We all know that we can spend days, weeks or longer thumbing through magazines for master bedroom decorating ideas, and we still remain undecided. Deep inside, nobody else is going to tell us what our style is, so the best we can do for ourselves is to just let our needs guide us. It works for us when we incorporate function (organization) plus personality (preferences). When we do this, possibilities naturally flow from within, and the space takes on a new life with a personal touch.
How do we go about incorporating master bedroom decorating ideas with function plus personality? Firstly, we strip the room to its bare bones (minus large furnishings and curtains). We run the vacuum across the carpet, dust the fan blades, and wipe the windows and mirrors down. We do all of this because a fresh palette is needed so we can think clearly for the next step.
Next, we write down everything that we do or plan to do in our new more functional space, beginning with that activity which is most significant. For example, 1) sleep; 2) engage in romantic activities; 3) read; 4) stretch and meditate; and 5) watch television in that order, and nothing more.
What we do at this point is be certain that a bed is in its best position, with the door within easy view when lying down (this lends a sense of security). Since sleep is so important, our first mission is to be sure to have the right level of comfort on the bed. This is where things begin to take shape in reflecting our personality. Perhaps a few fresh new pillows or an entirely new bedding set is in order. Our own personal preferences here become woven with the necessity of sound sleep and any other activities of which the bed is utilized.
Considering that adult activities (according to this particular example) are second to sleep, a king size bed is a wonderfully functional piece of furniture. Some sort of curtained canopy can lend an exotic feel; perhaps some mirrors on the ceiling and space nearby to set candles, and perhaps even a CD player if music is a mood-enhancer. The key is to enhance activities.
For reading (in bed or in a chair beside the window or patio door), it is a matter of creating a reading niche. This can be done as simply as stacking a few books conveniently on a side table, or as elaborately as placing a bookshelf beside a reading chair with a small decorative table. Perhaps a magnifying glass and a Victorian water carafe for leisurely sipping is in order, and perhaps a small framed portrait of a featured author would lend the right finish.
Stretching and meditating yoga-style can be accommodated as simply as rolling a yoga mat beneath a butterfly chair or on a bottom bookshelf to keep it in view. For those who are disciplined enough to not need visual reminders, tucking it beneath the bed or in a chest works just fine. This is another opportunity to incorporate a CD player into the space (again, if it enhances activities).
Some of us watch a bit of television privately in the evenings. We know that the electromagnetic frequency is not good for the space, yet that will not deter us from late-night Food Network. Televisions should be distant but in view, and as small as possible. The remote control will find its place in a decorative box or basket on the nightstand or within a drawer within arms’ reach.
There we have it: a basic scenario of possibilities that work around function, and it is intended to serve merely as a guide (surely, results will vary, and that is wonderful). Once a room’s activities are accounted for and accommodated as it suits the eyes and spirit, then decorative touches can move into place to visually enhance our activities and the many moods that they evoke. Any clutter that is no longer useful can be donated or used in another room according to functional needs.
While magazines full of master bedroom decorating ideas can point us toward style, it is up to us to tell our space what it can do for us and how it can enhance our activities. When a space becomes genuinely functional (organized), it is then that personality (preference) unfolds naturally. It is then that we can relax with confidence in not being enslaved by decorating trends, but in letting decoration enhance what works for us.
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