By Sarah Willcocks

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I’ve been burning the candle at both ends this past fortnight. Something’s gotta give. It is about time I gave up the copious cans of Red Bull and coffee (martinis) for a while and retreat into the sanctuary of the land of nod. I’m sure the full time parents, doctors, truck drivers and the plethora of young Australian creatives that I know are out there just trying to get ahead are with me when I say sleep has become a luxury for many of us. So my phone will be off the hook today and my email account will have an automatic away response. It’s time to catch some of those wonderful, precious, relaxing Zzzzz’s.

1. Creswick have been creating natural-fibre blankets from Merino, Alpaca, cashmere, bamboo and cotton for over 60 years. Sadly they are one of the last wool spinning mills in Australia. These Herringbone wool throw rugs are perfectly soft for picnics or, as I intend, wrapping myself cocoon like in for a while.

2. Botanics of Australia offer this relaxing bath soak that sounds good enough to eat. It contains organic milk with its lovely natural acids to exfoliate the skin, and Blue Gum honey from the blossoms of Tasmanian Eucalypts to hold the moisture in your skin while being soothing. The soak will have you ready for bed in no time.

3. Sometimes I feel like treating myself by wearing more than an old over-sized sweatshirt and trackies to bed. Designer Roslyn Bellerby’s sleepwear label Deshabille offers up the sweetest outfits for nighttime. This piece is her Florence robe. In a light, float-y white cotton and trimmed with lace it brings a little luxury to the boudoir. I may live in it all summer (evening) long.

4. What would a good snooze be without a fluffy pillow on which to lay your weary head? Ferm Living Australia are a local company with an eye on Danish home design and they sell silk pillows stuffed to the brim with feather down in great designs. I took a liking to this bird in a cage design (that is how I feel at the moment when I look at my ‘to-do’ list), but also like their quirky penny-farthing bicycle or the fashion crowd motif.

5. How can a luxury columnist not adore a company that calls themselves ‘Posh Pyjamas’? Apart from pyjamas they also sell bedtime accessories (the innocent kind); like this eye-mask in an ultra-feminine pink and white polka dot cotton. It was a toss-up choosing between this design and their cheeky monkey print. Eye-masks always remind me of a bygone era. The kind you see in old movies where the heroine sleeps with hot curlers in her hair and the single beds of married couples aren’t pushed together lest they be seen as obscene. There’s nothing wrong with bringing a touch of old Hollywood glamour into our modern dreamtime.

Image credits: 1. Creswick Wool 2. Botanics of Australia 3. Deshabille 4. Ferm Living Australia 5. Posh Pyjamas