A Place to Rest and Relax

Most decorating experts agree: the bedroom is a place for rest and relaxation and not a room in which to work. Many people use their bedrooms as office space as well as a place to sleep and then wonder why they often don't get a good night's rest. If your bedroom doesn't provide the comfort and escape you need to get a restful sleep or to just hide away and relax, then perhaps it is time to make some changes.

Leave the Electronics in the Other Room

One of the very first things to determine, even before you choose a theme, is to decide that the bedroom is your refuge, your resting place and your personal space. That decision alone should help reinforce the idea that the computer belongs somewhere else. Even having a television in the bedroom can rob a person of rest, especially since often the last thing viewed at night is the evening news - and there isn't much good news to take in before closing your eyes for sleep. If you must have electronics, how about something that produces gorgeous music?

Victorian Style - Beauty and Rest

Okay, now we are ready to choose a theme for the bedroom. Bedrooms are personal spaces and it is important to choose a room design that fits your personality and comfort levels. If you love period design, perhaps Victorian style will appeal to you. The lovely fabrics and pretty furniture can work together to create a real haven - full of beauty and peace.

A Lovely Place to Lay My Head

In a Victorian bedroom, the bed is the centerpiece and is usually very elaborate. A four poster of either cast-iron or carved wood decorated with a luxurious canopy, swag curtains and lush pillows atop a down comforter lay the groundwork for the rest of the room. Of course, flounce, frills and ribbons mixed with lovely floral prints give the feeling of riches and posh.

Rich Wood, Carving, Leaded Glass and Crocheted Doilies

The night tables and dressers, carved and inlaid, add depth and character to the room. They can be topped with marble or hand rubbed to a satiny finish. If you can obtain an original piece of furniture for your room, so much the better. However, it isn't necessary as there are so many lovely reproductions available today at far lower prices than original pieces. Add a leaded lampshade on a brass base or a porcelain beauty and place it on a crocheted doily. Voila! Victoriana at its best.

Floors and Walls Finished to Perfection

To finish the room with authenticity and lux, a gorgeous Oriental rug or loom in a floral design is the best choice. A crocheted throw over an occasional chair and lovely ornate frames on the walls holding paintings of flowers, maidens with baskets or even a good copy of Blue Boy and Pinkie, are wonderful enhancements. And, don't forget the porcelain vase filled with fresh flowers.

Beauty, Romance and Rest

Ah, that's more like it. Now you have a romantic, lovely, personal space which fills you with peace and caresses your soul with beauty every time you enter the room. That's exactly what a bedroom should do.