How To Create A Bedroom Retreat
When all you want to do at the end (or middle) of the day is fall into your bed, there are a few elements you can use to engineer your bedroom retreat. Here is a formula for keeping it simple but making it personal:
Art
Check out Juniper Print Shop for prints for any color scheme or subject, they even have vertical prints that fit into Ikea frames, perfect for over the bed. You can take pages from your favorite art books and frame a series of three. Antiques and consignment shops are great sources for original oil paintings and will look great with an updated mat and frame.
Bedding
My favorite sheets are these Vera Wang from Kohl’s. My sheets requirements are that they don’t get insanely wrinkly in the wash and that they don’t make me hot at night. My boys and guest beds are these from Target and they are holding up well so far. Rumor is, my grandmother ironed her sheets, but that is not a world I want to live in. My mom taught me how to do hospital corners, but if you want to know how the experts do it, here is a tutorial from Good Housekeeping:
How to Make a Bed Like a Professional, According to Bedding Experts
Once you’ve got your foundation of sheets and pillows, add a neutral duvet and duvet cover. You can get fancy with Euro pillows (at least 2), long lumbars and bolsters. This is your chance to mix in pattern and texture so mix it up, taking cues from your art.
Furniture
Avoid furniture that is too large so that you don’t feel cramped. One King’s Lane has a wide selection of beds, whether you are looking for an upholstered headboard or four poster. Matching nightstands create symmetry, a bench at the end of the bed can catch laundry you haven’t folded yet, and a comfortable chair and ottoman can make a good reading spot.
Rugs
Rugs are another opportunity to add color and texture to the room, give your feet a soft place to the land in the mornings and really warm up the space. Make sure you get a rug big enough for everyone to have space to get out of bed in the morning, as well as at the foot of the bed.
Lighting & Accessories
Avoid overhead lighting when possible, go for beautiful bedside table lamps, or brass swing arm sconces on each side of the bed. Add your favorite/latest books, a throw blanket at the foot of the bed, framed photos, and a candle or two and you’ve got your bedroom retreat ready for action.
Want a retreat plan of action customized just for you? Through my Online Design package, we work together to create a space just for you, handed over to you and you run with it. Let me know how I can help.
Also, here’s Melanie Hunt and I talking about creating your bedroom sanctuary:
About The Author
Sarah Bowman is the founder and lead stager at Sarah Bowman Spaces, a professional staging firm serving Metro Atlanta and surrounding areas (Smyrna, Marietta, Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Roswell, Dunwoody, Buckhead, Brookhaven, and Decatur). She is dedicated to streamlining the interior design and staging process for realtors, homeowners, investors, and home builders—to attract motivated buyers and sell homes quickly.
