Exclusive: Jenny Marrs of ‘Fixer to Fabulous’ on the One Surprising Room That Needs a Makeover Most of All

HGTV

While kitchens and bathrooms tend to be the focus of homeowners’ renovation dollars, designer Jenny Marrs from HGTV hit “Fixer to Fabulous” says there’s one room you should not overlook if you’re hoping to truly relax at home: the bedroom, of course!

This busy mom of five, who’s been making over homes around Bentonville, AR, with her husband, Dave, is well aware that getting a good night’s sleep isn’t as easy as it should be these days. This might be why she’s teamed up with sleep aid supplement Natrol to help spread the word on turning our bedrooms into warm, relaxing retreats.

Read on for details that might inspire you to see your own bedroom’s potential in a whole new light.

What’s your and Dave’s bedroom design like?

Our home was built in 1903, so I wanted our room to be pretty simple and classic. We have what I call car siding on the wall. I try to incorporate some of those historic elements, and it’s painted a soft, creamy white. Then Dave built all of our furniture. So we have a wooden headboard, we have wooden side tables, and then a little dresser. I had Dave build it with drawers because I love drawers.

That’s where I try to keep all of our clutter so we can walk in and just sort of exhale when we get into our room instead of feeling overwhelmed by stuff.

The bedroom is the one place where people are truly supposed to relax. How can the right design help?

First, your bedroom should be a sanctuary. It needs to be serene and peaceful, so it’s important to have symmetry and harmony in the space. When you’re thinking of furniture, bring in two nightstands, two lamps. I think symmetry really helps balance the space and balance your eye.

Second, when it comes to bedding and mattresses, it’s important to make sure everything feels comfortable and cozy. One of the things that’s often overlooked when people are purchasing furniture is the mattress and bed linens. I think really making the investments there is important. Those are really hardworking pieces of furniture. In the long run, it’s worth it.

Third: color! You want to make sure your color palette in your room is soft and serene. A can of paint is inexpensive. It takes a weekend to paint a room, and it makes a huge impact.

Dave and Jenny Marrs are the stars of HGTV’s hit show “Fixer to Fabulous.”

Natrol

What are some other budget-friendly changes that help keep a bedroom relaxing?

Lighting is another thing that is often overlooked in the bedroom. We want to have more of a soft light in the bedroom and not have a bright fluorescence. If you turn on the light when you come in and it’s neon, that really interrupts your sleep cycle and doesn’t help you wind down to get to sleep.

So, for overhead lamps, I love to put them on a dimmer. It’s nice when overhead lights have remotes with different settings for the lights so you can easily tone it down. Lightbulbs definitely make a difference, the wattage and the type.

I love to incorporate sconces when I can. They’re really great options if you don’t want to do a lamp. Plus, now you can find really great wall sconces that can be plugged in, so you don’t have to cut into the wall and wire for it, and I think those are really great options.

Jenny putting the finishing touches on another beautiful bedroom

Natrol

What’s your all-time favorite bedroom feature?

One of the things I always love in a bedroom is a window seat. I love window seats. We don’t have one in our room, but we were able to add one to our daughter’s room because of the shape of her window. I just think that they’re sweet, especially in a kid’s bedroom.

Plus, window seats can provide extra storage, which is always handy, especially when you can incorporate a bookshelf around the window and under the seat.

Plenty of people have workspaces in their sleeping quarters. How can they … make sure the space is a calm and productive environment?

I know when I work, my workspaces are a little bit crazy. It’s just how my brain works. I have papers and notebooks everywhere. But at the end of the day, you don’t want to look over at your desk and see the mounds of papers and all of the things that need to be done. It really does kind of counteract what you’re trying to do, which is rest and sleep.

So it’s important to make sure there’s space to tuck all of that away at the end of the day. Extra drawers are helpful so you can put everything away and not have piles of stuff out.

What’s a bedroom feature people think they need but don’t?

Lots of space. We live in an old farmhouse, so our bedroom is very small. But I found that I like a small space because otherwise it gets cluttered. We’ve had bedrooms before where we’ve had sitting spaces and it just ends up being a spot to throw laundry.

Dave and Jenny sit back and relax on a porch swing.

Natrol

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