Unfortunately, often the bedroom is one of the most neglected rooms of the house since it's the place where quests don't go. Quite often, at the end of a busy, hectic, and sometimes very tiring day, we strip our clothes and just drop them to the floor or drape them over the back of a chair. Then, in our rush to start our day the next morning, they don't get picked-up and our bed doesn't get made. Fast-forward to the next night, repeat. It soon becomes chaos and we begin to not care, so the clothes don't get picked up until we do laundry at the end of the week.

A close companion to the mess described above is the clutter that seems to collect in the bedroom. Again, since the bedroom is usually hidden from guests, it also becomes a place where we put things – you know, things we don't know what to do with. Soon the bedroom is filled with clutter and “clutter collects more clutter” and well…that's when we know it's time to do something.

First things first, if you really want a relaxing, calming bedroom, a place where you can “exhale” the days' stress, you're going to have to get rid of your clutter. Clutter makes the mind feel active and that's not very conducive to relaxation. First sort through everything, categorize what you want to keep, what's trash, and what you want to donate. Then put the things that will stay in the bedroom in pretty containers and pack the rest away in storage or put it in the room where it belongs. Ridding yourself of clutter and keeping your house clutter-free is like learning to live a new lifestyle, an organized lifestyle. It's hard work but well worth the effort.

One major thing that helps make a room relaxing is color on the walls. When walls are white, the light bounces around the room. Color will absorb some of the light, create a bit of drama, and make the room feel more relaxing. And since painting is an easy one-day job, and you can do it yourself, it's the first thing you should consider when wanting to make a change.

When trying to pick relaxing colors, try to stay away from the red family. Red heightens the blood pressure and quickens the mind's pace, not exactly what you want in the bedroom. Neutral colors like those in the beige family are good but with neutrals it will be important to add some color punch with accessories, window treatments and bedding. The other color family that is quite relaxing is blue. Colors that are toned with or mixed with blue also work well, like greens and bluish purples.

Next you need to consider your bedding. Bedding can be quite expensive but there are lots of choices that you can examine. Try finding something you like in one of the off-price retail stores like TJ Maxx or Marshalls. Or, if you already have a comforter but want something different, try covering the old comforter with a duvet cover. Duvet covers are made to cover plain white goose-down comforters but will work perfectly well with any comforter, even if it's not goose-down. Duvet covers usually cost much less than buying a comforter. On the other hand, you might consider making an investment in a goose-down comforter as they last forever and you can change the look of your room easily and inexpensively by just changing the duvet cover.

Pillows on the bed are the perfect way to make your bedroom look like a relaxing place to be. Pillows can be expensive when purchased ready-made, but try making them yourself. Cloth table napkins and remnant fabric are great to use when making pillows and usually really inexpensive. You can buy old throw pillows from the thrift store or use your own old pillows as the filler, just be sure they're clean before you use them in your new pillows. Voila, new throw pillows for a fraction of the cost.

When dressing your bed with pillows, use large pillows at the head and taper down to the smaller ones in the front. However, don't use too many, try not to take up more than one-third of the bed with pillows as it starts to look “overdone” and they are a pain to remove and replace each day.

Lastly, accessories and artwork will help the space feel relaxing. Candles are a beautiful way to accessorize and can add romance when the time is right. Pretty lamps can add ambiance with their soft light as well. And as far as artwork goes, creating your own will give the room the personal touch that only you can give. Consider using frames from old pieces of artwork that you can find at garage sales or thrift stores.

Creating that wonderfully relaxing bedroom does not need to cost a fortune. Just making a few inexpensive changes can make a huge difference. And remember, the entire room does not need to be redecorated all at one time. First make the changes in lifestyle that will help you keep the room clean and uncluttered. Once that step is in place, just take it one step at a time. Soon you'll be retiring each night in your relaxing sanctuary and waking in a room that will brighten each day.