Sweet sleeps, from bright sheets to sleek screens

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      Floral Slumber
      The official start of spring may still be a few weeks away, but urban dwellers can bring the freshness of the season into the bedroom now. The newest bedding collection at Pottery Barn (2600 Granville Street) is all about bright patterns, inspired by turn-of-the-last-century botanical illustrations. Take the Fauna duvet cover and pillow sham ($29.50 to $129), covered in a rainbow of hues depicting ferns, butterflies, birds, and dragonflies. Plants and insects were hand-drawn by the company’s designers. Similarly, the Flora Garden print ($39.50 to $149) will instantly cheer up any bedroom with its bright array of butterflies, poppies, tulips, and wild flowers. All Pottery Barn duvet covers and pillow shams are made from 200-thread-count cotton and are available in twin, full/queen, and king sizes.

      Expand Furniture’s DIY loft.

      Lofty Living
      When space is limited, every piece of furniture should serve multiple purposes. Vancouver’s Expand Furniture (3305–1009 Expo Boulevard) specializes in space-saving pieces that help make small homes feel larger. Here, hidden Murphy-type beds come in a variety of styles, including ones that retract into sofas and others that can be hidden behind bookcases. For a sleek living-room look, we like Expand’s cabinet beds ($2,199), which include a bed that folds up neatly into a two-door cabinet. Customizable colour and hardware options mean this hidden bed will easily blend into any space. City dwellers lucky enough to have high ceilings could opt for one of three DIY loft kits (starting at $2,000). Retreat up a ladder to an elevated “bedroom” that’s height- and width-adjustable and that you can install on your own. A guardrail keeps this mezzanine space safe and cozy.

      Gus Design Group’s no-box-spring bed.

      Unbox Your Bed
      In the world of bedroom furniture, box springs—and let’s face it, dust-collecting bed skirts—are outdated and unnecessary. Toronto-based Gus Design Group offers a range of modern home furniture that’s available in Vancouver at Fullhouse Modern (1545 West 4th Avenue), Stylegarage (124 West Hastings Street), and OMG It’s Small (1400 Marine Drive, North Vancouver). The company’s spring collection includes two new beds that keep clean lines and minimal design in mind. The Switch (starting at $2,399) combines shiny stainless-steel legs and an upholstered base with a sturdy mattress-suspension system that eliminates the need for a box spring. The most unusual feature of the bed is the headboard, which can easily be reversed to display one of the two stitched patterns on either side. For an even sleeker look, the Midway Bed (starting at $2,399) has an all-steel frame with a simple, upholstered headboard.

      West Elm’s reclaimed-wood nightstand.

      Pining For Wood
      Old wood gets a new lease on life in this bedroom furniture at West Elm (2947 Granville Street), where the Emmerson Reclaimed Wood 2-Drawer Nightstand ($399) exudes rustic charm. Sourcing pine from old shipping pallets and packing crates means that every piece is unique. Two roomy drawers make for abundant storage options by the bedside. For an old-meets-new mix that’s just as functional, West Elm’s Reclaimed Wood + Lacquer Nightstand ($349) combines old pine with sleek white lacquer. Metal legs with a bronze finish add an industrial quality to the eye-catching piece. You’ll find reclaimed wood used on a larger scale at EQ3 (2301 Granville Street): here, reclaimed teak salvaged in Indonesia is used in several styles of dresser. A three-drawer dresser measuring 86 centimetres wide, 84 centimetres tall, and 47 centimetres deep is priced around $700, with larger six-drawer dressers starting at $1,099.

      Moe’s Home Collection’s Dallin screen.

      Pop-up Room
      Living in a bachelor or studio apartment doesn’t mean your bedroom has to be on display. Standing screens can help temporarily divide one large room into several intimate spaces. The Dallin screen ($669 at Moe’s Home Collection [1728 Glen Drive; 125–1305 Welch Street, North Vancouver]) comes in two colours—dark brown and black hardwood—and measures 1.5 metres wide and 1.6 metres high. Wooden slats that run horizontally are spaced slightly apart for an airy, open feel while providing some privacy. For even greater coverage, the Damani screen ($1,289 at Moe’s Home Collection) has a width of three metres and a height of 1.8 metres. Create a pop-up guest room with the Risör divider ($149 at IKEA [3320 Jacombs Road, Richmond; 1000 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam]), made from solid pine and durable polypropylene. The tri-fold screen opens to two metres wide and 1.8 metres high, and can easily be stowed away when not in use.

      You can follow Michelle da Silva on Twitter at twitter.com/michdas

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