Dreamy bedroom designs
Eazzzy ways to enhance your Zzzs
Story By Bailey Gilliam
Don’t lose sleep over trying to design the perfect place in which to slumber. We may spend a whopping one-third of our lives in quest of quality shuteye, but creating a quiet and comfy place to nap shouldn’t turn into a nightmare. Think calm, muted colors, fluffy comforters, cool air and dark corners. With a little help from LOCAL Life, your bedchamber will merit forty winks from Mr. Sandman himself.
Sleep tight
Introducing symmetry and flow into your boudoir means placing your bed as far from the door as possible and arranging your furniture suite so the room is balanced and in proportion. Even if you sleep alone, invest in two nightstands to frame your twin, queen or king. It also helps to declutter this space as much as possible so your bedroom becomes a harmonious sanctuary and not an anxiety-ridden storage unit.
Technicolor dreams
Colors affect the way we snooze. It’s been proven that cool hues like light blues, greens and lavenders painted on the walls can lower blood pressure, heart rates and physiological activity, ensuring a good night’s sleep. A flat or matte finish is also preferred compared to a glossy one that can reflect distracting light. As for the lamps or overhead fixtures, opt for bulbs that emit warm yellow or orange tones.
Out cold
The ideal temperature conducive to dozing is 65 degrees. Studies have shown a cool room helps you fall asleep quicker, improves your sleep quality, promotes your ability to create the anti-aging melatonin hormone, jumpstarts your metabolism, decreases your risk of certain diseases including type 2 diabetes, enhances your mood and decreases your stress levels. In case your AC can’t cut it, invest in a cooling gel bed topper, a quiet fan or tuck yourself in wearing only a smile.
Sleep on it
Blankets should be soft, comfortable and washed regularly, and sheets should have a thread count of between 280 and 450. Anything higher will trap body heat. And while crisp, white linens sound dreamy, they actually reflect light and could cause restless nights. Blue sheets promote relaxation, gray and silver sheets mimic moonlight, light yellows and oranges evoke coziness and green sheets remind the body of the great outdoors. This natural verdant association can help you sleep like a log.
Sound asleep
To ensure sweet dreams, soundproof your bedroom by using noise-canceling headphones, white noise machines and soothing music to block out disruptive external noises. You also can install thick carpets, seal gaps around your doors and windows and hang acoustical foam or thick drapes around the room. In a pinch, blankets can do double duty when hung over door and window openings.
Sleep like a baby
When using your olfactory senses to create a serene and soothing atmosphere, there are many scents to turn to. Diffused bergamot boasts anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, chamomile recharges the mind and body, lavender helps overcome insomnia, sandalwood balances your mood, and ylang ylang slows down your system. You’ll also breathe easier when you clean and dust your bedroom regularly to keep allergens out of the air. Air purifiers are a plus as well.
Out like a light
Don’t be asleep at the switch when managing light sources in your master bedroom. Some suggest layering window treatments to encourage natural light by day and black out all distractions at night. For the best beauty sleep, remove all lamps without shades and bright alarm clocks from the room, and install low-wattage bulbs and dimmers to improve the mood. Whatever lighting you do choose, make sure you can turn them on and off from a supine position when hitting the hay.
