How To Make Your Bedroom Your Haven

Your bedroom is a space entirely for you, somewhere to escape when needed.  As well as sleeping soundly, your bedroom can also be the location you relax, unwind and find peace and solace from a noisy world.  In this blog, we look at ways to turn your bedroom into a perfect space of safe repose and retreat.  With a little thought and some practical adjustments, your bedroom can become the haven you dream of.

Sleeping and Sitting

Any bedroom haven needs two critical pieces of furniture:  a bed and a chair.  You are aiming for maximum comfort with both.  Consider too, the aesthetic of any furniture pieces.  Rather than make-do, you are aiming for – in the words of famed Japanese organizing consultant, Marie Kondo, for items that spark joy in you.  Perhaps you are drawn to wooden pieces, hand crafted from natural materials.  You may find items with curved, symmetrical lines bring you that all important sense of delight.  Invest in good quality.  Take time to choose these two key furniture pieces that will be essential to your bedroom haven.

A black dining chair allows you to enjoy the space of your bedroom when you are not necessarily sleeping.  Placed in a corner and surrounded by cozy, soft blankets and cushions and an elegant standard lamp, a chair can become a reading nook or space to sit and contemplate. 

Consider, too, the positioning of your bed in your overall bedroom haven scheme.  According to the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui, the positioning of your bed has potential to bring greater harmony and balance to your space.  Look to place your bed in such a position that, when lying in bed, you can see your bedroom door but without being directly in front of the door.  This is believed to promote a greater sense of safety and relaxation.   

Create a Sensory Solace

Tuning in and bringing awareness to our sensory experience of the world can be a powerful way to restore balance, find a slower pace and bring a sense of groundedness.  Therapists often encourage clients struggling with anxiety or rumination to return to the present moment by focusing on the felt sensation of breathing, or by bringing attention to things they can see, hear, smell, taste and touch in the Here-and-Now.  For this reason, paying attention to the overall sensory experience of your bedroom can really contribute to the space as a contemplative and relaxing haven.  Practical ways to increase the sensory experience your bedroom has to offer include:

• Add in aromatherapy candles, diffusers or pillow sprays. Lavender, in particular, is prized for its relaxation qualities.
• Include a variety of textures in your soft furnishings throughout the space, giving both your visual and touch senses a treat. Sheepskin rugs, cozy blankets and textured cushions are all simple additions.    
• Seek out inspiring artwork for the walls and include a range of lighting options to vary your visual sensory experience.
• Without the need for obtrusive tech devises that may steal your attention and focus, find ways to bring calming music to your space. Alternatively, give your auditory senses a rest by ensuring you have good quality sound proofing options in the bedroom so you can enjoy the sound of silence, or even, find the space to be able to tune in to the sound of your own breathing or your heart beating.

Attend to Color

Your bedroom haven is a place of intimacy, relaxation and rest.  The color scheme you opt for can make a huge difference to the overall feel of your space.  You are aiming for a calming color palette without too many contrasting colors.  Some people opt for earthy, natural tones such as ochre, copper, taupe and tan.  Perhaps you’ll prefer a cream or white scheme, bringing a sense of serene lightness and coolness to the room.   Green is another calming option, with soft sages, olives and forest greens bringing visual reminders of the healing power of nature to your space. 

Draw on Mother Nature

Mention of Green Color schemes brings us to the all-important inclusion of plants and greenery within your overall design.  Houseplants are a useful addition to an overall bedroom haven design.  As well as bringing the colors of nature indoors, houseplants can also contribute to air quality.  Plants that are renowned for their air purification qualities include spider plants, peace lilies and weeping figs.

Mother Nature can also help with soft furnishings – consider natural, plant-based textile fibers, ideally those that have not been treated with harsh chemicals.   Cottons, linens, bamboo, natural latex and sisal are all options and can help you meet you needs for flooring, bedlinen, cushions, mattresses and blankets.  Non-plant based natural options include organic eco-tanned sheepskins and leathers and soft down-filled feather cushions and duvets. 

Clean and Tidy for Maximum Serenity

It’s hard to relax and unwind when there is clutter strewn across your space, or where your eyes settle on the accumulating dust or the mucky windows, obscuring your view of the sky and clouds outside.   Feng Shui regards clutter as more than a distracting eyesore, and something that actually hinders and blocks the flow of energy in the space.  Even if the mess is behind the closed doors of the closet, knowing what horrors lurk within can really hamper relaxation.  Therefore, consider storage as part of your relaxing bedroom haven design.  Find ways to have suitable storage that will help you in your quest to place items in their correct place after use.  A clutter free space will make cleaning simpler and quicker, leaving you more time to relax and rest in your space. 

And, don’t neglect the art of the deep-clean.  Traditionally labelled a “Spring Clean”, you can attend to a thorough cleanse of your bedroom haven at any time of the year.  Hoovering mattresses to remove dead skin cells and cleaning behind furniture will leave your space hygienic and provide you with a sense of reassurance. 

Your Space, Your Haven.

So, whether it’s settling down with a warm, herbal drink and a good book; escaping to take half-an-hour to meditate or even arriving to settle down to a full eight-hours restorative sleep, with a few considerations and some simple actions, you can create an ideal bedroom haven that meets all of these needs. 

About Jade

Jade owns a small business and is a freelancer writer. Her passions include the environment, healthy living, and travel.

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