Your bedroom is your sanctuary – it's where you rest, relax and recharge after a hard day's work. It's important to bear this in mind when you design your bedroom interior. Of course you want to create a space you like and want to spend time in – the bedroom needs to reflect your personality - but at the same time think about creating an atmosphere of calm and tranquillity to promote relaxation. So, how can this best be achieved? Take a look below for some ideas that may inspire you...

Colour

Let's start with the colour scheme, which is absolutely crucial in a bedroom. Think about it: would you paint a child's bedroom fire engine red? No. Why? Because you'd be worried about your little one not going down at night. Red (and orange too) is an active colour that stimulates the brain – quite the opposite of what you want in a bedroom. The same goes for vivid and wild wallpaper patterns. Instead, go for muted tones or pastels and add little pops of accents colour (red cushions perhaps?) for interest.

Handily, you can also use colour to counterbalance the natural temperature of your bedroom. Is it a cool room? Add peach or a warm shade of cream/brown. Conversely, use pale blue or minty green in a warm room to bring the temperature down. The best thing is that you can find custom pendant lighting, bedsheets, art, and a whole variety of things to ensure that the colour scheme stays consistent throughout the bedroom design and creates a fully relaxing environment.

Your Bed

This is the most important piece of furniture in the bedroom; the clue is in the name. Comfort is the most important consideration here. After all, you'll be spending an average of 8 hours a night in your bed – that's 56 hours a week, just over 240 hours per month and nearly 3,000 hours every year!

Choose your mattress carefully and replace it every 10 years at least. A firm mattress provides more support for your back and is especially recommended if you sleep on your front, while a softer mattress may be more comfortable if you're used to sleeping on your back.

Check your duvet is appropriate for the time of year; the tog rating should tell you if it's more suitable for winter, summer or all-round. If you feel that you might require a new duvet, maybe because your current one is inadequate, it might be time for an upgrade; exploring the Luxury Linens by Caza Cavour could be the perfect solution.

Window Dressing

Curtains are nice, but if you have a streetlight outside your window or you work shifts and sleep during the day, you may need blackout fabric to keep out the light. This special type of fabric can be incorporated into curtains, or you could have separate blackout blinds in a colour that blends in with your room design.

If you don't like the ‘swishiness' of curtain fabric, have you considered Venetian blinds or Window Coverings instead? These are subtle and stylish - you don't always have to choose curtains!

Space

Fact: a cluttered room does not make for a calm atmosphere. If you want to feel serene and peaceful as you lie in bed, make sure the space around you lets you breathe! Consider the furniture in your bedroom: what is actually needed? If there's no space for a desk, then don't try to squeeze one in. Use a chest of drawers as a dressing table if you don't have room for both. The old mantra applies: less is more.

Technology

Finally, if your intention is to get 8 hours' sleep every night, you would be well advised to steer clear of anything too stimulating. And by that I mean TV, computers, mobile phones ... we have them in our lives all day long, so please do your brain a favour: keep technology out of the bedroom and give your body a chance to recharge.

Article provided by Mike James, an independent content writer in the property industry – working together with a selection of companies in the sector, including renowned interior designer Furnished by Anna, who were consulted over the information in this piece.