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We spend a third of our lives asleep—that means our bedroom is the most lived-in space in our homes. It’s the room where we start and end our days, and that’s why the rituals that happen there are extra important. In The Wind Down, we’ll be exploring the nighttime routines of people we admire and taking their advice to make the moments just before bed feel our best.

Life for Shay Mitchell has slowed down. The actor has spent the past few months sheltered in her Los Angeles home with her partner, Matte Babel, and their 8-month-old daughter, Atlas, and she’s been passing the time just like anyone else: getting really into TikTok, hanging out in comfy clothes 24-7, and washing her hands really, really well (she’s even partnered with soap brand Safeguard’s hygiene education and product donation initiative).

With no #Shaycations on her calendar, the typically on-the-go mom is carving out some much-needed me time and keeping up routines to maintain a sense of normalcy in this highly abnormal world. Here, she shares how she winds down in the evenings.

@shaymitchellExperts recommend sticking to your daily routine, even when working from home. ##beis ##travel ##quarantine ##fyp♬ Crowd – Loud Airport Terminal Sound Effect – Hollywood Sound Effects

Top chef: I’ve been trying my hand at new recipes. I’ll pick something out during the day, or I’ll look through my fridge and use whatever ingredients are in there to whip up some interesting concoction. It’s been fun trying to be creative—most recently I made a really awesome truffle taco mac and cheese. I wanted mac and cheese, but I wanted to add a little something-something to it, so I mixed in taco seasoning. 

Baby first: After bath time with my daughter, we’ll go through the routine of washing her hands. She gets to see me dance around to the birthday song twice. Then I get her into her pj’s, give her a nice little coconut oil massage, read a book, and then it’s off to bed for her at 7:30 p.m.

 

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Day 33, clothing optional.

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Stream team: I’ve been enjoying the new season of Queer Eye—it’s such a feel-good show. With everything going on, it’s nice to be able to turn on something about people who are doing nice things for others. 

To-do: I write out my day—especially right now, as it helps to keep me on track and maintain a sense of normalcy. I’ll jot down some goals for myself, as well as my schedule.

Take a sip: I have a really large tea drawer and I’m always adding new things to it. Friends who travel frequently bring me tea from wherever they’ve visited—I’ve collected a lot, and I switch it up often.

Light up: I have a routine of shutting the blinds, lighting a candle, and going about my evening—then when I wake up, I open the blinds, light a candle, and start my morning. It’s a little thing that helps me bookend my day. I switch up candles throughout the house—I’ll try different scents in different rooms. I’m still trying to get Cacharel to make a candle that matches its perfumes, but that has yet to happen. 

Wash off: I’m not the biggest bath person. I’m more of a hot shower-and-steam kind of person. When I get out, I’ll stay in my robe as long as possible and try out a new face mask or some kind of skin treatment. I’m more of a bath person when I travel. If there’s a tub in the bathroom, that’s one of the things I’ll do on my first night. 

Tech reset: I keep my phone in my bedroom—I don’t have a landline, so I like to stay connected. But before I go to bed, I wipe down my phone and my iPad. Any tech that comes into my bedroom goes through a sterilization process. 

Soft soundtrack: I turn on spa music or classical music—any kind of soft playlist. It feels like a little luxury to me—it really sets the tone for the night. I need to have music without lyrics, because it’s something I can easily read to, without it just being silent. 

Bedside essentials: On my nightstand, I have a candle, always a glass of water, rose quartz, a reading light, and a tray for my jewelry, so when I take it off at night I have someplace safe to put it. I also keep some snacks in my drawer, just so I don’t have to go to the kitchen. I always have chocolate-covered almonds and yogurt-covered pretzels. 

Best bed: I’m not loyal to a particular type of sheets, but I like having all-white linens. I alternate my duvet between one that’s white and one that’s a taupe woven material. I switch them out quite often, since I have a little one—you can imagine. I make my bed in a particular way—it sets me up for the day and makes me feel more organized, even if I’m not.

Perfect pj’s: I have so many pairs of pajamas—I went through a phase where I always wore cute nightgowns. I have a lot of beautiful silk vintage ones that my grandmother passed down to me. But then I also wear a lot of old T-shirts—there’s one from a Beyoncé concert that I wear probably way too often. What I wear these days is really whatever’s sitting on top of the pile.

Required reading: I have a lot of books that I reread quite often—right now I’m reading The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz for probably the fifth time. It’s one of my favorite books and it has so many great lessons in it, so I always find myself picking it up. 

Lights-out at midnight.

Introducing Domino’s new podcast, Design Time, where we explore spaces with meaning. Each week, join editor-in-chief Jessica Romm Perez along with talented creatives and designers from our community to explore how to create a home that tells your story. Listen now and subscribe for new episodes every Thursday.