Secrets of a Well Dressed Bed

By Kate Riley August 24, 2011

I see so many pretty made beds in shelter magazines and on Pinterest.  After concentrating on a few design styles that appealed to me, I feel like I finally got the look of my own master bed just right!  With up to a third of our lives spent snoozing under the covers (hopefully getting a solid 8 hours a night), a great mattress and comfortable linens are a worthy investment, plus how fun is it to dress up our beds in our own personal style? 

What’s the secret to a well dressed bed you might ask?  I thought I’d ask an expert for her best tips.  I’ve been a fan of Annette Tatum’s style for years, and I completely love her line of sophisticated and soft patterns for both adults and kids.  I asked Annette to offer up some suggestions for a well dressed bed, and she was kind enough to share her secrets!  (I added the inspirational images along the way to illustrate.) 

Enjoy! 

annette tatum blue gold bed

 

Tell us Annette in your expert opinion, what is the secret to a well dressed bed?

 

1. Think in Layers 

“I am a big fan of layering solids and prints on a bed.  I also like to have a basic white always on hand as well as an assortment of prints that I can mix in depending upon the season.

turquoise tulips bliss tumblr

via Turquoise, Tulips & Bliss

 

2. Always Consider Personal Comfort 

I usually have two duvets on my bed.  Mine is a California King so I have my king size duvet and then fold another twin size at the bottom.  That way if one person is cold, the other person does not have to be hot. 

elle decor bedroom

Elle Décor

  

3. Pillow Talk

For a King bed, I have three Euros, two King pillows and two standard pillows, for a Queen bed, I use three Euros, two standard size pillows, and a decorative pillow, and for a Twin bed, one Euro sham and one Standard pillow. 

twin beds euro sham

Pinterest

 

4.  Skirt or no Skirt? 

As far as a "skirt or duster" for the bed, I am in favor of both options, it’s a personal choice.  There are so many different beds on the market it really depends on your style.

tobi fairley bedroom

Tobi Fairley

  

5.  Pattern Play

The rules I use for pattern on the bed are as follows, regardless of the size of the bed.

A.  Starting from the bottom, choose your duster.  Usually it’s a solid in heavier fabric such as linen or else a striped pattern to add length and height to the "look" of the bed.  I recommend tailored duster for a more clean look or a ruffled for a more romantic look.

B.  Duvet.   This is usually a solid or else an overall large print.  Something that is not going to take over the room, is simple, and can be easily incorporated with other patterns.  Large cabbage roses, simple Indian motifs, and classic couture brocade patterns are a great starting point for a bed.

house and home bedroomHouse & Home

C. Euro shams (measuring 26” x 26”) are always a good size. Some small detail edge such as a flange or small ruffle adds texture. Since these are not the pillows you sleep on, they can be more decorative.

D.  Whether a king or standard sham, here I layer small to medium patterns on the bed.  Since these are the "sleeping" pillows I also keep an extra set of cases (and often on a King bed an extra pillow) that is "my favorite" which I tuck away behind the Euro shams when the bed is made.  Sometimes the "sleeping pillows" are often the most used or "loved" so they might not need to be on display.

E. Decorative bolsters or small accent pillows. These are the ‘wild cards" on the bed, and the one of a kind element that can be added to the bed for fun. They can be layered on top of the other pillows in the "front" of the bed for depth and color.

house tweaking via pinterest bedroomPinterest

F.  Throw blankets.  Layering a throw at the end of the bed is another great way to ‘ground’ the patterns  and add a pretty accent to the foot of your bed.

style at home master bedroom green throwStyle At Home

G.  Sheets: I love nice sheets and there are so many on the market that have fun with not only white but a set in a small complimentary print or another accent color. 

Either way "making your bed" can be just as fun as fashion.  With all the great options in print and color you can now make your bed "fashionable".   Sleeping does not have to be so serious anymore, so create the bed of your dreams!”

Thanks so much for your fabulous tips Annette!  Pop into her shop for a peek at some of the prettiest linens on the market.  You can also follow Annette’s blog for even more style tips. 

Annette was kind enough to offer up a copy of her book to one of you!  In ‘The Well Dressed Home’ Annette details how to take your fashion sense and translate it to your home décor, love that! 

annette tatum well dressed home

 

For a chance to win the signed copy of her book, answer one of these two questions.   What’s your favorite thing about your bed, or what’s the one thing you want to change?

To purchase a copy of Annette’s Book at a 20% discount, simply enter the code girl here!   Giveaway ends Sunday August 28th at 8 p.m. PST.

** Note I’m updating the posts for the recent giveaways later tonight and will send personal emails to the winners! 

 

 

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252 comments

  1. My favorite thing about our bed is our sheets! We are hooked on Ralph Lauren sheets and pick them up for decent prices at Home Goods. Every bed in our house has them! If I could change anything, it would be the bed itself. I would love to upgrade to the nail head upholstered bed at West Elm, but we bought a really simple headboard from Target since we were on a budget. Oh, I also really love our West Elm duvet!

    http://www.thehappyhomebodies.com/2011/02/master-bedroom-tweaks.html

  2. My sheets!!! My summer sheets are a wonder soft cotton that just keeps getting softer. I always hang them on the line outside and I love the fresh smell. Come winter I have the nicest flannel sheets …again they get softer and softer. No hanging outside for them …they would freeze!

    Thanks for the chance to win!

  3. my favorite thing about my bed is that it’s a spindle bed. I love all the twists & turns, though it’s tough to dust!
    The one thing I would change though is the color, which is honey. I plan on painting it soon.

    I also am really proud of finding an antique chenille spread for it…

  4. My favorite thing about our bed is our duvet. We’re not using it right now as it’s summer, but come fall, it’ll be out again. It’s the softest gray pinstripe flannel..so cozy for MN winters!

