Escape starts with a clean room

Mom was right: Start with putting things away. A bedroom sanctuary should feel open, not chaotic or jumbled. A feeling of calm descends in a clean, uncluttered room.

Gotta love it: Divide everything in the room into three categories: Things you “can live with,” “love” and “never liked.” Keep what you love. Move everything else out. Otherwise your room becomes mediocre.

Weighty decision: For a better sense of scale, buy substantial nightstands. Little nightstands look like tiny quotation marks around the bed. They should be able to hold a clock, water, a lamp and a picture.

Bedside manner: Nightstands don’t have to match. They don’t even have to be nightstands -- they can be a table and a chest. But they should be the same color and height. If they are not, put blocks under one or cut legs off the other.

Renew the old: Paint banged-up bedroom furniture and add pretty knobs -- even if it’s an antique or family heirloom. Your grandmother would want you to have it in a color that you love.

Where to shop: For funky midcentury stuff, Downtown on La Cienega. Blackman Cruz, also on La Cienega, is good for accessories. For inspiration, Gardenology in Encinitas. For bedding and nice sheets? Macy’s.

-- Maryann Hammers