Make Your Bedroom Your Happy Place

When I think of a bedroom being a happy place, I always think back to when I was a kid. Maybe seven or eight years old, little sister not far behind me. We were homeschooled, so we slept in some days, but on the days we managed to get up earlier than my mom, we’d slide down the stairs on our rears and sneak in through the cracked door. I remember the fan casting a gentle breeze, the sunlight creeping in, and the morning quiet.



And I remember it even being a retreat at night when I was older. I used to love to stay up late watching Seinfeld reruns on a tiny TV that sat in a chair in the corner of their room.

It was peaceful for whatever reason. Maybe it just felt like home within a home. Either way, I remember it as a happy place and it’s something I’ve wanted to recreate ever since. Especially since becoming a mom myself. I need somewhere peaceful to escape to when the day is done.

The problem is, making your bedroom a happy place–somewhere you look forward to slipping off to and waking up in with a smile–isn’t always as simple as you may think. And that’s if you DON’T have kids. Add on top of the difficulty of cultivating a peaceful bedroom a couple of kids and you’ve got piles of laundry to deal with, toys run amuck, and even the occasional pile of diapers in the corner.

Never fear. After much trial and error, lots of tweaking, and a little patience with the messes, I think I’ve found the perfect recipe for creating a super-happy bedroom. Assuming you can keep the messes at bay. *Wink*

1. On Cloud Nine

Your bedroom is one of those places that pretty much has one purpose–sleep. And rightly so! Yes, you might get dressed there and it might be where you try to get away and read that book you almost started last summer, but it’s sleep that’s at the center of it all. That’s why you should want your bed to look and feel like a cloud you can sink into. More than anything, knowing my bed is in good shape and welcoming at the end of a long day is what keeps me going till bedtime. Make your bed a cloud you can sink into!

• Try to make your bed every day so the sheets feel fresh when you slide in at night (I know… Easier said than done.)
• Try to change your sheets on a weekly basis for the same reason (nobody likes a grimy sheet!!)
• Treat yourself to a soft mattress
• Get a lighter-than-air duvet and/or spend a little more getting some really soft cotton bedding
  

2. Plenty Of Pillows

Let’s get one thing straight: there is no such thing as too many pillows. Period. Just think about it for a second. Pillows make it possible to a) jump onto your bed or b) fall face first into a cloud depending on how tough your day was. (Or, if we’re being real, it makes it a lot more fun for my toddler to jump on the bed.) We’re talking about having your standard sleep-on-pillows and then piling on tons of extra pillows and cushions in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Don’t listen to your husband when he asks for the one-thousandth time why we need 872 pillows. You can go wild with prints, textures, and fabrics so long as you stick to a similar palette. Note to self: Need more pillows. Also note to self: When did pillows become like the most expensive decorating feature?! Final note to self: Save money for pillows.

3. It Makes Scents

Nothing is going to make your bedroom a happier place than having a smell that makes you smile. The right scent can completely make your bedroom experience. It could be a scented candle on your vanity desk that you light before bed or, better yet, it could be a gorgeous coconut scent from Aromatech that makes waking up on Monday morning a million times better. If you use an essential oil diffuser, you can even use that to incorporate this delicious oil into your environment. If you aren’t THAT fancy, lavender sleep sacks are another great tip too, and one that would make your grandma proud, that’s for sure. Nothing wrong with going old school, folks!

4. What’s Better Than Blankets?

The secret to a really happy boudoir is lots and lots and lots of blankets. This is a tip I could stand to do more with myself. Cause we have a lot of blankets, but they are, for the most part, definitely either some hand-me-downs or clash mightily with the bedroom color palette.  It’s about having a gorgeous duvet beneath a lovely coverlet beneath a quaint little quilt and topping it all off with a throw blanket. The more you have to curl up in the better. It’s as simple as that.

Assuming you’ve done all this and managed to get the babies off to sleep and their messes out of sight (hidden in a closet somewhere?), you’re ready for some serious snuggles. Grab a cup of cocoa, your favorite book and dive in, Mama. You deserve it.