The kitchen isn’t the heart of the home – the master bedroom is. After all, you spend at least eight hours there every night, hopefully far longer than you spend in the kitchen. It should be a considered space, engineered and designed to enhance relaxation and of course encourage a healthy night’s sleep.
Designing the ideal bedroom isn’t a walk in the park, however. You’ll need to get the basic essentials and little luxuries right first, before you even start worrying about the way it looks. Keep these essentials in mind and your bedroom will be a masterpiece.
A comfortable and well-made mattress if your best weapon against sleep deprivation.
A 2016 Sleep Health Foundation report found that as many as 45 per cent of Australians suffer from inadequate or poor quality sleep. Restless nights wreak havoc on the following days, in fact, in the three months up to the study 29 per cent of people reported making mistakes at work because of a lack of sleep.
A comfortable and well-made mattress is your best weapon against sleep deprivation, and the perfect foundation to build a master bedroom around. Spend a little extra money on yours, or update it if it’s aging quickly, and your body and mind will thank you for it.
Next, consider your bedhead – it can be a piece of furniture in itself. If you like reading before bed consider purchasing a soft, upholstered bedhead to lean against, or if not you could use it as a colourful feature to spice up your room’s design.
Lighting is your bedroom’s most essential design element.
Lighting is your bedroom’s most essential design element, because no matter how beautiful it is, it won’t look any good in the dark. For that reason you must make sure you have plenty light, including specialist task lighting above your bed for reading, and in your ensuite for getting ready in the morning.
However, your lighting’s only purpose needn’t be chasing the dark away. Chandeliers, metallic designer lamps and highlighting can all add to your room’s design, while also being functional. Dimmers are also a brilliant idea, perfect for easing you into a good nights sleep with soft lighting.
A University of Michigan study found that views from your home have the effect of restoring your mental energy, helping your brain to relax and recuperate from stress. Several other studies have found the same thing, that enjoying a beautiful or interesting view is good for our mental wellbeing.
There are few better places to enjoy this affect than in the master bedroom. It’s where you wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night, meaning it may be where you benefit most from a good view. When building a new home, the master bedroom should always be faced towards nature or whatever interesting landscape can be seen from your home. The more windows, the better.
If you want to improve your current master bedroom this could be as simple as improving the garden it looks onto, or landscaping and upgrading your windows.
A University of Michigan study found that views from your home have the effect of restoring your mental energy.
A large walk-in closet may seem like an unnecessary luxury, especially to those with a limited selection of clothes. However, they’re also incredibly practical and can act as extra storage to keep the main floor of your bedroom uncluttered. Anything from your Ipad to your dirty clothes and sheets can be stored out of sight.
Numerous studies have found that a messy bedroom can impede rest and relaxation, making it harder to get a good nights sleep. That extra bit of space can make all the difference, giving you a place to put everything that may have otherwise ended up strewn across the floor. Plus having a roomy wardrobe will give you a good excuse to go shopping!
Imagine waking up in the morning, walking into your ensuite and feeling a faint warmth on the soles of your feet or jumping out of the shower in winter, and not even feeling a slight chill. Underfloor heating feels like true luxury and it’s actually fairly cheap to run – Radiant Floor Heating estimates that per bathroom it’ll set you back about 18 cents and hour.
Whatever the costs are, you’ll get them back in enjoyment and comfort at home and perhaps even a better nights sleep. Plus, if your renovations and changes are tasteful and considered they could even make you money by increasing the value of your home.
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