Seven Elements for a Comforting Master Bedroom Retreat
Why is it that we always leave our master bedroom design for last?
In reality, we spend the most amount of hours in our bedroom! And, a good night’s sleep is critical to a productive day. I say, start the interior design of your home in your master bedroom! Everyone should have the most comforting place to relax, a respite from the rest of the world. Maybe during quarantine you need a place to hide. Just kidding!
The Monson, Massachusetts master bedroom in this video is the perfect comforting retreat!
Walking into your master bedroom should feel like a warm hug after a long day!
Here are seven, well actually eight with the bonus, ideas for you to create your own master bedroom retreat.
- Start with a soothing color palette.
We used Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter on the walls and accented it with soft neutrals, lavender, pale blue, green and aqua. Soft colors are proven to relax you and that’s exactly what you want in a comforting bedroom, right? Don’t be afraid to mix colors. The trick is to keep them in the same hue. There’s an eBook with 10 of our favorite paint colors, plus tons of painting tips HERE.
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- Choose a quality area rug.
Here in New England, or any cold climate, it’s nice to step out of bed onto something warm and cozy. In this master bedroom we used a quality, wool area rug for lasting comfort. Rugs made of wool can last for decades if cared for properly. Wool is also a natural and sustainable material. TIP ALERT – Make sure you choose a rug that is big enough to extend far enough on both sides of the bed so that you can easily step out of bed onto it and at least large enough to extend out past the outside edge of the nightstands. You also want it to extend at the bottom of the bed. TIP ALERT – The best way to decide on the area rug size is to measure 12” – 18” in from the walls of the room. There’s a whole eBook about how to choose the right area rug size HERE.
- Choose a quality area rug.
- Splurge for luxurious bedding.
Think about how much time you spend in bed. Who wants scratchy, rough bedding? Nothing is more comforting than soft, quality, luxurious bedding. Trust me, splurge on your bedding. To get a designer bedding look, layer on a comforter and plenty of pillows. You could even add a folded coverlet at the end of the bed for an added layer. Layering pillows in different sizes, king size, euro and decorative, adds to the look and the comfort. We used this gorgeous woven bed for even more texture.
- Pay attention to lighting.
Be sure to add some task lighting in addition to the general, ceiling lighting in your bedroom. Use bedside lamps on the nightstands or bedside tables.
TIP ALERT – for your bedside lamps, make sure that there are at least twenty eight inches tall for the best bedside lighting. Add reading lamps next to any seating furniture that you have in your bedroom.
- Try adding a reading nook.
Any unused corner can become the perfect reading nook in your home. It’ll be the perfect spot to unwind at the end of a long day or on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Add a comfortable chair, like this custom King Hickory chair, a side table and a lamp to finish off the corner. In fact, adding a reading nook was one of our quick projects in this blog post.
- Add plants
Plants add life, color and texture to any space. For this master bedroom we used a mix of faux and real for easy care. If you do choose to use a faux plant make sure it’s a quality one so that it looks it’s best.
TIP ALERT – mixing faux and real plants tends to make the faux look better. I’m not sure why this is, but it just happens, trust me.
Plants are one of the five things we add to every room.
- Don’t forget artwork
Artwork adds color and personality to a space. We used pieces that included the restful colors from the rug and the bedding. We were also inspired by the homeowners love of gardening and the rural Massachusetts location of this home. That’s why we chose the oversized floral piece and the framed abstract tree pieces.
TIP ALERT – Go big with your art. Adding the oversized art in this space was necessary because the bedroom was so big. This piece is actually 48”x72”! But, it’s perfect in this space.
- BONUS TIP
Mix your furniture. Please, I’m begging you, don’t purchase a matching set of furniture. In this master bedroom we chose nightstands that not only don’t “match” the color of the bed, but they’re also a different color. They do match the style of the dresser, but they’re a different finish. And the small table next to the chair is a completely different company. Mix it up!
Use these ideas to create your own comforting master bedroom retreat! If you need some help creating a bedroom that you’d like to spend time in, let’s do a Consult.
Consults can be done both in person and virtually over zoom or facetime.
You can read all about the story behind this master bedroom HERE
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Hi Wendy! Thanks for all of these great tips. I was just thinking last night that I need new sheets because mine ARE too scratchy. I will be doing a little shopping!
And thanks for the lighting tip, too. So many bedrooms I’ve been in don’t have proper lighting – much less lighting for reading.
There’s nothing worse than a scratchy sheet, is there?
I agree with you that our, bedrooms should be a first priority not the last.
I’m actually working on my own right now!
Great video and tips! Love how you describe that the master bedroom should feel like a warm hug after a long day.
We just ordered our first set of grown up bedding as the first step in our own master bedroom makeover. I can’t wait for the transformation.
Such a pretty room and great tips! We really do leave our master bedrooms for last, don’t we? I think I have done my kids rooms at least twice each. I finally did our master bedroom last year. This year is our 25th anniversary.
I could not agree with you more about splurging for bedding. I love all of your tips too. The video you produced is the icing on the cake!
We need a restful and comforting master retreat more than ever right now. Luxurious bedding is my favourite way to pamper myself. Thanks Wendy for such great and inspiring ideas
Love that woven bed, and that you’ve incorporated such a beautiful wool rug! A restful space and great advice!
Yes the bedding is worth a splurge and totally agree no matchy furniture pieces! Beautiful room!
Great advice, Wendy! And yes, people always seem to leave the master bedroom for last when a retreat to re-energize is such an important priority! And for me personally, luxury bedding is the ultimate necessity!