5 Things People With Tidy Bedrooms Always Have in Them — They All Work Together to Create a Truly Calming Space to Sleep

Improve sleep hygiene and the overall ambiance of this area by stealing these ideas for your own bedroom

A bedroom with an extended headboard with matching dark wood side tables, white wall sconces, a mustard duvet with a patterned white bolster pillow with a white bench featuring a wood frame
Most of these are absolute non-negotiables for an invitingly cozy sleeping space.
(Image credit: Nicole Franzen. Design: Jessica Gersten Design)

Your bedroom is meant to be a space that breathes calm into your life. It's undeniably one of the more important rooms in your home. And if it doesn't feel zen, then it might be time to take inspiration from things people with tidy bedrooms always have in them.

For the most part, maintaining a clean bedroom is all about having clear surfaces, making your bed everyday and adopting minimal decor to avoid busying the space. But there's more to it, and valid reasoning behind all of these common design ideas, resulting in a more ambient modern bedroom.

Without further ado, let's get into what you should bring into your slumber space to help you sleep better, while offering cleaner aesthetics.

1. Clear Surfaces

An off-white bedroom with a gray extended headboard, a white bedscape, a low wood nightstand and a white table lamp

Pared back surfaces will make your bedroom feel so much calmer. (Image credit: Timothy Kaye. Design: Mckimm)

"You'll notice that a tidy bedroom always has nightstands, dressers, and desks with clutter-free surfaces," says Aaron Traub, professional organizer and founder of The Organizer Directory.

"They only have a few intentional items on each to keep the surface areas from getting messy. Surfaces are clutter magnets. When they stay clear, the bedroom feels bigger, tidier, and cleaner."

If the countertops in your bedroom are littered with unnecessary traffic, now's the time to learn how to declutter a bedroom. I assure you, it will lead to a space that feels so much more suited for better sleep.

Aaron Traub

Aaron Traub is a professional organizer and the founder of The Organizer Directory in Dallas, TX. He has worked with hundreds of families and individuals to organize, declutter, pack, and unpack all areas of their homes, and he's been featured in Forbes, Apartment Therapy, Realtor.com, Southern Living, Real Homes, Home & Gardens, and more.

2. Organized Closet Space

A bedroom with large windows, pleated curtains, a white wardrobe, and a green bedscape

Fix your bursting closet and make your bedroom more organized. (Image credit: Molly Haas. Design: Leo Cesareo Design)

"In a clean bedroom, clothes are hung up or folded, shoes have a spot, and there are no random piles of clothes on the closet floor. Everything has a home, is neatly placed in the closet, and doesn't overspill into the bedroom," says Aaron.

"The closet is usually the first place clutter builds up. When your closet is messy, clothes tend to spill and overflow into other areas, like onto chairs, surfaces, or piles of clothes on the floor."

He finds that a tidy closet keeps the whole bedroom under control and makes mornings way easier. Introducing clever closet organization ideas and learning how to properly store clothes will be your room's saving grace.

3. Crisply Made Bed

A cream bedroom with a petalled glass ceiling light, a bed with a patterned headboard, fresh pillows, and an animal print bench

If you aren't making your bed every morning, you're setting your bedroom back. (Image credit: Ben Anders. Design: Ash Wilson Design)

Aaron tells me that tidy bedrooms always have a nicely made bed, and I couldn't agree more. "They don't have blankets and sheets thrown everywhere, piles of clothes on top of the bed, or extra pillows taking over the bed," he says.

"The bed is the primary visual in a bedroom. If it looks messy, the whole bedroom feels messy, even if everything else is decent. Making the bed instantly makes a bedroom feel more put-together and more organized."

Since it anchors the space, learning how to style a bed will help you give off the impression of a perfectly put together space. Not to mention, it'll score you major points in the sleep hygiene department.

4. Minimal Decor

A white bedroom with a wood panelled headboard, a vase of flowers, a pendant lamp above a floating nightstand with a stack of books

This applies even to the most maximalist of homes. (Image credit: Colin Way. Design: Mera Studio Architects. Contractor: Rawlyk Developments)

Most cozy bedrooms have minimal decor. "There aren't too many decor pieces on the surfaces or walls, just a few simple intentional decor pieces," he notes.

"This helps reduce the visual noise in the space. Plus, it makes the bedroom feel instantly calmer and less overwhelming, while also lending a cleaner and more put-together feel to the space."

I'm a big believer in the idea that bedrooms sporting minimalist interior design are the best to sleep in. Since winding down for sleep is all about slowing your thoughts and disconnecting into a peaceful state of mind, this will make all the difference to your space.

5. Strategic Storage

A white bedroom with vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, an extended headboard, a bed with a beige duvet and a potted tree

A simple organization system will make your room look neatly curated. (Image credit: Roger Davies. Design: Studio Emblem & Co.)

Rule one of organizing any space is that every single item needs a dedicated spot of its own. Especially when organizing a bedroom, it's important to either create storage for displaced items or get rid of them altogether.

"In tidy bedrooms, there's a spot for everyday stuff like chargers, skincare, jewelry, books, etc. When items have a real home, they don't end up on random surfaces. It also makes it faster to put things away and easier to find what you need."

My advice is to imbibe strategic bedroom storage ideas into this zone. And it doesn't have to be boring. There are plenty of ways to make your bedroom storage look expensive.


Now, within your bedroom there's an attached space that you're probably wanting to corral, too. Don't you worry, our guide to things people with tidy bathrooms have in them will make yours feel straight out of a spa.

Amiya Baratan
Home Wellness Writer

Amiya is a Home Wellness Writer at Livingetc. She recently graduated with a Masters Degree in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London, and has lent her words to beauty, fashion, and health sections of lifestyle publications including Harper’s Bazaar and Women’s Health. Her experience as a research analyst has equipped her with an eye for emerging trends. When she’s off the clock, she can be found reading, listening to music, or overanalyzing her latest Co-Star update.