Don’t Put Your Decorating Plans on Snooze: Wake up Your Bedroom with a Few Inexpensive Tricks

It doesn’t look terrible, but maybe a little bland. Since you just bought a new Simmons queen size mattress about a year ago and the furniture is still serviceable, redecorating your bedroom is low (very low) on your list of priorities. But it doesn’t have to be. Having a sanctuary that you can retreat to after a long, busy day is important. Making one or two inexpensive changes can update your bedroom’s decor and breathe new life into the room you spend roughly a third of your life.

A can of paint can go a long way to taking the snore out of your decor. Sure, the color is okay and was certainly trendy (eight years ago), but a fresh coat of paint with a neutral or contrasting color for the ceiling, window and baseboards will give you a new perspective.

Ditto for new bedding. Matching the color of your bed linens to the color of the walls and/or the window treatments introduces a unifying theme into your bedroom. Selecting a bedding set that also includes decorative pillows is an easy way to make the bed more inviting. A pile of pillows in different shapes with varying textures will create visual interest, making the bed more of a focal point.

If your bedroom furniture is a hodgepodge of much loved hand-me-downs, there’s an easy fix. And it doesn’t have to mean purchasing a brand new bedroom suite. By replacing a couple of mismatched pieces with matching nightstands you will harmonize the room while adding functionality, especially if you select ones with drawers and/or open or enclosed shelves.

Nightstands are also a great place to put lamps. Even if your bedroom has overhead lighting, having a bedside table lamp is handy, especially if you are in the habit of reading in bed or if you not particularly fond of being the one always stuck with having to climb out and turn off the light. A floor lamp judiciously placed in an unused corner of the room can help make it brighter.

Consider replacing the unrelated dresser and chest of drawers with an armoire. Or if an armoire is not feasible (either due to budget or space restraints), perhaps putting the chest in the closet and incorporating it into a closet organizer system would be the ideal solution.

Bare floors, even hardwood ones, can either be cold or make the room appear cold. A bedside rug made of wool might be the perfect motivator to get you up and out of bed in the mornings. Even if you do have wall-to-wall carpeting, an area rug can create instant ambiance, warming up the room with a splash of accent color.

And don’t underestimate the power of accessorizing. If the budget won’t allow for new paint or one or two new pieces of furniture, consider hanging some prints on the wall, replacing just the duvet, buying a thrifty pack of accent pillows or adding economical storage options such as baskets.

For the room that’s not just a place to sleep, these design tips will help you wake up your bedroom decor, allowing you to create an ideal environment for sleeping, staying in bed on a rainy Saturday morning or just hanging out with the kids.

Going French With Help From Cymax

I’ve decided to change my identity. My entire heritage, actually. Although I am a perfectly balanced mix of Scottish and English (50/50, I’m told), I’m going French. It’s just that French is sultrier, more seductive. The language elegantly rolls off the tongue… well, more like the back of the throat, but still. I love to eat, and the tastes of France beat the Scottish meat ‘n potatoes or the British fish ‘n chips staple foods. I’ll stay away from escargot, but bring on the cheeses and baguettes, and especially the chocolate fondue, any day. And no more tartan, no more cardigans. I want Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and Chanel. And who doesn’t want to go to the most romantic country in the world? I certainly do. French: I want to speak it, eat it, wear it, and live it. I want to be French.

In order to “go” French there are some essential things I need to change about my home. Luckily, Cymax makes this incredibly easy with the convenience of online shopping. Cymax has a variety of furniture items, for every room in the house, which will help with my transformation.

Firstly, in order to cook up a French storm, to have all the wonderful aromas and tastes that come with the nationality, I will need a French kitchen cart for all of the extra space I will need to accommodate the varieties of ingredients cluttering my kitchen. Classically styled, this cart will make it easy to cook a genuine gourmet French-inspired meal. I will also need a French baker’s rack for all of the baguettes I plan on making. I don’t know how to make them yet, but those are just minor details.

But I can’t just go from a French kitchen to a drab eating area, furnished with a table and chairs from England that have been passed down to me from centuries ago that any person my age should not have anywhere near their house if they want to avoid the nickname “Granny”. In order to genuinely transform my identity, I need to invest in a French bar table set to feed myself and my guests in style. This will provide a perfect perch for wine and cheese, and a good gab. With the contemporary style, combined with a touch of traditional French scrollwork, I can have a modern dining area with a French design. There I will sit, pouring champagne for guests, and will be well on my way to French-hood.

My new French identity needs to infiltrate my every hour though – even when I am not awake. In order to be successful at training my subconscious, I need to start having French dreams. In order for French dreams, I need to be dreaming in a bed complete with a French comforter set. This nine-piece comforter set features a leafy design that I can only imagine mirrors the falling leaves on Paris streets. Here, I will sleep in French, and when I wake up, I will take my fashionable new clothes out of my French floral accent chest to dress myself, and head to my French jewelry armoire to put on my make-up and accessories to start my day on the right foot.

The finishing touches for my newly Frenchized home will probably be the most important part of my transitioning nationality. I will desperately need a place to practice the language. Sure, I will get the chance to test out my French by speaking with friends (or forcing them to listen to me), but I won’t master the language, or the nationality, without studying. With a French floral desk to match my accent chest, and a French table lamp to keep me company through hours and hours of perfecting the language and the accent, I will have everything I need.

On top of this, thanks to the ability to shop online for all of these necessities, I can become French without having to leave the house. That said, once I feel French enough, I am buying a one-way ticket to France (bypassing the United Kingdom), and bringing my furniture with me. C’est final.