A place to unwind, let your hair down and put up your feet-all
very casual and private activities. For all the time spent and the
intimacy it demands, a bedroom takes very careful and detailed
planning. Not because it is the most personal room in a house but
because it is a room WHERE YOU DREAM !!!
What is life without dreams? And what is a better place to dream
in than your own bedroom? So that is what a bedroom really is-a
place to rest and relax, to share a few quiet moments with
yourself, to sleep away the weariness of a long, hard day.
As the most private, personalised space in a home, the bedroom
must necessarily reflect its user's lifestyle, his practical
needs, aesthetic preferences and also his dreams, and this is
exactly why a bedroom decor poses a challenge to interior
designers. To design an ideal bedroom for a client, the designer
must get to know the client's innermost thoughts and ideas, his
cultural background and upbringing, his temperament and his
personal conception of a dream bedroom; besides the more tangible
factors such as his needs in terms of the storage space provided
or his taste in terms of the colour scheme he would like best. All
these diverse factors govern aesthetic decisions, which explains
the high degree of subjectivity involved. That is why one cant
really set up aesthetic byelaws; nor can these byelaws find an
easy acceptance, if indeed they are made.
The first thing to do when your home starts feeling cramped is to
analyse the way you are using available space. All too often,
there is too much unrequired furniture. Even clearing out stacks
of old magazines, empty bottles and worn out clothes, will make
you realise how much space you have and how incorrectly you have
been using it.
The basic principle of not breaking up a room into little bits is
equally applicable to the floor. This is why a room with a
wall-to- wall carpet looks much bigger than a one with rugs
scattered all over. However, given the Indian climatic conditions,
maintaining carpets and rugs requires a huge effort; and can only
be risked in air-conditioned and dust free environment. The latest
option is laminate flooring, and it does seem to have a lot of
advantages, while also being aesthetically appealing, and free
from the hassles of ordinary wooden flooring. It should be noted
that the same flooring sweeping through several rooms gives a
better, more spacious effect.
Lighting in a home must do more than dispel darkness. Most rooms
benefit from a combination of functional and decorative
lighting-relying on the former to set the scene and the latter to
add interest. So every room must have primary as well as secondary
lighting. The primary lighting fixtures (tubelights) are essential
for daily household chores like cooking and reading; but for
dramatic effects, shades and shadows, secondary lighting
(spotlights, dimmers, up-lighters) is extremely important.
Bright colours and bold patterns advance and make up the space
look smaller; while pale colours and small, all-over patterns
recede, reflect light and make the space look bigger. Contrasting
colours and textures in a room break it up into several different
areas and make it seem smaller.
The way a room is decorated has a major effect on how spacious it
looks. Even though you have not actually pushed out the walls or
raised the ceiling, you can use colour, texture and pattern to
create that effect. The colours for walls and ceilings, the choice
of flooring, the treatment of windows and design of the lighting
system are all important aspects of decor. Also, there are a few
other aspects specific to bedroom decor such as bedspreads, quilts
and cushions which must be given due consideration.
For centuries, sumptuous bedspreads, coverlets and quilts have
been important elements of bedroom furnishing. These accessories
should be seen as a part of the whole bedroom scheme. Cushions,
although small, have the potential to pull a scheme together with
accents of pattern or colour.
Windows let in light and are usually a prominent focal point of
the room. Decorative window treatments can lend style to rooms
that have no distinct character of their own or accentuate
architectural details that already exist. Curtains, which give
life to any room , comes in unlimited colours, designs and fabric.
Only the heaviest tapestries and weaves are unsuitable because of
their weight and bulk.
The master bedroom should be in the south-west area
of the building. This room can be used by father or the eldest son
in the family. The central south portion is also recommended for
the eldest son.
Beds should be placed so as the head of the
person should be in south or west direction. The bedroom should not
be constructed above porch, car parks and kitchen.
The bedroom should never be constructed on four
pillars with no construction under the bedroom. The room should
not be in the central portion of the building or in the basement;
as it may lead to mental instability in person using such
bedrooms.
When it comes to the placement of beds, Vaastu
lays clear rules for the placement of bed in the room. According to
Vaastu, the beds should never be placed under the joint in roof or
under a beam. The beds should always be kept away from the walls.
If any cabinets of almirahs are
constructed/placed in the bedroom, which contain valuable
documents, cash, jewelry etc., it should be in the south-west of
the room opening towards north.
