High Point Market Fall ’22: Meet Justina Blakeney

Waynette Goodson catches up with the market’s keynote speaker, Justina Blakeney, a famed designer who recently appeared on the cover of Architectural Digest. Blakeney shares her point of view on bedroom design and reveals the quality that’s most important to her in a mattress.

Transcript

Waynette Goodson
It’s Waynette Goodson. I’m your managing editor of BedTimes and Sleep Savvy Magazines. And I had the honor of being here with Justina Blakeney, a famed interior designer and the keynote speaker for High Point Market this October for the entire market. Now for our BedTimes and Sleep Savvy audiences who might not have heard of you yet. She’s coming. Tell them a little about who you are and your design philosophy.

Justina Blakeney
So I’m Justina. I describe myself as an artist and a creative and a designer, and for me, my design philosophy is all about design should, bring joy should bring peace. It’s all about how design makes you feel. And so, for me, that means lots of color, lots of pattern. I love plants, and my design philosophy is all about bringing joy into the home.

Waynette Goodson
Well, you bring joy. And Justina is being very humble. I’m going to say a little bit more about her. Okay. This past June, she was on the cover of Architectural Digest, which is the top. Okay. She’s also the author of a New York Times bestseller, Jungalow. Love the tagline Decorate Wild, and now you’re in Target.

You can find Justina at Target, OpalHouse. So talk about OpalHouse.

Justina Blakeney
So yeah, I have the honor of designing the OpalHouse design with Jungalow Collection right now. So we are showing tons of different designs and all different categories. Yes, even bedding. Lots of bedding. And it’s just great to have accessible design.

Waynette Goodson
We are BedTimes. We have to talk about the bedroom. So give us your Justina Blakeney point of view for what is in the bedroom space. When you visualize the bedroom, are there certain elements that always have to be in there?

Justina Blakeney
So I will say part of my design philosophy is also not being too rigid, not having too many rules, and not having too many must-haves. Because I believe every person is different, every family is different, and every vibe is different. And so it really is about honing in on your wants, and it’s about honing in on your needs. It’s about honing in on the functionality that you want the space to have and starting there.

So, when I think about bedroom design, I think about obviously having a good night’s sleep. I think about sexy time. I think about family time. Like, what does the bedroom want to do for you? And that’s when I start thinking about bedroom design. So oftentimes, it means having a plush, delicious rug on the floor because maybe it’s not just about the bed.

Maybe it’s also about how you utilize all the rest of the space and how you want to feel when you step out of bed in the morning. So it’s really like floor to ceiling thinking about the room and thinking about, yeah, the functionality. What do you want this room to do for you? How do you want it to support your well-being?

Waynette Goodson
So if we crowned you the Queen of mattress design and you got to design a mattress, what would you change about that mattress?

Justina Blakeney
I think one of the things that I have trouble with sometimes is temperature control. Yes. And so I know that there have been a lot of tech advancements as far as, you know, keeping things cool or warm. But I feel like my husband, and I run at very different temperatures, so what we need at night is different.

How can we control the temperature differently on one side of the bed versus the other? That kind of energy to really ensure a good night’s sleep because I like a cool mattress, and I feel like at night, my husband’s always cold, and I’m always hot. So, like, how how do you mediate that?

Waynette Goodson
We do have a lot of new technologies, and I bet there will be a lot of mattress manufacturers who might want to talk with you about that, Justina. Maybe, I don’t know. But we will end with the most important question. So how do you get a good night’s sleep?

Justina Blakeney
Yes. So big fan of sleep. One of life’s greatest pleasures. I think the wind-down part is really important, like making sure, first of all, that there are no artificial lights anywhere. And the noise, the light, making sure that’s all calm. I do like to have a calming tea before bed. So that.

Waynette Goodson
Camomile lavender.

Justina Blakeney
I have actually been digging on valerian root tea. It helps me sleep. And not supposed to take it every night.

Waynette Goodson
So in moderation.

Justina Blakeney
In moderation. But it does really help me, like sleep all the way until the morning light. It’s a vibe.

Waynette Goodson
The best. You are a vibe and a vision, and I just want to thank you.

Justina Blakeney
Thank you.

Waynette Goodson
Thank you all for tuning in and enjoy the rest of your show, and you all keep watching. Tune in for more BedTimes and Sleep Savvy.

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