The Beauty Sleep concept is brought to you by Estée Lauder’s New Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II
The need to slow down is paramount in our fast-paced life, so having a private retreat to relax and unwind in your home warrants careful planning of every decision, inclusion and material. Colour, texture, and lighting each play an important role in creating a mood for a better night’s beauty sleep.
Colour
The colours you choose really can impact on the quality of your experience of a room, most notably in the bedroom. Steer away from vibrant reds and yellows as these are both stimulants, and look more to blues, greens and neutrals for a calming effect. There’s nothing wrong with an accent of a bright or stimulating colour in terms of a few cushions or a throw but the overarching feeling should be calming.
Texture
Personally I love to have lots of soft texture in a bedroom too. Drapery is an absolute must when it comes to softening a room and I enjoy the effect of having a layer of sheer and a layer of block-out curtaining. You can filter light and gain daytime privacy and completely block out any unwanted light through windows – something that is hard to achieve with any other window covering except light tight shutters. Most other blinds will seep light through the gaps or on the edges or joints so a block-out curtain is a very good option for a luscious room good for a sleep in.
Expert tip: To avoid the Nana curtains of old, hang drapery from ceiling to floor, either 5mm off the floor or pooling excess fabric onto the floor. Also install drapes from wall to wall for a great contemporary effect.
Other textures to include in your bedroom could come in the form of wallpapers or textured wall coverings. A favourite and very effective textured paper is Grasscloth. It gives a lovely textured backdrop to any space, working particularly well when applied to all walls in a medium sized room like a bedroom. Vinyls, fabric wall coverings or any number of finishes could be used to achieve your desired effect and mood.
The bed itself should be inviting. If you’ve seen ‘Along Came Polly’ you’ll know that you CAN have too many pillows. Aiming for 2 Euro sized, 2 normal pillows and 2 accents as a maximum will keep you in the safe zone. You can arrange symmetrically or asymmetrically, or mix it up as you feel the desire for change.
Finally, when it comes to bed linen, you should choose whether you want a relaxed bed that flows gently to the floor or a structured precise look with hospital corners. Both can work beautifully, it is up to you to decide which suits you and your lifestyle best. A sharp high thread count sheet set will work with a structured look, soft crumpled linen would be the way to go for that flowy effect. Have fun with colours, mixing sheet colours and cushions and invest in good linen.
You spend one third of your life between the sheets so investing in a few good sets will reward you ten fold!
Lighting
Lighting is a very important element in a good bedroom. Think about how the light will affect you in bed. You don’t want halogen – or any light – directly over your face on a bed, as it will shine down into your eyes when you lie down. Offsetting overhead lighting above the bedsides is a much safer option – you can even have a hanging pendant or wall fixed sconces so you can direct light and control it from side to side.
Lighting a room’s perimeter will give a nice effect of shape and light and shade creating contrast and interesting play on the walls. It’s much nicer than even light that removes any moody shadows. Also make sure all of your lights are on dimmers. Lamps are a great addition to any room to give you some ambient and localised light.
Expert tip: Make sure you have plenty of space to store your belongings and clothing out of site. It’s clutter that will affect you emotionally more than most of the finishes and fittings above. A tidy space equals a tidy mind and will give you a tidy night’s sleep.
The Beauty Sleep concept is brought to you by Estée Lauder’s New Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II