  5. I love how comfortable my bed is and especially when it has clean linen on it, I do not like how no matter what I do it never looks how I want it to, does not help with two cats and two kids.

  6. My pillows! I have great faux feather from Bed, Bath & Beyond that are reminiscent of the feather pillows I grew up with. I also have a great collection of throw pillows that have helped dressed up my basic white duvet cover these last few years.

  7. I love the comforter on my bed, it is new last fall, I splurged after 12 years of marriage. Now I just need a new headboard and footboard. We currently have a hand me down, and I am hoping to be able to find one reasonably in the spring. Thanks so much for a wonderful giveaway!

  8. Our bed is a work in progress, but my favorite thing about it is the ruffle bedskirt.

  9. My favorite thing about my bed is my yellow and white striped duvet…it adds a lot of cheer to my blah apartment bedroom!

  10. Loved my pillow top matress but still getting use to the tempor pedic mattress. I love getting into a bed with nice clean sheets. Thanks for the ideas.

  11. I love the style of our bedroom suite , Victorian which works with a lot of different patterns. The thing I would change. our bed is a Cal king. Very hard to find bedding to fit. I sometimes end up making our fitted sheets from king flat sheets. Would love this book for some new ideas!!!

  12. What I would change about my bed is THE WHOLE DARN THING! We need a new mattress and boxsprings. We have no headboard. Our bedspread was made by a couple of friends when we got married, but hubby only puts up with it – it’s too girly for him. (We’ll never get rid of it because it was handmade, but let one of our 4 girls use it later instead of us.) Our sheets need to be replaced. The list keeps going … One more student loan to pay off, and then we’re starting over with our bedroom.

  13. I love our sheets and the mattress. I love getting into the bed with nice clean sheets and then snuggling in for the night. SIGH!!! We are in the beginning stages of building our dream home which will have a king size mattress. I would love to get more ideas for the new home.

  14. My favorite thing about my bed? My husband is in it next to me. 2nd to that – the tall, upholstered headboard.

  15. I love how tall it is, I love the burlap headboard that I DIY’d myself (and a very pro job too) – but I’d upgrade to crisper summer sheets. I keep accidentally putting on more ‘winter’ sheets that aren’t 100% cotton and suffering from bad sleep!

  16. I love our crisp white percale sheets that we use year round (we have 3 sets), and I layer them with white cotton blankets or a white matelasse cover. It’s so serene. The pillowcases bring in color and I change them up all the time.

    The thing I don’t like (but I’m getting used to it) is that my husband doesn’t like big fluffy duvets, or even thinner down blankets. Sadly those had to go.

  17. The one thing I love about my bed is EVERYTHING. We have a sleep # bed so that is COMFORT TO THE MAX. I also have billowy, sumptuous Rachel Ashwell bedding/comforter/shams that make it a dream to sleep in!!
    LOVE MY BED!
    Hope I win!!
    Tammy

  18. What I like about my bed the most is that I am usually sleeping in it and I never seem to get enough sleep! My husband needed a firm mattress but I would prefer something softer. Maybe a sleep number bed when the budget allows.

  19. I would love to change our headboard and footboard. But..its the one we bought when we got married, so I kinda feel like I want to keep it. Would love to dress it up some way if that’s possible.

  20. We had our pencil post bed custom made many years ago. Now I wish I could change the style to something more french country, but the bed won’t be going anywhere. Wish I could figure out how to change the style with the fabrics. (It’s a really tall bed and somewhat overwhelming in shaker style.)

  21. The thing I love most about our bed is how wonderfully comfortable it is after a very long day!! It’s like it just says come here, relax……. Our comforter has got to GO, we’ve had the same green/burgundy/taupe flowery one for 7 years!!! Thanks for the tips and pictures, they are inspiring!

  22. We are in the middle of designing our room…and I’m thinking of replacing our bed…I think I’m over my sleigh bed and looking for a more modern shape.

  23. My favorite thing is my sheets! White, crisp, soft – best use of our wedding $$ ever. I would LOVE to change the size of our bed – as soon as we move, we have to upgrade to a king! Both of us sleep so much better in a king.

  24. I love my bed, it’s unbelievably comfortable, but the hubs and I are ready to upgrade to a King. Unfortunately that will have to wait until we have a second bedroom because our mattress is too nice and too new to just get rid of.

  25. I love that our new king bed is now big enough to share with our two sweet pups! They LOVE to curl up with us! I just wish we could find ways to dress up the bed in our style while keeping it rugged enough to withstand our furry companions.

  26. I think falling into bed is one of the most heavenly feelings of the day! I LOVE that I have a feather-down comforter, they are easy to fluff and make a bed look neat, and I love cushioning it around my face.

    Would love love love to win the book!

    Corinna

  27. My favorite thing about my bed is the mattress. We invested in a Tempur Pedic and it was so worth it. Right now I’m in the process of redesigning the look of our bed though, so this post was just what I needed!

  28. My favorite part of my bed is the quilt on it that wsa handmade for me by a relative. It is the perfect weight for all year round use. But it is also the thing I despise b/c I have used it so much it is beginning to look tattered and I have been on the hunt for new bedding for ….2 years! UGH!

  29. My favorite thing on my bed is my pillow top mattress cover. It give just enough cushion for a good night sleep. I don’t like the quilt on my bed because it is too short!

  30. Great post! As we settle into our home we’re sprucing and adjusting things and finally committing to design decisions- this is very helpful! The thing I love most about our bed is that its a good mix of traditional (wood frame) and contemporary (neutral metallic fabric). I too would change the size of our bed.. king size beds just seem more grown up!

  31. My favorite thing about my bed is my mattress. New invested in a Tempur Pedic a few years ago and it was so worth it. Right now I’m in the process of redesigning our bed so this post was just what I needed.

