10 Bedroom Design Ideas to Improve Your Mental Health

Conor Prendergas
bedroom

Your bedroom is your little escape from the rest of the world. It’s where you sleep, where you relax, where you wake up and start each day, and where you relax and end the day. Waking up in a comfortable, cozy bedroom design can really impact how the day goes, and relaxing in one can really impact how the next day goes. Designing a bedroom is really important to your day-to-day functioning. Bedroom design ideas involve more than just making it cozy and appealing; it’s crucial to think about how it affects our mental well-being too. The bedroom marks the beginning and end of our day, so it should encourage relaxation, rest, and renewal.

10 Bedroom Design Ideas for Better Mental Health

You don’t have to hire a professional designer or make a major home renovation to design a bedroom that’s conducive to your mental health. There are several bedroom design ideas you can start with and make your bedroom a little haven for healthy living. We hope they help you!

Make Your Bed Conducive to Sleeping

There’s nothing more tiring than lying awake all night, not being able to fall asleep and watching the minutes tick by, knowing you’ll be stressed and not ready to start your next day with quality rest. There are some little tricks you can implement to help prevent this, though.

First and foremost is making sure your bed is just for sleeping. If you’re a student, you might be compelled and comfortable doing schoolwork in bed. This could lead to bad habits and not quality sleep because your body and mind will learn to associate it with work and not be in the relaxed mindset when it’s time for bed.

Invest in some good bedding, too. Sheets that are softer and breathable might be a little more expensive, but you’ll thank yourself when they’re nice and airy during the warmer months. Cooler or darker-colored sheets are also more associated with relaxation and calming, so give that color palette a try.

Lastly, get off those devices for at least thirty minutes before bedtime! The blue light emitted by our screens can be disruptive when it’s time to fall asleep.

Clutter

This is enough to stress out anyone, regardless of their mental health and which room the clutter is in. It can add insult to injury when you’re coming to your room at the end of a rough day only to have to navigate a heap of unfolded laundry, a messy desk, and an unmade bed.

Try to imagine mom is nagging you to clean your room again, and take twenty minutes out of the week to just clean it up a little. Put your earbuds in and just get to work making your bed, vacuuming the floor, organizing that bookshelf, and so on.

Often, the hardest part about cleaning your room is just to get started, and having a cleaner space can do wonders to making your bedroom feel that much more comforting.

If you find that it’s tough to keep your bedroom clean, see what the problem is.

  • Do you have too many clothes for your dresser, so they get tossed onto your bed? Buy some more hangers or start getting rid of them.
  • Have you been accumulating lots of knick-knacks and awards from work? Install a little shelf.
  • Is it the end of the semester and you’ve accumulated a whole avalanche of papers on your desk? Buy some folders and organizers, or get to work cleaning out those binders, or buy a little bookshelf to handle all of those textbooks.

Good Lighting

There’s nothing like waking up to a stream of brilliant natural sunlight (unless you’re not a morning person!). You might be limited by the amount of sunlight in your area and the amount of windows you have, in which case you can buy lights that mimic natural sunlight. They can be programmed to turn on in the morning, and in addition to functioning like a natural alarm, they also give your body the dose of light it needs to function optimally.

And on the other side of the spectrum, make sure that you have enough privacy and darkness to sleep properly, especially if you go to bed early or work night shifts. You can do this with blackout curtains, which are thick dark curtains that help block out sunlight during the day, so you can sleep in the daytime if you have to.

Get Some Plants

Houseplants really do bestow a nice little feeling on whatever room they’re in, besides a nice touch of green. Adding a little plant friend to your room (or really, anywhere in your house) gives you a little companion that’ll make your day a little bit brighter and a little bit more oxygenated.

You could also use a fake plant if you’re so inclined, but we always recommend a real one. You don’t need to be a green thumb either because there are plenty of low-maintenance plants you can buy. Just set a reminder so you remember to water them! Here are some of our easy-to-care-for favorites:

  • Aloe Vera
  • Snake Plant
  • African Violet
  • Monstera Deliciosa
  • Cactus
  • Peace Lily
  • Bromeliad
  • Coffee Plant
  • Mint
  • Polka Dot Plant

Add a Personal Touch and Decoration to Your Room

This is especially important if you’re a new college student, or just moved to a new state or part of the country, and are away from friends and family. You don’t need to be homesick to have some personal decorations that remind you of your friends and family. Put up whatever you want–whether it’s a corkboard with photos of your favorite fun times with friends and family or a poster or team jersey of your home state’s sports team.

It’s usually better to have sentimental, personal items visible so you have a nice reminder of your loved ones in plain sight. If that’s not possible because of space or the layout, or you’d simply prefer not to, you can always have a small box or book of photos tucked in your drawer to look at in a moment’s notice. It’s just having it there that’s the most important.

A personal touch of style doesn’t have to revolve around family and friends, though it can. You can simply change the color palette of your room, with new color bedding or painting on the walls. You can replace the furniture, add artwork, accent lighting, you name it. Remember, it’s your room–make it yours to however much your budget and living situation allows.

