Every year my husband and I gaze longingly into one another's eyes and whisper,"You really don't have to get me anything." And we both breathe a sigh of relief. You won't find the Moss's booking the Sweetheart Package at the downtown hotel or overpaying for a good meal (although we have been known to cut a rug with a dj till we are sweaty a time or two). Not us. We would rather get away from it all when there is no one else around. Or, in my case, plop down the dinero for a yummy set of new sheets for my own bed. Cozy up and enjoy a bottle of Silver Oak from the nightstand. That being our plan this year, I thought it would be a month to discuss some finer points of creating your own oasis in the master bedroom!
WHEN IN DOUBT, TAKE THE UPGRADE! I could say things in this section like, "It's your room." or "You deserve it." But practically speaking, this is the room where you spend the majority of your time. It's really that simple. Why not put your money where you will get the biggest bang out of it? Unlike your little rug rats, you are not going to grow out of your room anytime soon so do it up right! After all, you do use it every day... Resolve from this purchase forward that you will upgrade (within budget) to the softer sheets, the fluffier pillows, the tempting candle and the breath-taking chandelier.
Who needs a hotel when you have a room like this at home?
RESTFUL – With the busy-ness of all of our lives, this is NOT the room to embrace your inner wild child. (decorating that is...) This is the place where you want to keep it calm and restful. Since we mostly use our bedrooms for sleeping and the occasional television watching, this room should make you feel peaceful. You should want to enter it willingly each night, if not expectantly. With the walls and bigger pieces in the room, allow the colors to be muted,calm and neutral. Add spice with shades, pillows and other accessories.
Atlanta designer, Suzanne Kasler makes the peacful look easy by using netural colors of white, blues and browns.
AVOID MULTI-PURPOSE – Although I would love to think that each and everyone reading this blog has the means for separate space, sometimes this is simply not the case. Several of my colleagues have rooms that serve dual purpose as a bedroom and an office. Take it from them....rarely does it work effectively. Reason? It's just too darn easy to get up in the middle of the night to work or just too easy to keep working when you should be asleep. If sharing your bedroom and your office is not an option, then make sure there is a clear distinction between the two. A bookshelf, a screen or curtains do wonders for creating privacy as well as a boundarybetween the spaces. The last thing you want to see when you doze off at nighty-night time is the computer screen yelling at you with your unfinished project front and center.
Use neat screens like this one to separate the space
...or a ceiling to floor curtain helps keep the living area and bedroom area unified but separate.
CANDLES – What better way to snuggle in at night than to nestle into fresh sheets with the windows open? What a luxury! But when the weather won't allow you that little boost, then make it yourself - with a candle. Every night, I light a candle in my bedroom about 30 minutes before I tuck in at the end of the day. It smells delicious! For a nice selection of premium candles, check out Paper Affair or Horchow Finale.
STORAGE – Don’t skimp here. Maybe we don’t all go to bed with someone, but definitely with someTHING. It could be: the book, the magazine, the ipad, the glass of wine, the remote, the jewelry we wore all day, the laptop, the kids report cards....you get my drift. All of these essentials need a place to belong in your bedroom. Think through what you normally bring in with you at night and make the appropriate choice for your storage needs. Adding storage to your bedside will increase the peace and restfulness of the room with tidiness. Personally, I selected a nightstand from IKEA with drawers and went to town making it my own. Being that hubbie isn't always tidy (his side of the bed is named the hamster cage) the drawers in these stands are the key. They hold a ton of junk but it's out of sight so it's all good.
Nightstands are key to storing stuff and keeping the place tidy and peaceful. When in doubt, make each side symmetrical.
LIGHTING – Glaring overhead light is a no-no in this room. When moving to Texas, the builder assured us that we would want ceiling fans in every room because it gets blistering hot here. He was right about the heat but wrong about me wanting the fans. I hate them. Despise them. They dry my mouth out at night and spread all kinds of dust everywhere in the room. Gross. Just turn down the air. Over time, I have replaced each of the room fans with chandeliers or other light features. Also of importance...a dimmer for those bedside lamps and buy PINK bulbs. Yes, pink bulbs will add that certain ambiance that you just don't get with those other bulbs. Beautiful and romantic.
REALLY, MAKE YOUR BED – Morning person, I am not. My friends and family will verify that statement hands down. People used to share with me that making their bed in the morning did wonders for their daily attitude. Really? Sounds like bullcrap to me. But eventually I dove head first into the habit with my other option being drugs. Amazingly, it worked! The extra 2 minutes it takes to make the bed is like a little surprise waiting for me when I return from my long day. I jump right in for a quick rest before I make dinner. Try it. Cheap and worth it.
Keep it simple. Fold the comforter at the end of the bed, pull up the sheets and fluff the pillows. Viola!
ONE CHANGE – TEXTURE. I'm often asked about the one change that makes the most impact in a bedroom without breaking the bank. That change would be texture. Usually when I evaluate a room, it lacks texture -- something to play with the eye. Texture is something that gives weight or feel to a space. Technically defined texture is:“A measure of the variation of the intensity of a surface, quantifying properties such as smoothness, coarseness and regularity”. Layman's terms? Something you can't keep your hands off of and want to touch. How about adding a pillow with beef to it or a shiny mirror and a nubby throw across the end of the bed? These simple pieces of texture will do wonders for your room.
Sure the wallpaper is great and the headboard dramatic, but what really makes this bed is the textured pillows!
SILK DRAPES - So expensive and SO beautiful. Floor to ceiling drapery is a bedroom necessity and makes it divine. Can't afford the moolah? Don't abandon the dream so quickly. Check out www.drapestyle.com or www.halfpricedrapes.com. In addition, they sometimes even have great sale items.
These beauties are in my guest bedroom now. Come one, come all. On sales for $250 (50x120) for both panels. All silk, lined and weighted with French clips. A deal!
Love the silk drapery in this room!
Pictures – Bring in the kids! (in pictures that is...) Silver frames add sparkle - especially in a grouping. Add some of you and your loved one too to make the space complete.
This year, why not begin a new Valentines Day tradition? Ditch the dinner and flowers and add some upgrades to your bedroom instead! You'll welcome the joy that these additions will bring to your life and not miss the heartburn at all. So, enjoy your Valentine’s Day.
Go Packers-
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