Just sleep and read in bed. There's no tv in any of our bedrooms. We don't "hang out" in bedrooms. My son comes into our room in the morning to snuggle. But that's about it.

Let's see:

ROOM BIO: North-facing room; painted in RH Silver Sage, traditional furnishings, same wood-look laminate flooring as found in most of house; white faux-wood blinds, ceiling fan

Sleep
TV
Reading
Listening to radio
Dressing/Storing Clothing and Accessories
Walk-Through to Master Bathroom
Walk-Through to Outside Patio and Pool area

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

Yes, I have to agree with pps7. No tv in our bedroom either. And other than the pets, it's pretty much just DH and I that are in there. Not that our son is prohibited or anything. Just nothing interesting for him in there. The bookcase in the room is very bad feng shui. But for me it isn't, since I'm a bibliophile and find great comfort in being surrounded by books. So our room is used for bedroomy type things only *blush*.

Sleep and read but my favorite activity is the unmentionable.

Another sleep and read.
I like a bunch of different looks for a bedroom too but for us (and the kitties :) ) I had to ask what was practical with the space we have to work with.

Sleep and read. Kids were always welcome in our room, but no TV and absolutely no pets, ever; the pets all learned to stop at the threshold. Nice having one fur-free room to sleep in.

We have a Cal king bed in a small room that faces north, with two dressers and a small bookcase, but the books overflow, anyway. Sometimes I wonder why we even have a library/office with all the books around the house.

It is still kind of a retreat for us, even though the kids have all moved on.

Sherry

Another just sleep and read. I'm very happy to learn there are others out there without a TV in the bedroom. I thought we were the only couple on the face of the earth without a TV in the bedroom. Our children, now grown, never had a TV in their rooms either.

Fold laundry, organize shoes, vacuum, dust, snuggle with two dogs who create the need for all the cleaning.

Of course, read and sleep. No tv either. (but I would like to have one! And one in the kitchen) But that is too? What's the word I want? Unintelligent? Lazy? Indolent? Slack?
So I will keep reading.

Sleep and read. We do have a TV in the room, but use it mostly to watch movies while we can stretch out on or in the bed. I used to exercise in the BR too, but am trying to clear out a space in the basement as exercise space.

Oh, and I wrap presents in the BR. It isn't convenient as I do it on the floor, but I can shut out prying eyes. :)

Sleep
talk while folding laundry
Go out sliding patio door to wrap around deck/carry water to deck pots from this room
Sit in wing chair next to fireplace, read a book
Walk thru to mst bath or mst closet
Do sit ups using the dresser to hold my feet

LOL I HAD to look at this thread when I read the title ;-)

Our bedroom is small, as is the whole house, so I gave up on the idea of only sleeping in the bedroom. For a while DH didn't have a tv in there, but it got to be a problem when our older son was playing in the living room and DH was trying to watch tv. We do a lot:

- watch tv
- play video games (DH)
- fold laundry
- ride exercise bike
- read (in bed, no room for extra chair)
- play with the kids (5 year old and 8 month old)

At the moment I spend a lot of time in the bedroom looking at paint chips...

But normally... I agree with the folding laundry concept because the bed is a useful workspace in a tight house.

Our bedroom is oddly placed right next to the front door (old house, forgive me) and so it is where I keep stuff for coming and going - purse, shoes, shopping bags. So it is sort of my base for keeping myself and my stuff organized (with indifferent success, but it's all I've got).

Ttod, I don't see that the two atmospheres you're after are mutually exclusive. It seems to me that you can create the overall look you want with the colour and fabric choices, and then make it more inclusive with what you choose to put in it - no to expensive fragile things, and yes to toys/books/music that keep the kids entertained but peaceful in there. Also, of course, yes to being on the bed and so on, but it doesn't have to look like or be treated like a jungle gym.

I really think kids benefit from peaceful, serene environments, and your "upstairs family room" could easily be the one in which better behaviour is expected, and enjoyed. Not that I imagine your kids are hoydens, but our job is to ramp them up to adult behavioural standards, and having parts of the house with higher expectations can be part of that.

KarinL

I sleep, get dressed and fold laundry. Sitting on the bed is much more comfortable than standing at the counter in the laundry room. Plus there's more room to spread out. For the most part, I'm not one to spend much awake time in the bedroom.

