Of Beds & Bedrooms

One day while I was out shopping with my guru in the home section of our favorite department store, I asked her opinion on whether I should buy a bedding set that was on sale but was still quite more expensive than what I would normally buy. Her advice was that when it comes to my bed and bedding, I should always treat myself more luxuriously because it’s my sacred place for rest and relaxation. That insight had not occurred to me until then — it turns out she’s my guru not only when it comes to spiritual matters but on practical living as well.   But think about it: following the ideal that we get eight hours of sleep every day, then it means that we actually spend 1/3 of each day of our lives in bed.

So for me, that means we should really pay more attention to our bedrooms and beds, what we put on them, and how well we sleep on them.

Currently, my bedroom is mostly done up in white (white doors, white walls), with simple bedding sheet sets of pillows and fitted sheets.  While I may be in the mood for color and prints in the bedroom,  I prefer the elegance and decadent simplicity of plain white sheets (as if I’m in a hotel on vacation).  And while I usually like burying myself in the duvet plus extra flat sheets with the airconditioning turned on full blast, lately, especially with the summer heat, I just make use of flat sheets as blankets.  There’s no TV in the bedroom and instead, I like to read books to wind down and help me sleep. The bed faces an accent wall with an interesting shade of slate blue, and a wooden sign found at a flea market that literally reminds to me relax.  As seen in these photos:

{Portraits by Dianna Capco}

Living in a rental condo, I didn’t have the inclination to change the color of the accent wall.  But now that I’m about to be married, giving extra care and thought to my bedroom has been more on my mind and lately, I’ve found myself dreaming about how I will decorate the bedroom that I will share with my husband after our wedding in our future home.

If everything were just up to me, I would love to have a predominantly white, neutral bedroom—but not in the minimalist sense but definitely cozy, with either a little touch of glam or even rustic.  Perhaps little pops of color, but only as accents.   Like these pegs:

Serendipitously enough, I was introduced recently to a partner site,  Parachute Home, a US-based company that provides premium quality and luxury bedding but at affordable prices.  Their products are designed in LA, made in Italy, and they even ship internationally.

Browsing through their shop and their lovely blog has inspired me to explore what I’d like to have in my future bedroom and how to elevate my concept of a bedroom from somewhere just to sleep after getting home from work to an actual sacred space for relaxation, romance, and soothing the soul.  And with that, the emphasis on why treating myself to the best bed and bedroom I can afford is definitely a worthy splurge.

Aside from a good mattress, the basic foundation for good bedding is definitely a sheet set (fitted sheet and pillowcases) + a duvet.  And this time, not just any ordinary dorm room style bedding but luxuriously grown-up and with emphasis on quality. Parachute Home’s bestseller is The Venice, their signature bedding set.  Of course, I’d like to have one in solid white.

I find that changing up the color of a whole bedding set is also an easy way to instantly change the mood and feel of the bedroom—easier and cheaper than repainting the walls at least!  For me, a good contrast to white and when I’m in the mood for something more calming is this Venice set in a cool shade of slate.

Exploring the Parachute blog has also got me thinking about other bedroom, bedding, and sleep-related issues.  I love this post on choosing the right bedroom color (especially the tip for couples) and this post’s practical tips on breathing yourself to sleep is perfect for any random bout of insomnia.  And for the curious and inquisitive me, even the difference between percale and sateen, and why thread count, apparently, doesn’t count!

On the other hand, this post got me further researching about the whole purpose of flat or top sheets —apparently, they’re mostly used in the States while in Europe, people just have a duvet on top of a fitted sheet.  Of course, here in the Philippines, we’ve adopted the American way of using flat sheets.  Personally, I don’t know how to do hospital corners (although I love the feel of them when I’m staying in hotels) and I don’t think I’d ever master it well enough to do it in my bedroom.  I’ve resolved to just adopt the European way and use a duvet + fitted sheet combo, and it’s just so much easier to make the bed in the mornings this way (plus I’m sure my French fiancé will not find anything missing since they don’t use flat sheets at home!).

Of course, this “European way” of sleeping without top/flat sheets makes having a very good duvet and/or comforter  (plus a protective and practical duvet cover) that much more important.  This goose down comforter has got me dreaming of autumn or winter nights in France and cozily slipping under the warm covers:

Once the foundation for good bedding is set, it just takes a few add-ons for extra luxury, such as pillow shams and cashmere throws.  Of course, I’d also like my bedroom to have lots of natural light during the day and warm, beautiful lighting at night—either through lamps (especially for reading!) or candles (see more bedroom lighting tips here).

There used to be a time when to me, a bed was just a bed—basically somewhere I’d sleep the night and rest when I’m tired.  But now, at this point in my life, when stress is a daily battle I have to conquer, my bedroom (and especially my bed) has become more of a place of sanctuary from stress and daily life, and a sacred space to rejuvenate not only by sleeping but a space to quietly read, meditate, or maybe even just stare into space! I look forward to sharing the sacred space of the bedroom with my fiancé when we get married —a place for deep heart-to-heart talks, the intimate act of sleeping together (not in the context of sex), and basically the best sanctuary and space for us to be a married couple in our future home.  And definitely, I promise myself (and I promise my guru!) that as newlyweds, we’ll make sure to invest in the best bed and bedding that we can afford.

With sleep and our bedrooms playing such an important role in our lives and our well-being, one should really wonder why we don’t give much more time and attention to how we decorate our bedrooms and how we ought to get better sleep.  Think about it—if we can splurge on good food and well-made clothes, I believe that there’s definitely more reason to spend on the best bed and bedding that our hard-earned money can buy. Don’t you agree? 🙂

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

(Top photo via Parachute Home)latest Running | 100 – Ietp – nike kd vi squeak and light blue – Travis Scott X Air Jordan 1 Mid White Black Brown 555088