Suite dreams, create a cosy bedroom retreat

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Is your bedroom’s style a dream, or is it more like a nightmare? Ideally, our bedrooms should be cosy and soothing. In reality, life happens, and between the morning rush and the evening crash, there seems to be little time left to enjoy this space for what it really is – a place to retreat and cocoon. Here are some ways to instantly boost your bedroom’s cosy factor, and enhance your use of this most-versatile room.

Create vignettes

You use your bedroom for more than just sleeping, right? Aside from your usual bedroom finds – bed, night tables, a dresser, perhaps an armoire – consider furnishing your master bedroom to live up to all your needs. Create “zones” within the room with vignettes tailored to your preferences. This could be a dressing area, a reading corner or meditation space. Aside from being functional, adding vignettes in designs add visual interest and help showcase the owner’s personality.

Tactile moments

You’d be surprised at how important our sense of touch is to our overall experience of a space. Layer comfort into your master bedroom with touchable items – plenty of plush pillows, beautiful bedding and textural blankets, and a soft area rug underfoot. But don’t stop there. Your upholstered headboard, armchair and drapery are perfect areas to add in subtle warmth. Textured wallcoverings are unexpected and always a wonderful surprise, without being all-consuming. Create a bold feature wall in your bedroom using three dimensional panels, earthy grass cloth or alternately, a bold statement wallpaper can also create the illusion of texture.

Choose “ahhh” colours

There’s a good reason the dreamy bedroom palette of white and its various off-white variations has been trending with no end in sight. Not only is a light, neutral palette instantly soothing, but it can also make the room feel cooler, lighter and larger. This is because light colours visually recede, making your walls feel further away. On the other hand, dark colours tend to bring walls inward, making a space feel smaller.

Bring yourself into the design

The best way to enhance your sense of comfort in any room, is to bring yourself into it. Perhaps some art, photographs, and some select pieces from your collections, thoughtfully distributed throughout the space to make it feel “yours.”

The bedroom is one of the most intimate of spaces in our homes, and our demands on this space are high. As we find ourselves spending more time at home, our bedrooms are serving double- and triple-duty. But don’t forget the main objective – comfort. The Danish have it right with the concept of hygge – warm, welcoming comforts. Dare I say it, with winter around the corner, you’ll be extra grateful for this cosy retreat!

My tip:

Speaking of “The Feels,” since sleep is the ultimate goal in this space, high quality bedding is a must. Your sheets touch your body for eight hours a night, give or take, so opt for 100 percent cotton in a high thread count. Also, a good quality mattress is a good place to splurge if you have some extra budget, to ensure rest and comfort every night. Your bedding should also contribute to the room’s overall aesthetic. Look for sooothing shades and a restful palette of monochromatic tones, such as blue, lavender or green.

My tip:

If you’re opting for a bright bedroom, invest in black out blinds or curtains. Remember that sleep is the number one function and priority in this space. darkness will help achieve a deeper, better quality sleep.

Jennifer Backstein is the Creative Director and Principal Designer for Jennifer Backstein Interiors, Toronto. The firm offers a diverse range of full scale design services in the GTA and across Canada. jenniferbacksteininteriors.com