Unless you are rocking the loft life, the bedroom is the one area of your home a guest may never see. So of course it’s going to come in last on the list of areas to pretty up when you’re decorating or redecorating. But come on now, how much time do YOU spend in your bedroom? That alone should prompt you into making your bedroom decor a priority, even if that means keeping things simple for the time being. Making your bedroom a refuge doesn’t have to cost a lot or take up hours and hours of time if you focus on creating a calm atmosphere – using stuff you already have. Analyze your existing possessions. Pick a general color scheme. Borrow / repurpose from other rooms instead of buying wherever possible. And end up with something like this:

Low tables, a lamp, some books, and a bench. The end.

Cool rug, tiny table, and some framed mirrors - nothing fussy here

A jug of flowers, the bright table, and a casual photo collage make the space.

Sometimes light is all you need.

And we're back to those tiny touches, framed pictures, etc. that are so easy to do.

Yellow, white, and red - and I might even lose the energetic print.

Need a more specific how-to? I’ll share my recipe. Grab that little side table or unused chair and you have a bedside table. Paint it if necessary – a sample size can is often just enough for a furniture redo. Turn old sheets into an awesome duvet cover. Think creatively: What can an old filing cabinet be? What can you put into those picture frames. What lamp do you have that would look amazing in another color with a redone shade? Don’t overstuff your bedroom – keep the art elsewhere, out for the guests, and don’t overwhelm yourself or the space. End result: You’ll have a calm, comfortable, swoon-worthy bedroom that cost you nothing but some time.

Creepy neighbors looking into your windows from their windows? It’s a problem faced mainly by city dwellers, though anyone with a home that’s close to the next house over may find themselves facing privacy issues when it comes to bathroom and bedroom windows. The first solution that comes to mind is probably a curtain or blinds, but how about adhesive window film? Possibly associated with grandma’s house and restaurant bathrooms – at least in my mind – adhesive window film is nonetheless extremely useful when it comes to maintaining one’s privacy without also blocking out the sun.

And when it’s Emma Jeffs window film you’re using, you can choose between a whole bunch of really cool, pretty patterns that very specifically don’t look like the window film at grandma’s. I’m talking about everything from traditional geometric patterns to florals to unexpected stuff like rocket ships and fish.

This is just a sample - there are tons more patterns in the line

Perfect forthe potty, of course.

But also lovely in the kitchen and anywhere else privacy is required.

Each 37″ x 52″ roll of Emma Jeffs adhesive window film costs about $80 (a little steep, sure) and can be found at DesignPublic.com and 2Jane.com.

Looks great, but where'd it come from?

If I say shipping pallet furniture, what comes to mind? I immediately think of stacks and stacks of flat pack being unloaded at Ikea’s back door, but that’s just me. And it’s just wrong. Turns out that people are making more than just frames out of old, no longer useful shipping pallets. There are a ton of DIY projects for the home out there that start and end with shipping pallets. Shipping pallets, you may be surprised to discover, can be made into everything from headboards to patio furniture to bookshelves and more.

But is it safe?

Maybe, maybe not. It all depends on where your pallet was born and what it has been used for since. If you want to embark upon a DIY pallet project, make sure the pallets you have at your disposal were made in the U.S. and used within its borders. Pallets used for international shipping, you see, have to be treated with some heavy duty pesticides that sink right into the porous wood. Would I want my kid sleeping up against wood treated with methyl bromide every night? Not particularly. So when you’re collecting pallets for projects, stay safe and make sure you know their chain of custody before making them into a coffee table.

What say you: Pallet furniture… cool or meh?

In small spaces and big ones, you can never have enough storage. Under the bed is one piece of real estate that, in my opinion, not enough people utilize. Sure, you could grab a couple of those flat plastic bins meant to slide right under, but if you can incorporate storage right into the bed itself, why not?

From home-designing.com

From ilovewildfox.com

digsdigs.com

From livingetc.vom

From myhomeideas.com

First it was kitchen chairs versus kitchen benches, not it’s beds versus hammocks. Before you say ‘Whaaaa?’ consider that I’ve featured some pretty weird beds in the past: a bed without a mattress from Linda Topic and beds with feelings and a bed made of filing cabinets, all spring to mind. But all of that seems pretty normal to me compared to a small space solution I read recently. Which was ditch the bed, and get a hammock.

A hammock? A hanging-from-the-walls honest to goodness hammock. And not a chic queen size hammock bed like this fancy number from Le Beanock:

Now this I could do...

I’m talking about a straight up piece of fabric hanging by two points that is a bit more, er, enveloping than your average bed. A bed like the sailors of old crashed out on between watches. A hammock like you might buy at Amazon and is meant for outdoor use. A hammock like this one perhaps. I guess I can see it as a space-saving measure in the tiniest of New York or Tokyo apartments.

But does anyone else’s back hurt just thinking about ditching a traditional bed to make space and sleeping in a hammock instead? Because mine sure does!

I will happily admit to being a totally lazy bum when it comes to making the bed, and yet I’m also a total sucker for a freshly made bed.

Hop in!

Doesn’t that look inviting? Restful? It’s like a sign that tomorrow will be better than the day before. But since like I said, I am none too good about actually doing what it takes to slip into a freshly made bed on a daily basis, I would really like it if my unmade bed looked like this:

Effortless...

Which do you prefer in your own boudoir? The crisp freshly made bed or the comfortable rumpled one?

Here’s how it works:

Step: Acquire a pile of thick comforters

Step 2: Pile up prettily

Step 3: Cuddle up and sleep

It’s a design by Linda Topic and certainly an interesting bed concept, but the impression I get is that it would only be comfortable until all that bedding compressed into a dense pancake of feathers and fill.