After listening to a story on NPR (KPBS – San Diego) discussing the importance of sleep, I started to consider the relationship between the design of your bedroom and your sleeping habits. Because sleep is so important for a lot of health-related reasons (I won’t list them…just google it), I wanted to give you all some tips on how to create a more serene and peaceful environment so you can truly get the hours of sleep you need.
She looks tired… I bet her bedroom is not so great. Ha! I am trying to be funny… I must be sleepy too.
Anyway, let’s take a peek at some awesome bedrooms. Shall we? I mean, this is an ideal space to sleep:
There is texture, comfort, cozy pillows, a fluffy rug to put your feet on in the morning, no clutter, white, simplicity. Just be sure to add a black out (or close) shade to prevent too much light during the morning.
Which leads me to…
Tip #1:
Lighting. In my opinion, this is one of the most important elements to good design in most rooms. For the bedroom, it is best to have different levels of lighting. Task lighting – which would probably be located on your nightstands as table lamps or sconces flanking your bed for reading light. You want natural light during the day and then ambient lighting (preferably with a dimmer) for the evening/morning after you have woken up.
Tip #2:
There should be no trace of “work” in your bedroom. The idea of the bedroom is a place for you to completely free your mind of anything that could result in stress. Stress makes your mind wander which leads to sleepless nights. And no sleep means bad health. Okay?! So let’s leave the iphone off or on silent and away from your arm’s reach…although I am guilty of looking at pinterest on my ipad at night and then trying to fall asleep… but we have to stop. We can do this.
Tip #3:
– Do not put anything under your bed. Not only is it bad feng shui, but do you really remember everything you put under there? I am answering this too.. no I don’t…. so I need to take my linen boxes full of junk out from under my bed as we speak. And on subject… clutter in general in the bedroom is a no no – even if you don’t think you care about all of the clothes covering your floor, it’s psychologically in the back of your mind.
Tip #4:
Both sides of your bed should be easily approachable. This helps with the simplicity of making your bed in the morning – if you have to tuck in between the wall and your bed.. it’s too much of a struggle every single day and I am sure you are already feeling rushed in the morning if you are not getting enough sleep. Plus it’s best if your spouse/companion/dog has a nightstand as well if you share your bed with someone else. Nightstands are great for displaying some of your favorite things, for instance: a book (this is a book to read for fun though, right?…right.), fresh flowers, a candle, design magazines, etc. You get the idea.
Tip #5:
Color. Let’s not get too crazy with color in the bedroom guys… I get it…. you want a bright orange on every wall. But, let’s choose calming more cool colors (like a light blue or grey) so your mind can learn to be at peace when you enter the bedroom.
and last but not least…
Tip #6:
Bring in nature. REAL nature not silk plants.. please. Nature brings peace and positivity. And who doesn’t want that. Perhaps it’s just some fresh flowers next to the bed or a beautiful fiddle leaf next to your dresser.
Photo sources for each tip:
And here is a little round-up of some of my favorite decor + bedside pieces right now:
Sources: bed / sleep well pillow / linen spray / roman shade / nightstand+dresser / stripe duvet set / candle / notebook
Happy snoozing!
These rooms make me want to relax, relax, relax. I love them. Love the tips. New inspiration for my bedroom, indeed!