Interiors: We look how you can decorate your way towards getting a more restful night in bed
Sleep science tells us that rest is the third pillar of health, along with nutrition and exercise. So, as the nights draw in, it’s time to create your ultimate sleep sanctuary.
In Scandinavia, where they like to live cosy, sleep tech is mainstream. UnikBed (unikbed.co.uk) is from Finland (find them on the Holloway Road), and Hästens (hastens.com) is from Sweden (a fourth London showroom opened this week in Notting Hill).
In west London the Rested showroom is the exclusive UK stockist of high-tech beds from the likes of Auping, Van Doornewaard and Notti D’Amore (rested.com). You make a private appointment to try out everything necessary for a perfect night’s sleep (no embarrassing bouncing around in a department store), experimenting with the right combination of mattress, duvet, pillows, bedlinen and sleepwear for you and your partner.
Establish a routine, turn off all gadgets an hour before bedtime; do something relaxing, such as a bath, reading or meditating; go to bed neither full nor hungry and avoid caffeine and alcohol in the evening
For the best rest, think cool, dark, cave. The room should be around 18C so that your core temperature can drop. Duvets store heat so consider thermo-regulation, with customisable bedding from Auping (auping.com) and Swiss textile engineering in Dagsmejan’s sleepwear (dagsmejan.com). Fresh air helps so open a window (if it’s not too noisy), or go the whole hog with the ultimate in luxury sleep systems. The FreshBed by Van Doornewaard (freshbed.com) has silent motors below the bedframe for built-in ventilation, as seen at the Somnex sleep show last month (somnexshow.com).
“To create a sanctuary of calm surround yourself with walls in a colour and texture that make you feel relaxed and comfortable,” says Paula Taylor, an expert in colour at the wallpaper and paint specialists Graham & Brown.
Hula Swirl Gold Noir, Barbara Hulanicki x Graham & Brown, £50 per roll
“Blues and greens have historically been calming and comforting colours, but bathe yourself in warm lighting to reference the sunset. Contemporary beaded wallpaper reflects light, and flock wallpaper has soft velvet highlights. Deep reds will create a dramatic feel, while softer pinks create a more cocooning feeling of comfort.” And darkness really does mean blackout, so fit rollerblinds behind the curtains (try johnlewis.com).
The key to drifting off is in the preparation (or your “sleep hygiene”). Establish a routine, turn off all gadgets an hour before bedtime; do something relaxing, such as a bath, reading or meditating; go to bed neither full nor hungry and avoid caffeine and alcohol in the evening.
“The joy is having a bedroom that need never feel cluttered or untidy,” says Kelly Hoppen. “Your bedroom is your comfort zone, it’s your nest.” So, sure you can sleep when you’re dead, but why not get a decent headstart?