Aromas

You’d be surprised at what fragrances and scents can do for your mood. They may not drastically impact your mental health, but they’re downright pleasant and fun to have!

You can use whatever you’d like to generate your aroma of choice. If you go with getting a houseplant like we mentioned earlier, it can double as a natural aromatherapy if it produces fragrant flowers. You can do this with a nice set of candles (just be careful around an open flame!) or reed diffusers.

You can also invest in an aromatizer, a little device that you add water and essential oils, and it produces a gentle mist to distribute the scent. Some scents like spearmint, peppermint, lavender, and jasmine are naturally very relaxing and might help you stay relaxed with them in the background or even help you fall asleep.

Include Personal Space in Your Bedroom

This might seem a little counterintuitive–after all, it’s your bedroom, right? Meant and intended mainly for sleeping! This is true, but if you’re a student or renting only a room, you might be limited to only your bedroom for personal space and privacy. In these cases, it’s helpful to have other options in your bedroom if you have the space.

  • Adding a desk is a simple and fairly cheap way of extending the usability of your room; it gives you space to do work, handle online meetings, and can double as storage while more importantly, keeping you from doing work in bed and ruining it for sleep.
  • Adding a reading chair, loveseat, or ottoman is another easy way to add something utilitarian to your room, also doubling as a relaxing spot.

Make Sure The Layout is Good for Mobility

Similarly to a cluttered room, navigating a cramped room is stressful and adds insult to injury if you come home after a stressful day only to trip over yourself and bang your shins up because you’re navigating an awkward space. If you’re a student or in a dormitory, you might be a touch limited on what you can actually do with wardrobe.

At the very least, try to keep the aisles of your bedroom clear; buy some small storage bins or drawers if you need a little extra storage. If you need a little stimulation and change, try rearranging your furniture–it might give your mental health a little boost to come home to a refreshing new layout, especially one that adds a little more space to your room.

Temperature Control

Maintaining a regular and comfortable temperature for your bedroom is important for better mental health and high-quality sleep. Here are a few bedroom design tips for temperature manage:

  • Optimal Temperature: The ideal temperature for a good night’s rest falls between 60-67°F (15-19°C). This specific range has been identified as the prime environment for sleep, ensuring you drift off and remain in dreamland without a worry.
  • Programmable Thermostats: These nifty devices allow you to customize the temperature throughout both day and night. Simply program the thermostat to decrease during your slumber hours and tailor it to suit your personal liking. It’s all about creating that cozy sleep haven tailored just for you.
  • Bedding: Use a quality blanket that fits to temperature changes. For summer season, consider using breathable cotton sheets, and for wintry weather, choose hotter flannel or wool bedding.
  • Fans, Air Conditioners, and Heaters: Use fans, air conditioners, or heaters as must hold a strong temperature in your bedroom. These devices assist you to settle down or warm up the room for your favored temperature.
  • Humidifier or Dehumidifier: Adding a humidifier or dehumidifier could be the key to achieving perfect humidity levels. This simple addition can work wonders in creating an ideal environment for a peaceful night’s sleep.

Add Some Other Ways to Help You Relax

We mentioned before that having a designated place to read, or work can be helpful, as can certain aromatherapies like lavender or mint. But there are some other useful things you can add to your bedroom to help you relax and unwind before bed.

  • Weighted Blankets

It may seem silly, but the wonders of weighted blankets are true. Having one to relax or even sleep under can improve mood and quality of sleep. Plus, they’re just plain fun to snuggle under! If you’re in the market for a new blanket, why not make it a weighted one?

  • White Noise Machine

This can be another simple way to help you fall asleep. White noise is essentially mild background sound that can help block out the sounds of traffic or outside noise and get your mind primed for sleeping. You can buy standalone white noise machines, or some alarm clocks have them built in.

  • Vision Board

A vision board is something visual that reminds you of goals you want to accomplish. For example, if you’re a student looking to go to graduate or medical school, you might want to tack on stickers or photos of your dream school’s logo. Or, a scene of the beach for your upcoming summer getaway. Anything that reminds you of the ulterior reason for your work it’s all fair game for your vision board. The board itself can be a little folder in your computer, or a big poster board mounted on your wall.

  • Smart Lighting

Regardless of your bedroom situation, you should always be able to add in some smart lights, whether that’s installing smart light bulbs or buying smart outlets or lamps. Smart lights can be tailored to wake you up with gentle light in the morning or subtly prime your brain for bed by winding down in the evening. They’re also just plain fun to play around with!

Conclusion

We hope that these bedroom design ideas will helpful to you. Most importantly, we hope that you got a few takeaways to help your bedroom become not just a haven from your day-to-day life, but also a nice sanctuary for your mental health. If even just one of these little tips and tricks was useful to you, we’re happy. Remember to take care of yourself and your mental health, and be well!

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