Your bedroom is your retreat where you should be completely at peace. Here are the critical bedroom design issues that can destroy the atmosphere.
Your bedroom should be your sanctuary.
Sleep is your body’s way of shutting many of its functions down and refreshing itself. I think you understand just how critical a good night’s sleep is. If you don’t go one day without sleep and see how you feel the next day.
And bedroom design is a critical component of ensuring that you can enjoy a good night’s sleep.
Don’t believe it?
Think about the last time you were in a hotel room. Almost all hotel rooms are bedrooms, right?
Now consider how relaxed you felt in the hotel room. How it may have helped you sleep better than in your own bedroom.
So what is the difference between a hotel room and your bedroom? Biggest difference is that your bedroom is free of charge, of course. But the second biggest difference is that the hotel room has been designed by experts which allows it to impart a warm and relaxing feeling.
And with a little bit of design planning, your own bedroom could also offer such a warm and relaxing feeling.
1 – Having too many pillows on your bed
You may be a fan of pillows. You may think more pillows make the bed look relaxing and inviting.
But remember the most important feature of the bed is that it should be comfortable to sleep in.
Having too many pillows will make your bed become uncomfortable.
As a thumb rule, see if you can comfortably lie down straight (not diagonally) on your bed at full length. If you can’t, you probably have too many pillows.
2 – The lighting is too bright
Many of us like to lie in bed and do some catching up with work or light reading or whatever. The point is, you would like to be attentive at such a time – and have a bright light to help you see clearly.
On the other hand, a bright light is a hindrance to falling asleep.
So you can either have separate light – a brighter one for when you want to remain attentive and a softer one for when you want to doze off.
Or you can invest in a dimmer, a device that gradually reduces the brightness of a light.
If you’re thinking which lighting would be the best for your bedroom, here is a guide on choosing lighting options.
3 – Being careless with colours
This is something we have seen so many of our interior design clients do. Whether it’s a design project or a renovation project, whenever we notice a client not pay attention to the colour scheme of their bedroom, we always bring it to their attention.
Colour selection is an important aspect of home design.
You want a colour that is soothing to your senses.
In our experience of designing houses across Bangladesh and abroad, we have seen that the two shades that fit the bill are green and cream.
Your experience may be different.
However take care to choose a colour that soothes your mind and allows you to rest.
4 – Keeping the walls bare
This is another aspect that varies from person to person.
Generally we have seen that meaningful paintings, or personal photos, hanging on the walls of the bedroom help a person relax.
However this isn’t universal. But if you have never thought about paintings or photographs, you should think about whether it makes sense to place some in your bedroom.
For more such tips, you can refer to our post on wall design and decor.
5 – Irregular pieces of furniture
Furniture that clashes with the soothing atmosphere of the room.
Furniture that is too large and attracts attention.
A good bedroom design plan eliminates both of those kinds of furniture.
The relaxing atmosphere must be maintained and nothing should attract your attention excessively. A good custom furniture designer should be able to make exactly the kind of furniture that you need.
6 – Not having a sitting arrangement
Ideally, including a place for at least one person to sit boosts the cosiness of a bedroom.
However, ensure that it does not make the room appear cramped. If you find that there is no space to include a sitting arrangement, skip it.
7 – Keeping a television in the bedroom
This may be more a common sense or a health suggestion than an interior design suggestion but we’re mentioning it because it’s very important.
Once again, this is something we’ve picked up from our experience designing homes across Bangladesh and abroad.
Many people like to keep a television in their bedroom so they can watch their favourite shows while going to sleep.
However watching TV while going to sleep delays your actually falling asleep and may also reduce the quality of sleep.
So, we would suggest moving the TV to the living room. Having a TV in the living room can help entertain visitors, which is a key requirement of living room design.
As far as the bedroom is concerned, soothing music helps you sleep, TV does not.
8 – Ignoring the windows
Windows can let in sunlight and air which are good for when you wake up in the morning.
However they also let in sound and light when you’re trying to go to sleep. Needless to say, you don’t want that. In fact, window draping is a very important part of bedroom design.
One, you must use heavy or thick draping/curtains on your bedroom windows.
They will stop light from entering the room at night while they can be drawn back in the morning.
Two, try to hand up the curtains from near the ceiling. In other words, ensure the curtains are almost as long as the height of the room. This creates a feeling that the bedroom is large and cosy.
9 – Not avoiding clutter
Even if you’re not that neat a person and don’t fuss about keeping your other rooms clean, try to ensure that your bedroom remains clutter-free.
If you’re really very disorganized consider having a small cabinet beside your bed (not visible when you’re lying in bed) where anything lying around can be easily kept for the night and you can arrange them next day.
Avoid things like shelves or bookcases in your bedroom.
In short, ensure that your bedroom
- Has a relaxing atmosphere
- Has arrangements to block out light from the outside at night
- Avoids clutter
- Includes things that help you relax and excludes things that make you active or alert since in that case you’ll find it difficult to fall asleep
Imagine Interiors wishes you all the best in decorating your bedroom. Hopefully this article has provided some clues as to what you should and shouldn’t do.