Totally Confused

It's funny, I would like to hang out in my bedroom more because I like my room, but if I ever think about, say, sitting on my bed to read during the day or evening, I feel like it's sooo indulgent. Not sure why. Maybe because I'd be removing myself from family activity.

We don't have a TV but we're considering adding one. As our kids get older (two are teenagers) they use the "main" TV later at night and I like the idea of retreating to my room to watch Grey's Anatomy. ;)

But for now, our room is mostly for sleeping and sorting laundry! And like barb5, I also wrap presents there. All the wrapping supplies are in a box under the bed.

ttodd, I had something to add:

I think your bedroom should have the look YOU want. I believe our bedroom has a peaceful decor compared to my DS1's room (5 years old), but it doesn't mean he can't play in our bedroom. Also, it's "relatively" peaceful since we have an exercise bike and a tv!

We have a few books for DS to look at in our room, but no toys. He has to take his belongings back to his room when he's done playing. On Friday nights we let him watch a movie in our bed (and sometimes sleep there). However, it's OUR bedroom and he can learn to respect the space. The decor is more adult and is what I find peaceful/relaxing--even if it's only half-complete decor ;-)

We use our MBR for sleeping, reading and watching TV. Usually DH and I watch TV together in the family room but there are times when he will watch soccer and I watch something else. We always end up in bed together at night though to watch the news. We enjoy having the extra TV in the bedroom.

Sleeping, reading...but speaking of the unspeakable, I just had to share this very funny email I got today...hope you dont mind.

Your laugh for the day.

Four friends spend weeks planning the perfect girls getaway trip -
shopping, casinos, massages, facials. Two days before the group is to leave Mary's husband puts his foot down and tells her she isn't going.
Mary's friends are very upset that she can't go, but what can they do. Two days later the three get to the hotel only to find Mary sitting in the bar drinking a glass of wine. "Wow, how long you been here and how did you talk your husband into letting you go?"

"Well, I've been here since last night............ Yesterday evening I was sitting on the couch and my husband came up behind me and put his hands over my eyes and said 'Guess who'?" I pulled his hands off to find all he was wearing was his birthday suit. He took my hand and led me to our bedroom. The room was scented with perfume, had two dozen candles and rose petals all over.......On the bed, he had handcuffs and ropes! He told me to
tie and cuff him to the bed, so I did. And then he said, "Now, you can do whatever you want." So here I am.

That's hilarious!!

When I remodeled the house, I had a gas fire place installed in a corner of my bedroom, which has lots of windows and is painted a warm, cheery EK color. The queen-sized bed and 2 nightstands are in a niche, and the rest of the bedroom contains the triple dresser, armoire, large sofa, overstuffed chair with ottoman, and an end table next to the chair. I'm fortunate in that my bedroom is "L" shaped, and was well designed, with great scale, so it easily accommodates all of the furniture without feeling cramped.

Every morning is the same, and I love my morning routine. I fix breakfast, and bring it and both newspapers into the bedroom, turn on the fireplace and relax on my comfortable over-stuffed chair with ottoman, leisurely eat my breakfast and thoroughly read both newspapers while I listen to NPR's "Morning Edition". The cats know the routine, and they plop themselves on the floor in front of the fireplace, or arrange themselves on the sofa near the fireplace to soak up the heat that's emitted. It's such a civilized way to wake-up and prepare for the day!

Our MBR is my retreat and especially was during my son's teenaged years. They could have the main TV in the living room for their entertainment.

We have a TV in the master. I watch chick flicks and favorite DVRed shows. Dh and I watch movies there together too.

I have a quiet corner near the window (with a bird feeder outside) where I read and do a lot of writing. The chair and ottoman were a splurge several years ago. Worth every penny. Two floor to ceiling bookcases are near the reading corner.

