This is for the ladies! It’s not a bash to men because I’ve written about how men’s rooms can be dark and moody and still be beautiful. This is for those of us that want some pink or flowery details. You can do it but you must understand the following:

Men Are Not Complex Nor Are They Simple

Men like no fuss, but many like finer things because they do not like to waste money (waste is the operative word). What I have learned in my 29 year marriage is that my husband often runs like a furnace. His body temp is hot and that explains his metabolism. Not just his but every other man’s.

So here are some tips on how I did it so you can do it too.

They Like Thin Blankets

Be it a flat sheet or a quilt, they still love options to keep cool and keep it simple. If they get cold with the flat sheet, having a slightly thicker blanket like a mink or fleece blanket at the end of the bed is ideal.

There have been times where I wake up and I’m the one under the fleece blanket but find him wrapped in his flat sheet and toss the minky fleece blanket onto him to warm him up. And I notice the exhale of relief coming from him once he feels that slight increase in warmth. The fact is that if the fleece is making me comfortable, the flat sateen sheet may not be doing enough for him so I check and look after him.

I happen to love soft blankets and fluffy blankets. I have them however I have to put them away or “undress the bed” before he migrates to the bedroom otherwise, he won’t know what to do with all of the excess bedding. The last thing I want is to see them on the floor.

The Dreaded Pillow Debate is On-Going

I wrote a post about how many pillows you need on the bed. That post is to give you insight on what’s comfortable for you, not everyone. Your combined styles should answer that question. However, in a marriage, we make concessions, right?

Him: I despise so many pillows.

Me: I am a pillow addict. I love a bed full of pillows because it just makes it feel so much more inviting. I mean I have two 28 inch Euros, 2 King Sleeper Pillows, 2 King Decorative shams, 2 Queen decorative pillows, 2 standard pillows, 2 -26 inch decorative throw pillows, and one 16×12 lumbar.

My husband: Why do we need so many pillows? I just want one.

Me: Silently staring at him and holding my tongue because this isn’t a battle I’m going to fight with him over. Nope!

What Changed His Mind

It took one week where he wasn’t feeling his best and resigned himself to rest in the bedroom. I walked in to find that he had made a makeshift sofa with the pillows to sit upright and watch tv in the room!

I said nothing other than, “Babe, how are feeling? Let me take your temperature and check, okay?” I did so and left with a smile because he was feeling better and admitted he was comfortable. With all of those pillows. That he never wanted.

😐

We are going to have differing opinions

We are two different people but it doesn’t mean we can’t have our room feel or look the way we want it to. He prefers dark and masculine on his side. I prefer girly and flowery on my side. We compromised.

How I pulled it off

Every morning, I dress the bed. It’s not an option. It’s a must for me to keep me from going back to bed until the end of the day; I don’t want to undo my work.

I gave him the nightstand since he needs a little more landing space and drawers than I do, immediately at his bedside. When we were buying or furniture, we chose to buy only one nightstand because I had done the layout for our bedroom and knew I wanted an upholstered chair on my side. It’s similar to this but has a mauvish color to it.

This gave me a place to put on my shoes and relax in style and in comfort if I wanted solitude. Then I decided I needed a little more and I suspended artwork for my ceiling on both sides of the room. They look like they are floating because I used a clear cable system to hold them up while the hardware was anchored to the ceiling.

My dresser is a queen sized dresser with a mirror immediately adjacent to the chair. The space looked soft but not pretty. Meanwhile, I had added a silk bamboo tree to my husband’s corner and a butler to hold his suits and dress pants for his convenience. He preferred no flowers on the bed so I went for something that would please him and please me as well: solid colors.

High Thread Count Sateen Sheets are EVERYTHING

One thing my not-so-bougie husband demands are high thread count sheets with a sateen feel. He wants softness when he’s sleeping. Anything less than 800 is not okay. I’ve found 1600 and 1800 and he immediately knew the difference. I give in to this because he does work very hard and I want him to value his sleep as well as enjoy it. If high thread count helps with that, so be it! This one below is 1000 thread count and well-priced.

Back to the Valet

This is a piece that holds his clothing. There are many styles and types to fit your style. I personally prefer the one that has the rounded shoulder to not crease his dress suit jackets. It also has a tray to put his wallet and keys, and a lower bar for his slacks and belt. It’s very similar to this as he wanted something to rest his clothes on if he had a long day and just wanted to lie down for a minute.

By all means, shop around and find the one that would suit your mister. It’s pretty convenient!

And here’s the silk bamboo I placed in the corner since he said no flowers:

It is a bit taller than his garderobe since he didn’t want a small chest. He wanted something extremely large and functional since he’s quite tall himself. He also wanted lots of drawer space and his own mirror since he noticed the focus was on the ladies’ dresser for the majority of furnishings. Quite frankly, we both found it unfair.

Let’s get to the Nitty Gritty of making the room pretty for you, Ladies!

If you haven’t been able to tell, what I’ve done is split the room in half. One side is his and one side is mine. After doing the work and looking around, I realized I too wanted my own tree but what kind? The one thing I wanted were the flowers because I didn’t have flowers anywhere and if you know my gardening habits, there are flowers everywhere. And I mean everywhere.

I knew I wanted a silk flowering cherry to put in my corner behind my chair where I now work and make video calls from. I wanted it to be a backdrop rather than looking plain. And I found it. It was perfect except for the height but the price was right.

Just because I’m a Design Professional, it doesn’t mean I’m not cost conscious…

Mine is a little different but you get the point.

Pairing that in a tall pot to make it taller, with my mauvish pink tuxedo chair and hanging art and a few down pillows, I had created my pretty room aesthetic that didn’t clash with my husband’s aesthetic nor did it make him feel as though he wasn’t considered. It felt much more feminine to my liking even though I almost always wear black, haha. Even he said “I like it.”

I always have other things that suit my style on my side of the room: Crystal lamps and turquoise vase for holding headphones, my lineup of parfum that I regularly wear from Chanel No. 5, Jessica McClintock, to Allure. Keeping my dresser top clean is one of my things, as well as organizing my dresser drawers to prevent the thought of how messy they are even if they are hidden.

My bedroom is not just my sanctuary after a long day but my husband’s as well. We each have our own style and I wanted to make sure we both had our needs met by what I was doing.

Take a look at the transformation of the room as the decor pieces are added:

I know you’ve probably noticed my bedding and all of the layers I have on it. My goal is to always style the bed for all seasons so that no matter what time of year it is, everything we need is present. That’s the goal: For it to be present and for it all to complement our decor and personal style as a couple with a split design aesthetic. It’s do-able. I also wrote a post on How to Dress Your Bed to make it easier. This post will guide you through the things you need to do to make it look like a designer bed and the things you will need to buy to dress it for all seasons. Simply remember to take your time if you plan to do it yourself. However, if you need assistance, feel free to complete our contact form and receive a low-cost review of the space with suggestions on what makes the beds I design and dress stand out to a luxury level, once you upload images through our private contact form that only I can see. You’ll be able to send me the necessary info and answer a few style questions to help make it easier for me to serve you.

Your room doesn’t have to be a place you don’t know what to do with to make it comfortable. You can always contact me for a flat rate consult and have a plan you can work on. See you there!