Nate Berkus Designed Ray Romano's Minimalist Bedroom – It Shows How Thoughtful Design Creates the Ultimate Retreat

How Ray Romano and Nate Berkus transformed a bedroom into a serene, palette-cleansing retreat for relaxation and sleep

Ray Romano
(Image credit: Kevin Winter via Getty Images Getty)

When embarking on a bedroom redesign, the priority is to create a space that evokes peace and serenity. The scheme should feel harmonious and uncluttered, providing you with the space to truly relax. This is the exact philosophy that Emmy-winning actor, writer, and producer Ray Romano and his wife, Anna, have introduced to their main bedroom in La Quinta, California.

Designed by Nate Berkus, the 'quiet luxury' bedroom perfectly encapsulates the calm fortitude that the Romanos wanted to create in their family home. Especially as we move into the cooler months, creating a cozy and restful environment becomes even more essential. Here is how they designed a bedroom that would allow them to sleep better.

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Bedrooms are deeply personal spaces and should be decorated accordingly, believes Farrow & Ball’s color curator Joa Studholme. For a relaxing bedroom, used purely for sleeping, serene colors will induce a good night’s rest and a sense of calm. Your chosen bedroom color ideas will play a fundamental role in how your space not only looks, but also how it feels.

Quiet luxury colors – inspired by the natural world – have an intrinsic calming influence, provoking a response similar to gazing out upon a beautiful country or seascape. The power of a neutral color palette to add warmth and elegance to a modern bedroom should not be underestimated. A soft scheme of harmonious neutrals creates a reflective backdrop to the ever-changing light of the seasons, from the bright clarity of spring to the golden, low-slung sun of autumn.

A bedroom designed for sleep should not only look elegant, but it should serve the purpose of providing a sanctuary for relaxation and rest, says interior designer Tamsin Johnson.

'I try not to make a bedroom feel too detailed or ornamented, so the mind can rest, too. I’d usually opt for neutral walls, but the severity of white walls might be avoided, for example, depending on the house.'

Another way to make your bedroom more relaxing is to avoid unnecessary tech. This is particularly important during the shorter days of winter when our natural circadian rhythms are more sensitive to artificial light.

When it comes to tech, there is near-universal agreement about the damage of screens on sleep. Bedrooms should be screen-free zones, believes Chrissie Rucker, founder of The White Company.

‘I try to be screen-free for at least an hour – preferably two – before bed. If I look at Instagram or watch TV in bed, I don’t sleep well. If I have a warm bath and read in bed for 20 minutes, I sleep really well.'

As the nights draw in and the air turns crisp, there is no better time to prioritize your sleep environment. By embracing a palette of natural neutrals and committing to a tech–free sanctuary, you can transform your bedroom into a year–round haven. Whether you are retreating from the summer heat or curling up against a winter chill, a well-considered design ensures that your space remains a true source of restoration.


Jennifer Ebert
Editor

Jennifer is the Digital Editor at Homes & Gardens, bringing years of interiors experience across the US and UK. She has worked with leading publications, blending expertise in PR, marketing, social media, commercial strategy, and e-commerce. Jennifer has covered every corner of the home – curating projects from top interior designers, sourcing celebrity properties, reviewing appliances, and delivering timely news. Now, she channels her digital skills into shaping the world’s leading interiors website.