Turn Your Bedroom Into a Sleep Sanctuary to Make Your Next Day Your Best Day
By Jenny Marrs
Sleep is important on so many levels. It impacts your personal health on so many levels. Your eating habits, decision making, and more all suffer if you haven’t had a good night’s sleep. It’s always smart to prioritize sleep as a restorative habit and what better way to start than a bedroom refresh? I tell my clients that their bedroom should feel like a calming retreat, a sleep sanctuary. Here are my top six tips to turn any bedroom into a restful and relaxing space so you can sleep tonight and live tomorrow to make your next day your best day.
1. Symmetry and harmony – Your bedroom should be peaceful. Make the bed the central focal point and build the rest of your design around it. If you must have a TV in the bedroom, try placing it in an armoire or another space where you can hide it away. Have furniture and accessories like baskets, bins and other clever resources to store knickknacks, small electronics or books.
2. Lighting in layers – Use a combination of overhead light and lamps on nightstands. Dimmers are a great option for bedrooms. If you have large windows, layering window treatments help block out brightness in the evening but allow the light to shine in during the day. Finally, don’t forget to limit your blue light exposure when you’re winding down as it can impact your natural melatonin production and keep you up at night.
3. Cozy bedding – I think it’s really important to have layers on your bed – think quilts, duvets, throw blankets – that support your individual sleep style and make you feel cozy through the night. For example, if you tend to wake up in a full sweat, try cooling or light cotton sheets. For those who wake up cold, try flannel sheets. I also always say it’s worth investing in quality pillows and covers that make going to sleep feel like an indulgence every night.
4. Keep sleep tools nearby – Bedside tables are a great place to tuck away your nighttime tools, whether it be a journal and pen to help calm your mind, or earplugs and a sleep mask handy to help make your space quiet and dark. I like to keep my favorite Natrol melatonin gummies at my bedside, so they are nearby when I know I need extra support to get a good night’s sleep.
5. Calming scent – Look for tranquil scents to bring into the bedroom for their calming properties. Whether a candle, diffuser, or essential oil, find your favorite tools using lavender, chamomile or ylang ylang to set the sleepy mood.
6. Serene, soothing colors – While bright colors and bold patterns are fun and tempting, they aren’t ideal for a peaceful bedroom. From the walls, to bedding, furniture and décor, you want a bedroom color palette that features serene and soothing colors to help promote ultimate relaxation.
Download all of these tips here.
About Jenny Marrs
Jenny Marrs, along with her other half Dave, are a husband-and-wife duo who turn run-of-the-mill houses into fabulous homes with several national television shows under their belts. Together, they have completed around 300 custom new homes and run Marrs Developing, a company that specializes in the renovation and restoration of historic homes in the Northwest Arkansas area.
Dave is an expert craftsman, builder and general contractor while Jenny is the creative backbone of their renovations. She specializes in designing spaces that are welcoming and inviting. She believes a home is a reflection of the family who lives there, and sometimes, the most beautiful spaces are imperfect and full of character. The couple have five kids and live on a small farm in Northwest Arkansas. They also started a blueberry farm in their town as a way to provide an educational and skills opportunity for orphaned and at-risk teenage boys in Marondera, Zimbabwe.
