Interior design to enhance your rest
Bedroom: interior design to rest
While it is true that we do not need many things to sleep beyond a good bed and being tired enough, the environment in which we do it can be decisive to achieve a good long-term rest. Minimalism as a style of conceiving interior design has come and gone for decades and is commonly associated with the Nordic style characterized by simple lines and natural materials, whose emblematic design pieces are used in many projects. In short, it would be to have what is just and necessary, but, misunderstood, minimalism can be very sad. So the recipe for the interior design of a bedroom can be richer and more complex without jeopardizing the possibility of falling asleep favorably. In my understanding, each client is a particular world and needs a specific approach based on their preferences and ways of living. The formulas do not usually work beyond the fashions.
Plants in the bedroom?
We have learned the general rule that it is not good to have plants in the bedroom, as they are said to consume oxygen during the night and that can pose a risk. While it is true that plants “breathe” consume oxygen and some do so especially at night, oxygen consumption is so low that in proportion we should be much more concerned with sleeping with the cat than with plants. In fact, there are some plants that produce oxygen at all hours, also at night, and are excellent air purifiers. Some examples are as common as sansevierias, ribbons, potos or aloe vera. So answering the question: no, better inside.
Shades and colors
There is nothing forbidden. The question is in finding a suitable combination. In the same family of colors, we can find different tones that combine with each other. Or, look for different colors in a similar shade. For example, we can look for pastel tones and combine turquoise, pink, and beige in textiles or wallpaper with the color of the furniture. To combine different colors we must take into account what is called the hue. A way of naming what we often do intuitively when combining colors but that has a formal basis to which professionals usually resort. When we realize that two very different colors combine perfectly, it is surely because they share a hue. In this way, we should not rule out stridency for our bedrooms because I believe that a chord with the personality of each one can be better than an excessively neutral environment. Imagine a brightly colored painting on the headboard of the bed. To go to sleep, the warm tones of the lighting will soften them and when we wake up they will give us the energy to start the day 100%.
Order and balance
Order is the best way to achieve a certain balance which is really essential for bedrooms. Despite this, we can achieve a certain balance without too much order in the things in the bedroom and, on the other hand, we can have all those things in order but the arrangement of furniture and elements in the bedroom transmit imbalance in the proportions that make us not being able to rest properly. As if you permanently have something to solve and it makes you stay alert. Imagine a crooked picture … because this occurs with many other elements that we do not pay attention to consciously but that undoubtedly influence our rest and we perceive unconsciously.
Nordic, bedspreads, blankets, sheets, …
Nowadays, there are high-quality duvet covers that allow us to enjoy the practicality of the all-in-one and make it easier for us to make the bed more quickly, without having to have sheets as the first contact with our skin. Although it is true that in order to achieve good ventilation we can choose to arrange different layers and shake them every morning to achieve the effect of freshness and avoid the presence of mites, our rhythm of life places practicality ahead of other virtues.
Despite this, both in winter and summer and without a doubt we prefer natural fabrics such as cotton or linen, which allow the skin to breathe and are pleasant to the touch. Touch is essential for rest, you just need to think about when to get into bed with the sheets just changed. A good fabric maintains that fantastic sensation for longer and favors our rest. If we have to choose one, we choose natural linen for the hottest months and Egyptian cotton for the cold months, although both can be used throughout the year.
Blinds ajar, closed or open?
In general terms and in ideal conditions, it is preferable to keep the blinds at a medium height at most and, if the atmospheric, security and noise conditions allow it, keep the window open for at least a couple of fingers. In this way, we maintain a minimum air exchange throughout the night and natural light helps us wake up without the shock of the alarm clock. But the truth is that these conditions will depend a lot on the orientation and situation of the particular bedroom. In our projects, we always try to reserve certain conditions for the rest area of the home and apply them in the distribution looking for the quietest environment and with the lowest incidence of noise or lighting from streetlights or outside shops. I wish we could all have the tranquility of a house in the country and not the hustle and bustle of the city for our best rest.
What if we could wake up without an alarm clock?
That would be ideal, but it takes some initial discipline until you develop a habit. That is, the problem begins at the moment of going to sleep, not at the moment of waking up. Often times, we go to sleep later than we should for different reasons. Some more important than others. The point is, tomorrow’s obligations don’t wait and we often can’t wait for sunrise to wake up naturally after a full night’s rest. Ideally, it would be to develop a habit in reference to when we go to sleep that ensures sufficient time of rest. It is important to mention all the associated rituals that predispose us to a good rest, such as reading a chapter of a good book in your reading corner or sitting on the kitchen island to have an infusion while listening to a radio program. All these rituals are part of the briefing that we need from our clients to imagine their home. These are details that we imagine and that underpin the success of any interior design project. In short, if the spaces we design fit and enhance the ways of living we want.
Purify and ventilate
It is evident, now more than ever, that what is to come may surprise us. In any case, I believe that we can adopt many healthy habits, known to all and often forgotten, that can protect us more than certain extras. Current circumstances have allowed us to rediscover our homes and take care of them a little more than we have been doing. We are convinced that the simple fact of properly ventilating the bedroom every day is something we do now because we are more at home, than when we had to go to the office and the rush and commitments took us away from home. Nobody knows what the world of the future will be like, what does seem evident is that our homes gain prominence and we must deal with them as environments designed to favor our well-being.
