Maintain Your Zen With a New Bedroom Set

Are you constantly chasing that feeling of inner peace that many people refer to as their “Zen?” Zen isn’t just a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism focusing on exploration of intuition through meditation. It also refers to that feeling of peace and calm that we all crave.

Achieving a feeling of zen isn’t always easy, but there are some things you can do to help you gain that inner peace. If you have even limited control of your environment, that is a great place to start. Whether you are able to decorate your desk at work with a miniature Zen rock garden or you are designing your bedroom, your environment plays a large role in your moods and ability to feel calm, particularly in times of stress.

Redesigning your bedroom with this in mind is the best place to start transforming your environments. For most people, the bedroom is where they spend most of their time when not at work or attending to the business of living.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you design the perfect Zen bedroom.

Examine your current furnishings and décor

Getting a new bedroom set is the obvious place to start, but what about the other furnishings and décor in the room? While your bedroom décor may have suited your tastes when you first designed the room, most people find their needs changing over time. If you have a more upbeat, bright, and energetic design, it may be time to set some of those things aside or move them to another room.

Physical comfort is key

Creating a Zen bedroom doesn’t have to mean going without the comforts of life. Minimalism should be a theme, but you shouldn’t sacrifice comfort. You can’t get into a relaxed and meditative state of mind when you are not physically comfortable.

Comfort means different things to different people. Keep in mind that your bed set doesn’t include the mattress, and that is a separate concern. Rather, when it comes to bedroom sets, you need to consider comfort features like tufted and well-padded bedroom benches, upholstered headboards, or bedroom sofas.

Balance comfort with minimalism

Some bedroom furniture looks really comfortable because it’s well padded, but these furnishings can also be bulky. To have a Zen state of mind, you need to feel as though you are in an open space. Having too much furniture in your bedroom, or having pieces that are too large, will make the room feel cramped. Instead of being able to relax to meditate and reflect on the day, you’ll feel as though the walls are closing in on you.

If you’re not sure that a minimalist approach is right for you, take a look at these www.1stopbedrooms.com/bedroom-sets on sale bedroom sets for some great examples of space saving bedroom furniture that gives you more open space but without sacrificing comfort or style.

Choose furnishings made of natural materials

Not only are most natural materials more durable than cheaper processed materials like metal and engineered wood, but they also help bring about that Zen environment. Part of the Buddhist practice is being in tune with nature. Bring that nature indoors by choosing the right furniture construction.

The most popular natural bedroom furniture is made of:

• Rattan wicker
• Solid hardwoods
• Bamboo
• Stone

You should also look for furniture that uses these natural textiles for upholstery:

• Leather
• Cotton
• Linen
• Silk
• Wool
• Hemp
• Jute

There is some debate whether metal and glass qualify as natural materials. There is certainly no harm in including glass in your Zen décor. As for metal, it is forged from natural materials, which is a point in its favor. On the other hand, it could be argued that everything “synthetic” that we have is actually created from something that occurs in our natural world. Otherwise, it wouldn’t exist.

So should metal count? Although most people only recognize four natural elements – earth, air, fire, and water – the Chinese list five elements from which everything in the world derives. These are the perfect guide to choosing your next bedroom furniture.

• Wood
• Fire
• Earth
• Water
• Metal

Keep in mind that the closer you are to the source, the more Zen the furniture will be. So if you are going to go with metal, go with something less processed like steel.

Don’t stop with the furniture

Keep up the theme of natural textiles throughout the rest of your bedroom décor. Choose rugs made of jute, hemp, seagrass, rattan, and sisal. These can be woven into intricate or geometric designs to give the room even more of that meditative feel. You can also get those that are woven of multiple colors to give it a more eclectic look.

Look for wall art from your local artists, not just the prints available at your online furniture store. These paintings and sculptures are more natural and vibrant than mass produced wall art. You can also support your local photographers by purchasing framed prints of their best and most calming nature scenes.

Choosing the right patterns and colors

The most grounding colors are those that remind us of nature. Look for muted colors over bright ones. You can go with a Zen garden floral pattern, chevrons, and other patterns of varying lines reminiscent of a sand or rock garden. You can also go with items that don’t make any attempt to imprint an aesthetic into the upholstery, but allow its natural grain and weave show through for a raw down to earth look.

The best colors for your Zen bedroom décor are muted:

• Greens, like deep shaded moss
• Reds, like the deep rust of the autumn maple leaf
• Browns, like the earth with whom we want to connect
• Blues, like a steely gray and stormy sky
• Faded purples and pinks like the lilac and lotus flowers

You can easily find art, décor, and even furniture that will meet these preferences. The best way to pull together one room is to shop where you can get everything in one place. Online furniture stores are a great place to start. They can also give you many more ideas, and you’ll be lost in the experience of designing different Zen rooms until you find the bedroom set and interior design that you prefer the most.