Master Bedroom

The master bedroom doesn’t have to bigger than all the other bedrooms in the house. It does, however, need to have the amenities you need. If yours is less ‘mastery’ than you’d like, here are some tips on how to rectify that:

- Make the room look larger and more open by cleaning up clutter. Clutter is the enemy of a room like the master bedroom.

- Don’t use any unnecessary furniture. Stick to the essentials to maximize the room’s effect. Excess furniture can detract from the room’s appeal because of the mess factor. If you have children, make sure they don’t leave a path of toy-strewn destruction; make them pick up after themselves. They’ll be happier when they’re older, and you have a clear room.

- Keep the actual bed low, visually speaking. A high bed can also ruin the effect of a master bedroom by focusing too much attention on the bed and not enough on the rest of the room. This can be deadly to the room, especially if the bed is more decorative than the rest of the room. A good way to keep the bed visually low is to use a headboard but not a footboard. Also, don’t use a big four-poster, as that will make the room seem smaller.

- Make use of bedside tables or nightstands. This can anchor the bed and give the room stability.

- If you can spare some extra room, consider putting in a comfortable chair. Sometimes a bedroom makes a great reading room.

Teen Bedrooms

A teenager’s bedroom is a teenager’s world away from home, especially if they have Internet access. Unfortunately there are no general principles to follow with the bedroom of a teenager, because they can be a foreign species to traditional design skills. Talk to your teenager and see what they need. That sometimes works the best.

Children’s bedrooms

If you have a nursery, plan ahead for when your children grow older. For this bedroom, the oveririding principle is always safety first.

- Keep the crib or cribs away from windows and window blind/drape cords.

- Make sure that crib(s) and/or bunk beds meet federal safety standards. Check to see if the mattresses fit snugly against the side of the crib or bunk bed.  If there are slats, spindles, rods, or corner posts they should be no more than 2-3/8 inches apart from each other. Be absolutely sure that a child cannot release the drop side of a crib. Make sure that bunk beds are sturdy and that they do not wobble.

- Only buy chests and cabinets that cannot be tipped over, even if your child(ren) open the drawers and crawl inside them. If necessary, attach them to the wall for extra security.

- Plug all electrical plugs with plastic safeguard plugs.

- Make sure all flooring is such that it cannot be skidded on.

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- The most basic part is the frame. The frame needs to be able to hole the box springs and the mattress pad up off the floor without bending or breaking. This means the bed frame needs to be made of heavy wood, metal or a combination of the two. A good bed frame will have several rails running underneath the box springs; this will spread the weight of the box springs, mattress and you around. Often three or four is enough, but some frames will have more and some will have less depending on the size of the frame. Also, decorative wooden frames are just that: decorative. They have no bearing on the safety or sturdiness of the frame.

- If you’re buying a new mattress, keeping your old box springs isn’t recommended, even if you’re trying to save money. Manufacturers recommend buying a new set of box springs so that they will keep the same age as the mattress. This is because a mattress and a set of box springs are typically made together and are designed to be used together. If your box springs is old, chances are it’s started to sag, which can really make the new mattress feel uncomfortable. Imagine laying down in your bed and all of sudden feeling as if the center fell out! That’s not a very pleasant night.

- For the mattress itself, it’s pretty straightforward. No matter what the mattress is made of (air, water, metal coils, tempur memory foam, etc. ) it is basically a support system for your back, specifically your spine. It’s important for the spine to be kept in the correct position while you sleep. This is due to several reasons, but the biggest one is that your spine actually stretches while you sleep. When you are awake, your body weight gradually forces the spine to slowly contract throughout the day. At night, when you are asleep and off your weight, the spine stretches back out again. If the spine is contorted or in an awkward position during the night, it won’t make you a morning person at all.

There are several characteristics to consider when choosing the best mattress in terms of your spinal health. The type of mattress is the most basic, but there’s really no ‘best’ recommendation for this one. Experiment with the different mattress types if you can, and find the one that fits you the best. Firmness is the next quality, and be careful with this one because firmer isn’t always better. If a mattress is too firm the body won’t be supported evenly, and if the mattress is too soft sags and creates exactly the same effect. It’s important to find your own personal balance of firmness and softness. When you are asleep, your muscles work throughout the night to find the best position for you. That is why you often find yourself in a different position when you wake up then you were in when you went to sleep! The wrong mattress for you can throw this process way off, possibly creating a trip to the chiropractor.

