ORGANIZED AND ENERGIZED! – PART 7 THE MASTER BEDROOM
By Dianne de Las Casas

The Master Bedroom
The bedroom is the first and last place you see every day. It should be your space, a space you can relax in – watch the news before you snooze, listen to a favorite song, or read your favorite magazine. It is the place you begin your day – the bedroom’s condition can affect your daily mood! You deserve a place that welcomes you, a bed that wraps itself around you.

• The Bed – The bed is the focal point of a bedroom. Treat yourself to hotel-quality sheets and pillows. Buy a beautiful comforter or duvet. Make your bed every day. Accent the bed with decorative pillows. You should feel like you are retreating to a luxury hotel room every night.

Notice the bench at the end of the bed. It serves as a place to put on socks and shoes, and has the bonus of added storage for extra blankets and linens. Candles and flowers add to the romance of the bedroom.

• The Night Stand – Find a nightstand that has ample storage. On top you will need space for a lamp (unless you have wall-mounted lighting), tissues, a carafe of water, an alarm clock and reading material. If you like to read before going to bed, consider a basket to organize your reading materials.

I designed this Southwest bedroom for a family in Texas. This room was once blue. It is now a rich red clay and gold umbre. I designed the room around the poncho hanging behind the bed and a sandstone tile the couple brought back from Arizona. The result is striking. Notice the bedside tables on each side, clear of clutter.

• Put your clothes away – It may seem kindergarten rules but it’s important. Dirties are placed in the hamper. Jackets and pants you can wear again are hung up. Laundry is put away promptly.

• Closet Organizer – Consider hiring a professional to organize your closet. Or if you are a DIY (do-it-yourself) type of person, there are great closet systems available at your local home center. Here’s a great tip for getting ready in the morning. Set out everything you need the night before. It eliminates several minutes of indecision. Think head to toe – what will you wear? I do it as do my children. It makes the morning routine a snap.

• De-clutter – Clear surfaces of clutter. A man can use a valet to organize his wallet, watch, etc. Consider purchasing a charging station that charges several electronic devices at once – cell phone, PDA, portable music player, digital camera, etc. This is my husband’s valet. It’s good for keys, coins, and a general catchall.

• Jewelry organizer – If you have a lot of jewelry pieces, consider a jewelry chest or armoire to organize your jewelry. Another way I like to organize my jewelry is to store sets in small zippered bags (I found mine in the craft section of Wal-Mart). Then I slip the bags into a zippered CD storage case (with four CDs to a page). When I want jewelry, I just flip through the pages and pick the set I need. When I travel, I transfer a smaller amount into a small zippered CD case with single CD pages.

• Romance – Beautify your room with florals, candles and soft lighting. Turn on the music and meditate or make love.

There is a Shaker saying that a friend of mine taught me, “If it can be put down, it can be put up.” Put up the clutter; don’t put up with the clutter! This is your year to get organized and energized. Here’s to beautiful spaces. Here’s to beautiful you!