  32. One thing I’d change about my bed is add more pillows. Also, I’d like to create an upholstered headboard someday!

  33. When we first got married we slept on a full size mattress on a futon frame for way too long! On our 7th anniversary (we’ve been married for 15 yrs) we decided that my husband’s (who is 6’2″) feet were done dangling off the end of the bed and we got a queen size bed that we love. He can move, toss and turn all he wants and I won’t feel a thing!!! LOOOOOVE IT!!

  34. My favorite part of my bed is the classic white bedding with fun throw pillows in eggplant and silver. I just redecorated my bedroom, and it’s now my favorite room in the house!

  35. My favorite thing about my bed is the duvet, I just love that it keeps me warm but it’s not heavy. I would LOVE to have a new duvet cover or decorative pillowcases.

  36. I love our new mattress set. It’s very firm, with a memory foam topper that ensures I get some sleep, even when I’m stressed about our upcoming wedding. It’s so tall, I have to hop to get up on it!

    The thing I’d like to change most is my headboard. I built it with my Dad from my own design over 10 years ago. I still like the shape, but it’s been black, and green, and a horrible blue wood stain. It desperately needs a coat of white paint and some distressing to bring it back into style.

    Thanks for the tips on pillows. I’m never sure how many to use, and I’m always inclined to pack more on the bed while my fiancee is asking why we need any pillows at all that he can’t sleep on.

  37. i love my shams…PB white pick stitch, then layered with standard striped shams and then followed buy three decorative throw pillows…so rich and layered.
    no matter what way i do my bed, i will never get rid of those pb shams.

  38. My favorite thing about my bed is a new quilt for the foot of the bed that I just picked up on super sale at Bloomingdales which has all the colors of my room and makes the bed look so much much polished (oh and its super comfy too!)

  39. My new favourite thing about my bed is the Rag Quilt I just finished making yesterday :) The thing I’d like to change is the headboard. That bulky,Old thing needs some love!

  40. We’ve had a really depressing bed for years, and a few months ago we finally sprung to fix it up. New frame, new mattress (sigh!), new comforter. It looks light years better!

    The only thing I want to change is to track down some non-rediculously priced 20×20 pillow forms so I can use all my cases!

  41. I love my bed done in all white, its soft and cozy and relaxing. I love the queen size iron sleigh bed we have, but my husband would love to get a king, since the kids always end up in bed with us.

  42. What I would most like to change about my bed is getting rid of the bedskirt, but that would mean getting rid of all the junk under the bed first!

  43. I just indulged in some 700 TC sheets so they’re my favorite bed-thing now! They’re a solid, neutral color, so I hope to find some duvets that will work for the different seasons to change things up during the year.

  44. Great post!

    My favorite thing about our bed is that it’s a 4-poster canopy. Something we’ve always wanted! Now that I’ve read these tips, I think I need to add some Euro pillows to our bed for sure!

  45. The best thing about my bed is when I’m sleeping in it I don’t see all the things I want to change about it. We have a headboard that I found on the side of the road with a hideous country motif on it. I’m still considering making our own headboard, just haven’t settled on what kind yet.

  46. My favorite is our temperpedic mattress and we love it, I never want to get out of bed. I would like to get sheets that fit right, either the fitted is not deep enough or flat is not wide enough.

  47. great post, this answered a lot of questions I had about making a bed look good!!! I would totally change our duvet and cover, I’m not happy with how unfluffy the duvet has gotten and the cover is too blah, it needs more texture

  48. I’d love to add some throw pillows to my bed, but the hubs says that they are silly!! I’d love to win this book! And thanks for the great post.

  49. Im loving our new tufted bed, and as an added bonus is has these great built in drawers underneath. Such a great use of space to hide those little odds and ends. Thanks so much for the giveaway.

  50. The best thing about my bed is how fluffy it is! I just can’t but help and jump in it. The thing I want to change is to add more color. My spread is white and when we start having kids, that has to go!

  51. The thing I love most about my bed is the Frame!! the thing I want to change is the bedspread or feather comforter!

  52. My favorite thing about my bed has to be my new king size down pillow. Wish I had bought one years ago…sleep so nice now!

  53. I would really like to change my bed skirt to something that is solid. I would also love to add some Euro pillows to my bed.

    Great guest post. I loved reading it.

  54. My favorite part of my bed and the thing I can’t sleep without is my memory foam cluster pillow from Costco! The part I’d want to change?…how my hubby’s side of the bed always gets so dirty! :)

  55. I’d love to dress my bed more in layers. I actually just have a set from Target, and while pretty, I’m kind of wanting something more classic in design. I also need to get a headboard and footboard!

  56. I love our bed itself (beautiful sleigh bed), but definitely wish it had a soft, fluffy mattress topper.

  57. What a great post! I would love a copy of her book. My favorite thing about our bed is the matching bed skirt and shams that I made. My least favorite thing is the cotton blanket that has shrunk just enough to be a little too small now! (Next time, I will buy a king)

  58. I want to change the sheets. I have bought several sets (and no they were not cheap ones) but my fitted sheet will not stay in place for anything.

    Maybe it’s the way we sleep?

  59. Some great tips and the bed pictures were gorgeous and inspiring. : )

    I LOVE my comforter!! But I hate our mattress, it’s getting old and we really need a new one.

  60. My favorite thingS about our bed are the size (king) and comfort of the mattress!

  61. I have a dark wood queen sized bed, I would love a fabric king sized bed! thank you for this post. It’s what I’ve been wanting to know for years! Thank you, thank you :)

  62. I love my white comforter with just enough lace detail paired with my burlap colored pillow cases. I wish I could find the perfect wrought iron frame for it!

  63. Fantastic tips! I’ve been working on boosting the “morale” of our guest bed. Trying to decide on new sheets or a duvet or something… this book would be great inspiration!

  64. I sure wish I could get my master bedroom looking that nice… I’m working on it. It needs cleaning first, then new flooring and some new paint….