There are easier ways to make sure your mattress is comfortable, of course. One of them is to turn your mattress regularly, both vertically and horizontally. This ensures that mattress lasts longer. Another way is to clean it on a timely basis. Take it outside and whomp it with a broom to get all the dust out. If it’s too soft, place a half-inch-thick sheet of plywood in between the mattress and the box springs. If it’s too firm, try a variety of soft mattress toppers. Tempur memory foam might work for you, but other options work just as well if not better. There are mattress pads made of egg carton, pads filled with feathers, etc. Try each one out and see what works for you.

The most important easy way to make sure your mattress is comfortable is to try it out before you buy it. Lie down on it in the store before you purchase it. This may just end up saving you all the time and effort you would have spent trying to fix it if you had bought it and didn’t try it out first. Sometimes the easiest way is the best way.

Don’t forget that your mattress will also have a longer life if you use it properly.

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Of course, the biggest piece of furniture is the bed. Other furniture pieces have their place in a bedroom, too. An armoire or dresser, for example, is the perfect place to store your clothes if you don’t have a closet. A nightstand is an absolute must-have for a bedside lamp and a few midnight reading materials. A desk might be useful if you like working in your bedroom. Other items you can use are mirrors, makeup vanity tables, etc. All of these can make the bedroom a true living space.

The highest priority for you in redecorating and rearranging your bedroom is making sure it is peaceful. If after this process your bedroom still isn’t peaceful for you to be in, you may as well not have ever done it. To ensure your bedroom is peaceful, there are a couple of things you can do.

- Don’t have a television! This way you bypass having the outside world intrude on your private resting place and you get the peace of mind you want. Having the television (if you have one at all) in another part of the house clearly separates your outside world from your inside world, consequently giving you a greater distinction between your work/social life and your home life. This gives you the peace you want because having that distinction allows you to set firmer boundaries and take better care of yourself. Many, many people do not know how to set boundaries at all, and they free rein to people to whom they would be much better off telling to keep their distance. By the same metaphor, television can invade your boundaries, too. Keeping it in another room maintains your boundaries, doesn’t pollute your relax time, and makes it easier to focus on rest and recovery to better prepare to face tomorrow.

- Make sure your mattress is comfortable. This is a particularly big one since you will obviously spend the majority of time in your bedroom in your bed. If not, make sure the chair at your desk is equally comfortable. A good mattress will be built to last you a long time so that you don’t have to worry about buying a new one every so often. Make sure you choose a good frame, box springs and mattress in order to have an agreeable bed.

After deciding what kind and how many pieces of furniture you will have in your bedroom, the arranging is pretty simple. There are a few common-sense notions to keep in mind when placing your furniture around your bedroom, so make sure you remember the following ideas:

1) The bed usually goes against the center of the wall that is opposite the doorway into the room. This is because the bed commands attention being the natural focal point of the room, especially if the bed is a double-size, queen-size or king-size.

2) If you have a window and it’s frequently open, do not place the bed directly under it. The open window will create a cold draft. If you have two windows, however, placing the bed between them works very well.

3) You obviously must avoid placing the bed so that it obstructs a doorway into the bedroom, closet, etc. Did you also know that placing a bed at an angle sometimes helps the room look bigger? Placing it at a right angle to a corner of the room creates this effect nicely.

4) Additionally, you can make the room seem bigger if you keep it free of clutter, especially toys if you have children.

5) A chest placed at the foot of the bed can provide a needed storage area and help make the room look classier.

6) If you want to, place two nightstands on either side of the bed. This will help visually balance the room and make it more appealing.

Aside from this specific tips, there are only a few things I can say more: don’t congregate the furniture on one side or in one part of the room. This will unbalance it and create an awkward vibe. Instead spread the furniture out around the room to make it more open.

That’s it for now. Remember, redecorating and arranging your room isn’t difficult at all if you stick to the principles. Happy sleeping!

