Resting becomes a discipline in itself.

— Placido Domingo—

When I think of the bedroom, I think of one word – Sanctuary. How you define your private Sanctuary is up to you. Is it a place of rest and meditation? Is it a place you share with a loved one? Is it where you can enjoy reading a summer blockbuster? Do you watch your favorite comedies here? Do you surround yourself with rock music?
You need to list what activities you do in your bedroom, then devise a place to keep the items appropriate to your activities.

Here’s a Starter List for you:

1. Sleeping: Since this is a bedroom, we’ll start with the obvious. Your bed is not something to be taken lightly, since a third of your life is spent in one, and should be considered an investment. Don’t forget that men and women have different bodies and what might be good for one partner, may be hurting the other, so you need to find a bed that both can be comfortable in. I’m a big fan of the Tempurpedic line, and have been sleeping with the bed and pillows for years. There are similar options out there, as well as beds with adjustable halves of the bed, or ones that are very firm (for many of the guys), but have a comfortable top layer (for the gals). But once you have the bed, you need to consider linens and how to store them. I love high-count Egyptian cotton, and if I could have a room just to store sheets, that would be mini-heaven for me. What I do have is an armoire just to hold my linens. If you have a linen closet, that would be great. And if you don’t have the closet or room for a separate Armoire, invest in a few under the bed plastic storage containers. I also rotate summer/winter linens with my flannel sheets and thick comforters going into storage during the hot months, and the tropical pastel sheets trading places during the cold. As a nice touch, I use linen sprays to give that extra sensation of luxury.
   
   
2. Dressing: Dressing can just be the thing we do in the morning to make ourselves presentable to the world, or it can also be a ritual of preparation for a special event. Most of our dressing falls in the first category, but there are ways of making it special even for everyday. Our clothing can be stored in closets, dressers, armoires, shelves, and chest of drawers. For those who have the space, a dressing table can be a nice luxury item. A nice item to have to make dressing a personal ritual is a clothing butler to hold your clothes and jewelry that you plan to wear. At least, have a chair to hold your clothes. You could get into the efficient practice of laying out your clothes the night before, and they are all ready to go after your morning shower. It almost feels like the luxury of having a butler prepare for you the night before and you don’t have any last minute headaches of frantically searching through your closet on a busy morning.
   Nightstand Organizing: Most people do not think of their Nightstand as an important organizing element, but that is what makes it so elegant. Here we can hold our light to read a book, the alarm clock to wake us up, a coaster to hold our coffee, a shelf to hold a magazine, a bud vase with a rose, a box of tissues, a space for a day planner or journal, a box to hold the remote control and TV guide, a drawer to hold pens, papers, or whatever else we need in our bedroom.  This humble piece of furniture can be the start and end of your well-organized day if you use its space well.
   
   
3. Reading/Writing: I can guarantee that anytime you walk into my bedroom, that you will find a book somewhere around, so this is a subject near and dear to my heart. In addition to a nightstand, you may want a small bookshelf or magazine rack to hold your reading materials. If you write in a journal, or are working on a novel, a nice tool is a lap desk which has a hard writing surface on the top and a cushion on the bottom to rest on your lap. You can also find stationary bed desks, as well as rolling overbed desks that slide an armature as a desk over your bed or chair. If you have the space, a small writing or secretary desk is a nice decor touch as well as being practical.
   
   
4. Shared Space with a Loved One:  Ideally, your space should be designed so both of you feel comfortable with the surroundings and both of you have close to an equal amount of private use. For your shared activities, whether it is doing crossword puzzles together, giving massages, or other fun things, you may want a special drawer to hold items associated with that fun. You may have dictionaries for the crossword puzzles, or massage oil and candles for the massage. By assigning a space for those needs, you’ll be ready to spend time together. And it could be a nice place to sneak in some special gifts.
   
   
5. Eating: Whether you like breakfast in bed with the New York Times, or snuggling in the covers with a bowl of popcorn watching a scary movie, at some point or another, most of us have snacked or had a meal in our bedroom. You can of course use any of the desks mentioned in the Reading/Writing section discussed above, but having Breakfast Trays are a good addition to your bedroom. For those of you with room, you may even want a snacking area with a small frig for cold drinks or fruit and a hot plate to hold a coffee pot.
   
   
6. Entertainment: If you are someone who likes to watch TV from bed or listen to music, an entertainment center is a piece of furniture you would need. It could be a large scale center, a rolling TV stand, built in shelving, or a medium sized sideboard. No matter what type of furniture you choose, keep essential items grouped together at your center. This would include remote controls, manuals, recording media, and specialty cleaning items. If wires and cables are visible, you may want to get tie wraps or coverings designed to control the cables.
   
   
7. Quiet time:  Having a little corner where you can meditate, or read, or contemplate on life in general can be a nice addition to your bedroom. It can be a chair by the window with a small table, it can be a corner on your nightstand to hold special memorabilia, or it can be a formal sitting area with a settee and fireplace.  No matter which scenario you can have, this area should just house the items that give you peace and an environment to go inside of yourself. It is minimalist in approach, though you may have several items important enough to help you reach your quiet self. Small items can be kept in treasure boxes, and pictures of loved ones can be shown in this area. Books that reflect your religion or philosophy should also be close at hand.

— Shelly —