Recently, my husband and I have been decorating like crazy in order to do our beautiful English Cottage style home justice. However, like so many others, we decided to wait until almost every room in the house was decorated before we started on our own bedroom. Now, I regret our decision to delay. I wish we had chosen to spruce up our own space before focusing on the rest of the house, because really, we are the ones that spend the most time in our house, so we should put ourselves first in that aspect. Now that we’re done though, we couldn’t be happier with our new space!

Whether we retreat into our bedroom to escape the chaos of everyday life or we simply need some good, old-fashioned shut-eye, the bedroom should become a private vacation. With the fast-paced quality of life that so many enjoy in this day and age, everyone needs a place where they can let loose, unwind, and be themselves. I know for a fact that once I get home from work, all I can think about is sitting down in my room and taking some time to relax after the hectic day.

And unlike any other room in the house, the bedroom is truly meant for our own personal relaxation. Just because we don’t entertain guests in the bedroom doesn’t mean that we should cheat ourselves and skimp on decorating! In fact, with our bedroom we don’t have to consider what guests might think; we are creating a room purely for our own enjoyment so we can do whatever you want!

So how did go about creating an oasis for ourselves? Well, step one we had to add some color to the blank canvas. As a room that we will spend about a third of our time in, we chose a color that we actually like and can stand for extended periods of time. However, we considered that most of this time is spent sleeping, so we chose soft, soothing colors that will create a serene atmosphere and help us sleep. As a rule of thumb, colors that give you headaches should be avoided at all costs for your bedroom. Blue is a very relaxing color for your walls, but you could also use neutral colors to add warmth to your room.

Once we picked our wall colors, we then added more personality and color with other accent pieces and decorations. For example, we used our bedspread to our advantage and picked out a pattern that adds interest to the room. Other accent pieces like lampshades or artwork can bring the room to life without overwhelming the peaceful mood. Also, because this is our personal space, we decorated with things we love like pictures or memorabilia. We had so much fun expressing ourselves with the décor but we had to stop ourselves from going overboard. A good tip is to decorate with consistency so that the room doesn’t feel cluttered with mismatched items and you can achieve your overall aesthetic. For example if you live in a log house or you have a Santa Fe house plan, you could decorate with those themes in mind to keep the room cohesive.

Now, for the most important part of the room: the bed! First things first, we had to consider the size of the bed. Keep in mind that your bed should comfortably accommodate you and, if applicable, your partner. When sharing a bed, you should have at least a double or full sized bed, but you may want more room. As long as the bed fits into your room and your budget, pick out whatever is comfortable. Once we found the perfect bed, it was time to go mattress shopping! Do your homework and know what you like in terms of firmness and materials so that you can invest in a mattress that will give you many years of pleasant nights.

Finally, you can never have too many pillows! Pillows signify comfort and leisure: the perfect combination for a bedroom. We went wild with our pillow selection because even if we don’t need them all to sleep, we can just set them aside for the night. Plus, they provide great accent pieces. The designs on the pillows don’t need to be matchy-matchy, in fact, as long as there is some sort of connecting element, the different and unique pillows can add great aesthetic appeal to your room. So don’t skimp on the pillows!

After picking out the perfect bed, think about the area on your wall above your bed. Often this space is just left blank, but if you choose the right headboard or the right artwork, it can become the focal point of the room. Again, this is your chance to let your personality shine through, while staying consistent. Something you can easily do is hang a graphic quilt above your bed. This will create an illusion of a headboard, while still being a stylish work of art. Another option could be an upholstered headboard. This type of headboard brings softness and comfort into your room, which is perfect for relaxation and proves to be an agreeable support when reading in bed. And speaking of reading in bed, consider getting wall lamps to hang beside your bed. Conveniently placed, these lamps will free up the valuable space on your end table and reduce your frustration at not having enough room for everything.

Finally, now that we have a beautiful room where we can relax and enjoy life, we have to work hard to keep it free of mess. It can be so easy to just let the clutter pile up but if we let it get out of hand, the disorder will override the relaxing atmosphere of the bedroom. Constantly seeing the junk strewn about the room will continue to stimulate your mind even as you try to settle down or sleep. Also, using scented candles or linen oils can make a big difference in the smell of your room and how you feel when you are in there. So use relaxing scents, kick the detrimental clutter, and don’t let the mess overwhelm you!

Your bedroom is your oasis, your own private island, so make sure that you love everything you put in there. Even if guests aren’t constantly trampling through, you can still decorate and furnish to create a high quality living space. Stick to peaceful colors, add some personality, avoid clutter, and remember: you can always use more pillows!

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