Master bed room
A reclaimed-barn-wood accent wall serves as a headboard in the master bedroom. The nails add a rustic touch. “One of the big things the homeowners wanted was to be awoken by the sunrise, straight out their bedroom window,” Moger says. It’s another way the house seems to have its own circadian rhythms.
RakutenSave to IdeabookEmail Photo Billock Wall-Mount Jewelry Mirror, Warm Walnut - $160.99 I actually have this jewelry cabinet in my small closet (in white), and it holds a ton of jewelry and takes up little wall space. I highly recommend it for jewelry-obsessed women like myself.
TargetSave to IdeabookEmail Photo John Louis Home Premier Closet System, Red Mahogany - $419.99 There are many sources for closet organization right now, so you can pick and choose price points and even DIY it too.
The Container StoreSave to IdeabookEmail Photo Walnut and Platinum Elfa Decor Freestanding Closet - $1,281.86 Elfa systems really maximize storage space in any closet. I would love to be this organized myself!
Hanging Jewelry Organizer, Little Black Dress - $33.49 This cute little black dress holds lots of jewelry baubles and hangs from the closet rod. Win-win!
Organic Cotton Bed-Bug and Dust-Mite Barrier Covers - $69 Allergy-proof your pillow and mattress. To alleviate this issue, encase your pillows and mattress with protective covers. They come in a variety of natural or synthetic fabrics; launder them often on high heat. Now that your choices have expanded, you’ll need to figure out what luxurious sheets you’re going to wrap your chosen mattress in, which leads us to Myth No. 3.
Myth No. 1: The level of firmness is most important in a mattress. The truth is, you should concentrate first on finding the best comfort-promoting mattress material. Many big-brand mattresses are made with synthetic blends. And while this keeps costs lower than for beds made with all-natural materials, most synthetics don't allow air to circulate as well. “The coziest mattresses are the ones that are upholstered with natural materials, like wool, cotton and latex, which provide great insulation while remaining very breathable,” Klein says. “The mattress that will keep you warm and cozy during the winter is the same mattress that will allow you to sleep cooler in the summer.” Wool, for example, regulates body temperature while wicking away moisture. What’s important to an athlete is just as important to a sleeping body. According to Klein, “The average sleeper loses about a pint of water every night from sweating and breathing. Wool pulls the moisture away from your body to keep you comfortable. This leads to more warmth in the colder months and cooler sleeping in the warmer months.” If your budget dictates going with a synthetic-blend mattress, there are still plenty of comfort...
Staying organized is at the top of every homeowner’s list, so it’s no surprise that smart storage solutions show up here frequently. California Closets created this completely custom-designed unit to separate and store bracelets, necklaces, earrings and more.
Pricing. The price is usually negotiable, especially for innerspring mattresses. Be sure to haggle (unless the retailer clearly states that prices are firm) and don’t be swayed by the size of the discount the salesperson offers — it’s the bottom-line price that’s most important, Thompson says. If you like a $1,200 mattress at store A, and store B is willing to sell you a comparable $3,000 mattress for 50 percent off, you’re still paying $300 more for store B's mattress. Don’t fall for it. Before buying, ask about return policies, restocking fees, delivery charges and whether the store will dispose of your old mattress. These factors could affect your final price. Don’t assume that a no-haggle retailer is a more expensive retailer. Big chain stores might slash prices or offer to negotiate, but they often start from an inflated markup, and the negotiated price might be no better — or even higher — than the no-haggle price at stores like Macy's or Nordstrom. “If I didn’t own a mattress store,” Thompson says, “that’s where I’d go.”
Westin Heavenly Mattress, King - $1,295 Classic Innerspring Mattress Coil count. A good way to compare one mattress with another is by checking the coil count. Generally, the higher the coil count, the better the support. (That’s not the same thing as firmness.) There are three basic types of coils: pocketed, hourglass and continuous. Pocketed coils are individually wrapped in a little bag, hourglass have a rounded top and bottom, and continuous are made from sinuous interconnected wire ringlets. The average mattress contains anywhere from 250 to 1,000 coils. Naturally, larger mattresses will have more coils than smaller ones. If you’re shopping for a queen-size mattress, look for a minimum of 600 sinuous coils or 900 pocketed coils. Mattress makers may compensate for a low coil count by using a thicker wire. Wire thickness is measured in gauge, with a lower number signifying a thicker coil.
