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But there are a lot of elements to consider when designing a bedroom, from bed linens and sheets to home decor you can use to take your personal aesthetic to the next level.
To make cultivating a gorgeous nighly retreat easier, we curated this bedroom essentials list that you can check off and use to turn all of your fantastic bedroom ideas into reality.
To curate this list of bedroom essentials, we consulted several experts, including:
From cozy duvets and comfy pillows to gorgeous fragrances and calming plants, these room essentials are a no-fail way to create the relaxing, tranquil retreat you deserve.
There's nothing quite like the feeling of crawling into a warm, fluffy bed at the end of a hard day, and your duvet is essential to maximizing this moment. The best duvets are warm and comfortable without sacrificing great style.
You can start with a duvet like FluffCo's Down-Blended Comforter, which offers warmth and comfort in equal measure. Then make it your own by adding a beautiful duvet cover that complements your aesthetic. Burrow offers eucalyptus duvet covers in a wide variety of sophisticated hues that make it easy to find the perfect fit for your space.
Review: FluffCo's Bedding Made My Bedroom Feel Like a Five-Star Resort
Speaking of making something your own, your bed frame is a great way to do just that for your bedroom aesthetic. Bed frames are among the most essential pieces of bedroom furniture. They have a knack for punctuating your style while adding texture and structure to your overall look.
Tip: When choosing a bed frame for your room, be sure to think about the positioning of the bed.
"A good bed provides support for your body and can even help improve your sleep quality. Size, comfort, and price are all important factors to think about," says Karen Rohr, Interior Designer at Mackenzie Collier Interiors. "If you want to add a touch of luxury to your bedroom, there are some even more luxurious bed options to choose from. So whatever your budget and style preference may be, make sure this is your priority."
If you're a minimalist, then you might love this chic, pared-back Circa Bed Frame from Burrow. But if you want to add a bit more structure or height to your look, you can invest in a platform bed frame with a pretty headboard, like this customizable option from Thuma.
"A super quick fix to make any room a bit cozier is to add some more pillows," advises Ariel Kaye, CEO, and founder of Parachute. "You can never have too many pillows! Adding more textures, colors, and patterns can add more depth to a room. Try adding the Desert Pillow Cover or the Nomad Lumbar Pillow Cover."
If you're looking for a pillow to sleep on, the Marlow Pillow and FluffCo's Down and Feather Pillow are great options. But pillows and their comfort are subjective—some people want a very soft pillow they can sink all the way into, while others prefer something firmer. Your best bet is to try a few different options until you find one that's just right, then dress it up with a beautiful pillowcase.
Throw blankets are commonly used to add swappable style to living rooms, but they also offer the same benefits to bedrooms. They can easily elevate your space with patterns, texture, and color, and when you want to give your bedroom a makeover, you can simply swap them out for something new.
Of course, throw blankets also significantly increase the comfort factor in a room. "One of the best ways to make a space instantly more cozy is by adding throw blankets. Throw blankets are practically an invitation to relax and get comfortable," says Kaye. We particularly love the Merino Blanket from Rumpl and this neutral option from Snowe, but the possibilities are truly endless.
Review: I Tried Rumpl’s New Merino Wool Blanket and My Home is Way Cozier For It
Karen Rohr also recommends layering blankets. "There's nothing like getting into a cozy bed after a long day. By layering the bedding, you can create a warm and comfortable space to relax in," she explains.
Sometimes good quality bed sheets are more of an afterthought when designing a bedroom. Still, they're absolutely critical to your personal comfort and style. "it amazes me how little consideration many give to the impact quality sheets can have on their comfort," said interior designer Charmaine Wynter. "Thread counts that are a minimum of 1,100 per square inch will laundry well and avoid pilling, which can chafe against exposed skin at night."
When choosing bed sheets, you should also consider your personal sleep preferences. For instance, if you're a hot sleeper, you might want sheets made from naturally cooling fabric, like eucalyptus. Both Piglet in Bed and Sijo offer a wide range of bed sheets that can meet various needs while enhancing your space's style
Even though it's typically hidden, a high-quality mattress is arguably the most critical element in any bedroom. "The secret to a good night's sleep is a solid foundation," says Kaye. "Choose a mattress that's both supportive and comfortable."
Kaye recommends Parachute's Eco Comfort Mattress, which is "firm in the middle for back support, and softer at the head and feet for pressure point relief and spinal alignment. It's also made with New Zealand wool and 100% organic cotton, so it's eco-friendly."
Suppose you're in the market for a more technically advanced mattress. In that case, you can also check out Eight Sleep, which offers mattresses packed with fun features like climate and weather responses, heart rate monitoring, and wake-up technology that allows your bed to serve as a gentle alarm clock.
Curtains make great bedroom decor, helping to enhance your personal style. But they also have an essential functional element since many people's sleep is severely disrupted by too much early-morning light.
"Unless you already have great blackout blinds on your bedroom windows, you'll want to get some long blackout curtain panels. Not only do they block the 4 am sunrise, but they provide insulation and dampen sound," says Jessica Welling. "If you can't find blackout panels you like off the shelf, consider getting inexpensive blackout panels that attach to the backs of the curtain panels."
Read more: Should Curtains Touch The Floor?
Barn & Willow has a stellar collection of window treatments to get you started. Whether you're in the market for roman shades, roller shades, or drapery, you'll find a great selection through the retailer. (Check out more of the best places to buy curtains here.)
