Our 5 Easy & Effective Bedroom Upgrades

There are few certainties in life, but one of them is the need to sleep. Yet bedrooms, where we spend at least a quarter of our lives (or more) depending on sleep patterns and grooming habits, are often the last room to get the attention they deserve. Current research about the importance of sleep (which impacts brain health, longevity, weight and more) shows that it’s time to shape up and make bedrooms more than just a haphazardly furnished sleeping space. With that goal, and channeling our expertise as interior designers, here are our best ideas to add function, comfort and luxury to your bedrooms immediately. Plus, in the dead of a Chicago winter, who doesn't want to curl up and snuggle in a luxurious bed?

Bolster Bed Basics.

Any advice on best bedroom ideas must start with the most important element in the room--the bed. According to the Better Sleep Council, an uncomfortable bed can deprive you of about an hour of sleep per night. What’s more, a good bed and pillow can last for years, say our colleagues at Chicago Luxury Beds. They swear by all natural bedding solutions, and the exquisitely crafted horsehair mattresses they carry by Hastens and Vi-Spring wick moisture thanks to the material’s hollow structure that offers an astonishing built-in ventilation system that dries immediately. Both lines are also exceptionally durable, again thanks to the incomparable qualities of the natural materials used in their construction.

Acquire New Bedside Manners.

The bed's sidekicks, namely good nightstands and ample lighting, are often afterthoughts when they should be tailored to your lifestyle. We favor night tables that offer storage capabilities for reading materials and incidentals, and are big enough for a glass, book, clock and eyeglasses. One of our favorite sources for intriguing options is Primitive, where we’ve picked up Chinese Barber’s stools for this purpose. For good illumination, we ask homeowners how they use their bed--purely to sleep or also to read. Often, we use swing-arm sconces or pendant fixtures on either side that provide good task illumination and don't consume important nightstand real estate. Our go-to source for these pieces is Circa Lighting.

Add Sumptuous Bedding.

It’s important to start with the best quality bedding. Our go-to source for exquisitely crafted custom linens, blankets and throws is Muse Bespoke. Fabricated in in Italy with only the best materials, each piece can be custom embroidered in any style or pattern. We’re exceptionally fond of their cashmere blankets and throws, which have been made by the same skilled craftsmen for generations. Besides buying the best quality sheets, you'll want accessories that give a bed a finished high-end hotel suaveness and restful comfort. That's why we love the Pillow Bar at Chicago Luxury Bed, which offers the choice of individually tailored, custom-monogrammed, Egyptian cotton pillows with 650-fill Hungarian goose down. What's more; each is made to suit your sleeping style--stomach, back or side!

Remember Window Treatments.

Because we value our sleep time and know that all our clients have their own special needs and style preferences, we always customize treatments that tap into the best materials such as fabrics that screen out UV rays, minimize allergens and offer privacy. We like to rely on the remarkable capabilities of Zirlin Interiors. While they make drapes and shades in every style, they also know how to execute the best customized features for each project, from the right weights for fabrics and linings or the most effective type of blackout backing to the special dressmaker-details and stitching techniques that add resilience and grandeur to the final product.

Add Mood-Making Color.

Color also affects how well we sleep, so the bedroom is a space where we favor cooler hues. A recent survey conducted by Travelodge found that blue led to the best night's sleep, followed by yellow and green. While those soothing colors may lull you to sleep it doesn't mean to shy away from going bolder. Sometimes, we wallpaper one wall or a closet's interior with a fun bright pattern to repeat a color theam that's already imbued in a room. But we make sure that accent wall won't impact sleep by putting it somewhere that isn’t in a visible line of sight from the bed.