Newlywed, and separate beds?

Mr. Owl brought this article to my attention yesterday, and now I feel like I can divulge our deep, dark secret: we, too, sleep in separate bedrooms.

Well, not all the time, but most of the time Mr. Owl and I kiss goodnight, and he's off to our guest room. For so long, we've questioned this, thinking, "Oh my gosh, are we doomed because we can't sleep together in the same bed?" Everything else in our lives is, quite honestly, easy peasy. This is just one thing we can't master for two major reasons:

1. I'm a light sleeper, and he's a two-minutes-on-the-pillow-and-I'm-out kind of guy. It usually takes me at least a half hour to fall asleep, and meanwhile, Mr. Owl starts snoring or night-jerking and sleep is a lost cause for me. Often, I have to rely on Melatonin supplements and a sound machine to sleep, and even then, it's not guaranteed. The slightest movement or noise will wake me up.

2. I like to sprawl. And when I say sprawl, I mean one limp at each corner of the bed. I grew up with a full-size bed all to myself, and then suddenly, I had to share it with another person. I started to feel claustrophobic and closed-in. It played mind games with me, and I just couldn't fall asleep. Eventually, my sprawling led to Mr. Owl waking up in the middle of the night to one tenth of the mattress to himself, causing a sleepy husband the next morning.

So, when my insomnia got really bad shortly after our wedding, Mr. Owl happily started to sleep in our guest room. And what do ya know? I started sleeping like a baby. Right now, it's what works for us, and it's not a sign that our marriage is doomed for failure. It just means we both want our sleep!

So, why didn't I take the guest room? Because Mr. Owl can sleep anywhere (including the floor), and be out like a light. Our bedroom has all the blankets, sheets and pillow situated just how I like them. It's just easier on both ends.

Long-term, we know we can't live like that forever, though. Well, we could, but we don't want to. While I am getting my sleep, I miss having Mr. Owl next to me as I doze off, and having him there when I wake up. Luckily, we've come up with a solution that's a guaranteed win:

We'll buy a king-sized bed.

Seriously.

When we stay at hotels with king beds, we both sleep together without any issues (as long as I have my sound machine, of course!). I have tons of space to sprawl, and Mr. Owl is far enough away that I'm not affected by any jerking or snoring, and he gets as much space as I do.

In Chicago, it's beyond rare to find an affordable apartment with a bedroom big enough for a king bed. We currently have a full-sized bed, and the width of our bedroom only allows for the bed, two nightstands and zero extra space. Eventually, when we feel ready, we'll move on, and the king-sized bed will be our first purchase.

Sometimes, we spend our Saturday afternoons at furniture stores and drool over fancy, grown-up beds. These are our favorites so far:



Brighton Coffee Bed; Crate and Barrel



Tate Bed; Crate and Barrel



Portman Panel Bed; Restoration Hardware



Farmhouse Bed; Pottery Barn


Do we go with a fabric upholstery for comfort? Stick with the traditional elegance of wood? Right now, we're leaning toward a wood bed, and making our own headboard. I love color, and the more color I have in my life, the happier I am.

Headboard inspiration:


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It's a good thing we have years to make this decision!