Tiny Bedroom Update, Optimized for Rest
Moody & Cozy
Nine Lives of One Bedroom
The tiny bedroom in my Brooklyn Heights pre-war apartment has lived many lives since I moved in nearly seven years ago. The woman who lived in the apartment before me divided the space into two tiny rooms to house herself and her son, which meant that each “bedroom” could only fit a bed and that’s about it.
Like all of the best evolutions, this one took time and iteration, but I am so thrilled with how it has finally found itself as my deep, dark, moody cocoon of a space where all I do is rest.
The Journey to Here
When I consider that I was 25 years old when I moved into my apartment, it makes sense that my bedroom, the most personal intimate space in my home, would evolve as much as it did. The major edits were:
Chalkboard Wall & Neon Headboard — I was in a phase where everything was neon … culminating with the year my hair was hot pink. I’ve since calmed down.
Scandi White & a New Doorway — This was the major “reno” step. We cut a doorway between the two spaces (I’d been using the smaller “room” as my closet since day 1) to re-unite the wall of windows and create a master suite. Best decision ever.
Paint it Black — Possibly due to all the time I’ve spent in candlelit Y7 studios over the past year and a half, but I was aching for a deep, dark, moody bedroom. This brings us to today.
Designing for Rest
Before I jump into the LOVELY after photos, I want to take a minute to lay out the requirements for a restful bedroom I considered on my way to here:
Sex & Sleep, That’s It — Partly because my bedrooom is so tiny, but also as a conscious choice, there’s nothing else in it besides my bed. No TV. No dresser. No extra electronics or that chair your clothes from the week pile up on. This lets the space be entirely about resting activities. I don’t even bring my laptop in here. Ever.
No Blue Light — Studies have shown how damaging blue light waves are to our circadian rhythms (there’s a whole set of cells in your eyeballs dedicated to sensing the type of light wavelength to tell your body whether it’s dusk or dawn), so it’s super important in your space of rest you consider the type of light coming from the bulbs. I went for the new Casper Glow bedside lamps, which are not only on a sleep timer, but they emit yellow/red light so you’re not telling your brain it’s time to energize when you’re trying to wind down.
Quality Bed Setup — It’s important not to skimp too much on your bed setup. Whether that’s investing in a quality mattress or spending a little more on sheets and a comforter, you need to make sure that your setup works for the kind of sleeper you are. Oh, and make sure to replace your pillows regularly. Google why. It’s gross.
Sleep Hygiene — This, I’m still working on. Setting yourself up for success to keep a regular bedtime routine is so important. Studies have shown that this means shutting down electronics well before bedtime, using a dedicated alarm clock rather than your phone, and keeping to a regular schedule even on the weekends. From a design POV, that means setting up a charging station away from your bedside table, using something like the Casper Glow to ease you to sleep and awake in the morning, and tech solutions like Do Not Disturb and Bedtime to keep yourself accountable to your sleep goals.
The After
Time for Design Choices
SO happy with how this room turned out, and SO happy to share the pieces I decided to put in it!
Bed & Mattress — The bed is the Piper from Room & Board & mattress is from Sleepy’s (though I bought Tuft & Needle mattresses for my house upstate and LOVE them). I love the bed so much for how sturdy it is (it’s made of steel!), but also how flexible it is design wise. It can easily push to be more industrial or more refined because it’s such a basic design. Love love love.
Bedding —
Sheets & Duvet — from Target. I love a percale cotton, but didn’t want to splurge on a fancier duvet cover especially because my cat’s toenails tend to rip holes in them. So I went for the nicest bargain one I could find and Target delivered!
Sleeping Pillows — from Target as well. I usually look there, or at department stores like Macy’s when they’re having seasonal whites sales. Because you’re meant to swap out pillows at least every year, I don’t tend to splurge too much here either.
Comforter — The Buffy. I love this comforter so much that after I bought it for my bed upstate, I had to get another one for Brooklyn. Definitely lives up to the hype, and it comes with a CUTE sleep mask
Decorative Pillows — One of my FAVORITE tricks is buying pillows from H&M and Zara Home. They have amazing accent pillows for very reasonable prices so you don’t feel bad about swapping them out in a year!
Throw Blanket — A little treat from my very favorite brand HAY picked up from my very favorite Shoreditch store GoodHood (seriously, it’s not a trip to London until I’ve spent an hour in the basement of the shop with all the Danish goodies)
Decor —
Bedside Shelves — The space beside my bed is so tiny that tables don’t fit, so I got these little floating shelves from Target, stained them darker, and love them.
Bedside Lights — Are the Casper Glow. Love them.
Printed Artwork — These, I love to pieces. The design genius behind Juniper Studio & Juniper Home has this new print shop called Juniper Print Shop that sells super high-res digital files for $20 so you can print artwork at whatever size you want! These I printed on an office copier on regular old 11x17 paper for nothing, popped them into frames from Urban Outfitters (with custom mats ordered online). AND I still have the files so I can use the prints again if I want to!
Wall Shelves — Love this company as well (they’re based in Minneapolis!). These are the BluDot Welf Shelf made of rolled steel. They are heavy as all get out, but so sleek and minimal. This is my second set of them I love them so much!
Rug — Is from World Market. It wasn’t expensive, but is a more refined take on a usual jute rug with the chunky braid, which I love.
Curtains — IKEA. Another trick — never spend money on curtains when IKEA has so many good options!
Closing Thoughts
I love my bedroom so much now. What I love most is how it’s evolved with me over the years into this wonderful respite.
Small Pro Tip — if you decide to buy a rug after you buy a many-hundred-pound steel bed, you might need some scissor jacks to help you install it.
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