When it comes to getting a good nights sleep, we’re all guilting of not paying enough attention to the little things that make a huge difference.

In this blog, we’re going to teach you two things: the first will be how to declutter your bedroom and create a calming, serene environment, and the second will be our top 10 tips, tried and tested, to getting a great nights sleep - ensuring you wake up refreshed and energised to be productive and live life to the fullest.

Decluttering Your Bedroom

Furniture

The first thing to do when it comes to clearing out your bedroom is to look at the furniture you have in your space. If your room is a riot of mismatched furniture filling every available corner, it’s going to look, and feel, cluttered.

Before we get into the detail of the general “clutter” we have in our bedrooms, we need to make the space as simple, clean-lined and efficient as possible. That bench at the end of your bed may look great, but if it’s not serving a purpose it’s taking up space and feeling messy.

In your bedroom, regardless of size, all you need is the following:

• Comfy Bed
• Bedside Tables
• Dresser
• Wardrobe
• Lighting

If you have the space, you may want to introduce a statement chair or a dressing table, but the less we have in our bedrooms the better.

It’s key to keep your furniture unfussy and neutral. Although pink painted dresser tables with gold inlay looks amazing, it’s not going to do your head much good when you’re trying to relax. Instead, stick to soft neutrals and natural textures. If you want to introduce a splash of colour, save this for your bed or bedding, and keep the rest simple.

Storage Furniture

As we tend to have a lot of stuff in our bedrooms, be sure to look for clever home storage solutions in your furniture. Think about chest of drawers, bedside tables, an ottoman, fitted wardrobes or a bed with hidden storage. We even stock footstools with storage!

We’re going to focus on beds, as there is a wide array of different options you can choose which have maximum storage to suit any look you’re after, but be sure to check out our website for other storage and bedroom furniture.

Under-bed Storage

If you prefer a lighter look, choose a bed with enough clearance under to fit handy under-bed storage boxes. Just be sure to choose good quality storage boxes, as these will be seen.

Clear boxes seem like a great idea, but you will be showing off the clutter. Instead, opt for a solid colour box or white drawer on wheels to keep your room looking simple and de-cluttered.

Our Hector Bed is a great option if you want to stick to a streamlined look but be able to store things under your bed. If you want to keep your space open you can explore other storage solutions, otherwise this bed is a great option for minimal storage.

The Mellow Bed is also great for under-bed storage, but makes a little more of a statement with its plush velvet curved headboard.

Bed with Drawers

If you want a bit more depth and easy access storage, think about a divan bed with drawers. Built-in drawers are great for storing clothes, shoes or extra bedding as you can quickly and easily get whatever you need without crawling under the bed. What's more - your bits will be protected from dust keeping them clean and fresh.

Storage Bed

Finally, most popular in our bed range is the storage bed – we have it available in sizes from a double ottoman bed to a king size ottoman bed, and now even super king!

With an ottoman bed, you maximise your storage space by having almost the entire size of your mattress as extra storage space. Again, this type or storage is ideal for extra bedding and towels if your home doesn’t have an airing cupboard, or to keep your summer wardrobe clean and fresh during those long winter months. The Amalfi, Manolo and Turin beds are ideal options for maximum storage. Simple lift the slatted base to access your bits and bobs.

Our storage beds have been carefully and thoughtfully constructed using high quality hydraulic pistons, allowing for a smooth and sturdy opening. This means you can easily lift your bed up without taking the full weight, and that your bed will stay up without you having to hold it up.

Bedroom Decluttering

Now you have your furniture and storage sorted, let’s look at what we can clear out from our bedrooms.

What do you use your room for? I’d imagine it’s for sleeping, relaxing and getting dressed. The only things we should keep in our rooms are:

• Clothes – neatly tidied away in our wardrobe and drawers.
• Beauty products – should be displayed nicely on a bedside surface or managed in drawers for easy access but minimal clutter. Only keep the essentials in your bedroom.
• Books – keep a few of your recently reads close by. Don’t keep your entire book collection in your bedroom- it will only collect dust and make your room feel messy.
• Clocks and lamps – should be small and well-coordinated to the rest of your decor.

Top Tip: Keep your bedside tables clear by choosing pendant lamps. This will free up your surface, making it feel less cluttered.

• Photos – keep a couple of your favourite pictures of your loved ones nearby.

That should be all you need in your bedroom. Anything else, either clear it out or think logically and store in a more suitable room, like the kitchen, living room or study.

