Bedrooms

Whether you're designing a bedroom for yourself or for a member of your family, take into consideration their likes and interest. A bedroom is a persons private oasis and should be the most comfortable room in a house for that individual.

Bedrooms should be a private oasis in your life. A bedroom should not only be a place to sleep, but a place to read, exercise, relax and get away from the maddening crowd!

When redecorating or renovating your bedroom, you should first go over a checklist of needs and wants.

Who is actually going to be using the bedroom is the first major question. An obvious one, but really think about it. If it's the master suite will it be shared by two people with different requirements of what the space needs to accomplish? If its a child's room, do you want the design to take them from early childhood to the teen years? Will your child have sleep-over guests often? If so, you may want to have two twin beds. Can a guest bedroom also be used as a hobby room for a member of your family? Will you need to make a corner of an existing bedroom into a nursery for the newest member of the family?

Below is some information on Beds, Storage, Other Activities, Light Control and Plants.

Bed

Furniture requirements are the next major issue in a bedroom. No matter what other activities you use your bedroom for, the most important is to sleep. The bed should be the first consideration. For two adults, a king or a queen size bed is the most comfortable. A full can be a bit small. For one adult a queen or a full is sufficient, even a twin if you're tight on space. For a child, I would go with a full or a twin (two twins if you have the space, for sleep-overs). Typical bed sizes are: King 76"W x 80" L, Queen 60" W x 80" L, Full 54" W x 75" L, and a Twin 39" W x 75" L.

All beds should have a night table within easy reach with a surface to hold books, a glass of water, a lamp for reading, a telephone (except in a very small child's' room) and a clock. Those are the basics, but you may want to be able to control the lights from the bed, as well as a stereo if you're a music lover.

Storage

Storage is the next issue to deal with. For each person sharing a room you need to allocate a minimum of at least 5' of hanging closet storage as well as having drawer space. It's best if you have an open area near clothes storage that is at least 42" in diameter for space to dress without bumping into something every time. There should also be a chair to sit on for putting on shoes and socks. If there is no room for a chair in the bedroom, the bed will work as long as it's not extremely high off the floor.

There should be plenty of space between a dresser and a bed to open the drawers and utilize the space comfortably (that means without having to lay across the bed to see into the drawers!).

If you're short on storage, use the space under the bed. You can have drawers fitted into the area or for an inexpensive option, just purchase large low storage containers at the store. There are some that are made just for that purpose. Perfect for out of season clothes or shoes you only wear occasionally.

Other Activities

Now that we have the basics out of the way, you can have some fun. What other needs do you have for the space. Do you want a corner for exercise equipment or does the thought of seeing it all the time wear you out before you even start exercising? Perhaps a home office area for paying bills or writing that book that you just know is in you? You can always create a small sitting area with a bookcase nearby with all your favorite books. Do you want an entertainment center in the bedroom with a stereo system and a television? If you have a stereo in your bedroom, listen to Beethoven at Bedtime - A Gentle Prelude to Sleep, you'll find yourself lulled to sleep like a baby

Light Control

Light control is also important. If you like to wake up in a dark room, be sure to install room-darkening shades on the windows. If you like the sun, just use sheers on the windows with light filtering shades for privacy when needed.

Plants

Don't forget to bring plants into the bedroom. A tall ficus tree with a low wattage uplight underneath it can create wonderful soft shadows on the ceiling and may be the perfect night light for your room.