooms are layered and assembled piece by piece over time,” says Berkus, who suggests breaking up furniture sets. “Your nightstands and lamps don’t have to be the same either.”

If you’ve leaned a little too hard into coordinating everything or inherited a set, don’t worry. You can introduce new finishes and shapes to your setup by maybe moving one of your bedside tables into the living room and swapping in a side table that’s elsewhere in your home right now. Try your dresser in the entry and bring in a chair that doesn’t look exactly like your bed in terms of material or finish. Keep your eyes peeled while traveling or thrifting for one-of-a-kind accessories; little decorative touches, like a vase or a small piece of artwork, can go along way in making your sleep space look storied.