Published: 20/05/2021
As your very own sanctuary at home, your bedroom is the place to ease your mind out of today and recharge for tomorrow. And to would-be buyers who come to view, your bedrooms can have a dramatic impact on the impression your home creates – not just in how they look, but how they sound and feel.Boutique and luxury hotels are all about the bed. It's how we judge them more than anything else, from when we're first shown to our room, to testing the mattress, to finally going to sleep. The sheets, the pillows, the textures, the tones – they're all part of an experience that's been honed to perfection over hundreds of years.
In search of creating the five-star experience at home, we spoke to Berkhamsted resident and co-founder of Trade Linens, Robert Lancaster Gaye. His company supplies luxury bedding, towels and robes to the world's greatest hotels, including The Savoy, Claridges, The Dorchester and The Connaught.
Based just outside of Berkhamsted, the company’s online retail arm, Tielle Love Luxury, allows you to sleep on the exact linens you sleep on in luxury hotels in your own home. So with 50 years in the textiles industry, who better than Robert to offer advice?
MATERIAL DIFFERENCES
“Textiles are the key to soft and velvety acoustics,” says Robert. “Unroll a rug or hang some drapes, and the atmosphere of your bedroom transforms, turning cold echoes into soothing voices and silencing the world outside. Hotels work hard to ensure you can't hear other rooms, from high-quality carpets and underlay to the fabric on chairs and curtains.”
DARK ARTS
Light affects sleep, and by minimising the amount that permeates your bedroom at night – street lamps, the moon, an early sunrise – you lessen the chance of waking before you've slept a complete cycle. “Even if you're happy to wake with the dawn light at 5am, that doesn't leave time for a full night's rest if you're going to bed around 11 or midnight. Lined curtains will help you sleep better and longer while adding some hotel opulence,” adds Robert.
COORDINATED CALM
To create a sophisticated and restful space, hotels employ muted tones and often paint the wall behind the bed in a deeper, darker shade. The secret to a luxurious look is in the layering, so whether you're a lover of sumptuous hues, soft neutrals or crisp whites, mix your textures in complementing colours.
“White sheets and pillows are staples of hotel rooms because they never fade, no matter how many times they're washed. The perfect partners to every colour, white sheets and pillowcases give you a long-lasting and eternally stylish foundation that's always in fashion, and will never clash with your décor.”
COMFORTING CLOTH
For a full-body experience that's smooth on your skin and lovely to slide into, Robert recommends a 300 thread count woven from high-quality cotton , the choice of most hotels. But he warns it's not as simple as the number on the packaging, and price can be a clue. If it is £50 for a set, the thread count won’t matter because it’s unlikely to be high quality yarn. Hotels reject linens that aren't right, so if you don't like the feel, take them back."
FEATHERED FRIENDS
Plumping your pillows and stacking them vertically - rather than flat on the mattress – will help you achieve an elegant hotel style, but there's more to looks for a good night's sleep.
“Our heads spend around a third of our lives resting on pillows, so they're a vital component of support, comfort and rest. Investing in your pillows is money well spent, with natural fillings like feather and down more breathable and aiding your slumber,” adds Robert.
But for Robert’s final piece of bedroom advice, it’s simple: “everybody has a bed, goes to sleep, wakes up and is affected by the experience. Whatever colours and textiles you choose, your bedroom should make you happy.”
For inspiration and beautiful linen, visit Tielle Luxury linen at www.tielleloveluxury.co.uk