8 Tips for a Stress-Free Bedroom and Better Sleep

At the end of a long day, the last place you want to deal with clutter is your bedroom. After putting away the last dishes and turning off the TV overnight, your bedroom should feel like a retreat from the chaos of the day. But piles of laundry, dust, and harsh overhead lights can have the opposite effect.

“Our surroundings can have a big impact on our mood,” says Holly Blakey, Bay Area organizing specialist at the respiratory chamber organization. “They can make us feel calm and peaceful, but they can also make us feel anxious and stressed. The bedroom is especially important for your mental health because it’s the first place we see when we wake up and the last place we see when we sleep, so it’s helpful to make it a space where you can feel good. ”

Luckily, there’s a formula to make the bedroom feel like an escape from the rest of the house. Lisa Tornello, designer at Mill Road Studio in Mill Valley, said: “Creating a calming bedroom requires a combination of soothing elements that work together to create a sense of relaxation and serenity. This means carefully layering natural materials, from wood and stone to breathable linen.

But the first step to a peaceful bedroom starts with tidying up the clutter (and perhaps dusting it off as well).

1. Follow the Rule of Thirds

When Blakey meets clients looking to tidy up their bedrooms, one of the first places she looks is the bedside table. “If you’re not using it daily or weekly, it doesn’t need to be next to your bed,” she says. From there, she recommends following the rule of three. “It could be a book, a lamp, a vase, or a couple of books and a framed photograph. It’s good to have a boundary that you can follow so that you’re less likely to let items start piling up.”

2. Dusting of Bedroom Items

The space under the bed seems like a good storage space, but Blakey says to think again. “Accumulated debris attracts dust and potential allergens. The more clutter you collect, the less you will be able to keep track of things, and the more likely you are to generate additional clutter. It’s a vicious circle. Since you sleep for nearly half of your life, this area should be beneficial to your health. ”

3. Keep an Eye on Bedside Items

Blakey even restricted the contents of the bedside table drawer. “Stick to items that help you get a night’s rest, such as hand creams or body lotions, lipstick sticks, essential oils like lavender, and reading glasses,” she says. If you’re the type of person whose late-night thoughts make you toss and turn, add a small notepad reminder so they don’t haunt you all night.

4. Minimize the Amount of Furniture

Limiting furniture and accessories is just as important to giving the bedroom a relaxing feel, Tonelo says. “The amount of furniture must be kept to a minimum,” she said. But depending on the size of the room, you can add some functional items, such as a chair or bench at the foot of the bed for shoes or a bathrobe. However, the minimalism of bedroom furniture doesn’t mean you can’t add warmth and texture in other ways. “We love plush rugs,” she says, noting that she prefers rugs that are super soft underfoot, in natural tones.

5. Take Inspiration from Color

Colors can also have a calming effect in the bedroom, and Tonelo recommends turning to nature as an influence. “We prefer the soft, pastel, soothing tones in the bedroom,” she says. “It only makes sense to use the colors found in nature in our bedrooms.”

Blue bedroom Colors:“We like to mimic the pale blue of the early morning sky or the tranquil ocean,” says Tornello, whose favorite shades of blue include Farrow & Ball’s Manor House Grey, C2’s Melodic, and Portola Paint’s Roman Clay Salem colorways. “It’s also the primary color of the ocean, and many people feel spiritually connected to these bodies of water.”

Beige and gray bedroom Colors: Tonelo also likes to paint his bedroom walls gray or beige. “Gray is a delicate and versatile color that can create a calming and soothing atmosphere in the bedroom,” she says. “It’s also a neutral color that can be paired with other colors and textures.” Her favorite grays include Farrow & Ball Lamp Room Grey, Benjamin Moore Pale Oak, and Dunn-Edwards Foggy Day. For beige, she recommends Farrow & Ball Dead Salmon and Jitney, Benjamin Moore Skipping Stone, and Sherwin-Williams Egret White.

Pastel pink bedroom Colors: If you’re looking for a warmer bedroom paint color, Tonelo recommends trying pastel salmon tones. “It’s a warm, soothing color that creates a cozy, relaxing atmosphere. It is a pink color with a hint of orange that adds warmth and vitality while still maintaining a soft and calming effect. Her favorite products include Roman clay from Portola Paint and setting plaster from Farrow & Ball.

Green Bedroom Color: Another color associated with relaxation is green. “Green is often considered the calming color of the bedroom because it is associated with nature, growth, and renewal,” Tonelo said. “Green is the dominant color in nature; Think of plants, trees, and grass. The green color evokes balance and harmony and helps to create a sense of calm and relaxation. We love Pigeon and Blue Grey at Farrow & Ball. ”

6. Consider Blackout Curtains

If you’re sensitive to light, blackout curtains or shades may help you sleep better, but there are some drawbacks. “Blackout curtains are made of thick, opaque fabric that blocks out sunlight and outside noise,” Tonello said. “They read more books, and while this helps create a comfortable, intimate environment, it also makes the room feel darker and smaller. In addition, you may pay 20-30% more for such curtains because there are literally two layers of fabric on each panel.”

7. Wake up with the Sun

If you like to fall asleep in the moonlight and wake up on sun-dappled walls, light-colored curtains are the way to go. “Filtered curtains allow natural light to pass through while providing privacy and a degree of insulation,” Tonelo says. “They can create a bright atmosphere in the bedroom, which can be helpful if you suffer from seasonal affective disorder or have a bedroom that faces a beautiful view.”

8. Raise the Level of Light

“Layered, warm lighting is essential for bedrooms,” Tonelo says. “You need to incorporate multiple light sources so that you can control the light level and atmosphere of the room.” Includes a combination of overhead lighting, bedside lamps and wall lamps. “When we do an extensive renovation, we install light switches next to the bedside table to easily turn the overhead lighting on and off.” Finally, she recommends a bulb that emits a warm yellow light with a color temperature of 2700K.