Why the Bedroom Is the New Living Room
Here are 3 reasons why the bedroom has become a place for living as well as sleeping
Joanna Goodman
October 23, 2017
Houzz Contributor. 5-time published author and CEO of Au Lit Fine Linens (www.aulitfinelinens.com). My husband and I run the business my mom started in 1981. If I'm not in the office, I'm travelling throughout Europe and the U.S. sourcing linens, planning and designing new collections, tweeting, blogging, creating and changing the way people sleep.
Houzz Contributor. 5-time published author and CEO of Au Lit Fine Linens.... More
The bedroom represents our ultimate respite. It’s our place of rest and regeneration, safety and comfort, intimacy and solitude. While the bedroom may have once existed as a space dismissed until bedtime, it’s now more than ever getting its time in the spotlight — and for good reason. Here are three reasons the bedroom is the new living room.
1. Casualness. We are living more casually today than in the past. Home decor was once all about opulence (think inspiration pulled from the excesses of Versailles and European nobility).
Now the trend leans toward simple lines, laid-back loungers and livable spaces, pushing decor preferences toward simplicity and comfort, both in look and feel.
Now the trend leans toward simple lines, laid-back loungers and livable spaces, pushing decor preferences toward simplicity and comfort, both in look and feel.
This livability extends to the bedroom, which these days is often used as much for reading, writing, looking at our devices, working and lounging as it is for sleep.
With a bedroom outfitted as an open sanctuary, you can forget the days of shutting the bedroom door in a panic when company is en route. For many, the bedroom now radiates cozy hospitality.
Browse bedding
With a bedroom outfitted as an open sanctuary, you can forget the days of shutting the bedroom door in a panic when company is en route. For many, the bedroom now radiates cozy hospitality.
Browse bedding
2. Space. For city dwellers across the globe, prices are going up while square footage is plummeting. With spaces getting smaller, not everyone has a dedicated living room.
For many folks, space is limited to the point that a decision has to be made between a couch and a bed — and you can guess which typically wins. In many studio apartments, the bed has been re-created as a multipurpose fixture, welcoming company and catnaps alike.
It Can Work: When Your Living Room Is Your Bedroom
It Can Work: When Your Living Room Is Your Bedroom
3. Inviting materials. The Scandinavian concept of hygge (pronounced “huu-ga,” as in “huge") has been making itself known around the world. Loosely translated as cozy, this Danish term is defined as “a quality of coziness and comfort” that inspires feelings of calm, contentment and camaraderie.
While the concept certainly applies to the physical trappings associated with coziness (cashmere throws, plush pillows and faux fur everything), it manages to transcend the material, focusing as much on the feeling of coziness as on the appearance of it and the connectivity it brings. The bedroom is a natural spot for hygge — it’s a space that can radiate coziness both in look and feel, worthy of sharing or of snuggling in all by yourself.
Your turn: Is your bedroom also your hangout space? Tell us about it (and share a photo!) in the Comments.
More
Beyond ‘Hygge’: How to Enjoy Scandinavian Style at Home
8 Lessons From the Most Popular New Bedrooms on Houzz
Find beds, bedding and more
Your turn: Is your bedroom also your hangout space? Tell us about it (and share a photo!) in the Comments.
More
Beyond ‘Hygge’: How to Enjoy Scandinavian Style at Home
8 Lessons From the Most Popular New Bedrooms on Houzz
Find beds, bedding and more
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@Jeannie Burns: I don't like duvets - I just use a quilt, but here's a video by Real Simple.
You can find others on youtube or do a google search.
The people who have to live in very small places, I applauled you for being so brave! It must be difficult getting used to such tiny spaces! I like stuff, so you see how hard that would be for me!
Sitting area in my bedroom. Sit here more often than not with my dog Gyland. More intimate than living room and I love that.