Decorating

To tell you the truth, I never did sleep well in my bedroom. I never cared for the decor or even cared for the atmosphere...

You'll probably agree that a bedroom is not JUST a place to sleep. It's more of a warm sanctuary if you will. It's a place of tranquility, peace, relaxation, comfort, stability, and security where you can go to release everything about your day, regenerate, and welcome a new day.

When your bedroom decor does not reflect such an atmosphere you may be in for some unnecessary sleepless nights. But, there is hope through simplicity!

Why Should You Simplify Your Bedroom Decor?

What your senses pick up on in your environment will have a direct/indirect mental and physical effect on you. Since your environment has such an effect it is important that you control that environment. Without control you risk unnecessary sensory overload and excitement.

The environment that we are looking for in a bedroom is a peaceful and relaxing retreat. It makes no sense to overload or excite your senses with your decor.

• Overloading your senses produces uneasiness, stress, and anxiety.
• Exciting your senses produces energy, alertness, and liveliness.

Both go against the purpose of a bedroom. With simplicity you are reducing or eliminating almost all sensory overload and excitement so that you have balance.

Eliminating General Clutter - Your First Step Towards Simplicity

Clutter is your worst enemy in almost any environment. Clutter means you have unorganized excess. When you leave a bedroom cluttered it will create an unnecessary feeling of stress and anxiety.

The first thing you need to do is eliminate general clutter in your bedroom. That means anything lying around that should not be there should be removed.

Examples of unnecessary clutter:

• Dirty clothes on the floor
• Old clothes in your closet
• Shoes laying everywhere
• Jewelry, loose change, books, etc. that collect on dressers and nightstands
• Knick-knacks and non-bedroom items.
• Junk under the bed

Decor Colors - Make Em' Simple

Colors can elicit many different types of moods. They can give you the feeling of peace and tranquility or they can give you the sense of outrage or conflict.

Simplifying the color of bedroom decor means to simplify the amount of colors and also their effects. The goal with colors is simple harmony.

Here are some things to look out for in your decor:

• Bright vivid colors excite your senses and should not be used in large quantities in your bedroom.
• If you must use a vivid color do not place another vivid color next to it. When placed side by side they tend to vibrate.
• You can also overload your senses by having too many dominant colors in your decor. Have only one dominate color and use it in moderation such as in highlights.

Colors for your bedroom decor:

Monotone colors are different variation of the same hue. Use up to 3 variations. Example: 1 light - 1 dark - 1 dull works wonderfully.

Complimentary colors are 2 colors directly across each other on the color wheel. Try to keep contrast as low as possible. 2 light versions, 1 light - 1 dull, or 1 light - 1 dark.

Similar colors are right next to each other on the color wheel. With these experiment between light, dark, dull, and vivid combinations. Remember balance is key. Too much contrast or too little may destroy your color scheme.

Contrasting colors are 2 colors that are separated by 3 other colors on the color wheel. Experiment with combinations of light, dark, dull, and vivid colors. Try to get them to blend well but do not allow too much contrast or too little.

Colors and mood:

• Dark colors - richness
• Light colors - tranquility
• Vivid colors - excitement
• Dull colors - subdued
• Yellows, red, orange - summery, warm, hot, fruity
• Blues, green, purple - cool, cold, wintery

Patterns - Don't Go Too Wild!

When you are looking to simplify the decor in a bedroom don't forget patterns and designs. You most certainly want to stay away from wild and busy patterns. Keep them simple or eliminate them altogether and use solid colors.

If you decide to use a pattern make sure it works with your color scheme. Many times colors can make the simplest of patterns seem busy and can completely change the feel of the room.

Bedroom Furniture

Not only should you be concerned about style of furniture but also the visual weight and position of the furniture.

Style: Choose a style of furniture that matches the overall feel of your colors and patterns. If the style conflicts change it. Conflicting styles ads in unnecessary stress and uneasiness.

Visual weight: Visual weight refers to the size, bulkiness, and mass of your furniture. Although some items of furniture may not be physically large or heavy, it may appear so visually. The good thing about visually heavy furniture is that it can create a sense of stability. The bad thing is that they can also create a feeling of oppressiveness if used in large quantities. This is why, again, you should keep it simple.

Position: Not only must you be concerned about the visual weight of the bedroom furniture itself, you must also be concerned about their position. Since most furniture has different shapes, sizes, and purpose you need to position them so that you create balance yet keep it functional.

Let's say you have a big tall dresser on one side of the room. You object is to simplify the visual weight. Either you could get rid of the dresser and buy a smaller one or you could put a smaller dresser, table, or stand in the same position on the other side of the room. If you were to put a picture above it, you would create a sense of equal height. Balance is achieved.

That's About It!

Well, there you have it. A few ways you can simplify your bedroom decor. The best thing you can do is play around a little bit. Remember the object is to simplify for your senses and to create an atmosphere that is comfortable, stable, tranquil, peaceful, and relaxing.