The solo woman’s bedroom is different from the coupled woman’s, or the would-be coupled woman’s for that matter. If you’re a footloose and fancy-free woman, here are five great tips to create your very own single woman’s bedroom.
What Makes a Single Woman’s Bedroom Different?
The goal of any bedroom is to facilitate a peaceful night’s sleep for the occupant or occupants. It’s also a place to rest and re-orient oneself. To a couple who shares a room, creating an ideal bedroom has to incorporate both of their needs in a way that doesn’t detract from either side. For the single woman… it’s all about you.
Step 1: Start sleeping in the middle of the bed.
Got stuff piled on one side of the bed? Move it. Today. That bed is for you, not your stuff. Even if you prefer to sleep near the edge, I promise, sleeping in a wide open bed is more comfortable than cramping yourself needlessly.
It’s also important psychologically. The influence of Feng Shui advises singles who are looking to meet their next partner to arrange everything as though another person were already sleeping there. That means keeping one side of the bed clear for your future lover. This is simply to get your mind (conscious and subconscious) oriented toward finding that person.
But for the happily single woman, you need to arrange everything for one, and for the same reason. If you want to love living alone, sleep like you do.
Step 2: Tailor your room to fit your needs.
This sounds obvious, but it’s easy to overlook. Most of the bedrooms we see in catalogs and on Pinterest are designed either to accommodate the needs of couples, or singles in a dorm room (i.e. temporary) style. Your grown-up, solo bedroom is neither.
What to avoid:
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A couple’s bedroom needs to comfortably accommodate two people with different needs, while still looking cohesive. This is why you have “his and hers” night stands, a clear path to each side of the bed, and lots of empty space for ease of movement.
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A dorm-style room is the type of place in which the bed also functions as a dining room table, office desk, living room sofa, and – of course – a place to sleep. The overall style could be called ‘eclectic,’ as if the owner was trying to cram a house’s worth of design elements into a single room.
While the dorm style may appeal to one’s wild and adventurous nature (with everything ready to pack up and go at a moment’s notice), your solo life needs a more substantial rest zone. The good news is you can still get that boho-chic feel in a grown-up bedroom, and without the restless, transient vibes. You can also achieve all the posh, photo shoot style that couples rooms have in a room for one. I promise.
So how do you make your solo bedroom fit your needs? Say goodbye to everything that’s aimed at a “his and hers” style. You don’t need two night side tables. This room is YOURS. You need a comfortable bed (that functions only as a bed), and a welcoming layout for one. It should be visually clear that one person sleeps here in all her queenly glory.
Step 3: Give your room a cohesive style.
As I said earlier, this isn’t your dorm room. Pick a theme or décor style and commit to it just as you would if you were designing your marriage suite or a nursery. Otherwise you’ll end up cheating yourself out of a magazine-worthy solo bedroom.
If you’re the type of person who loves looking at kids’ room themes on Pinterest, start looking for themes that you’d like for your room. And if what you really want is a Where The Wild Things Are bedroom theme, do it. You’re a grown up, and no one is the boss of you now. You can have whatever kind of bedroom you desire.
On the other hand, if what you want is a decadent, romantic theme, go for it. You don’t need a lover or a baby as an excuse to paint your room the way you like.
Step 4: Make it an oasis.
Remember that a bedroom is for sleeping and relaxing. Unless you’re in a studio apartment (in which case you should still have your bedroom separated somehow from the rest of your living/working space), you should leave everything work-related in another room. It’s easy for us singles to become lazy about this, because no one is going to catch us sitting on the bed with the laptop, snack in hand. But one of the key elements of a happily single woman’s bedroom is that you give it just as much respect as the couple’s room or nursery.
Step 5: Keep it clean.
I don’t mean to sound like your mother; this is genuinely important. It’s difficult to relax when surrounded by clutter. You’re also less likely to show off your room when there’s a pile of laundry at the foot of the bed. You want to be proud of your room when you have others over, and be calm in it when you’re alone. So before you clean the living room for company, clean the room that’s devoted to you. You deserve that level of respect, and your room deserves that kind of love.
Want to download the free checklist with all of these steps?
Have you re-created your bedroom to suit your solo tastes? Let me know in the comments how it went, or tell me if it’s something you plan to do!
