Master bedrooms to restore Body and Soul

The news is full of new studies that demonstrate lack of restorative sleep triggers hormones that cause us to gain weight! As you read this newletter you will discover how similar changes to your master bedroom can meet your needs for both good sleep and romance. See how many you can find.

“Intimacy is being seen and known as the person you truly are. “

- Amy Bloom, psychotherapist and novelist

6 Simple Steps to Make Your Bedroom a Sensual Retreat 365 Days a Year

As a home design consultant, I often see clients with beautiful homes but their own bedrooms are merely functional: a room with a bed, a bureau and a bathroom, period. Not very romantic.  Or the other extreme: evidence of estrogen gone wild - rooms that are too feminine, unconsciously so, with no room for the man’s treasures or male energy.

Your master bedroom needs to be more than a room for sleeping. Make your bedroom into a sensual retreat for you and your special someone.  Instead of a total makeover with bordello red wallpaper, you be more subtle and more effective. How about tactile delights, adjustable lighting, and artwork or mementos with special meaning for both of you? 

1. Declutter - Before you bring in anything new, start with a simple de-cluttering. Feng Shui tells us that clutter under a bed will negatively affect the energy of the people using that bed. So clear out that jumble of shoes. If you really need to store things under you bed, be sure that it is well organized and easy to access. 

2. Color - Colors create atmosphere. Even though red is the color of romance I do not recommend red walls. Red walls create too much fire energy and you will have difficulty sleeping. Also a red room will cause either heated arguments or hot sex, I can't guarantee which. Red accents are great, but no red walls. I do recommend wall colors that have warm undertones. You can even find blues and greens with warm undertones. Flesh tones are especially good, from a beige pink to salmon. 

3. Light - Overhead or recessed lighting is simply not romantic. Create the right mood with a lamp on each side of the bed. This will give the space energy and warm illumination. Use incandescent (Edison) light bulbs or compact fluorescents which give warm light (2400-3100 Degrees Kelvin) in those lamps to create pools of warm light, like candle light, that draw you in. 

4. Sound – Play music: your favorite jazz, show tunes, or whatever your heart suggests. The sound of a water fountain can be soothing; while sounds of nature, leaves rustling in the trees, birdsong can be enjoyed through an open window. 

5. Personal Decoration – On home consultations, I often see master bedrooms decorated as if only the woman of a couple, lives there. This is completely unintentional. It is important that there be decoration or personal mementos that represent each member of the couple and the couple together. I do not encourage crossed hockey sticks over the head of the bed, but include something from both of you. 

6. Feng Shui – Identify the Marriage – Partnership - Romance corner in your bedroom. Stand in the doorway facing into your room, the Romance area is in the back right hand corner.  The energy in that area has a direct impact on the energy in your love life. First de-clutter it. Then place a wonderful memento of your relationship there: a current photo of the two of you or a souvenir of a wonderful trip you took together. If you don’t have someone in your life yet, then you can use symbols or metaphors: a picture or statue of a romantic couple, two flowers or two of something that symbolizes romance for you. Add an intention for romance and joy, now you can have Valentine's Day every day.

Arranging Your Room for a Better Night’s Sleep

There are two basic factors in a room that contribute to sleep problems: the energy in the room and your subconscious response to what is in your room while you are sleeping.

Clutter is draining or unsettling energy

·         Unfinished projects, such as laundry, ironing or things that need to be put away.

·         Too many self-help books that nag you with “read me and become a better person/achieve your goals.”

·         Guilt inducing exercise equipment – put it in another room.

·         Or simply too much stuff which gives the room a claustrophobic feeling. Note: clutter hidden in closets still effects the room – out of sight is not out of Feng Shui mind.

Feel Supported and Protected while you Sleep: Bed Position

      Ideally have a solid wall behind the head of the bed (this helps you feel grounded and protected), a window view of nature and a view of the door to the room.  If the only place you can fit your bed and make the room work is against a wall with windows, then I suggest you install shutters or heavy curtains in that window, which you close at bedtime and open in the morning

Color Sensitivity Can Interfere with Sleep

If you or someone in your family has difficulty sleeping, try bed sheets in a soft color with little or no pattern.  There is some research that suggests that our skin absorbs color energy. Those bright turquoise or boldly patterned sheets may have too much color energy for sensitive people.

Dim the lights in your home at least an hour before you plan to sleep to stimulate melatonin production. Melatonin is the brain’s natural sleep hormone. This will make drifting off to sleep easier.

Action steps

Make your bedroom different from any other room in the house

Make the bed the visual and energetic focus of the room

Place the head of the bed against a solid wall.

Use warm color tones, sensual textures, adjustable lighting

Place a lamp on each side of the bed

If you can position your bed so you can see out a window – that is great. Or have a potted plant or two in your room to bring nature inside.

If your master bedroom is large, place an area rug under and around the bed to anchor it and make the sleeping area cozier

No computer and, ideally, no TV in the bedroom.

       I wish you much love, happiness and sweet dreams. Linda