What To Look For When Buying a Bed

A high quality, comfy bed is a must for getting a good nights sleep. There are a few key features to look out for which will result in a comfortable bed, and therefore a great nights sleep.

All of our bed frames have sprung slats that have been designed to increase the overall comfort of the bed. This is because your bed frame is effectively helping your mattress be in the best, most supportive position. Sprung slats are a really premium and considered feature that will help you get the most out of your bed and mattress.

You also want to make sure you have a really high quality, comfortable mattress. A pocket sprung mattress offers optimal comfort and stability, and usually comes in a variety of different firmness’s.

Where possible you should try to test a mattress before you buy, but if you’re buying online, check the returns policy carefully!

For extra comfort or to update an older mattress, look at investing in a mattress topper. These are available in many different materials, from memory foam to feather. Whatever you choose you’ll be adding an extra layer of comfort and support to your bed.

Looking After Your Furniture 

No matter how many jobs you have to do around the house, the beauty of your bedroom is that you can just shut the door on everything. The pile of laundry waiting to be folded, the vacuuming you promised you were going to do today - if you can't see it, it's not a problem. 

That is until some of those niggling chores creep into your bedroom. Two of the most common DIY tasks in any bedroom are wardrobe doors that no longer shut properly and drawers that don't close as smoothly as they should. In most cases, these are jobs that can be fixed in less than two minutes with just a screwdriver and some know-how. Watch our videos below and sleep soundly knowing that's two more tasks ticked off your to do list...

 

 

How To Get a Good Nights Sleep

A high quality bed, comfy mattress and clear and decluttered bedroom will do wonders for your sleep quality, however if we don’t take note of our behaviours throughout the day, all that hard work can be easily undone.

Modern technology makes switching off very hard, with emails pinging up all evening, instagram and TV shows keeping us “entertained”, our brains have little chance to wind down at the end of the day.

To ensure a great nights sleep, try these 8 simple tips:

1. Go to bed and get up the same time each day. That includes the weekend. If we get into a routine, our body clock will kick into gear and know when rest is coming. This, in turn, makes waking up much easier and leading to a more productive day.
2. Reduce screen time. We may think scrolling through Insta is a calming thing to do, but its the complete opposite. The images we’re viewing are very visually impactful, and the blue light emitted from our phones is scientifically proven to stop us from switching off and sleeping better. Avoid using your phone 2 hours before bed, and try reading a book in a softly lit room instead.
3. Practice sleep hygiene. Experts say our bed should be used for sleeping and sex only. So if you’re partial to watching TV in bed or reading a book, try going without for a few weeks and see how you feel. Remove the TV from your bedroom to remove temptation and give it a go.
4. Watch what you eat. Cutting back on caffeine and sugars before bed it a well-known method for a better nights sleep, however we really shouldn’t eat anything at least 2 hours before we go to bed. We need to give our digestive systems a chance to work before our body goes into rest mode.
5. Wind down and try to reduce stress. By turning off our phones and avoiding highly stimulating activities such as watching tv will help relax the mind. If you struggle with stress and anxiety, try meditating or again, reading in the hours before bed. A hot bath and soothing music will also help relax you.
6. Fill your home with aromatherapy. The smell of lavender is proved to instantly make you feel calmer, so look to invest in a good room diffuser, or a nice pillow spray to help wind down.
7. Keep your bedroom cool. We all know our bodies need to cool before we sleep, so keep your bedroom a little bit cooler than the rest of your house. Not only will you sleep better, but it will make getting into bed that little bit cosier.
8. Practice Mindfulness. If like me, you find it really hard to switch off, practice mindfulness before bed. This could be a wide array of things, but if your laying in bed struggling to drop off due to a whirring mind, try to refocus your attention. Focus on what you can hear, be it people outside of a ticking clock. I think focusing on the clock ticking in my room helps calm me. As I count the ticks of the second hand I soon drift off with ease.

We’ve also asked some of you what helps you drift off at night. Although everyone is different, it’s worth giving these a try also;

• Get in some exercise during the day. You’ll naturally tire yourself out helping to fall asleep and stay asleep.
• Try meditation apps such as Headspace or Insight Timer. These guided meditation apps will help you refocus your attention and forget the worries of the day.
• Listening to a podcast can help with stress levels throughout the day anyway, but listening to one at night will again help calm your mind and focus on something else.

There you have it. By decluttering your room and practising some self care in the evenings, we should all be sleeping much better and waking up brighter, more refreshed and kinder, ready to face the day ahead.

 

Updated: 17th April 2023