  65. My favorite thing about my bed is that I share it with my hot rockin’ hubby of 23 years. What I would change is that my favorite percale sheets are wearing out and it is so hard to find really good percale sheets.

  66. Great tips and inspiring photos! My favorite thing about our bed is how I sink into it at the end of the day and it fits me perfectly. Freshly laundered sheets makes it even better, no better feeling. I would love to have this book, I need some inspiration to improve what’s “on the bed” as well. :)

  67. I love my mattress we bought huge plush king size without movement from the other person. I love it. I bought a comforter a few years ago it’s pretty but I really want my bed to be mainly white I love that look so serene.

  68. My coverlet needs replacing – I’ve been on the look out for a neutral that is luxurious and affordable!

  69. I love high thread count sheets that feel almost like paper. And I LOVE hopping into a freshly made bed. Hmmm. I like the look of a beautifully made bed with lots of decorative cushions, but they just get in the way and we end up throwing them on the floor to go to bed, so they’re just not practical at this stage of life.

  70. What I love most about my bed is our fluffy duvet, and what I call “Clean Sheet Saturdays”. Nothing beats freshly laundered sheets! But I don’t love our actual bed frame – a rickety old Ikea bed, which we hope to replace as a wedding gift to ourselves this year. I want to get an upholstered headboard to really warm up the room.

    This book looks fabulous and inspirational!

  71. What a great post. Just what my bed needed! I love my bamboo sheets, but desperately need to add pillows, patterns, and color.

  72. Fantastic post! I love all the tips included. What I love about our bed is that is it a California King and there is a ton of space. What I would change is the pillows. We have two king size pillows and a decorative one (when family comes over to visit) but it never looks right. With the great tips on the amount of pillows and pillow sizes for each bed size I am sure to master this step. Thank you!

  73. I still love my Ethan Allen country crossings bed. I still need to change my comforter to a more neutral one.

  74. I would love to add a little pattern or color to our bedding. I have white linens which help lighten up our room since we have dark gray walls. I think I need this book regardless of whether or not I win it. My husband actually commented that one of my outfits looked like our bedroom.

  75. I love our Euro pillows. They’re great for leaning against while reading on my laptop!

  76. First I HAVE to say that my bed needs a fabulous book to lay on it in a strategically “casual” fashion (hmmmm….. And I have in mind the perfect book :). What I love to do every night before getting in my crisply made bed (that sometimes gets made minutes before I get in it….. just being honest here!) is to spray the pillowcase and the sheets with a fabulous pillow mist scent. I also use beautiful shams as my sleep pillow cases as well as the “decorative” pillows. It feels so decadent and special. Its like using your best china everyday – feels a little bit naughty but oh so nice.

  77. Love having two King pillows of my own so that makes 4 on the bed as my Mister wants his share.

  78. I really loved the nearly new foam mattress of our former bed which I gave to my daughter as it was too large for our new bed. So planning on replacing our current spring mattress for a similar foam mattress soon!

  79. Thank you so much for this post! I’m currently thinking through our MBR design, and all of these tips are extremely helpful. Right now, I’m not so thrilled with our bed, because we have no bedding!! We just got a king size bed in June, and we’re still debating on colors, etc., before purchasing everything for the room. We do have sheets and a blanket, but nothing pretty. However, I’m thankful for a place to lay my head at night :) Great giveaway!

  80. I definitely need to add some decorative pillows to my bed because right now it is all too brown. So, thank you for this post it has given me some great ideas.

  81. Great info! I love my Restoration Hardware comforter…makes me feel like I am snoozing in a Tuscan villa….and if I could change one thing, I wish I could have a foot-board….but with a husband who is 6′ 4″ that is not going to happen any time soon!

  82. I love my bed…it is a vintage brass bed. I have no idea how old it was when we bought it but now it is 40 years older …it is the very first thing my husband and I bought after our wedding.

    I layer it with and assortment of vintage family quilts and assorted new duvet covers. I also use lots of pillows…… Euro, standard, decorative and of course, the sleeping pillows.

  83. I have a black iron bed with a modern design with both a headboard and foot board and I love the photos of the beds in your blog. I like the style of my bed and have a dust ruffle, but have difficulty making that look nice with the foot board. Hmmmm. I also liked the bolsters in the pics…. stunning.

  84. Thanks for the tips. My fav thing is my buckwheat pillow hidden under my two euros. My least fav thing is the flower pattern on my duvet color. I liked it enough in the beginning, but the style is starting to wear on me.

  85. Hmmm. I love our quilt, which is new. And I am looking forward to finishing refinishing the bed I am in the midst of working on and getting that set up. I wish I could do a ‘fancier’ bed styling but it doesn’t work with my fussy husband and bed-jumping kids.

  86. I would love to get some nicer sheets for our bed. We only have the ones that came with our comforter set, so they’re pretty cheap and the wear is showing quickly…they’re stretching out and not fitting like they did a year ago. I’d love to invest in some nicer, crisper ones!

  87. My bed is big and comfy but that’s about it. I would love to incorporate some personality and style to it and I know this awesome book but would help! Great post Kate…very inspiring!

  88. We love our bed, but it’s time for some new pillows, both sleeping and decorative!

  89. I want to be able to make my bed comfy AND CHIC! I am always afraid to use the wrong patterns or either go overboard or not take enough risk. Good article, gives me lots of good advice for “fool-proof” style

  90. Sadly, when we moved into this place I sort of messed up the wall behind the bed. (3M is sometimes not my friend.) So I plan to plaster the mistake, paint stripe(s) one shade, paint 6 pieces of duron a lighter shade, then hang pics in smaller frames on the duron. I really hope this makes sense cause it does in my head. And I want a new bed. This gives me inspiration to get moving a little quicker. I just need to decide on the colors.

