Sweet Dreams – Creating an Ideal Bedroom

One third of a person's life is spent asleep, so ensuring that the bedroom is a comfortable and relaxing environment is extremely important. When redecorating a house, the bedroom is often forgotten as it's not usually seen by visitors, making a good impression on guests is mistakenly prioritised over comfort. This is daft when it's considered that a lumpy mattress will cause more grief in the long run than a lumpy sofa.

The wrong atmosphere in the bedroom can literally cause sleepless nights, tailoring the most important room in the house so that it's a relaxing haven means that a good night's sleep will be easily aided, and a good night’s sleep means a good day's work. Keeping the bedroom as a separate room for sleep means that it needs to be decorated specifically for the task.

Removing as much technology from a room as possible will create a calmer environment than if there's a TV, Xbox and telephone all plugged in. Try to keep distractions such as these out so that the bedroom is just a place for rest. Rather than sitting in bed watching TV watch it downstairs and then, when you do go up to bed, your subconcious will know time for sleep is approaching and you'll automatically start relaxing long before climbing between the sheets.

Talking of the bedding go for natural fabrics. Cotton is a clear winner, although silk can offer another natural and soft option. Change sheets and bedding regularly, at least once a week, to ensure that lovely clean sheet feeling as often as possible. In winter, go one step further and slip an electric blanket under the bottom sheet and enjoy the delight of a pre-warmed bed.

Obviously though, choosing the best bed is the key factor. Select either a frame or divan style that's at the best height for getting in an out – a littler person doesn't want to be clambering to get in and out and a taller person won't appreciate hoisting themselves up and down. Don't forget that the mattress will affect the finished overall height too. In fact, the mattress is probably the most important thing to consider.

Selecting the firmness of a mattress is easier than ever with the range of spring or memory foam mattresses now available. A winning compromise for most people is a spring mattress with a memory foam topper. The mattress is not the item to cut corners on, visit a specialist dealer such as Cosy Mattress and ensure that the most important third of a person's life is spent in the best way possible: in comfort.

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Redecorating Essex

Essex gets a bad press most of the time. Frequent portrayals of natives spray painted orange and zipped into impossibly tight miniskirts doesn't do this ancient county the justice it deserves. Home to Colchester and its amazing Roman ruins and one of the newest cities in the UK Chelmsford, this predominantly rural county has one of the highest demands for housing anywhere in England. 

Being a rural county it's best when redecorating to try and source as much as possible from as few places as possible. Roomes in Upminster is open seven days a week, and can cover essentials such as carpets and rugs, sofas and dining room tables. A well as being easily accessible to south Essex, Roomes is only a short drive under the Thames from Kent.

To avoid a caricature of brash Essex stereotypes, choose a classic or neutral colour palette. A warm oatmeal tone will complement gorgeous oak furniture and can be offset by warm, deep red tones. Selecting richer colours for décor and soft furnishings – such as lamps and scatter cushions – means that it's easy to change the theme of a room just by changing a few key decorations. This can save redecoration costs in the future if the basic colour scheme has good longevity.

Keeping a central wood theme (such as oak) throughout will unify the entire home. It's a trick exploited by many show homes and interior designers to make a house feels larger, as each room will flow into the next. When buying the key pieces for a home it's worth investing a little more money: a cheap sofa that falls apart after a year will only end up costing more in the long run that buying a better quality one to begin with. Sofas and dining tables are the two most common culprits of abuse in a family home. Ensuring sturdy ones are bought initially is a wise idea. 

Of course, if the inner Essex queen simply can't be reigned in go for durable leather options where possible. A leather recliner chair will be appreciated by any hardcore TV watcher and is also easy to keep clean, especially for any pet owners. Although if it's one of those teeny tiny chihuahuas make sure it doesn't get trapped underneath the foot rest! And finally, remember that although Essex might be a rural county it doesn't need to be rustic – keep modern and fresh and dress the house

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Creating an Ergonomic En Suite

 

Most new builds on the market come with that all important desirable feature: an en suite. Incorporating an en suite into an older property is a relatively quick and simple way to add great value to the property by allowing it to compete on estate agent's pages against newer and more extravagant options. 

Older properties – unlike new builds – tend to benefit from having larger rooms and built in cupboards and wardrobes, so finding space to insert a small bathroom into the master bedroom is easier than it might first appear. Removing built in storage areas and reworking the floor plan can easily create a small corner for a shower, loo and sink.

In addition, the boom in popularity of en suites means that special space saving bathroom suites are now available. One option, which at first appears strange but is actually very practical, is to choose a toilet where the sink is located over the cistern. It's surprising how much space can be saved by not having a separate toilet and sink, although it could take a while to get used to the idea! 

Shower cubicles can often be cumbersome in their design if bought ready made, instead design one to fit an awkward space – such as a corner – and customise to suit.  Wall cladding is a brilliant way to make a small space appear larger by offering light reflecting floor to ceiling options. A polished white marble effect bathroom wall panel will throw light back into the room making it appear bigger. Offset by chrome fittings a small space will appear chic and more spacious than it really is.

If natural light isn't an option invest in a clever lighting system. Eradicate room shrinking shadows with spotlights and make the lighting versatile so that a less bright version is available for any late night visits where you don't want to wake your other half. Again, selecting a reflective option such as chrome or crystal will create the illusion of grandeur in what might have previously been a neglected walk in wardrobe. 

However, as amazing as a master en suite is when it does come to selling up make sure the main bathroom is just as impressive and well kept because it's the family bathroom that'll probably get the most use. Consider fixing both up at the same time and creating a matching theme for them both to create continuity throughout. Creating a lovely home environment while living there, and a brilliant sales angle when it's time to move on.

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