I Love My Bedroom

Remember how I told you about that great book on marriage that I was reading a few weeks back?

Well, one of the chapters was dedicated to keeping your bedroom a sanctuary, making it a place where you can relax, a place to go for peace and quiet and rest, and a room that is just for you and your husband. Putting things in the room that you love; that make you feel secure and comfortable and have things that are meaningful to you and your marriage.

So I worked on it over a few days. Tried to get rid of the junk, and the clutter that builds up on the top of our 1840 English dresser. Then I added a candleabra that was given to us as a wedding gift by one of my husband's older brothers. And that's our wedding photo behind it.

Hang clothes up. On chilly nights it's so easy to just throw them onto a chair and jump under the covers where the electric blanket is on.

. . . . and put out the pillows and the ornaments and the pictures that I love.  Most of my pillows come from a little shop here in Christchurch, The Painted Room which used to be right on Colombo Street near the Square. It has relocated since the earthquakes, so I believe; although I haven't been to the new shop. I love the owner Brigid - she's very flamboyant, a character herself, and knows how to put fabrics together. It's cash-only, and no phone on; and she used to tell me how she loves that modern women are beginning to discover how comforting old, feminine things can be.

I love our bed with  Brigid's lovely, comforting pillows bringing colour to the white counterpane that was also a wedding present from old family friends. Underneath it is a big, fluffy feather duvet that we use in winter. It's one of my favourite things about winter.

When we built this house the interior decorator lady who was helping me talked me into painting the walls a very soft blue, and teaming it with a white and red curtain. I wasn't so sure about it then, but she assured me that I would come to love it, and I have. I love the freshness of it, and I love the red. Red is one colour that I must have in my home.

In thinking about the few ornaments and things that I wanted to have out (I am not a great lover of lots of ornaments), I remembered when I was living in the USA that one of the things I loved about American homes was how just about every home I went into always smelled so good. There always seemed to be a burner going or the linguring aroma of a burner, so I have been on the hunt for one that I liked to put into my bedroom, and I found one! I love the wax melts that I have to put in it - vanilla, hot cinnamon, apple spice, caramel, and a couple of others. It's fun to change them around and now the room always, always smells good.

On our bedside tables I decided to just have a little photo frame of me on my wedding day and a glass ornament that my husband bought for me recently. It feels so good to have gotten rid of all the extra unnecessary stuff that used to be there.

I am still to hunt out a nice mirror for one of our blank walls, and I have some wedding pictures that I want to hang as well, but I do have one large picture frame up. And it has my now very old bridal bouquet on display. It was dried back then, which was the only way it could have been done then, although now I think there are chemical ways of preserving bouquets, but that wasn't available when I got married 14 years ago. But anyway, I love it and I don't think I could part with it, even if it does look slightly Miss Haversham now.

I'm so glad that I read that book and it motivated me to do something nice in our room. It has made such a difference and I really love going down there now and knowing that this is a little private space for me and my husband. Oh sure the kids still come in during the night (usually when there are earthquakes or the strong, noisy nor'wester), and they still love to jump in bed with us on a Saturday morning, but otherwise it's just our room - a little haven of quiet and comfort.