I also fold clothes there and do exercises in the floor. Since we have a attached bath, I've often said if I had a small fridge and a way to heat water in the master, I might never leave the room. lol It's a great place to hide.

ttodd,
ahhh, I remember those days when my kids were little! Enjoy :)
I have seen some pics of your home, and I am SURE your MBR is beautiful even if it isnÂt what you wish for.
Now that I have teens, the MBR is definitely "my retreat". My girls still come in and talk but their bedrooms are their retreats. Other than the obvious, My BR is now used for a quiet place for me! I read in my rocker, talk on the phone, fold laundry, talk on the phone, talk on the phone..... I have decorated it in a way that is comfortable and calming to me- creamy white walls, walnut floors, deep red floral bedding, medium toned antique furniture I have collected over time and refinished, and tin ceiling tiles painted just a shade lighter than the walls. I love family photos so on the walls are my grandparents original wedding photo from 1930, and a photo of my mom as an infant(1933) on a bearskin rug- both in their original frames- my treasures. The only thing my DH begged for was matching night tables. Of course I gave in even though I didnÂt want to!!!
Your MBR may not feel like your dream space now, but I promise someday it will. For now, maybe keep a few "treasures" of yours on your night table, or vanity area to give you that warm fuzzy feeling and a glimpse of what someday will come!

We sleep, read, watch tv. The best part of our day is our morning routine of making coffee (yes, coffee maker is in the bedroom), taking it to bed to drink our coffee, look out the window, and talk and plan.

What's funny is I am now changing my bedroom from a 'soothing, serene' look to a much more lively, colorful decor. It just suits us better. :)

Holley - I don't even drink coffee but that sounds like a really awesome idea!

I use it for sleep and *ahem*. DH uses it for watching TV, but I've got the TV in an armoire so I can close it off when I come to bed (he's got it shut off before I go to bed).

I rarely read in bed, usually just a page or two before I fall asleep. And I use the bed for sorting the clothing to be put away. Our room is tiny and we've got a huge king size bed, so not much room to do much moving around in there. It faces west, and our bed is opposite the window so we don't get the morning light but we get the full moon light, which I LOVE seeing early in the morning.

For me, our en suite is my sanctuary. I go in there to escape the animals (they're not allowed to come in the bedroom when I go to bed), just relax and pamper myself. Being empty nesters, I get a lot of house to myself, so now I don't need the bedroom for a get away.

TT the thread nearly caused me to make a post that would get me in trouble...but since you outlawed the fun stuff...

Our master suites in both houses are sanctuary's...full of family fun LOL No fungus swayed in our house. DS wakes up and spends his first 45 mins in the morning waking up to his special video's while I get dressed. Then he winds down by watching the same video's for 45 mins at night. I find that taking him from toyland to our room is a way to sort of shut down his "play play play" clock. We snuggle, fold cloths, dust, etc, during those times, but they're generally quite activiites done early morning and at night with the express idea of going to or getting up from bed. When he's asleep I am normally awake for about an hour before and after and use that time to surf the net, watch the news, luxuriate with a movie, etc. The dog and cat are normally on the bed or fighting for a spot on the bed near me or near DH when he's in town.

I cat nap if I'm lucky when DS naps on occasion as well in the dressing area of our bedroom. I have a make up table where I do the basic war paint and hair design (is a pony tale a design?) in the am since we've become victorians without fancy bathrooms. We do have a balcony off of our suite which I hope to enjoy this summer for a cup of coffee on occasion, but frankly, the tour busses and mail clients (next door) will probably ruin that. It's a lovely idea though.

Our room is the place for family snuggling. If one is sick we spend our time here and DS is normally a big part of that. Our room is the place where you can always go for rest, even if rest includes a thomas video :) I hope it's always that way.

Sleep and read and the unmentionable ! No TVs in our house at all . We only had one and cancelled cable 2 weeks ago. It was never on and a waste of money.

Beth4....is there room on the sofa for one more ??? Sounds absolutely lovely. We have a gas fireplace too but I don't have room for a comfy chair/ottoman. I wish I did.

I love to watch the light change through the lace curtains...we don't have anything heavy on the windows to block the light, thus we rise with the birds LOL. I can see them too in the bushes and in the winter the cardinals look like Christmas ornaments. I can see the moon on some full moon nights when the angle is right and those nights are very special as it streams across the bed.