An attached bathroom to the room can be to the
north-west or south-east of the room.
Entrance door to the bedroom may have a window
opposite to it.
If there are more than one floors, the head of
the family (elder person) should have a bedroom on the upper floor
and in the south-west corner. This room should never be used as a
bedroom of young children, or unnecessary quarrels are likely to
occur in the house.
Southwest corner of the bedroom should never be
left empty, always keep heavy things, furniture etc. in this
portion in every room as a general rule of Vastu. The southwest
side of the house and all the rooms inside the house should always
be heavier than the east and northeast side. Maximum open space
should be left in the northeast side of the rooms and house.
Avoid keeping a TV in the bedroom. If a TV is
kept, it should never be in front of bed, as it works as a mirror
and keeping a mirror in front of bed generates negative energy.
Keeping a up-lighter in the south-east is good.
The dressing-table in the bedroom should be kept
north direction. Reading and writing activities can be carried out
in the west or east of the bedroom. The door of the bedroom should
be in the east, the west or the north. Having windows in the east
and north and smaller windows in west is beneficial.
Colour of Walls
What we see effects our mind, both in good ways
and bad. The kind of paintings etc. in the house also effect the
thinking of the inmates. The colours you see when you wake up
define you day. As a general rule in Vastu light colours in house
are always better than dark shades. The colour of walls in the
bedroom should be light rose, blue, green, gray, etc for they
encourage intelligent thinking. Yellow and white coloured marble
stones should not be used in the bedroom.
Sleeping Direction
Vaastu allows sleeping with head in any direction
except north. The detail of the direction of head while sleeping
and its effects is as under:
East: East is the direction of
knowledge. Sleeping with head in the east improves health,
increases knowledge and increases a liking for spiritualism.
Children should always sleep with head in the east. West: Sleeping with one's head in the west causes
bad dreams, illness, disturbed sleep and violent nature. North: Sleeping with head in the north causes
fear and sleeplessness and major illness. South: South is the best direction for sleeping.
Sleeping with one's head in the south brings happiness and sound
sleep. It also leads to increment in wealth and prosperity.
Ideal Bedroom
The bedroom is usually a smaller room which can
be seen in its entirety with just one glance, for this reason it
is important.
that the furniture matches, and if all the
pieces are not the same style they should at least have
uniformity of colour and texture.
The walls and the lighting should be tenuous
and not be concentrated around the head board.
The essential function of the bed is to
provide a surface which is neither too hard nor too soft for
the back and body to response in the correct position.
Choosing the right mattress is also
complicated as there are many different types to choose
from: foam, latex, spring and combinations, with one side
for summer and the other for winter, anti-allergy,
traditional wool ones and a sybaritic tendency to place
several mattresses one on top of other ,one spring and other
latex.
Wardrobes and beds are usually combined in
the bedroom and are designed to make the most of the space
available, they incorporate comfortable details such as
doors which open with just a light touch and the
indispensable interior lighting.
Wardrobes are usually from 1.90 to 2m high
and 55cm deep and have interior steps for adjusting the
shelves. If the wardrobe has only two doors it is a good
idea to put mirrors on the inside to be able to see oneself
from behind as well as the front.
When deciding how to finish the walls and the
ceiling in the bedroom one must know the kind of atmosphere
desired and how to maintain it. Normally it is recommended
to paint the headboard wall a more outstanding colour than
the other three which should all be the same relaxing, warm
colour. So if the furniture and the upholstery has already
been chosen, the walls and ceiling should be their
appropriate background.
Carpeted walls are another alternative for
the bedroom which normally is considered when the floor is
carpeted as well, very appropriate for colder, more humid
climates for their insulation and warmth.
Bedroom lighting should have a special
treatment, the tone of the light should be warm and cozy, to
achieve this, apart from the ceiling light and the lamps on
the night table, we recommend that the light intensity might
also be adjustable. The regulator of light intensity, also
called a dimmer, is a mechanism which permits, apart from
the normal function of a light switch .gradual control of
intensity of the light, allowing one to choose the exact
level desired between the total lighting and the total
darkness of the room.
Interior door frames should be as decorative
as the doors, highlighting their design and quality. If the
frame should expand or contract due to wood's movement it
will have to be carefully planed, checking the measurements
regularly, re-hanging the door to check the progress until
it is correct, remembering that there should always be a
little pay.
When decorating one's bedroom one usually
mixes and matches coordinating fabrics, in the curtains,
bedspreads, pillows, lampshades, headboards, walls but
avoiding overdoing it.
