12 Things to Buy or Do to Easily Refresh Your Bedroom on Any Budget
dog not included!)
Our bedroom is meant to be a zone where we can ease into a state of calmness, de-stress and be ourselves. It can have a great impact on our mood and psychological wellbeing. We want our bedroom to be unique to our own personal taste –like an extension of our personality. To give you a few ideas on how to turn your room into your own perfect sanctuary of calmness while maintaining a sustainable and ethical mindset, we looked at products and brands for the four essential aspects of a bedroom!
Make Your Bed
We’ve been told that making our bed leads to better productivity, lowers stress, improves moods and helps alleviate depression. If even one of these things are true then we think it’s worth doing. And if not, it still just looks better to have a made bed.
And if you need a new bed, we recommend this one.
Pick Up Your Clothes
This is an easy follow up to that last one. You probably don’t live with Mom anymore, but she shouldn’t have had to put your underwear in the hamper anyways. (ew!) If it feels like too much set a 10 minute timer and see how much you can put away in that amount of time. Chances are it could be more than you think.
Open the Window
Fresh air, more light…you’re doing it right.
Add Fresh Flowers
because…FLOWERS
Add Some Scent
If flowers aren’t your thing (or it’s dead of winter) try scented candles, fragrance sticks or even incense if you’re so inclined.
Switch out your lights.
Mr DeMille, are we ready for our close up? As far as we’re concerned, the only rooms where overhead lighting is acceptable is the kitchen (always) and the bathroom (sometimes). If you rely on overhead lights in your bedroom it’s time to rethink this. And even if you don’t, scrutinize your current lighting situation like an interior designer. Is it warm enough? Bright enough? Too bright? Move your lights around or do the classic mood lighting on a budget: Christmas lights year round (but only the white one 🙂 )
Make Your Bedside Table A Place of Ritual
We like to keep a small book of essays by Thich Nhat Hanh and cuticle oil for our nails on our table. Maybe you have a framed photo or perfumed lotion. Use your table as a place that helps you transition from day to night.
Buy Furniture Secondhand
When it comes to furnishing our bedroom, it is always smart to consider functionality and essentials. What is it we really need? If a bedroom is overcrowded with furniture, it will take away space and make cleaning a lot harder. Trying to maintain an environmentally conscious mindset when purchasing furniture doesn’t mean that style has to fall short. A lot of times, you can find beautiful antique second-hand items in vintage stores or even online. AptDeco is a New York based vintage furniture platform where you can sell your used furniture or shop preloved items! The website acknowledges the hassles second-hand furniture websites can create in terms of safety, so they provide each customer with professional pick-up and delivery. They share on their site the positive impact of buying second hand.
DIY Old Furniture
If you are more of a hands-on person and you own furniture that doesn’t look like its best self anymore, why not let your creativity flow and repaint it? If repainting won’t revive it there are many tips online on how to use old furniture components to make new ones! Check out this article on upcycling furniture for beginners, it might be a great start into a new hobby. Learning new DIY skills are skills that will benefit you for a lifetime, reduce your spending and have a great sustainable impact on the planet.
Add Some Artwork
If you are looking for any exciting wall art to add a unique touch to your bedroom, Etsy is your friend! You can browse through the site’s categories, apply desired filters to your search, or simply type in your desired product into the search panel. Check out this beautiful giclee prints by EmmaMakeStudio. All of her work is printed onto Hahnemühle Hemp Paper, which is acid free, made from natural fibers and is biodegradable.
If you are looking for something with a little more texture for your walls, have a look at this amazing macrame wall hanging by CottonKoala, entirely made out of recycled cotton!
Warm Up the Floor With Rugs
Rugs can be super functional, especially on a cold morning when the last thing you want is to have icy feet! There is no doubt that a well-chosen rug adds style. Loomy is sells rugs made from sustainable materials that are either eco-friendly or recycled, avoiding plastic and toxic chemicals. The brand prides itself on their ethical approach towards manufacturing rugs, with each purchase directly supporting an indigenous community of artists. As if this weren’t amazing enough, their rugs are super stylish as well, ranging from subtle to more abstract designs. Check out these two beauties from their vegan collection where the material is made from recycled plastic bottles. We also cannot get over this abstract-colored rug with recycled cotton backing!
Or you might prefer a wool, hand-woven on a cotton base made-to-order rug from the artisans in Fowwa, Egypt. Spun from upcycled remnants from Cairo carpet factories from fibers that would otherwise be discarded, each piece is unique.
Add Permanent Greenery AKA Plants
Yes, we already mentioned flowers but plants are a more permanent fixture and in our opinion no bedroom would be perfect without a plant or two – they not only bring the outside in, but some plants also release relaxing and tranquilizing essential oils to help us fall asleep quicker and sleep deeper. We recommend orchids, snake plants and money trees. And since they purify the toxins as well, it seems the way to round out this blissful space. A nice place for indoor greenery is The Bouqs.
–Nadine El Garhy
