Camilla Franklin’s passion for textiles has taken her around the world, starting with degrees in fashion and textile design from London’s Middlesex University. After living in New Orleans for 17 years, Franklin relocated to North Carolina. Previously a sales executive at Creative, she’s now vice president of sales for Maes Mattress Ticking, where she leads sales strategy and customer relationships across the United States and Canada. When Franklin isn’t poring over fabrics — her focus is luxury damasks — she enjoys gardening, traveling to far-flung corners of the world, painting and creating.
BedTimes: Tell us about your bedtime routine.
Camilla Franklin: I love everything to be organized and ready for the next day before bed. I check my schedule, too, so that each morning is a fresh start, and I am ready for the day.
BT: How many hours do you typically sleep?
CF: I aim for eight and can manage on four to six. I am not a great sleeper but the silver lining of waking up in the night: new ideas and problem-solving ideas come to mind that I would not think of in the day.
BT: Pets in the bed — yay or nay?
CF: Unfortunately, yes. A small cat named Ding Bat adopted us after I trapped, spayed and released her at my home in New Orleans. She has moved with us a few times. She uses me as a cushion and surfs the bed. It’s not great for sleep.
BT: What’s on your nightstand?
CF: Lamp, phone and watch charger stand.
BT: What is the best sleep product that you own and why?
CF: I love my lavender spray. I am not sure if it works but I like using it.
BT: What are your best sleep tips?
CF: I like to have an open window whenever possible. When it is pollen season, I use an air purifier, which has made a big difference to my sleep.
BT: Where is the last place you got a great night’s sleep that wasn’t your house and what made it great?
CF: I love to sleep in the great outdoors, in tents, on the beach, in the forest. Memorable nights are a hotel in the Tunisian desert, a cave in Sri Lanka and a house in Tobago over the ocean — with no glass in the windows. They are all memorable nights.
BT: What do you do that breaks the traditional sleep rules?
CF: Phone use. Wordle.
BT: What do you do if you have insomnia?
CF: I do my box breathing exercises, which usually work like a charm.
BT: Sleep mask or sound machine?
CF: Sound machine
BT: Physical book or Kindle?
CF: Kindle, so I can read in the dark
BT: Before bed — read a book, watch a show or listen to a podcast?
CF: I always read a book to quiet my mind.
