Bedrooms are not only your personal space of relaxation; its design should help your brain to relax and remove worries. In simple terms, it should be mind-numbing.
Power of a simple bedroom
Dr Shahid Patel, Consultant Pulmonologist at Medicover Hospitals in Navi Mumbai, says a calm and tidy bedroom tells your brain that it’s time to rest. “Too many colours, objects, screens or work-related cues can keep the mind engaged and make it harder to wind down. A predictable environment creates a strong association between the bedroom and sleep. Soft lighting, minimal visual stimulation and comfortable surroundings can therefore support the natural transition from wakefulness to sleep.”
The purpose is not to keep the room dull but to design it in a way that keeps you mentally quiet and expectable.
According to Kirti Madan, Creative and Art Director, Mahima Group, a bedroom is one place that is deeply personal and the one space where you don’t have to perform. “That is why I don’t believe a bedroom necessarily needs to be “boring” to be calming. It needs to be quiet in the way it makes you feel, while still being expressive of the person who lives in it. A bedroom should not follow a formula. It should tell your story.”
In her words, the most successful bedrooms make you feel an instant sense of comfort and belonging. When you enter and see the things you love, the room starts feeling less like an interior and more like a private sanctuary.
Reasons
It is not your office or workout space: These days, bedrooms double as office space, a gym, or even your personal theatre. However, it doesn’t make your brain connect your bed with being a place to sleep. Your bedroom is only to relax.
Screens should be outside: Most are glued to their phones. It is right on our beds, or near the bedside table. Constant phone usage keeps the brain in an active mode. With a boring bedroom, the screens go out, and there are fewer chances of using them. Kirit states, “The bedroom should ideally be one of the few places where the outside world doesn't constantly knock on the door.”
Avoid too much stimulus: In the bedroom, always know that bright colours or too many things around keep your brain occupied. Avoid unwanted clutter to keep the space calm. Dr Patel reveals, “A tidy room gives the brain fewer things to process and reduces mental stimulation.”
Bring in textures that invite touch: Kirti suggests using natural materials such as linen, wood, cotton, cane, and wool to add warmth and depth. “A bedroom should not only look inviting; it should feel inviting,” she states.
A calm bedroom is more helpful: Your bedroom shouldn’t always be Instagram-worthy. That is why you must create a relaxing space and setting. Keep the lighting soft, the bed relaxed, and the disruptions fewer. Dr Patel suggests using muted shades since they are less stimulating and create a soothing visual environment.
Make an unwinding routine: Your bedroom shouldn’t be an entertainment zone. Make it as boring as possible to relax. That means your routine should be predictable and include things like lights being dimmed, wearing sleep-worthy comfortable clothes, and relaxing with soothing music.
Hide work-related items: Dr Patel wants everyone to keep away the files, work laptops and to-do lists from the sleeping area to certify the room doesn’t remind you of incomplete work.
Don’t take the boring concept too far: While the idea of making the room boring is to add to your comfort and relaxation, it doesn’t mean you add no personal touch. Avoid overdoing it, but put your special touches like wall art, books, plants and other décor items to make it soothing.
Ultimately, your bedroom should make you think – at last, things are over for the day.
