MANILA, Philippines?You can probably do away with fancy floors or settle for cheaper drapes in the bedroom, but never scrimp on bed linens. It could cost you many a good night?s sleep and even ruin an otherwise intimate moment.

?Getting enough sleep these days has become a luxury for almost everybody,? says TV host Daphne Oseña Paez. ?Since we spend 1/3 of our lives in bed, we might as well make sure that our bedrooms are conducive enough for sleeping.?

This piece of advice from Paez, producer and host of the magazine show ?Urban Zone,? assumes significance now that she?s lending her name and design sensibilities to a line of imported bed sheets, blankets and pillow cases.

The mother of two girls, Sophia and Lily, and wife to seasoned journalist Patrick Paez is working with Linens Direct, a local startup company importing bed linens from India and Pakistan.

Paez?s latest collaboration comes at a time when the couple just had their three bedrooms refurbished from an all-brown, ?hodgepodge? affair to their idea of uncluttered hotel living.

?It feels so good to wake up in the morning,? she says. ?We feel like we?re lying on a cloud. There are days when all we want to do is to stay in bed.?

The family has been living in the Paez home in Parañaque?a stylized wood-and-concrete structure with louvers and sliding capiz windows crowned with colored sheets of apple glass. They?ve been living there for five years now. The hubby, who grew up in the house, inherited the two-story property from his parents.

Passion for design

The four-month renovation had nothing to do with her involvement with Linens Direct, which came a bit later. Both developments, however, have everything to do with her passion for anything and everything involving interior design and home accessories.

?We?ve had the first floor of this house renovated four years ago,? she says. ?It was only recently that we felt the need to do something about our bedrooms.?

In deference to her husband?s siblings and the memories they hold dear, Paez makes it a point to inform them before she and the hubby embark on any major renovation project.

?I?m happy to say that my in-laws, especially Patrick?s sister, were happy with the results,? says Paez. ?My New York-based sister-in-law also loves fashion and interior design.?

Before they could even think of a color scheme, the couple and architect Alex Co agreed that the three bedrooms, especially the master, needed to be streamlined and further divided into zones. That included separate closets for husband and wife.

?My husband is a simple guy, but I?m not,? says an amused Daphne. ?We used to share a closet. He didn?t seem to mind that my stuff was everywhere, even in the girls? closet, until my shoes started encroaching on his space.?

Paez?s new closet comes with a walk-in space. A wall separates it from the rest of the master bedroom. The space, in turn, is next to a door leading to the children?s bedroom.

?Having my own private space is certainly a treat,? she says. ?But even a big walk-in closet won?t be enough if I don?t make an effort to be more selective.?

As it was, the master bedroom hosted everything, including their respective work areas and Lily?s crib. They even used the conjugal bed to work on their respective laptops. There was no workroom to speak of, as the couple?s household staff used to occupy an adjacent bedroom.

?We later had to build separate quarters for them outside the house to free their room before converting it into our own home office-cum-guest room,? says Paez.

Since the house was made predominantly of wood, the bedrooms had an earthy hue that was complemented by a series of clerestory windows (colored sheets of apple glass), louvers and sliding capiz panels.

?The house was perfect then since it allowed natural light and cross ventilation in,? says the hubby. ?Today?s urban heat, however, made it necessary for us to have the bedrooms air-conditioned. The old design wasn?t practical anymore.?

They didn?t remove any windows, but had to drastically cut down their number by covering most of them with a series of dry walls. The remaining capiz panels were refurbished and shut tight to keep the cold air from escaping.

?Since we had the number of windows lessened and remaining ones repaired, our electricity bills have gone down dramatically,? says Paez.

Ceiling changed

The ceiling in the master bedroom also underwent a major redesign. The entire ceiling trusses were replaced with Matwood (a ?termite-proof? brand Paez endorses) to make way for cove lights and a series of pin lights.

?More than the wall?s color, it?s actually the room?s light which sets the overall mood,? Paez adds.

Each set of lights can be turned on either individually or simultaneously. Apart from these twin sources of artificial illumination, Daphne and Patrick each has a bedside lamp for reading.

The bathroom also metamorphosed from an all-white space made of big tiles, to one with a cool light green hue. To achieve such a look, the couple chose Bisazza greenish mother-of-pearl mosaic tiles with gold-plated accent pieces.

Paez completed the entire setup by giving it an art-deco feel courtesy of new, more linear toilet fixtures. The couple didn?t see the need for a bathtub. Apart from occupying a great deal of space, no one really uses it, says Paez, who spent part of her youth in Canada.

After the basics were set in place, the couple agreed to paint their private space as well as the children?s bedroom white, from the ceiling down to the tongue-and-groove wooden floor.

Instead of ordinary matte paint, they went for glossy white automotive paint for the floor. Aside from its sheen, automotive paint is sturdy enough to withstand chipping and constant wear and tear.

For the adjacent workroom, Paez went for robin?s egg-blue walls and a shiny black floor. Again, she opted for sturdy, low maintenance automotive paint for the floor.

?Patrick and I agreed that we wanted an all-white bedroom,? says Paez. ?That means no paintings and splashes of color. No such rules exist in our workroom. Even the kids can take their snacks there.?

Instead of scented candles, Paez uses linen spray to freshen up bedrooms.

?Using scented candles isn?t advisable if you live in a wooden house,? she says.

All these improvements, of course, would have amounted to little without a soft but firm bed and pillows wrapped in fresh, crisp and smooth linens?two bedroom basics the couple could never ever do without.