Who Sleeps Here - Nkima de Faria Photography

We're SO excited to be bringing back a golden oldies blog series from the good ol'days - where we chat to friends of Nightire about their bedroom design aesthetic, and peek into their lives at home. One of our nearest and dearest, the woman behind many of the beautiful photos you will see on the Nightire website, is expecting mom and ace photographer Nkima de Faria. 

Here, we chat about her interior style, her sleep routine and her plans for baby De Faria:

1. What is your design aesthetic when it comes to your bedroom and home in general? 

We are absolutely in love with a minimilistic lifestyle, and that shows in our home. We live in a modern flat with lots of natural light beaming through the windows. I wanted to create a space that has that New York modern vibe, with a hint of bold colours but of course some botanical feels. We live for travel and wanted to incorporate that in our home and also our bedroom for those dreamy destination feels. I have a keen eye for happy colours like yellow that makes a home feel homey. We recently upgraded our midnight blue velvet bed for a chic grey super king size. Sleep is important after all and what better way than to have space to do so. 

 
2. How do you make sure you create a space that’s best for calming you down for sleep?

A scented candle is the word. I have them all over the bedroom and also the bathroom. We also like dimmed lights to create a calming atmosphere. The best investment we’ve made was to buy a Tempur memory foam mattress, it adjusts to your body shape and being pregnant it's just an absolute joy to go to bed. That’s calming in itself!

3. What is your bedtime ritual?

I love a good old bubble bath with candles all over. I also like to pamper myself with a face mask and a feel good series just to relax. Currently obsessed with real estate shows like Selling Sunset and Million Dollar Beach House. It definitely takes me to interior heaven.  I'm still working on switching the phone off at a decent hour but that is yet to happen...

4. What is your favourite way to wake up in the morning?

To see some natural light and what the weather is like that day. We have a balcony with a sliding door right in our bedroom. It’s a gorgeous space to open the blinds and feel the fresh air. I am also very much a breakfast person - a fresh juice or smoothie will do the trick to get me energised for the morning’s to do’s. 

5. With a baby on the way, how are you manoeuvring the space in your room to take a little bubs into account, so you can both sleep like babies:)?


Organisation is key, especially living in a flat with little to no space. When we purchase furniture we try to make sure it’s storage worthy ;) For instance our super king size bed is an ottoman storage unit. Perfect for the baby’s little bits that you don’t necessarily need but to be kept safe. Oh and of course for my vacuum packed seasonal clothes ;) We don’t currently have a nursery for our (almost) newborn as we will have her close to us in the room for the first 6 months as all the mamma’s out there know how important it is to have her close to the bed in the beginning.

6. What is your relationship with sleep, and do you have any sleep tips to share?

I used to sleep straight through but recently with the new found hormones and being 35 weeks pregnant I definitely require lots of fresh air and comfortable pillows to support baby bump. I like to sleep in full darkness with no light peaking through the blinds. A soft pillow is also so important but not too soft! I’m also a believer in silk pillow cases for the hair and to avoid those wrinkles that’s bound to happen at some stage. 

Thanks to Nkima for these gorgeous images of her room! Would not have expected anything less from her.