Creating a relaxing, blissful bedroom is easy.

First, think about furniture placement. There are all sorts of feng shui and folklore guidelines regarding best placement for a bed. Check in the library or online; they’re insightful and entertaining.

Depending on what your goals are (sleep, love, vivid dreams) you can find what works best for you. If you have a ceiling light, install a dimmer switch. Low lighting will signal the brain it’s time for sleep. Soft lighting also evokes the glow of candlelight, which has its benefits. Add a night table for your bedside accoutrements and you’ve set the stage.

Next, look at your bed linens and window treatments. If you’ve worn holes in the sheets jogging through your sleep (true story, not mine), perhaps some new sheets are in order. I prefer cotton; you may be the satin type. Or maybe you like bamboo, flannel, microfiber, or T-shirt fabric. The color and print doesn’t matter. Go ahead and mix plaid, florals and polka dots for all I care, as long as they are washable, the fabric feels nice on bare skin and they are a color you look good in (would you wear a shirt in that color? If not, don’t use it for your bed sheets). Ditto for a comforter, quilt, coverlet or duvet.

You may love the crisp, clean feel that a cloud-like white bedroom has. Without visual “noise,” you may feel more relaxed. In this case, I like to layer fluffy, soft and sometimes furry fabrics and throw in a metallic of some sort. The softness of this styling avoids feeling like a hospital with padded walls. I’ve seen the movies – the people in padded wall rooms don’t look all that rested or relaxed, so I’d keep it fluffy as opposed to overly tailored.

Add some pretty things to look at on your walls, perhaps a mirror across from a window to bring the outside in and a bubbling water feature for a soothing sound. Turn on some music and put candles anywhere other than near curtains, blinds or anything flammable. Be sure to blow them out or smother them (smothering eliminates the smelly smoke lingering) before heading to dreamland and you’ll be feeling relaxed in no time.

Erin White is a designer and sales representative with Aspen Design Studio. She can be reached at erin@adsdurango.com or 749-9134.