While your bedroom may need a wake-up call, make sure it's not a rude wake-up - best to avoid bright colours and jarring patterns. After all, this is a room for relaxing, an inviting retreat.

"The bedroom is your refuge, where you can unwind, where you can be comforted by your sublime surroundings," says designer Diane Bergeron of Melbourne-based Diane Bergeron Interiors.

"Restful" wallpaper or paint colours top her shopping list. "I love the look of wallpaper in a bedroom," she says. "It creates a peaceful surround. For the ultimate luxury, beautifully upholstered walls in the same fabric as the bedhead and window dressings are the answer."

Her fave fabric for a bedroom is her own Mulberry Reverse in Sea Glass. If you are opting for paint, she suggests a palette of blue-green or sandy pastels, such as Haymes Iced Chiff on, Blue Wash and Coconut Grove. "Whatever you do, make sure it's cosy, comfortable and clutter-free. Leave anything unresolved on the other side of the door!"

Here, as in other rooms, designer Greg Natale of Greg Natale Interior Designers applies "principles of layering - not just one thing is going to make it work - and then we make sure the many elements are cohesive".

A tight rein on the palette can work wonders there.

A bedhead, subtle or oversize, is his starting point but, while Bergeron may upholster the whole wall, creating one huge bedhead in effect, he opts instead to "layer" the wall and bedhead, which might be in fabric, leather, linen or velvet.

That option also leaves room for a piece of art above the bed to deliver an individual statement.

Furniture includes a stool or ottoman at theend of the bed, because "the bed needs to be anchored," Natale says. As a bedside, he might look to the Poliform or Minotti catalogues for something contemporary or US furniture makers Bolier for a traditional look.

Bedside tables should be as practical as they are beautiful, Bergeron adds. "They should be roomy enough for a reading light, books and an alarm clock, but put your phone away in another room for a tech-free, restful room. Th ey should also have a drawer to hide necessities, such as hand and foot cream."

Her current favourite is the Cayson orange/brass bedside.

Include a chair to drape jackets or long dresses, but, if you have the space, why not create a true parents' retreat, complete with sofa and coffee table, to create an adults-only precinct.

Also, if you have the room, include a small writing desk or dressing table, Bergeron adds.

"For the ultimate luxury, place the table in front of a window with a view."

And, of course, lighting for atmosphere is crucial to create mood in this after-hours retreat.

Apart from a pair of beautiful large lamps on either side of the bed, Bergeron says, "I also like a pair of sconces on a swing arm for the perfect reading light. Use both if you have the room."

Grand gestures don't need to be left outside the door - if you can carry it off , and your ceilings are tall, include a chandelier or a pendant, adds Natale, a standout being the Nemo Crown Plata Minor from Mondo Luce.

And, finally but never least, the bed linen - custom or Italian-made, with duvet, cushions and throw. Here, again, Natale applies the principles of layering, and, while the results may be relaxed, good style never nods off .

"Bedspreads feel more tailored. I am not a duvet kind of person," he says.