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Your house is where you retire at the end of the day, retreating inside your own personal castle; hopefully defending from the monsters at the gate. Of all the rooms in your house, your bedroom is probably the one that you look forward to the most. The bedroom is your sanctuary, the place where you come to rest at the end of a busy day. You don’t want to come home to a bedroom that keeps you tense and awake instead of relaxed and asleep. If the room isn’t arranged, styled or decorated to fit your psychological needs, you might as well sleep in a dungeon. There are many factors that contribute to your psychological health within your bedroom that you may not be aware of. Your ability to handle all the things that happen over the course of a typical day can be severely taxed if you’re not getting the full quality of rest you need.

So how do you achieve a truly restful environment in your bedroom? If you’re not already experiencing that, try redecorating it. Redecorating a bedroom or even redoing it from the bottom up can be a great way to restore a good night’s sleep. The important first step is to take inventory of your bedroom and of yourself. What are the types of activities you normally do in their? You may keep a journal, read a lot of books, watch television, surf the Internet, etc. Take a look around at your bedrooom after you’ve done this and see whether it actually provides the things you want. Chances are it doesn’t. That’s your cue to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

By far the most important step you can take in redecorating your bedroom is to choose a color scheme. Doing this will help you determine a design plan for your entire room. In selecting and arranging your white bedroom furniture set, it’s important to have them all make sense according to an overall scheme. Otherwise the room will look disjointed and awkward, defeating the entire point of redecorating it. Here are some tips to consider when choosing a color scheme, and remember the choice of colors are entirely up to you:

- Mix and match. Use the colors you’ve chosen unequally for a better proportion and balance. This sounds completely wrong, but it’s true. For instance, painting the wall behind your bed a darker hue and the other three walls lighter hues creates a visually interesting space. This is because the darker wall accents the lighter walls and harmonizes them. Another trick to consider is to paint the ceiling a darker or lighter hue and paint the walls all the same hue. In considering accents, keep in mind you want to stick to the same color or colors – don’t paint your walls all different colors unless you have some really good furniture.

- Lighter colors creates a feeling of spaciousness and openness. Painting your walls lighter shades makes the room seem bigger and more friendly and accomodating. If you’re feeling a little closed in, consider this tactic to make you feel a little more welcome in your own room. The reason lighter colors create an open feeling is simple: light colors reflect visible light better than dark colors.

- If you want to create a cozy, warm feeling go with bright colors. If you have a large bedroom with a high ceiling warmer colors will help make your space more human. The bedroom will seem more livable and welcoming.

- If your room has an interesting or unique architecture, think about highlighting the more striking parts with contrasting colors. The junction between the two colors will focus attention on those portions of the architecture. On the other hand, if you want to downplay some awkward features of your room, a neutral palate with the same tonal value will help camouflage those sad features.

Once you’ve painted the room, the next step is furnishing it. I’ll talk to you about that in the next post. Until then, happy decorating!

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Colors are the same in the sense that they are all part of the same spectrum. Colors are different in the effects they have on people. Around the world, the same color in two different cultures can have two completely different meanings. For instance, the Chinese think red is a calming color, while Americans tend to associated red with aggressiveness. It’s obvious from the foregoing that all colors are not alike to the individual customer. When children choose their favorite color, they’re not just being cute. They are telling the world what they like and dislike. As adults, we tend to forget our favorite colors that we chose as children. This can be a big mistake, since color can influence our state of mind.

Let’s not forget either that color can also send a strong statement about who you are. The reason that members of the Goth subculture wear almost exclusively black is because they want to reflect their inward state of mind to the outward, external world. It’s tempting to dismiss certain types of dress as a mere fashion statement, but what’s missing is the recognition of the profound influence color and style have beyond fashion. In today’s world of media-saturated existence, color and style, form and fuction play a huge role in how we perceive something. Marketers and advertisers use this understanding all the time. Creating effective advertising largely depends on accurately gauging the ‘mood’ of the markets they are targeting, and that means taking all the factors, including color, into account.

So when you use a certain color for your room, you may be aligning with an entire set of ideas, beliefs, priciples, and assumptions without knowing it. That’s why it’s extremely important to consider color when designing a room. If you ignore color and focus on furniture placement or decoration, you may be accidently shooting yourself in the foot. Not to say that furniture placement and decoration aren’t important, by any means. Color deserves to be considered as an important factor in creating a room for you and your family and friends.

In another post, I’ll talk about what colors have what effects and how to maximize those effects in your home. For now, just remember that color might be playing a bigger role in your life than you may think.

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