18 Zen Bedroom Ideas That’ll Help You De-Stress

Choosing the right hue is important in any room of your home — particularly the bedroom. If you want your bedroom to be your chill zone, stay away from overly vibrant colours. Instead, opt for softer shades and neutrals.

The simplest way to steer clear of too-vivid colours in the bedroom? Opt for the most neutral choice of all: An all-white colour palette. We love how sticking to a white palette as much as possible automatically infuses a room with so much Zen energy.

However, if you need a little colour in your life, add a little colour of your choice. But we do recommend sticking to softer shades, like pastel blues, lavenders or pale greens.

By using a soft hue in a few different shades (think peach wallpaper, pink lamps and blush pillows) you can evoke a calming feel through a take on monochromatic vibes.

Have a colourful design personality but still want to stay Zen? Try mixing neutral-hue walls and flooring with selective pops of colour for the best of both worlds, like this room designed by Love it Or List it Vancouvers Jillian Harris.

While mahogany wood can look luxe, lighter-colour woods like beech and maple may have a more soothing effect when it comes to bedroom furniture.

Colour choice and decor is important to creating a relaxing space, of course. But don’t forget the layout and contents of your bedroom! How much furniture you put in your space and where you put it  also impacts how you feel at bedtime.

The Chinese philosophy of feng shui is all about flows of energy and creating balance in your environment. This makes it a wise way of thinking for optimizing the bedroom for sleep. Consider a few feng shui principles when placing your bed: Opt to have the head of the bed against a solid wall, ground the bed with a headboard and position it so that you’re facing the door when you sleep, though not directly in line with it.

Even things out:  symmetrical layout is visually appealing and subtly calming. You don’t need to spend hours measuring out every pillow for exact symmetry, but putting an identical lamp and bedside table on each side of the bed is a good place to start.

If you have the space, resist the urge to fill it with too much furniture. Instead, pare back to the essentials and space them out so that moving through your bedroom feels like a dream without the crowding.

On the other hand, if you’re living in a smaller space, you might want to take the opposite approach. Using a screen or divider can block off some privacy and create more of a distinct sleep-zone area.

As much as we’re fans of a curated nightstand and having your favourite books close at hand, keeping too many knick-knacks, curios, trinkets and, well, just too much stuff in your bedroom can mess with your stress-free state. Instead, make like Marie Kondo and clear the clutter. Only the essentials need to have a home in your bedroom.

You’ve set your colour palette, you’ve arranged your furniture… what’s next? Consider what things you can add (and take away) from your bedroom to enhance its tranquility. Paring down to your absolute must-haves means you’re curating a space full of your favourite things.

Hardwood floors look beautiful, but they aren’t always what your bare feet crave when they step out of bed on a cold morning. An area rug in the bedroom instantly enhances the practical comfort and coziness of a room (while incorporating a personal touch of style, too).

The cozier your bedroom, the better. Play with plush textures like faux fur, velvet and fleece in your bedding and pillows to enhance the dreamy comfort of the room.

More than just bringing a touch of nature into your sleep space, certain plants can help you get a better sleep by purifying the air and removing toxins.

Don’t be afraid to embrace natural light in the bedroom. If privacy is a concern, consider using light coloured curtains to bring in light during the day.

As beautiful as your bedroom design may be, if it’s full of sleep-disrupting tech (we’re looking at you, smartphone, tablet and television), it’s never going to be a truly Zen space. Take your minimalist aesthetic to the next level by keeping your electronics on a permanent bedroom ban.