Soft Power Bedroom

Reclaiming rest, intimacy, and self-possession during a season of overwhelm
Oakland, CA · 2025

Project Summary

This bedroom reset took place during a period of profound overwhelm. Life was asking a lot all at once: supporting friends through crisis, navigating relationship heartbreak, managing family complexity, grieving the loss of a beloved pet, and continuing to show up to work amid a brutal political climate. The bedroom had become overly saturated—filled with unopened boxes, displaced routines, and visual noise that made rest nearly impossible.

This work was completed while the client was at work and staying with their partner, allowing the reset to happen without added decision fatigue or emotional labor in the moment. The goal was not to preserve or manage chaos, but to remove it—to clear the room enough that the mind could finally rest. The result is a space that supports sleep, intimacy, and daily life without requiring constant effort to maintain.

Time & Scope

• 20 hours over two consecutive days

• Completed while the client was away, allowing for uninterrupted flow and deep focus

• Hands-on reset spanning bedroom organization, layout redesign, and installation

• Focused on reuse of existing furniture and donated materials

Why This Project Matters

This project centers an adult’s right to have a space that does not ask them to keep coping once the door closes. By removing excess and reestablishing order without stripping identity, the bedroom became a place where rest and intimacy could return—making room not just for the self, but for partnership and connection as well.

Soft power, here, meant creating a room that quietly does its job: holding the body, calming the mind, and making daily life feel possible again.