A nationwide survey carried out by The Sleep Council has revealed that four in 10 people sleep poorly and the average amount of sleep a night is just 6.6 hours, almost 90 minutes short of the recommended guide of 8 hours. With March heralding National Bed Month; a month long celebration dedicated to the importance of a good night’s rest, award-winning developer Crest Nicholson, who are responsible for the Avante development in Coxheath, is turning its attention to the bedroom. In conjunction with colour specialist Dulux, Crest Nicholson are offering homebuyers tips on how to create the ideal environment to get a quality night’s sleep in.

A bad night’s sleep is known to lead to problems with concentration, memory, learning, and mood, making people more stressed, and affecting their emotional state and work performance. With this in mind, Crest Nicholson and Dulux are encouraging people to think carefully about what décor they decide on for their bedroom to help ensure they create a restful environment.

Louise Smith, Colour Expert at Dulux, whose paints decorate all of Crest Nicholson’s developments, comments: “When choosing a shade for your bedroom the type or nature of colour is even more important than the hue. For example, avoid brights and instead choose colours with a gentle, subtle effect. You can always add some drama through stronger accessories, but too much bold colour will simply stimulate your senses at precisely the moment you want to be calming them down. Greens, lilacs and blues are the most relaxing colours in the spectrum, as the wavelength of these colours are shorter than hotter hues like red and yellow, meaning that your eyes don’t have to work so hard.


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…2/ Louise continues: “We mainly decorate our bedrooms for the night time, but often forget to check how colour behaves under electric light. Twilight Cinders, Peddle Drift and Soft Fauna are some of my favourites night time shades (all available through Dulux Tailor Made Colour, In-store colour mixing)”

Other tips from Crest Nicholson to help create the ideal sleeping environment include:

1. Make sure your bedroom is clutter–free. One of the biggest hindrances to a good night’s sleep is a cluttered room. A tidy room not only brings peace of mind but also helps save time when getting ready for bed. Good storage space is essential - look for storage solutions under your bed to keep unnecessary clutter out of sight
2. Keep your room dark and quiet during sleeping hours. Make your bedroom a place for sleeping by ensuring that your environment is dark and quiet. You could try to use blackout blinds or dark curtains and make sure your TV and computer are turned off. Reduce other noisy distractions such as telephones and pets
3. Monitor room temperature and ventilation. Experiment with the room temperature - most people sleep best in a slightly cooler room with adequate ventilation. Make sure you choose the right bedding for the temperature that suits your sleeping patterns best
4. Make sure the bedroom’s primary use is for sleeping only. Ensure that the bedroom isn’t used for non-sleep related activities, such as eating, watching TV or talking on the phone. The bedroom needs to be associated solely with sleeping

Annette Cole, Sales & Marketing Director at Crest Nicholson Eastern, comments: “When we designed the properties at Avante we thought carefully about the design and layout of the bedrooms. We want to encourage homebuyers to think carefully about how to make their bedroom a sanctuary, which is why we ensure all of our bedrooms are a good size and include effective storage space. We decorate all of our bedrooms in neutral colours chosen from the Dulux range and can provide suggestions from our interior designs of how purchasers can decorate and furnish the room to produce the peaceful outcome that they seek.”


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…3/ Avante is an innovative collection of new contemporary one and two bedroom apartments and two, three and four bedroom houses in the heart of Kent. Designed as part of a sustainable community, the eco-design features at Avante have been carefully considered; firstly, all homes at the development have been rated ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’ by the EcoHomes independent system rating for domestic properties. Homes feature a whole-house ventilation system with heat recovery which provides a constant background flow of fresh tempered air to the home and extracts condensation - the result is lower humidity, a healthier living environment and lower energy bills.

Located in Coxheath in Kent, Avante is just four miles south of Maidstone. Well positioned, the development is situated a few miles from the M20. For further information about Avante please contact the sales and marketing suite on 0870 755 9830 or visit www.crestnicholson.com. Prices for a one bedroom apartment at Avante start from £139,500 and £210,000 for a three bedroom house.

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For further press information please contact Grayling:
Kathryn Morgan T: 0207 025 7545 E: kathryn.morgan@grayling.com

Notes to Editors:
Crest Nicholson
Crest Nicholson is a leading developer of sustainable communities whose mission is to meet customers’ expectations through the provision of environmentally sensitive and well-built developments. Dedicated to excellence in design and construction, to providing high quality locations and to customer service, each scheme has, as its main focus, the potential to generate a true community spirit through the incorporation of distinctive residential areas alongside open space. Visit www.crestnicholson.com.