I thought it might have started during COVID, Gentle Readers. You know, when isolation was de rigueur. The slow appearance of that double line – or sometimes even the onset of a sniffle – would result in banishment, the offending spouse sent to live in the guest room…or basement, or home office with a pull-out sofa…
Separate bedrooms.
I thought the pandemic was the beginning of a separate bedrooms movement. Partners discovered that they liked sleeping solo.
But no! It turns out there are many people who cohabit but don’t co-sleep! And it’s been this way for years!
Some people are kind of sheepish about sleeping in separate spaces. “My husband snores,” one friend says. “My husband is a restless sleeper.” “My husband has insomnia.” (I’m not ganging up on the menfolk; these are quotations.) As though they need an excuse.
A few people, however, are wonderfully unapologetic about having — about wanting — two bedrooms.
To wit: Many years ago, I was working with a client to redecorate the primary bedroom (navy blue walls with navy blue drapes – so cozy). When it was finished, she announced that it was time to do her bedroom. Which turned out to be a delightful nest on the third floor, complete with king bed and large-screen television.
My client’s bedrooms weren’t stereotypically “masculine” or “feminine” (aren’t we supposed to be doing away with those words anyway?), but when I think back, she did seem to be extra generous in considering her husband’s taste when we decorated the primary bedroom. Smart! Strategic! She knew that there was a forthcoming project in which compromise would not be necessary…why not give hubby his dream bedroom?
Are separate bedrooms becoming a trend, Gentle Readers? Are we going to talk openly about this now that I’ve brought it up? Will you now consider converting your college-age child’s bedroom into YOUR bedroom rather than a yoga studio?
You know my position. Another room to decorate? Bring it on.
Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, D.C. My book, My Neighbor Saw Me Naked, and Other Reasons You Need Drapes, makes a terrific holiday or hostess gift…and you can buy it right here! Free, fast shipping, too. Can’t beat it.