  91. My favorite thing about my bed is how Comfortable it is – hubs bought the mattress on his own when we got married and it is the BEST ever. I dread the day we have to buy a new one.
    I’d like to change how the bed LOOKS. I keep trying different things – but I cant’ seem to “get ” it .

  92. My favourite thing about my bed is the white comforter. I love it. It looks crisp and can go with an assortment of pillows. I can change up the look by changing the pillows. I would love to change my headboard, it’s wood and I am in love with upholstered headboards. Love your bedroom.

  93. I still have the bed and bedding I had in college and I moved 2 weeks ago and am ready for major redesign. I’m turning an antique door into a headboard and switching to seriously textured all-white linens. I couldn’t be more excited!

  94. I love my sheets and pillows; that’s where I splurge, and I won’t buy cheap sheets just because I need them-I’ll wait for a sale on the good ones.
    We do need a new mattress, though-we bought one a few years ago, and we didn’t have enough money to buy a good one. We are not small people-we need a nice firm bed.

  95. I would love to change all of our bed linens. The sheets are standard white but not very soft. It’s difficult to find a duvet set that I like because we share our bed with a 55 lb black lab and I’m drawn to whites. I would love her design book! Thanks for the great giveaway!

  96. I will be moving into an apartment with my husband, and we’re newlyweds that have nothing, so I guess you could say that everything is going to be changing. This post was really great because I’m looking for bedroom ideas and picking out a bed today:)

  97. I love the simple lines of my Ikea frame and headboard.Still working on the right pillow mix.

  98. Thanks for this post! I was wondering what the perfect mix of pillows for my king size bed would be! Now I know.

  99. My favorite thing about my bed is the handsome devil I share it with! Otherwise, nothing. The HD picked it out and I can live with it, but we really could stand to redo it all – sheets, duvet, pillows – everything. I’d love to be inspired by Annette’s book!

  100. I love lots about my bed. I guess my favorite thing about it is that it is a sleigh bed. I also love my white jacquard (spelling?) duvet cover and shams set. It goes with everything.

  101. Our bed is my husband’s grandmother’s set she got when she married. It is a beautiful bedroom set, and I have always loved it. The one thing I would change is that I need a colorful throw for the foot of the bed. I am working on an afghan and hope it will be done by fall!

  102. Overall, I love our bed, but I cannot wait to upgrade to a king size in our next house! I would also love to ad a few striped decorative pillows and find a comfy throw for the winter.

  103. My favorite is that it is made of natural wood that is getting this awesome patina on it. I hate my mattress, definitely needs to be changed

  104. Thanks so much for this post and the beautiful pictures. My husband and I have been bickering over how to arrange our decorative pillows on our bed, and a couple of the pictures really helped. The one thing I would change about my bed is my sleeping pillow. Icannot find one with just the right softness/firmness or the right height. I wake up each day with a neckache. Definitely need to work on that!:0)

  105. Our bed is a big,very comfortable family bed, but it is not very pretty to look at. White down comforter and yellow sheets…

  106. my favorite thing about our bed is that it is super comfy. i like our linens right now, but that’s about it….the rest of the room, the head/foot board, ick.

  107. I LOVE my new duvet cover its Sakura from C&B. I had been pining over it for a guest room forever and finally convinced my hubby to let us get it and use it on our bed (since we don’t have a guest bed yet…) Several gift cards later! IT looks great. I paired it with some bright green sheets for summer and will probably use brown or orange for fall. It makes me so happy just to see it even when its not “made”. :)
    What I don’t like is that I don’t actually have a bed or headboard just a frame… I would love to have any room for our future house completely finished with furniture but we move a lot and lack the funds. I am also still figuring out the whole style thing so I am interested to see what this book has to offer… :0)
    Great post!

  108. I love every ‘bedding’ photo that you shared. They are all inspiring. I am fairly content with my bedding right now. I just switched to a ‘lighter’ duvet for the summer and it doesn’t ‘totally’ match my bed skirt and Euro shams but it blends good enough. I can’t wait to put my heavier duvet back on the bed for fall/winter so that the look is more cohesive. Thanks for the give-a-way opportunity to get her book. Be blessed.

  109. My favorite thing about my bed is the fact that I can’t seem to ever get out of it (it’s so comfortable). Thing I would change: The fact that we can’t use our Amish quilt because the cats like to claw at it. Uncool, kitties!

  110. I wish my bed was bigger! Can’t wait to move into my house with my fiance and get a bigger bed to style and sleep on!

  111. I’m dying to get a new headboard….a beautiful upholstered one for sure. There’s nothing that I really like about my bed right now, except my two adorable little pubs that cuddle up with us at night!! I sure could use some “Well-Dressed Home” inspiration!
    Jen

  112. I love my DIY fabric headboard that was inspired by you! Not to mention its my favorite spot in the house as well as my dog’s (little 10 lb ball of fur and love!)

  113. I just got into a master bed re-do. I got some Serena and Lily sheets and I’m just now thinking about pillows. I know my husband will totally freak if I have a bunch of things on there that he has to move every day, so I’ll need to be very careful to also make it seem useful (for reading or comfort watching tv).

  114. I love my organic cotton blankie from West Elm. It’s soft, cozy and not too warm. I dont even sleep with a sheet on top anymore. It’s perfect!

  115. I love the “guts” of my bed – both an air bed and a memory foam – which is like sleeping on a marshmallow. BUT, I sure could use some help making it beautiful and inviting.

  116. My favorite things is that I finally bought the expensive linen duvet cover and euro shams in natural and white that I have coveted for over 4 years!!!!! Now, I just need help with the rest of the room…. or time to do what I envision for the rest of the room ;)

  117. I love my Ralph Lauren corduroy duvet I got on clearance eons ago. It is the perfect muddy green that plays well in all seasons. I don’t like the blanket (hate would probably be more accurate) that lives between our sheet and the lovely duvet. It is simply the wrong size for the bed, and ugly to boot. It can’t be seen, but I know it is there!

