In Bed With is a gentle, intimate conversation under the covers with people we admire. Here’s Amy Cooper-Wright, founder of the modern British stationery brand Mark+Fold, sharing her wind down rituals and routines.
I have always been a very deep sleeper. I’m a night owl and before kids I loved to work and play into the night, and sleep in til lunchtime. Having kids totally changed my relationship with sleep, and being sleep-deprived had a terrible effect on my mental health when they were little. Now we’ve come out the other side of that and infuriatingly these days I just wake myself up in the night — because I’m hot or cold, need the loo, or just have a head full of thoughts — which really annoys me.
I’ve put in a lot of effort in the past few years to create a sleep environment that feels really good to me now, and helps me get the best possible night’s sleep. We invested in a superking bed (big enough for four people with elbow room!), a really good duvet and nice bed linen. I’ve collected some beautifully-crafted things that feel very special to me: blankets by brilliant British weavers Majeda Clarke and Margo Selby, which I have on rotation, and a cushion by Eleanor Pritchard my husband gave me last Christmas. Above the bed, I have an artwork by ceramic artist Sara Dodd, which I love to stare at on weekend mornings as I sit and read the papers in bed.
I try to be strictly 'paper only' in bed (ie. I read paperback books and newspapers, and write in a bedside journal) rather than looking at screens. It doesn’t always hold, but when I can maintain the discipline, I feel calmer, happier, and I certainly sleep better.
I also have water by the bed and drink before I sleep and when I wake. I like the room to be quite cold (which is convenient, as we have a draughty old house).
Since I was about 9 years old, I have had a sleep journal by my bed, to write down my thoughts before sleep. I go through phases of writing every night, then skipping it for a while, but it is always there if I need it. I find the download frees my head, ready for sleep. It’s always been a place where I can write absolutely honestly (everyone in the house knows, under no circumstances, to ever read these journals!). They are also a place to put down ideas that sometimes come to me at 2 am and feel like they might escape if I don’t get them quickly down on paper.
Annoyingly, I can no longer sleep in on the weekends, I am just so programmed to wake up at 7am. But I get the newspaper delivered to the doorstep, so I like to pick it up, make coffee, and return to bed for a few hours to read it.
I’ve got really into reading books again in recent years. My first degree was in Philosophy and French, so most of the novels I have read in the past were in French! Recent favourites (in English) include Americanah, Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and Butter.
I’m optimistic about…
The ability of creative people around the world to create spaces that help us see the world in a new light, that give us hope, something to live for, something to fight for.
Some think that art is trivial when the world is on fire, but I think we need to lean towards the world we want, rather than just feeling angry at the world we don't want.
When the going gets tough…
I write in my journal! That may sound like shameless self-promotion, but it’s really the whole reason behind Mark+Fold. I get such comfort from writing my thoughts down on paper, as well as it being the space where I think creatively and plan projects. I don’t think I have ever sat down to write in my journal and not felt better afterwards.
I’d tell younger me…
That she's closer to the answer than she thinks she is. That she can slow down and relax, enjoy the moment and not always chase the goal. (Perhaps old me would also say this to me now! Ha ha!)
A habit that serves me well…
Regular saunas and cold plunges are a religious part of my weekly routine. I’ve gone 3 times a week since I had a spell of poor mental health during COVID with two small kids, and it has just become such an essential part of my week. It helps with inflammation, it helps reset your mind, calms your mood, it’s just brilliant.
On my bedside table
Water, a Mark+Fold notebook and pen, and a paperback book.
A bedtime routine that works for me
A very hot bath, lots of lovely creams from Aesop, a fresh, clean set of pyjamas (I have some lovely cheesecloth ones from Toast in deep red), and ideally freshly changed sheets - always crisp, pristine white.
Sounds to drift off to…
On a Sunday afternoon, I love to fall asleep on the sofa to the sounds of a classic film like Star Wars, but when I’m in bed I like silence.
Floks picks
A Luxury Quilted Pillow and an eye mask.