How to Plan Your Bedroom Design

Before going any further with your decisions about wall, floor and window treatments, you should make a furniture placement plan. The position of the bed is the most important one. This is where you’ll spend most of your time when you’re in the bedroom.

If you know anything about the Eastern philosophy of feng shui, you know that the placement of furniture can bring harmony to every aspect of your life. Where better to employ this philosophy than in the bedroom? Supposedly, you can bring energy to your life as well as find inner peace just by placing your furniture in certain relationships to each other and the room. Rumor has it that even Donald Trump called in a feng shui adviser for one of his Manhattan buildings.

The main thrust of feng shui is that you can create an environment within your home that relates to the natural order of the universe. If you’re curious, it can’t hurt to consider some of the principles of this traditional Chinese school of thought. For example, concern with compass direction is important to feng shui practitioners. They profess that positioning your bed so that you can see the sun rise will do wonders for your morning attitude. Further, they suggest, never put your bed underneath a window; if possible, the head of the bed should face north or east, but should not be directly opposite the door.

Once you have the ideal aesthetic and spiritual location for the bed, the rest is easy. Night tables on each side should be large enough to hold your “stuff” and high enough to be comfortable. They don’t have to match. In fact, you might use small dressers as side tables if you need extra storage and don’t have room for a larger bureau. Or, use a small desk on one side of the bed with an occasional chair. If lamps aren’t attached to the wall, they should be high enough for reading without shining in your eyes.

Decide where you will keep your clothes. It might be a dresser or armoire, but if you don’t have enough room for another large piece of furniture, you can design and outfit your closet with shelves for efficient storage of bulky items. Once you’ve figured out where to put the essentials, you’ll know how much room you have left for the extras.

Even a small, cast-off wooden chair is better than none in the bedroom. While you might be the neatest person in the world, you need a place to toss your clothes at night, or for holding a bathrobe or the laundry you don’t have time to fold and put away. Find a corner to hold a charming little chair. This is an item that’s easy to find, either old or new, for little money. If there’s room for a comfortable easy chair or a chaise longue, all the better. Know your priorities and plan accordingly.

Other items that work well in a bedroom and don’t take up much space are a quilt rack, a full-length mirror, a floor lamp and a television stand.