When you transform your space, it transforms you.
Makes sense, doesn't it?
What you surround yourself with impacts your thoughts, feelings, mood, and actions. As sensory beings, we experience feedback loops all the time in our homes so they are important to how we experience life.
Take something as simple as wall color. White walls are seen as a safe, crisp, and timeless option. But, consider other colors. Painting a wall from a white to a dreamy blue, for example, can do incredible things like slow down mind chatter, ease tension, and bring a smile to your face.
And, that’s just paint! Think about what other improvements there could be when intentional holistic design is applied across the board.
When you pay attention and approach your home design with a desire to connect to it, so much can transform.
Your bedroom may be the most important room in your house. It’s your sanctuary, safe haven, where you rest for many hours. It’s the place where you start and end your day. So….this room stands to receive a lot of intentional attention.
Here are several holistic design ways to help up level your bedroom and feel a shift in your life.
Scan for clutter
So often CLUTTER TAKES OVER. Clothing piles on the bench at the end of the bed. Tangled jewelry in baskets. Stacked books, a week old coffee cup, scattered coins on the nightstand. And, don’t forget the stuff shoved under the bed. Just because it’s out of sight doesn’t mean it’s out of mind.
How can anyone wind down from the day in a chaotic environment like this?
In a physical sense, it’s obvious to see that clutter impacts your space but it also takes a significant toll on your mental health. Clutter increases stress levels, negatively affects relationships, and does a number on quality sleep.
To address this, find the spots where clutter gathers and address them one by one. Place a couple of baskets near your bed to separate clothes to wash from clothes to hang back up or hooks on the wall to organize coats, scarves, and jewelry.
Give yourself until the weekend or plan a specific weekday to sort them. It’s important to dedicate the time for decluttering on a regular basis.
By reducing items and making an effort to organize, you experience a swift shift. What you can look forward to when you clear out ALL the corners ... that peace, undeniable.
This decluttering checklist is a favorite to get motivated or get started on your bedroom project right away.
Put a spotlight on lighting
If you'd like to light up on the inside, light up on the outside.
Electricity is real and it has direct effects in our spaces. Lighting that is too bright or too dim can be an impediment in our visibility. In fact, it's a health thing.
As a link to our circadian rhythms, lighting is a crucial part to our body health and in turn, how we interact with the bedroom. From relaxing and getting restful sleep to putting make up on and getting ready for the day, having the right type of lighting can mean productivity and ease.
There are several types of lighting options that give you a holistic design experience:
a dimmer is great for overall lighting; it allows for gradual brightening and dimming as you go through your day
bedside table lamps, wall sconces or a strip of lighting above the bed are good options for reading in bed even if on your phone or iPad
sensor motion lighting for the interior of closets illuminates your clothes making the task of picking your outfit simpler
for a deeper sound sleep, aim for pitch darkness via black out curtains and unplugging devices that emit light (not to mention EMFs) like the TV and placing your phone on airplane more or far from your bed
ambient lighting like a small string of lights or candles are good ways to indicate to your nervous system that it’s time to chill
Energize and magnetize
Think of your home as a 3D vision board.
What you value and want to call into your life is represented in your environment. This is your chance to play with energy and create how you want to live in a tangible way.
Self love, intimacy, romance, dreams, and rest are some of the values commonly associated with our bedrooms.
When you observe the design of your room, you can gauge whether or not it’s communicating what you want or the values you have.
If you’re desiring a partner, for example, look around...does your space provide an invitation? Are there two pillows, a pair of nightstands or just one? Does the art on the wall evoke love or tenderness or does it emit another message?
If you are wanting to call in self love and relaxation in your life, consider having textures that are soothing and feel good to touch. Having a lavender scent next to your bed or a candle you can light before going to sleep are also ways to make those values tangible in your bedroom.
These are small but intentional ways that signal to your brain what you want to magnetize. Make a few changes and notice what happens.
Use art to visualize
One of the loudest communicators in our homes is art.
Art is not just a memento. It's an invocation, too.
What we hang on our walls plays a big part in how we feel. Imagery transmits energy and acts like a prayer, calling in what we love and appreciate.
In bedrooms, we tend to want feel tranquil, sensual, and rested. Be intentional about the images that surround you and what they communicate. Ask yourself: how does this painting or picture make me feel? The answer directs your selection.
I had a personal interaction with art recently. The bedroom in my rental had a large landscape painting of ocean waves crashing on rocks. While beautiful, I realized that the image represented movement, volume, and force.
Not ideal for a space meant for relaxation and sleep.
Once I swapped it for a scene of still waters and glowing sunset, a serenity took over. I love how peaceful I feel when waking up to that image and I found I slept better too.
Bring in balance
The Yin. The Yang. It's crucial.
What at times is called masculine and feminine interior design style is the yin/yang principles found in Feng Shui.
It’s not about man, woman, or nonbinary. It's about the polarizing energies that are found in nature and all things, really, and striking an equilibrium, a harmony.
This practice translates into ease and feeling good! Yin energy is feminine, calm, soft, and still while the yang is masculine, warm, active, and light.
With interiors this is found as:
YIN | YANG |
dark or monochromatic colors | white, light, and bright tones |
dimmed and ambient lighting | natural and bright lighting |
heavy rugs, lots of textiles | slick, hard surfaces |
country, traditional, Victorian styles | minimalist, modern, contemporary styles |
Now, yin energy has a tendency to lean into bedroom design. This is fine. However, be careful not to overdo it. Too much of it can make a space feel heavy, dark and a little bit of a downer.
When you find that sweet spot of balance, you’ll notice it in your thoughts, mood, and how you move. It’s pretty amazing! Play around with it.
Get biophilic about it
There is nothing that transforms a space more quickly and effectively than nature.
Be it a plant, a vase of flowers, dried lavender hanging, or art of a pretty landscape, it’s the mood enhancing effect of natural elements in a space that makes a difference.
Along with air purifying qualities, plants are known to reduce stress which enables rest and sleep. There are many bedroom plants to choose from. A spider plan, for example, aids in depression and benefits people with allergies. Consider maintenance when picking the best one for you.
Applying one or more of these holistic elements is sure to create a shift in how you experience your space.
Make your bedroom work for you...physically, emotionally, and mentally.
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