The hubs and I get to travel quite a bit which means that we see plenty of relaxing, clean, and wonderfully smelling hotel rooms. Although I love being at home, it took some understanding and prep for me to like our bedroom as much as a hotel bedroom. No, we do not get ours cleaned once a day by wonderful maids. And no, ours does not have a balcony that overlooks the Pacific (or any) Ocean. But, ours does have five simple things that make it less like the usual bedroom and more like a zen hotel room.
1. Keep It Minimal
No matter where we stay, every hotel room we stay in keeps things minimal. There are not fifty frilly pillows covering the bed or tons of furniture/decor pieces. This is partially because cleaning all that everyday would be such a nightmare, and partially because sleep scientists have found minimal spaces to be more inviting for sleep. Keeping six or less pillows on the bed, minimal things on a nightstand, and a dresser that has space for extra things is a great way to de-clutter our rooms and minds before hitting that pillow.
2. Light Colors
Thinking back, I cannot remember of one hotel I have stayed in that did not have white sheets. white sheets make bleaching possible (which I am all for in hotel rooms) and it also keeps things light. If having white sheets, pillows, and duvets worries you like it did me, try an off white variant like sky blue or linen that still feels fresh. I also super wanted a pattern for our duvet and picked this simple (and light) design from Restoration Hardware for our duvet. Sure, it was a bit more pricey than Target, but our duvet is one of my favorite parts of the room.
3. Good Smells
One of my favorite things about sleeping in a hotel bed is how wonderful they smell. It's not like our bed smells super bad or anything, it just did not smell as warm and inviting and crisp and clean as some nicer hotels we stay in. That is, until I found a wonderful little thing called linen spray.
There are all types of linen sprays running the gambit of prices and scents. Right now we are using this crisp cilantro scent from Tommy Bahama but we have also used simple lavender scents when relaxation and sleep is vital. Keep it in your bedside table and use spritz a bit whenever you make the bed. Best. Thing. Ever.
4. The Bedside Table
It may sound odd, but what we keep on our bedside table can make a difference on how relaxed we feel in our bedroom. I am one of those who gets easily stressed in a messy house, so my bedside table stays quite minimal. Emily Henderson recommends keeping bedside tables simple with a light, something to hold jewelry, storage drawers or baskets underneath, a piece of art you like, and flowers. No matter how big or small our bedside tables are, these few things are all we keep on it.
5. Air Purifier and/or a Humidifier
This is the one thing our bedroom has on any hotel room and I wish every hotel room had. No matter where we live, things our in our air that we do not want in our lungs. If you wake up with a stuffy nose or sticky eyes, it's not you, it's the air. Humidifiers also help keep skin moisturized and our sinus passages clear... You can even put yummy oils in a humidifier that help with the whole room smelling like heaven bit!
Since we live in Florida, a humidifier is not exactly needed, but we use and love this air purifier. Now, if they will create a travel version I will be the happiest little traveler ever!