  118. I want to change the look! It’s comfortable to sleep in, but needs to be dressed up and made it little more romantic and a little less like a college students-since we’re both done with school and married for 3 years!

  119. I love our King bed but we are in the process of updating it. We have a new duvet and skirt but are REALLY wanting to do a DIY head and foot board. And more pillows!

  120. What WOULDN’T I change is the better question!! First and foremost I really really need a headboard and frame for my bed. Still searching for the perfect one :)

  121. My favorite thing about my bed?? My sheets!!! They are a super-nice set I found on clearance some years back (and are starting to fray at the edges, but they are so darn soft and comfy!!). I’ve been looking for another set like them for years, but none others seem to measure up.

  122. My favorite thing about my bed is how wonderful I feel when I climb between crisp sheets, stretch and then snuggle up to my husband and fall asleep.

  123. Thank you both for a great post. I love my bed and I love to sleep! But I’ve had the same set of sheets for probably 8 years! I definitely need new ones. A friend gave me a duvet and various pillows so time ago. They are good quality and I am very grateful for them, however, the fabric is dark and dated and I could definitely replace them and have the sheets, duvet and pillows all work together. I’ve been purging a lot of stuff around my house lately and now the areas are clear of clutter I want to repaint and restyle the rooms. The tips in this post will certainly help.

  124. Mmmm, one thing I love about our old full bed was that it was FREE!!! I want a new bed, new bedding, and a new mattress stat!

  125. I love my funky 4 poster bed, the bedding and most importantly, the side-sleeper pillows that were a splurge, but totally worth it! The thing I do not like- my guest bed… I need inspiration to make it unique and fun for friends and family. I’ll definitely be using these tips- thank you!

  126. Love my bedding…but I’d love to replace my too soft mattress. Realized after reading your post I really do need the third Euro sham … would love to win book to get more great ideas.

  127. Great tips on bed making! I’m also loving the trend of off centered throw pillows to help make the room feel more casual and relaxed. Never thought of the Euro sham staple – a great idea for a girl that likes a lot of pillows :)

    Also enjoyed the example photos associated with each tip. It gave me some ideas on pattern layering – specifically around balance and proportions. With my duvet cover being a little busy in pattern, I definitely realized that a larger print is needed to help complete the look.

    Keep up the thoughtful tips and tricks!

  128. My favorite part of my bed has got to be my husband sleeping next to me. After that, its the feather topper — we just sink in and….ah!!! wouldn’t change a thing! FYI—love your site!

  129. I’ve suddenly been in a mood to re-do my bed and this post came at the perfect time! Thanks for the tips!! I love my comforter (my bff made it for me), but I’ve had it awhile and I want to make a change. hmmmm…

  130. I love the red, gray and blue color scheme! I used soothing pastel blues and greens on my bed and window treatments and I love the peaceful restful feeling I get every time I walk through the door.

  131. I love how comfortable our king sized bed is and how it feels like a big hug at the end of the day. I really need to thing about refreshing the current bed skirt or maybe just doing without one.:l

  132. What a timely post! I am currently shopping for new bedding…six years with the same stuff gets a little dull. These tips were great and will definitely help me as I put together our new look.

  133. My favorite thing about our bed is the quilt that I made for it! It makes it more personal & more us :) I would love to change the actual bed frame itself though to something a bit nicer…

  134. I’ll answer both!

    What’s your favorite thing about your bed?
    The fabrics, I’m using silk, faux fur and expensive sheets…the investment is so worth it!

    What’s the one thing you want to change?
    The room has turned a bit dark for my liking…would like to brighten up the bed some!

  135. My favorite thing about our bed is the size, Cal King, which is such a luxury! The thing I like least is our comforter. It is dated, and showing wear from kids and pets. An update is in the works. Hopefully sooner than later!

  136. I love a small, long, narrow pillow I hand sewed and hand beaded. It doesn’t quite go with the room yet but it is really fun and decorative. I really want to make a new duvet cover. Something that pulls the room together and makes a statement.

  137. I love my mattress, but would like to change the headboard (I attempted to make one on my own and I’m not in love), as well as find the perfect dust ruffle and some accent blankets and new sheets… I pretty much have alot of work to do on my bed.

  138. That looks like a beautiful book; I would love to page through it! About my bed… I don’t like too much about it at this time except for the frame; it’s an iron canopy and I am crazy about it! But that’s about it. I don’t like my mattress, I don’t like my pillow and I don’t like my bedding. I’m just not sure how to put together something that I will like, and I don’t really care for bed-in-a-bag solutions. I’ve bought a couple of those in the past and they just didn’t strike my fancy too much.

  139. Oh, how I wish I could have a bedframe but if not that, then at least a homemade headboard from your tutorial. My bedroom just doesn’t flow so I think I just need to start over….we got the bedspread 6 years ago and I think I thought I loved it then but really I think I liked the embroidered pillows the most instead of the actual bedspread. Oh, how I need this book to guide me in purchases so I don’t hate something 6 years later!

  140. My bed is a poster bed made for a canopy but all the inserts for the canopy frame are broken off. I have always wanted a canopy over my bed. It seems so romantic. the one thing I would change is to have a romantic yet untraditional canopy!

  141. Love my mattress, definitely need a new headboard! Some great ideas in this post — thanks!

  142. I’ll play!

    The thing I love about my bed is the quilt I made for our 15th wedding anniversary.

    The thing I’d love to change is the skirt/pillow shams that match the old duvet.

    Thanks for the tips. They’re great.

  143. i love my fluffy duvet, i can take the inside out when it is too hot or change the cover for a new look. i hate that my bed squeaks every time i turn over though, as soon as i can, i am changing that bed frame.

