Focus On What's Important

I was recently interviewed on a local television program and was asked what room in the house I thought people neglected the most. This is a no brainer.......the master bedroom. We usually focus on the rooms people will see, rather than the room where we spend the most time and need the most to rest, relax, and get a good night's sleep.

I understand why we all want to make our public rooms pretty. But it's very easy and not expensive to have a warm, inviting, comfortable bedroom. And I think it's important to our overall mental health.

Photo Courtesy BHG

The first thing to do is remove clutter. Waking up every morning to the laundry that hasn't been put away, yesterday's clothes on the chair, and disarray on all the surfaces isn't the best way to greet each day. Not to mention making it difficult to sleep at night because of the guilt. Don't make your bedroom the catch-all room. De-clutter once, then spend a few minutes each day making sure it stays that way.

Keep your bedroom the place where you rest, relax, and retreat. That means remove the exercise equipment, office/work area, and - dare I say it - the television. If you're addicted to watching television from bed, I probably won't get far with that one. But there are many, many studies that equate watching television from your bed is not a good thing for a number of reasons. But it that's not a change you're willing to make, do what you can about the other two. Get creative about using other space, especially for your office. What about a staircase landing? Or adding shelves and a desk to a little-used closet? If it has to stay in the master bedroom, at least make sure it's in an area that can be separated from the rest of the room, if only by an attractive screen. I purchased a great Shoji screen for a client at a very reasonable price from Target, which has plenty of other styles to choose from as well.

Add some texture. Bedrooms are lots of hard surfaces, other than the bed. So add panels at the window (make them stationery if you don't need them for privacy), An upholstered chair is always a wonderful touch if there is room (as long as you don't use it to hold yesterday's clothes). And so are decorative pillows, a throw, and a live plant. Even round shapes can soften the hard lines, so change your lamps or bedside tables to
softer lines.

The bottom line? Find the peace you deserve in the room that matters the most. And without breaking the bank.