How do you sleep?

Designing a bedroom can be challenging even though it can seem obvious because it’s use is straight forward- A bed with side tables, a desk and maybe a storage unit and artwork. However, it’s the simplicity that makes it deceptively complex. A bed is not a small piece of furniture and even a single bed needs a room that is at least 3×3 meters to comfortably accommodate it. That’s a reasonable amount of real estate afforded to a space that you probably don’t enter during the day and only sleep in at night. When you multiply that by the number of family members in need of their own room you end up with most of the house made up of space that is either unused or used unconsciously. In a time when houses are becoming too big and expensive this begs the question- do we need bedrooms in the traditional sense? Whatever happened to the idea of sharing rooms, even with multiple people in the traditional boarding school style? That however is a different topic which Wolf Architects have explored in another article called Alternative Lifestyle houses.
In a time where our minds are cluttered with information, modern technologies and stresses, we need one space in our home that we can retreat to for privacy and sanctuary. Having less traffic, a bedroom can feel cleaner and less cluttered. A desk might be used to contemplate, draw or write at, rather than for work. A chaise lounge or arm chair and side table encourages those breathing moments between scheduled life to relax. Throw in a storage unit or a nice piece of furniture and a bedroom will require 3.5m x 3.5m to achieve all we want from it.
Master bedrooms requiring either a Queen or King sized bed need to be larger. At WOLF Architects we start our master bedroom sizes at 4 x 3.5m and increase from there, depending on how luxurious or generous the project is with available space and budget. Size however is only a practical consideration. With quality of sleep becoming ever important and increasingly difficult to achieve, we need our bedroom to disconnect us from the day’s activities. We’ve noticed a trend towards soundproofing and minimalist interiors to reduce distraction. Many clients request a screen free space to ensure they can disconnect from the outside world, allowing architecture to refocus us at the start and end of each day on those closest to us. The bedroom can be a meditative sanctuary with windows that capture nature and provide fresh air.
Bedrooms are often overlooked by designers because they seem less interesting. How many bedrooms have you noticed in design magazines or architectural publications? It’s always the double height living rooms with open void spaces and the sleek bathrooms and kitchens that get professionally photographed. The bedroom is almost an afterthought because it’s not public enough to serve our vanity. Add to that the lack of competitively priced contemporary bedroom furniture. As a specialist in contemporary homes our interior designers often struggle to find beds that match our houses unless you have an open cheque book or custom make the items.
Wolf Architects have always given the bedroom a high priority because we understand the value of a good night’s sleep. Whether it’s a nursery or grand master bedroom it must have the right energy and ambience to transition us from feeling restless to peaceful. Simultaneously we inject intimacy and character to reflect the personal nature of our client using their room.
These several points make bedrooms more than just a room for a bed. The next time you walk into your bedroom try asking yourself if it feels like an immaculate well-crafted space which enhances that beauty sleep considered so essential to feeling healthy and performing well during the day.