The joke was hilarious !! Sent it to my friends . I love reading everyones' descriptions. nice ....c

Sleep, read and . . . the other. We've got no kids at home, so the MBR doesn't have to serve as a retreat of any kind. The living room in our very-open-plan home belongs 100% to us, so there is never a need to get away. On the rare occasion we want to watch two different things on TV, there is a TV in the office.

That joke is too funny!!!

Sue - that's exactly how I feel at this time if I sneak off to my bedroom to read by myself. And honestly since time goes by so darn fast I choose to spend the extra minutes that I can find w/ my kids. Before I know it they will be teenagers and not want to be w/ mom or dad all of the time. Don't get me wrong - I get time to myself but it's usually away from the house. DH knows that if he takes the kids and leaves the house to give me time alone - he knows that I will just do stuff for the family anyways instead of just me.

Beth4 - your MBR (and routine) sound absolutely divine!

melle_sacto - don't get me wrong - I love both looks but they are 2 totally different looks:

#1 (the one that I've loosely been basing our bedroom on) seems more 'fun' I think because of the pattern and color so to me that reads cozier:

#2
As oppossed to another wonderful bedroom that is totally up my alley but has a completely different feel to it. So serene and beautiful but not as warm feeling. Does that make sense?

Link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Beautiful Space (and blog)

Pesky, so if DH uses the BR for watching tv and you use it for sleeping and *ahem*-ing, with whom are you *ahem*ing? -teehee. Couldn't resist!

Anyway, ours is for sleeping and reading-no tv.

So jealous of everyone who gets to read in their bedroom. My DH is the original Princess and the Pea--even the light from the itty-bitty booklight and the sound of turning pages keeps him from sleeping, so unless he is out of town, I never get to read in bed!

Two houses ago the MBR was a huge sunlit room and we had everything in there--our bed, a crib, reading chair, exercise bike, laundry sorting, TV. It was a vast expanse of chaos, although usually happy chaos.

When we had our third girl we eventually switched rooms with the children and took one of the smaller bedrooms for ourselves. It was just large enough for our bed and dressers, and voila, no more chaos. When we moved to the next house, we again took one of the smaller rooms and I love the simplicity, but oh, would it be great to have a fireplace!

rjinga...loved the laugh for the day...LOL

I live by myself but love having a large master suite. I use mine for sleeping and doing some paperwork at my desk. It is also the room I chose to decorate in an Egyptian theme, so it is about decor in that room.

I'm sitting at my Pc desk in our MB...have a sitting area/office, FP & TV in here..desk & bookcase match Br furniture, quite good..

Sleep, read, wrap presents, fold laundry, sneak away to watch tv, and of course the unmentionable :), however not near as often as DH would like! Bedroom is not off limits to kids and pets, dog and kitty. However, 12 and 7 year old rooms are upstairs, and 16 year olds is in the basement. So we don't see him as much as we would like. I agree that they grow up way too fast!
However, a word of warning: 12 and 7 year old have wrestled on our king size bed and after one big leap, our bed broke. It was handed down to me by my parents after they passed so it is sentimental to us. Center support and footboard is broken and held up with blocks. We paid $100. to have it repaired and it didn't hold up. We are not sure what to do so are currently doing nothing. Word to the wise: Do not let children leap and wrestle on big beds!

Sleep
TV -- odd man out here, I LOVE TV!
Reading
Dressing
Walk-through to Master Bathroom
Dreaded treadmill.... :)

My DH refuses to have a TV in our bedroom.
I think he heard from someone or read in a magazine
that marriages that have a TV in the bedroom fall apart
or get closer to divorce.

I know this is not true as my parents have TV in their
room and it has been close to 50years for them.
My BIL (MY DH brother) Has a giant TV in he/his wife's
master br. They too are very happy.

This is just my DH's thing.
Not TV for us, So our MBR is super relaxing.
Soft colored walls, a country quilt, soft blankets,
country cottage curtains, romantic paintings, only framed
pictures of us, Mahogany bedroom set (We bought way to long
ago when it was in style) and the overall atmosphere is
to relax from the pressures of life and fall into
peaceful glorious sleep.

Things we do...
Read,
Talk to the kids (when they were younger read to them
every night)
nap,
listen to music,
private intimate times
snuggle,
and sleep.
Peaceful slumber the kind of sleep that helps you
start your day happy.

~boxer