Need an Easy Retreat? Carve It Out of a Bedroom

Who says bedrooms are only for sleeping?

Not so, if you give them some thought while planning your new custom Florida home.bedroom retreat

Along with their most critical function, bedrooms can be versatile spaces that serve as retreats, entertainment centers, and workstations any time of the day or night.

We at ICI Homes admit that pounding through job or household work in a space where you probably should be relaxing, requires setting boundaries, but bedrooms — especially roomy master suites — can provide enough practical versatility if you’d like them to be multi-purpose.

How does it happen? By considering the dimensions of the bedroom you’re designing, and the tasks you’d like to accomplish there.

Read on for more on how to carve an easy retreat out of a bedroom.

A place to escape

At their most basic, bedrooms are places to flop, power down after each day, and snooze. They’re supposed to be relaxing — sweatshirts and no makeup are totally allowed — and should be outfitted principally to help you, the occupant, get in your (hopefully) eight hours of sleep.

Recent research continues to affirm that a good night’s sleep is even more important than we’ve always known. So when you’re designing your bedrooms in your new custom Florida home, remember that rest remains their most important function.

A few tips:

Choose a floorplan that places bedrooms in a quiet part of the house, and use night-darkening shades or any sufficient window coverings to ensure a serene evening atmosphere.

Also try to avoid bedrooms and living areas that share walls. You don’t want another family member’s late-night TV or video game blasting on the other side of your retreat.

A place to read or watch the big screen

For many of us, powering down at night means reading or catching up on favorite TV material. Make either activity a bit easier by choosing a padded headboard for your bed, or sturdy back cushions that transform your mattress into a temporary lounge seat.

Alternately, create a separate seating area off to the side. Outfit it with comfy chairs and task lighting. You’ll have a prime-time TV and reading nook all in one.

If your bedroom windows provide pleasant exterior views, use the space under them to create a built-in window seat. Add a few drawers for hidden storage, upholstered seat cushions and a wall sconce, and you have a useful retreat with a view.

A place to work when you need it

And don’t feel guilty if it’s truly what you need. A household of active teenagers or toddlers, or a busy, multi-generational home, can mean creating a retreat wherever it’s available.

Sometimes a simple table and chair, or a streamlined desk in a bedroom corner, is the quietest spot in your house to get necessary work done. If that’s important to you, then being able to concentrate in a restful space, becomes a day or evening retreat all its own.

Ready for your new custom Florida home? Start the conversation here.