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 Clarion Gate development in Chelmsford, 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.


- More -

…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 and Marketing Director at Crest Nicholson Eastern Ltd, comments: “When we designed the properties at Clarion Gate 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.”

Clarion Gate comprises an elegant collection of 153 traditional and contemporary styled one and two bedroom apartments and two, three and four bedroom houses. In tune with the local surroundings, when complete the scheme will be laid out across two complimentary, yet distinctive areas called The Village Green and The Avenues built around a newly formed village green.

Nearby Chelmsford Station provides fast and efficient services to London Liverpool Street taking approximately 35 minutes. Alternatively, the A12 is just a short drive from the scheme and provides direct routes south to the Capital and Colchester to the north.

Prices at Clarion Gate start from £150,000 for a one bedroom apartment. For further information about buying a home at Clarion Gate please contact 0870 757 8184. Alternatively, visit the Crest Nicholson website at: www.crestnicholson.com

- ENDS -

For further press information please contact Grayling:
Laura Greene T: 0207 025 7581 E: laura.greene@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.