The serious art of sleeping
Fashions in colours and textiles are always changing - so buy what you like best and makes you most comfortable, happy and relaxed to promote restfulness and a good night’s sleep
Bedrooms have an awful lot of responsibility but all you have to do, primarily, is sleep in them. A bedroom has to make sure that its occupant can sleep well and that is a pretty important job. If the bedroom fails then you become sleep deprived and, as doctors and scientists never tire of telling us, this can lead to risk of cancer, heart attack, Alzheimer’s, obesity and diabetes, plus lack of cognitive function and that can lead to all kinds of everything from pressing the wrong button on the factory floor to driving the wrong way up the M80. Trouble is, in this screen-addicted world, sleep deprivation has almost become the norm. No wonder bedrooms have to work so hard; as well as getting you off to sleep they also have to store loads and loads of your stuff. All those clothes have to go somewhere; they can’t all live in the ironing basket. No wonder then that bedroom design has become big business. More and more people are turning to fitted wardrobes, expertly planned. Think of it as a room computed to get you to relax and sleep. First comes the main frame: the actual walls and windows, heating and ventilation, then the hardware and software. The hard stuff is the bed, its side tables, wardrobes and chests of drawers, whether built-in or not. Finally the software of curtains, floor covering, mattress, bedding and then the add-ons: lighting and accessories. Never underestimate the power of lighting to help you unwind. Today’s dimmable, programmable systems are perfect for the job and well worth the investment. So too are blackout blinds and good curtains or shutters. When it comes to children’s rooms they should also include simple-to-use storage for toys and possessions. If their room is cluttered how can you expect them to un-clutter their minds and become calm enough to get to sleep? En-suite bathrooms or shower rooms are a great addition and not just for the master bedroom. We live in changing times and a lack of affordable housing or care for the elderly could see more of us returning to the days of two-or-three-generations under the same roof, and the way to make that work is more bathroom space. It is way easier to plan for this when building rather than adding later.