Testing the mattress. Do not buy a mattress without testing it in the store. Dress in comfortable clothes (pants) and wear shoes that are easy to slip off. If you sleep with someone else, bring your partner with you. If you’re shy about lying on a bed in public, get over it. You’re going to spend a third of your life on this sucker, so it’s worth a few minutes of embarrassment. Gauge your initial reaction to each mattress. If you like it, spend time lying on each side, your stomach and your back, giving extra time to the position you generally sleep in. It is not unreasonable to spend 10 or 15 minutes on a mattress you’re seriously interested in. Don’t be afraid to ask the salesperson to leave you alone while you’re testing out a mattress, so you can focus on the comfort. “Don’t let anyone push you into a sale,” says Thompson. “Listen to your body. And pay attention to the coil count.”
Hit the stores. Research mattresses, check for brand ratings and hit the mattress stores. Keep in mind when dealing with innerspring mattresses that a mattress will have a different name and cover from one store to the next, even though the product may be identical. This is a longstanding tradition in the mattress world, and it makes it very difficult for consumers to compare products and prices from store to store. Fight it, and it’ll drive you nuts. Instead, try to settle on a retailer you like, and compare the merchandise in that showroom. Or narrow the field down to your two or three favorite mattresses, and choose the model with the best price.
Firmness. Experts no longer subscribe to the theory that a firm mattress is better for you, so go with what feels comfortable. If you’re over age 40, that might be a softer mattress than you’ve used before, since skin becomes more sensitive to pressure as we age. Firmness designations vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so judge a mattress by how it feels, not by what it’s called. Fusion Innerspring 100 Percent Natural Latex Mattress, Queen - $1,799
Mattress types. The good ol’ innerspring mattress is no longer the only game in town. Now you have a bewildering array of mattress options to choose from, including memory foam, gel, latex, inflatables and all natural — just to name a few. Innerspring is the most popular choice and the least expensive; it features tempered steel coils wrapped in layers of cushioning. Memory foam (shown) conforms to the shape of your body, so when you move, the rest of the bed doesn’t shake (good for those bothered by a restless partner). Gel mattresses combine memory foam with a cooling gel, so the body doesn’t get so warm during sleep. Latex mattresses blend characteristics of the innerspring and memory foam to deliver great comfort at a high price. Inflatable air mattresses have an air-filled core that you can adjust to the desired firmness. All-natural beds trade engineered materials for organic alternatives like wool, cotton and rubber. More about shopping for a natural mattress Enhance Queen 2-Inch Memory Foam Mattress Topper - $130
If you get a quality mattress with a coil count over 900 and keep it clean, Thompson says you can stretch that life expectancy to 10 or 15 years. To prolong the life of any mattress, he recommends buying a waterproof, breathable mattress cover, which will help shield the surface from moisture and skin cells. (They start at less than $25.) EverythingMattresses.comEmail Photo Simmons Beautyrest Truenergy Becca Plush Firm Mattress - $625 Size matters. If you sleep solo, any size will do. Unless you’re tall, in which case you’ll want to go with a queen or king. If you sleep with someone else, you’ll also feel more comfortable with a queen or king. Typical mattress sizes: Twin: 38 by 75 inches Full or double: 53 by 75 inches Queen: 60 by 80 inches
How often should you replace your mattress? When your old mattress leaves you feeling tired or achy, it’s time to replace it. The Better Sleep Council recommends trading in your mattress every five to seven years. While it’s not surprising to see this suggestion coming from a trade group, others support this theory, both for comfort and for health reasons. (Mattresses accumulate dead skin cells and perspiration over time, which can attract dust mites and pose health risks.)
general interior
For variety the bedroom walls feature plaster on the lower portion and wood paneling on the upper half — the opposite of the living area.
When selecting a rug for a bedroom, consider the bed size as well as the bedroom size. The edge of the rug does not need to go all the way under the bed. I prefer to see a rug stop just in front of the nightstands, with just enough to step on when getting out of bed.
shelves above nightstand
It’s great to buy organic and nontoxic bedroom furnishings and textiles to begin with; a bit of simple maintenance also can go a long way toward creating a healthy bedroom. A few things to consider about maintenance: • More than a quarter of the U.S. population is estimated to be sensitive to dust mites, which live in bedding, carpeting and upholstery, according to Darryl Zeldin, M.D., of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Studies show that more dust mites live in the bedroom than anywhere else in the home. To keep them at bay, wash bedding weekly and curtains biweekly; vacuum upholstered furniture, mattresses and carpets; and dust with a damp cloth. • Vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to capture allergens, and wash stuffed animals, throw rugs and pillows in the washing machine. Bag unwashable items and put them in the freezer for 24 to 48 hours to kill dust mites. • Enclose your mattress and pillows with impermeable dust-mite covers. • Wash bedsheets weekly in water that is at least 150 degrees to kill and remove dust mites. • Dust regularly. PBDEs attach to dust particles, so keep your bedroom as dust free as possible. • Open the ...