  144. Favorite thing is that we finally have a king size bed and I have memory foam on my side (husband decided he didn’t like his. . too bad, his loss). What I need to change. . .everything else! Hoping to make/buy an upholstered headboard in the near future (maybe using the memory foam that hubby ditched?). :)

  145. Would love a King bed one day!! But for now I love the toile pattern we have going on in our room!

  146. I Love my king size bed, I need a new duster. I enjoyed all the advice on what kind of pillows to use.

  147. What I love most about my bed is the patchwork quilt made from my grandmother’s scrap fabric.

  148. I love that my bed was our gift to ourselves for our ten year anniversary. I would love to get a REALLY nice bedding set. I have a great duvet that I bought from Ikea in Germany about 8 years ago. I go back and forth between that and a light green hand me down comforter. It is time for a change. :) Hoping that while I am in Turkey I will be able to find some fab fabric at a steal and I will be able to make something. Keeping my fingers crossed!

  149. What I would like to change about my bed is to add a fabric headboard. If I only had the time!

  150. Really like the tip of having a bed-sized quilt plus a spare twin-sized quilt. Ooooh eeee that’s snuggly.

    Upside of Canadian summers?? I can put this to work right away. You’re all jealous, right?

  151. I love my four post bed and because it is so high off the ground, i always feel like a Princess!

  152. Hi – my favorite thing(s) are my down pillows and I would love to add some color to my all-white look, but I am having a hard time deciding which color and how much!

  153. My favourite thing is my memory foam thick pad on top of my mattress that makes me feel like I’m floating in a bed of meringue :)

  154. I’d change the fact that we don’t have a bed frame!!! Drives me crazy!!! Much to easy for the kids to climb on and mess up!! (But I do love their morning snuggles!)

  155. I love my bed! It is the first piece of furniture my hubby and I ever bought together, when we were prego with the first of four kids. It is a modified simple sleigh bed. I wish the wood was a different color, but not enough that I want to put the work in to change it! :)

  156. I love my bed frame–King size Ikea Hemnes. It is simple and sleek. Love it. I would like to add more bedding. Just more pillows and maybe another blanket to add more color. :)

  157. My favorite thing about my bed is that the whole family fits! From the husband, to both kids, to mama and the golden retriever–we can all snuggle in and get cozy!

  158. I just thought I loved my bed until I read this today! :} I love my soft sheets but think it’s time for new ones. I love them so much that I wash them and put right back on! Kinda getting worn out now.!!
    Would love to start over and get all new bedding because my taste is differant now.
    I love your blog Kate. You have me hooked on the blogging world now and I just can’t get enough.
    Thanks for sharing all your wonderful ideas!!

  159. I love that our bed is big–a King–so I have lots of room ofr comfy pillows. I hate our mattress! It has two huge dips in it where we sleep and it kills us every night. We’re saving our pennies though, to get an awesome one. Also, I’d like some Euros and fun decorative pillows.

  160. My bedroom is in the middle of a renovation, but what I am looking for is a light quilt to layer over our duvet – on my side only as I am the one who is always cold.

  161. Beautiful pictures and great tips. I’m in the middle of trying to decide what changes to make on our bedroom.

  162. The very first thing I want to change is getting a bed frame. When we moved last year, the lame metal frame broke and so we just put our box springs/mattress on the floor. I know what type of bed I want and I even printed out Ana White’s plans to make it. We just haven’t had the funds quite yet for it.

  163. My favorite thing about my bed is the frame. Just bought it a couple of months ago and I’ve never actually had an actual bed before (only the cheap metal frame)! What I’d like to change would be the mattress. We both wake up with pains almost every morning, it’s just no fun!

  164. I have a king size sleigh bed in a beautiful warm wood tone, which I love. I’d like to update my bedding and purchase a fluffy down comforter to keep me and my hubby warm during the cold New England winters. Thanks for the great tips on making up a bed! LOVE your blog!

  165. Favorite thing: I love that we sleep on a king mattress, and wide enough that DH & I can sleep facing each other without breathing the others’ “exhaust”. ;o)

    Thing I want to change: Witness: I need a bed! lol Our last mattress was a queen, and I haven’t “gotten around” to building a new one yet.

  166. My favorite thing on my bed are my new memory foam pillows. They are fabulous and i really do sleep so much better.

  167. My favorite things about my bed is my headboard that I DIYed and our amazingly comfy mattress and my least favorite are my sheets…I cannot wait to get my new ones in the mail!

  168. The thing I need to change is my pillows. I had my old pillow for years and loved it but the inner core finally disintergrated and a new one was needed, so far I’ve bought 2 new ones and they have both been failures.

  169. I love my duvet, but I need a bigger bed – my husband and I share a double. Ahh, to be young and poor… ;)

  170. Our tempurpedic mattress is the BEST thing ever. We also have a beautiful PB rustic looking sleigh bed that makes me VERY happy every night!!! :-)

  171. I LOVE everything about my bed! I used to work in a custom bedding boutique and got all of my pieces at a great price…I especially love my duvet and my celedon green cotton sateen sheets! My husband refers to me making the bed as “building the nest!” Love this post!

  172. I the space that we have with our Cal King bed… now there is room for my hubby and three kids to snuggle together. I also love the new PB bedding I bought but I need to get a bedskirt to hide the ugly frame:)

  173. My favorite thing about my bed is my husband sleeping (not snoring) next to me! I just bought a new quilt, shams, pillows, and made new curtains. I’ve got the paint all bought and can’t wait to finish up the room!

  174. Right now I most love the new upholstered headboard that I recently made for our bed! That book looks fabulous!

  175. My favorite thing and the thing I want to change are actually the same – my 8 month old son co-sleeps with us, and while I love that I can just roll over to nurse him back to sleep or see his little face in the morning, I do wish I had some more space to S P R A W L.

    Otherwise, I don’t like much about my bed. It was my husband’s before we married and a little too soft for my tastes. I do like making it every morning though – it makes the whole room look tidier!

