Rethink Your Bedroom Space

All the stress and uncertainty makes it essential to have an oasis. The bedroom is a respite from headlines and a place to get the sleep you need — as long as you follow a few key guidelines.

Courtesy of Tracy Schorn and Mary Mulligan

Problems: Cluttered, creaky mattress

Wonky lighting, paperwork on night tables, underwear on the “exercise” bike. “The bedroom is often the forgotten space and the last to renovate since you can't show it off,” says Property Brother Jonathan Scott. “But we all need an oasis to pamper ourselves and get better sleep during a pandemic.”

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$ Budget

Amber Day

Clear the clutter. To the AARP member who showed us boudoir shelves crammed with armadillo bobbleheads and “bad Texas art,” the brothers recommend a gallery wall. “Curate and hang a few favorite pieces, and keep the rest in a digital library,” Drew Scott says. Yes, that means ditching stuff or finding more permanent storage. (Drawers built in to the bed frame or rolling boxes under the frame work great.) Also, “move work areas out of the bedroom,” Jonathan says. “You want to wake up refreshed, without immediately thinking, Oh, I've got taxes to do.”

$$ Midrange

It's a renaissance moment for bed materials and designs, and brands like Casper, Costco's Novaform and the brothers’ Scott Living will deliver to your home on a generous trial basis. “If you can't remember who was president when you bought your mattress, it's time to replace it,” Drew says. For extra z's, hang blackout curtains: A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found a strong link between even low-level nighttime light exposure and depressive symptoms among older adults.

$$$ Splurge

Automated smart-home controls, like the Savant system, Control4 or Crestron, let you adjust mood lighting, temperature and music — and monitor security cameras — via your phone or tablet, “so you can literally rest easier,” Drew says. Adds Jonathan, “Modern Murphy beds are much more advanced than the ones you might remember. There's no bar pressing into your back, and some come with shelving cabinets that rotate so everything stays on the shelf as the bed comes down."