Keep plywood, particleboard and fiberboard — sources of formaldehyde, which has been linked to watery eyes, headaches, depression and even cancer and Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) — out of your bedroom. The glue holding these materials together off-gases formaldehyde over time, and it’s best to keep those toxic vapors out of your sleeping space.
A few things to consider about flooring: • If you choose bamboo, shop carefully. Prefinished bamboo flooring can off-gas formaldehyde and other harmful chemicals. • If you choose hardwood, use a water-based finish. • If you do choose carpeting, opt for untreated 100 percent wool and have it installed using a tack-down method rather than glue. • Seal existing carpet using AFM Safecoat’s SafeChoice Lock Out, which keeps chemicals from off-gassing and repels dirt and stains.
Light pollution in your bedroom can rob you of much-needed rest and impede your body’s ability to regulate its sleep cycle. Artificial lighting interrupts natural rhythms, confusing our bodies into thinking that they should be awake long after the sun has gone down. This can lead to sleep deprivation, depression, weight gain and increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. Sleeping in a room polluted with artificial light causes fragmented sleep and interferes with your body’s natural production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep cycles and sexual development and may even help prevent cancer. A few things to consider about lighting: The darker the room, the better you sleep. You should not be able to see your hand after you turn off the lights. Be aware of light pollution sources, including streetlights, nightlights, hall lights, clocks, phone dials, baby monitors and electric blanket controls. Move or cover sources within the bedroom and install blackout drapes to block outside sources. Turn off the television and computer at least an hour before bed. These light sources can reset your biological clock and make falling asleep difficult. If possible, keep computers and...
Amenity Bedding Fern Organic Cotton Duvet Cover in Peacock - $330.00 » About 25 percent of all the pesticides used in the United States are used to grow cotton, and many of them are carcinogenic, according to the Sustainable Cotton Project. Don’t get in bed with these! Choosing organic cotton bedding such as this contemporary duvet cover from Amenity can go a long way toward protecting your health. A few things to consider when buying bedding and other textiles: Organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, irradiation, sewage sludge or genetic engineering. While federal organic-fiber standards regulate how cotton is grown, there are no standards for how it is processed and finished. Cotton can be treated with sizing agents, chlorine bleach or heavy metal–containing dyes and still legally be “organic,” so do your homework. If you’re not sure how it was processed, ask questions. White Lotus Home sells organic cotton batting by the pound. To save money, consider buying the batting and sewing it up in a pillowcase.
Many bedroom products contain chemical flame retardants called PBDEs, which have been banned in several U.S. states and other countries because they interfere with nervous system development, causing problems with memory and attention. The Environmental Protection Agency says that its toxicology database on PBDEs “is inadequate to truly understand the risk." Given these uncertainties, it’s smart to keep PBDEs out of your sleeping space. A few general things to consider: Look for beds and bedding made with natural fibers such as cotton, wool, and hemp, which don't catch fire easily or burn quickly and are less likely to be treated with toxic flame retardants. Not sure how to find PBDE-free mattresses and bedding? Find a list at ewg.org/pbdefree. Ikea no longer uses PBDEs in any of its furnishings or accessories.
When you think about how much time you spend in bed and the important work your body does to rejuvenate and revive you while you sleep, your bed might be the most underrated, undervalued piece of furniture in your home. Buying a comfortable, toxin-free bed such as Savoir Beds’ handmade Savoy bed (shown), which is made of lamb's wool, cotton and horsetail, can make a huge difference to your physical and mental health. A few things to consider when buying a new bed: Most mattresses and beds are made with a variety of petroleum-based chemicals, foams and plastics that evaporate into the air. While you sleep, you inhale these compounds. Continuous exposure could make you ill. Common petroleum-based chemicals have been shown to weaken or damage the immune and nervous system, and to cause arthritis, autoimmune disorders and damage to soft tissues, organs and the brain, according to Richard Pressinger and Wayne Sinclair, M.D., of Chem-Tox.com. Current laws do not require industrial chemicals to be tested before they are put on the market, and producers are only rarely required to provide information necessary to assess safety. If you experience any new health problems such as shortness ...
jewelry storage ideas
blinds covering from bottom to top
drawer chest instead of seat in closet
mirrored pocket door
Floating night stands
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