"Every bedroom needs bedside lamps, whether they're table lamps, mounted to the wall, or pendants above the bed," says Welling. Table lamps have a special knack for adding functional style to a space. They're also beneficial for anyone who loves to wind down with a great read or some journaling before bed. If you're looking to add some stylish table lamps to your space, then Schoolhouse is a perfect first stop.
In addition to the lamp's style, you should also consider the type of light it emits. "Lightbulbs come in several different colors on a spectrum, from warm (yellow) to cool (blue). It's important to be sure your bulbs are on the warmer side [because warm lights are better at helping you relax]. Look for warm white and steer clear of daylight and cool white at all costs," advises Welling.
It's hard for many people to relax in a messy room, so creating a clutter-free bedroom can be critical to a good night's sleep. Fortunately, cultivating a neat and organized space is often as easy as finding the proper storage solutions."Adding plenty of storage options and solutions can provide valuable storage space for clothes and other belongings and can also serve as focal points in the room," says Karen Rohr.
Under-bed storage is a particularly great option because it allows you to hide items out of sight while keeping them within arm's reach. Open Spaces offers some great under-bed storage options, as does DWR. You can also use small storage containers and trays to organize smaller, miscellaneous items on shelves and tables.
Fragrances are another tool you can use to create a relaxing environment. Anna Franklin recommends "using warm scents with spices, vanilla, or something woodsy to help create a cozy environment." Lavender is also a particularly great scent for relaxation.
And fortunately for interior design enthusiasts, fragrances are often packaged in vessels that double as chic home decor, like this Snowe Diffuser, which will look great on your bedside table while filling your space with a relaxing aroma. Homesick also offers a large variety of gorgeous-smelling diffusers and candles to enhance your bedroom's vibes.
"Another way to give a room extra coziness is to add nightstands to both ends of the bed," recommends Kaye. "It's a fun way to add more personality, and it makes it feel more intimate by thoughtfully taking up space in the room."
If you're looking for a modern side table, Kaye recommends the Bluff Stacked Nightstand. But if you'd prefer a more traditional, timeless piece, then the Bluff Rectangle Nightstand is a great option. You can also check out the Prospect Nightstand from Burrow, which can add streamlined organic warmth to your bedroom.
Gorgeous bedroom wall decor is the perfect way to personalize your bedroom and showcase your unique style sensibility. It can also help you create a peaceful, calming space that lends itself to a restful sleep.
Opting for wall art that features soothing hues, like greens and blues, can help to create a more tranquil environment. But there's also nothing wrong with using wall art to add bold patterns and pops of color. Places like Graffiti Home and Inside Weather offer a wide selection of wall art, ranging from dreamy photographs to abstract prints.
Lighting is an often overlooked component of interior design, but it plays a massive role in how a space looks and feels. And it's vital in the bedroom because it can be the difference between a restful and restless sleep.
"Clever lighting will leave your bedroom feeling transformed, turning the room from a dark area into a warm and cozy space," said Richard Petrie, home expert at Thomas Sanderson. "Whether it's a statement lamp on a bedside table to brighten up gloomy corners or strip lights on your ceiling, you can add character and modernize your bedroom with smart lighting choices."
Nova of California offers beautiful lighting options, ranging from gorgeous sconces to chic floor lamps, to help you create the perfect relaxing bedroom ambiance.
Plants can do a whole lot more than add texture and warmth to your aesthetic; they can also purify the air you breathe and even help you sleep at night. "Adding plants to your bedroom can help to make it feel cozier. Plants add color and life to a room, but they can also help improve air quality, creating a fresh and relaxing atmosphere," said Karen Rohr.
Sites like Bloomscape and The Sill offer all kinds of plants in stunning modern vessels, including easy-to-care-for plants for those of us with less than green thumbs.
A beautiful area rug can cozy up your bedroom while adding texture and personality to your aesthetic. "Any bedroom with hard floors absolutely needs an area rug under the bed. I even use rugs over wall-to-wall carpet in bedrooms for an extra layer of texture and color," said Welling.
Plus, there's genuinely a bedroom rug for every style sensibility, whether you love pared-back neutrals or vibrant patterns and hues. We're especially fond of the Floyd Rug, which comes in five nearly universal hues. And if you have pets or little ones at home, you'll love the fact that you can throw the beautiful rugs from Ruggable right into your washing machine.
Whether a master bedroom or a guest room, offering a good night's sleep is your bedroom's number one job. So the first thing you should focus on when creating a gorgeous bedroom is, of course, the bed! And a comfy, inviting bed starts with a quality mattress. "A great, comfortable mattress can make all the difference with how relaxing your space feels at the end of the day," said Franklin
Once you invest in the right mattress, it's time to dress it up with comfortable sheets, blankets, and pillows. "Pillows have a short shelf life, and it's likely time to treat yourself to a new set that is dust mite-free," said Charmaine Wynter. A pillow's comfort is subjective, though, so it's a good idea to try out a few different options to find just the right one for your body's needs.
And the same goes for bed sheets: "When picking out your sheets, go with what feels most luxurious to your body," recommends Franklin. "Consider your ideal sleeping temperature (i.e., does your body run warm or cool?) and the preferred feel of the fabric. If you like to be extra warm, opt for a cozy microfleece. If you run hot, consider linen or cotton sheets instead. Identifying what makes you feel the most comfortable will be key to feeling cozy in your bedroom."
About Living Cozy
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