Bedrooms, Bedroom Design,
@ bedrooms-kitchens.co.uk
The bedroom as sanctuary
“ [Sleep is] the golden chain that ties
health and our bodies together.”
Thomas
Dekker |
Of all the rooms in your home, the bedroom is the one that
should exude warmth, peace and tranquillity. It is, after all, your
private haven, the room in which to rest, re-charge your batteries and
shut out the world.
For this reason planning a bedroom is about much more than
organising a space in which to sleep and stash clothes. Equally important
are the decisions that turn your bedroom from a functional space into a
welcoming, calming retreat that feeds your soul and reflects your
personality. It is in this room that you will spend many hours, both
sleeping and awake, so it needs to be a place where you can be at one with
yourself.
A good night’s sleep helps you:
Where to start – designer or DIY?
 Although you might feel that employing the services
of a designer would be extravagant, there are definite advantages in
choosing this option.
An experienced designer will have previously worked on many
bedrooms of all kinds and know instinctively what will and won’t work in
different situations.
He or she will know the right questions to ask to establish
your priorities, your needs and your desires before offering advice on how
best to combine practicality with personality to create the bedroom of
your dreams. They will take the vital measurements and advise on the
options available. In short, a designer bedroom is a bespoke retreat built
to your exact requirements and maximising the available space.
The majority of us, however, will take the cheaper DIY
option. This involves much measuring, trips to furniture stores, poring
over brochures and paint charts and chatting to salespeople. If it’s a
complete DIY job you’ll then be wallpapering, painting and possibly
assembling the furniture! With this option you’ll be making what is
available off the shelf fit your space. It’s a low-cost but time-consuming
route to a new bedroom.
And so to bed
-
Bed prices range from under £100 to over
£10,000
-
It pays to buy the best mattress you can
afford
-
A worn-out mattress is a major cause of
sleepless nights
Without doubt, the most important piece of furniture in this
room is the bed. Whether you hanker after a romantic four-poster, a
minimalist slice of beech a few inches off the floor, a retro water bed or
a country-style beaten metal number, there is masses of choice.
Mattress: Though hidden from sight, the
mattress is the most important element of the bed. A pocket-sprung
mattress provides the best support but it’s vital to try before you buy.
The mattress must give proper support for the sleeper’s weight and build –
and advances in mattress technology mean that partners of very different
builds can find the right combination to suit them both, even if this
means a pair of zip-together divans. Once the correct support has been
determined, surface softness or hardness is simply a matter of personal
preference. Additional softness, warmth and luxury can be achieved with a
thin sheepskin over-mattress blanket.
Pillow: The right pillow should hold your
head, shoulders and spine in the same position as if you were standing
upright. Latex foam pillows keep their shape and provide firm support for
those with neck problems.
Storage space
-
Keep furniture to a minimum to maximise sense of
space
-
Inexpensive storage boxes can be tucked under
the bed
-
A cluttered room prevents restful
sleep
You can never have too much storage space. Having said that,
however much you have you will always fill it up – and want more!
Whether you go for built-in furniture or free-standing items
you will need a combination of hanging space, drawer space and storage
facilities for larger and/or less frequently used items.
 The tailor-made, built-to-fit
option is usually more efficient although the wide choice of bedroom
furniture available these days means you can put together a great range by
shopping around. Choose from imposing, dark solid wood, reclaimed pine,
veneer, metal or man-made materials. Your decision will be restricted only
by taste and budget. And, of course, the free-standing option means that
if you move house you can take the furniture with you!
Finally, make sure you use your storage space – put clothes
away and keep the bedroom tidy. It’s been proven time and again that
sleeping in a cluttered room can prevent a restful night’s sleep.
The do’s and don’ts of a good night’s
sleep
The best recipe for a good night’s sleep is a tranquil room,
a comfortable bed and a contented frame of mind. The first two are simple
to achieve, the third might need a little more effort although you can
help by visualising the ideal outcome for any problems that might
otherwise disturb your slumbers.
DO
-
use restful colours when decorating your bedroom
– save bold design statements for the living areas
-
keep lighting low
-
choose opaque curtains or blinds – darkness
stimulates the production of melatonin in the brain and this encourages
sleep
-
avoid caffeine, alcohol and late-night
eating
-
have a warm milky drink or herbal
tea
-
take a warm bath before retiring
-
sprinkle a few drops of lavender oil on your
pillow
-
keep regular hours as much as possible – this
will help programme your body to sleep better
-
have a book or magazine to read if it helps you
relax
-
have computers, televisions or hobby-related
equipment in the bedroom – they are too stimulating
-
allow the temperature to rise too high – between
16 and 18 degrees centigrade is about right
-
smoke – those who indulge experience more sleep
disturbance
-
pile on the pounds – being overweight causes
night sweats and breathing problems such as snoring
-
go to bed with your make-up on – oils and
perspiration build up and affect skin clarity and
smoothness
-
worry if you can’t sleep – get up and do
something that you find relaxing until you feel sleepy, then try
again!
Feng shui your bedroom
If you are ‘into’ feng shui you won’t need any help from us
in arranging your bedroom. However, if you’re new to this ancient Chinese
art of maximising positive energy, here are a few tips for a healthy ‘chi’
in the bedroom:
-
 The best colours are pink, red, purple,
yellow, orange, lavender, peach, terracotta and cream -
Don’t position your bed so that your feet face the
door
-
The headboard of the bed should always be against a
wall
-
Choose a wooden bed, natural fibres for the mattress and
cotton or linen for sheets
-
Never hang a mirror where you can see your reflection in
it when you are in bed – and always place hand mirrors face-down
-
Beams in the ceiling are a big no-no but if you do have
them, never sleep with your head directly underneath one.
-
Absolutely no electronic items like computers and
televisions
-
Avoid stripes as they can cause arguments
-
Do not store anything underneath your bed
-
Hang a spherical-faceted crystal in the window to bring
more passion into your relationships
-
To bring more romance into your life keep a white vase
with fresh red or pink cut flowers by your bed
If you want to learn more about the fascinating art of feng
shui your local library will have plenty of books on the subject.
Children’s bedrooms
All the above advice on bedrooms is equally applicable to
children’s bedrooms although it might be much harder to keep them
clutter-free and tidy!
Recent surveys have revealed that large numbers of even very
young children have televisions in their bedrooms. Apart from the dubious
moral and ethical implications, such indulgence is counter-productive to a
good night’s sleep since children, like adults, need to ‘wind down’ before
bedtime rather than be stimulated.
The importance of a good night’s sleep cannot be
over-estimated, especially for young, growing minds andbodies.
So don’t make the bedrooms in your home an afterthought.
Give them the priority they deserve and make them a haven from the
pressures of the world, a place to which the members of your family can
retreat from their hectic lifestyles into a safe and private sanctuary
where they can truly find peace and quiet.
| 