Whites and creams adapt to both classic and
modern styles and are found in fabrics made of cotton, polyester,
wool and embroidered linen.
Fabrics with a natural design create a
bucolic atmosphere, with light lovely colours, with fabrics
like cretonne, polyester and cotton chintz, silk, faille, taffeta.
One romantic finish is to cross two embroidered
muslin blinds held open with two wide velvet bands.
There is nothing better than a wooden rug to
warm up a room, placing one at the end of the bed is not
only a basic decorative element but also an object which
adds warmth, calm and intimacy. The choice of a rug depends
primarily upon the floor, furniture, walls, upholstery,
luminosity, space and if the bedroom has a specific decor,
one will be obliged to choose a coordinating rug which is
essential to create the right atmosphere.
Bedspreads, sheets, blankets, quilts,
comforters and pillows all enter into the play in the
decoration of the bedroom. One need only know the decorative
style and have bit of extra fabric to combine walls,
curtains, canopies, headboards, lampshades etc. with the
indispensable bedding.
The fabric is the body and soul of the
bedroom set, such as jacquard, tapestry inspired, elegant
and noble lines which shine through somber tones.
Useful Tips
*If the bedroom is
in the south-east direction of the main building, it results in
unnecessary quarrels between the husband and the wife. Wasteful
expenditure increases and one has to face one kind of trouble of
the other.
*If the plot is big
and spacious, leaving the north-west part of the north side and
adjacent to the living room the bed room should be located.
* Due to the
northern bedroom the morning sunrays are available to some extent.
* If in the north
side bedroom, you sleep with your head towards the east or the
south, you can enjoy a sound sleep.
*The bedrooms of
the head of the family should be in the south-west corner of the
west side. If there are more than one floor, the head of the
family should have a bed room on the upper storey in the
south-west corner of the west direction. This room is also good
for adult married children. But under no condition it should be a
bedroom of the younger children. There are clashes and unnecessary
quarrels in the house. A bedroom in the south direction can also
be tolerated.
*A west side
bedroom is the best for children. An eastern bedroom can also be
used for unmarried children or for guests. But under any condition
a newly web couple should not be allowed to use this room.
*The north-east is
the direction of the deities therefore, no bedroom should be in
this direction. Otherwise, one has to face many calamities,
sickness increases.
*Nobody’s bedroom
should be exactly in the middle of the building. There should be
no slope to the roof. The shape should not be pyramidal. The
colour of walls should be light rose, gray, dark blue, chocolate,
dark green etc. Marble stones (white and yellow coloured) should
not be used in the bedroom. White marble is used for maintaining
the austerity of the temple.
*In the main
south-west corner of the south-west side bed room, heavy articles
should be kept. The bed in this room should be to the south or the
west of the south-west corner of this room.
*Sleeping with legs
towards the east gives name, fame & prosperity. Sleeping with
legs towards the west gat mantle peace & increases a liking
for spiritualism. Sleeping with legs toward the north, increases
wealth and prosperity. However, if you sleep with legs towards the
south, you will not have a sound sleep. There are dreams, bad
thoughts crop up in the mind. Heavyness in the chest is felt
sometimes. The south is known as the Yamasthan ( place of Yama).
Dead body’s legs are kept towards the south. Mental sickness
increases and there is a likelihood of reduction in the life span.
*Some buildings do
not get proper east-west and north-south directions. They get the
corners only. In bed rooms of such buildings, for getting the
proper direction, one should not put his bed in an oblique
position.
* The dressing table
in the bed room should be to east of the north direction. The
reading and writing work should be done in the west of the
bedroom. It can also be done in the east.
*T.V., heater and
electrical appliances should be in the south-east corner of the
bed room. The wardrobe should be in the north-west or the
south-west of the room.
* The door of the
bedroom should be of one shutter as far as possible. It should be
in the east, the west or the north. There is no harm in having
small windows in the east and the north. Almirahs, showcases etc.
should be in the south or the west walls.
*The south west
corner should never be kept vacant.
*If bathroom, tub
bath, toilet, change room etc. are to be attached to the bed room,
they should be in the west or the north side.
*As far as
possible, the safe should not be in the bedroom. If it is, it
should be placed in a way leaving the south-east, the north-east,
the south-west and the northwest corners as well as the east and
the north directions. If the safe is kept in the south and opens
in the north, it is very auspicious.
