A very long time ago I heard a woman speak about how to create a lovely home. Her audience was a group of pastors' wives, and her primary point was the importance of focusing on the master bedroom before tackling any other room in the house. The "love nest" should be every woman's priority. I wish I could say I took her advice to heart and have been an obedient little pastor's wife, but in this simple thing I have failed.
The "love nest" is very important to me; however, in the three homes Joel and I have lived in, I have found myself setting up the kitchen and living room - and now the children's room - before focussing on the master bedroom. This is no reflection on the sate of my marriage. Honest. I'm just a practical girl. I spend more time in my kitchen than I do my bedroom, so the kitchen comes first.
So why am I sharing all of this with you? Simple. The master bedroom, even after six years in this house, is still a work in progress. I'm still tweaking. The former me would have put this post on hold - for 2 to 3 years - until it looked the way it does in my dreams. But for the sake of this series, I decided to lay down my pride and give you a little preview of the master of the house.
Before moving into our home, I imagined the most peaceful place on earth. I daydreamed about my favorite locations in the world: Aix en Provence, Mombasa, Paris, Maasai Mara, the East Coast. If I could wake up every morning in one spot, where would it be? And that is how I put our master bedroom together.
I'm constantly tweaking it, and I even have plans to repaint (don't tell my husband!) because it never feels "done" to me. Still, I get a small dose of St. Simon's Island, Georgia, when I hide away in my room.
While we haven't completely banished the children from our bedroom, we do have boundaries. It's not a playroom. Plain and simple. This is sacred space, and that's how I survive.
The master suite is the one place where I can escape from little toys and little shoes for a few hours. A place where I can recharge, calm down, and feel refreshed.
Believe it or not, this has not put a damper on my relationship with my children. They have a respect and understanding that the master bedroom is a special place. It doesn't hurt children to have boundaries. It teaches them respect for other people and how to conduct themselves in other homes. Plus, making the master bedroom a room set-apart models to my children that the relationship between mom and dad is important and a priority.
Here are a few hints on small-space master suites:
- If you have children, keep the master suite your own. I'm all for sharing, but not this one thing.
- Create a peaceful place. Whatever color calms you down, use it on your walls and accent colors.
- Stay away from big, bulky furniture pieces. Big furniture will swallow your room whole. Try to find pieces with character that enhance the look of the room.
- Think storage. There are wonderful closet storage units that help minimize clutter but also give you more closet space. The less clothes and other items you need in the bedroom the better.
Thanks for stopping by today. Next week, we'll talk about the biggest obstacle to overcome in small space living. I hope you'll join me!
Joel is an All-American boy: red, white and blue and, I am convinced, bleeds the Star Spangled Banner. He was a boy scout growing up too. Not just a boy - like every other American boy - in a scout troop, but my hubby was an Eagle Scout. He went all the way, solidifying his “mom and apple pie American-ness”. He sheds a masculine tear when he hears the song, “Proud To Be An American” and has Brooks and Dunn blaring on his iPod. That’s my guy – my All-American man.