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Home › Articles › Bedrooms › Get Away!

Get Away!

Create an Island Retreat in Your Master Bedroom

By Teri Brown

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Imagine your own private island oasis. Sand, surf and sun creating a sense of peace so deep you can touch it. Tile floors, soft natural textures and fresh white curtains billowing gently with fragrant ocean breezes. Can you imagine it? I could. The problem was, of course, that I live in a small house in Western Oregon, and traveling to Hawaii for some much needed island rest and relaxation was out of the question. So my husband and I decided to create an island oasis in our master bedroom, a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of our everyday world, a place where we can enjoy imaginary tropical breezes wafting through our room.

The Need
My husband and I are not the only ones who like the idea of creating a master bedroom retreat. Amanda Moore, the owner and principal designer of re:place Design in New York City believes the master bedroom is a perfect place to create a hide away. "It's important to create a retreat-like feel in one's master bedroom to off-set the loaded, hectic work days most of us have," she says. "Whether you work hard, long hours at the office or are running around from activity to activity with the kids, you likely reach the end of each day a little frazzled. Creating a special environment to promote relaxation and the release of tension is ideal for one's bedroom, helping to aid the transition into a restful night ahead."

Many people splurge on costly island vacations for large doses of much-needed relaxation throughout the year. Moore believes it would be ideal if we could all experience a sliver of this feeling of tranquility every night when we retire to bed. When Moore is designing a master bedroom for a client, she often references their travel experiences and dreams in the decorative plans to support a sense of escape from the rest of their home and the day that has passed.

"Naturally, most of us frequently dream of an island escape, so infusing a bit of this feeling into a bedroom design inspires all of the effects of a well-deserved tropical vacation – relaxation, rejuvenation, a bit of detoxification – and brings them into the everyday," says Moore.

Colors of the Tropics
Creating an island feel to your bedroom can be as easy as changing the color of your walls and bed linens, or it can be as comprehensive as adding a tile floor, a ceiling fan and new window treatments.

Moore suggests you do some research on island colors and mix and match the ones that say soothing to you. "The colors naturally associated with the island landscape are the blues and turquoises of the sea, the soft neutrals of the sand, and the greens of the surrounding fauna," she says. "Some may link stunning corals and golds with memorable island sunrises and sunsets, while others may incorporate crisp white, pink, yellow and other vibrant tones of Caribbean architecture into their island theme."

Moore says that darker blue hues have a natural calming, pacifying effect on the mind while turquoise tones inspire creativity and are good for healing mental strain and fatigue. Bright orange tones can be mixed in to recall a fiery sun setting over the ocean, but the color in large doses can be too stimulating for a bedroom retreat, however, it does have powerful connections to romance and sexual energy!

Textures, Knickknacks and Window Dressings
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