  176. My favorite thing is being in it cuddling with my hubby. Oh, how I love slow, quiet nights of falling asleep side by side!

  177. I have no headboard, so I would love to add tufted headboard. Looks like a great book!

  178. What I love about my bed…sharing it with my awesome husband…cuddling with sleepy kiddos…lounging with a good book.

    Would love to win this..thanks for the opportunity!

    Jennifer

  179. My favorite thing about my bed is the rustic pallet headboard that I just made! I adore the contrast with the old rustic wood and crisp white sheets! I’d love a copy of that amazing book!! :)

  180. I love my memory foam topper and doubling up the fitted sheets with high thread count goodness!

  181. I would like to change the color of my sheets. Right now they are a chocolate brown and I want to go with a crisp white to lighten things up!

  182. I love my bed. I’ll admit it was a hand me down, but it was in great shape. The mattreses are so comfortable and I love that I have it on risers so that I can store things underneath. I need to get a dust ruffle to hide the storage and new pillows. It’s amazing how fast they get flat. Right now I have the headboard in the garage because it was big and tall. I’m thinking of putting it on the bed and seeing if I like it. I could use some new sheets too. :)

    If I win the book I’m giving it to my designer sister after I’ve read it. :)

  183. What would I want to change? New bedding! Mine is so dated. :( I want soothing color, inviting pillows and comfy sheets…that scream..oops whisper sweet dreams!

  184. I love me Tempur-Pedic mattress topper! Haha. Otherwise my bed is like a giant cinderblock.

    And I’ve decided I can’t go on living until I procure the bedding from Turquoise, Tulips & Bliss.

  185. My favorite part on my bed is the awesome new sheet set we just bought. First time with high quality sheets and they are so worth it!

  186. I don’t like much about our bed except that it’s a king size. I would love an upholstered headboard and all new linens.

  187. My favorite thing about my bed is the layers of covers! I love having my super soft gray sheets, white down comforter, and gray duvet pulled up tight when I’m going to bed!

  188. Thanks for the tips! I love the padded headboard I just made (using your tutorial, woohoo!), but now I’m on the hunt for a new bedskirt and I’ve been hating everything I’ve seen so far. Definitely need to change the exposed legs and storage! :)

  189. My bed is my favorite place at the end of my long days as a floral designer. I love the satiny soft 100% cotton sheets. I don’t know the thread count, but they are heavenly. When I get into my bed I feel transformed. They are like butter. I have many in my favorite shade of the palest lavender.

  190. I love my headboard! It was a thrift store find that I spray painted Heirloom White and distressed. It’s so pretty, and was one of the first things I ever painted for myself.

  191. I love our log bed off craigslist. I have a Pendelton Wool blanket on my wish list to give it that finally touch.

  192. I love the play between our ikat headboard and zebra print pillows – it’s an Africa meets Asia thing that works beautifully. The one thing I would change is to no longer allow the dogs on the bed so that I could enjoy having a nice throw and a nice duvet that didn’t need to be covered by a “protector” sheet!

  193. I want to change the bedding. It’s really terrible right now. I know I don’t want the ‘bed in a bag look’ but I don’t know what to do…. until I read this post! Thank you! I’d love to win the book. It looks fantastic!

  194. I love my bed, which is an antique victorian walnut with a high headboard and very deep sideboards….on the downside, it’s a standard full size, and I’d love to switch to a Queen at some point. My boys are grown and they still mention how much they love my bed.

  195. Love my bedskirt — linen from PB. Would love a headboard, upholstered, and am saving up for it even though I know a DIY project is possible. At near 65, it’s time to pamper myself and find a reasonably priced one! somewhere, sometime.

  196. I love the comforter and decorative pillows I bought at JC Penney. I usually don’t take much time with the bed but now with the extra pillows and the pretty comforter its fun to dress it up every morning!

  197. I love the king bed itself…not so much the bedding. The bed is so large, I have a hard time trying to figure out what to use for the comforter/duvet. So I do nothing! I guess I have fear of commitment on this one. ;)

  198. I absolutely love my fluffy down duvet which was a total steal. Bought it new for $60 (regular $175). Woo hoo! I wouldn’t mind upgrading to a King size bed but then I would have to change all my bedding and get rid of my sleigh bed frame which I’m not quite ready to do:-)

  199. Something I would change? My sheets are ten years old! I think that’s a great place to start…

  200. What? I have to pick something I like about my bed? Ok, its big so plenty of space to stretch out. What do I want to change? Everything… its a mess of mismatched pieces.. I am ready for a grown up bedroom!

  201. I really needed this post right now. I have been having the hardest time dressing my king size bed. This really helped. THANKS!!!!

  202. This is beautiful! Makes me really want to go out and make my bed pretty.

    But I’ve always sort of wondered, where do you put all the accessory pillows when you sleep?

  203. My favorite thing about my bed is the bed frame that my husband made for us… the thing I want to change is the comforter and the colors, and a way to make it work for us but still look good!

  204. I just was able to get a new King size bed. We have not had a nice bedroom suite for about 30 yrs. So it was time. We got the set & the headboard is on back order for 4 mos. I didn’t like that, but I think it is worth waiting for. I have a new comforter, & made one pillow. Found the comforter on clearance, so will need to make a few more pillows and the shams. This was a good time to see this post, give me some ideas.

  205. I love my Sleep Number bed! I attached a simple designed metal headboard that is in gunmetal gray; this is very versatile. I would like to create a beautiful color scheme in linens, as suggested by Annette Tatum.

  206. I can’t believe how much there is involved in making a bed! Wow, bookmarking this.

    I love my Japanese style bed with the steps all around, it did away with having to have bedside tables!

  207. I love the feather mattress I have on our bed and my pillows. I am ready for a total redo on the rest of the bedroom but those two things wouldn’t change. Once I can fling the windows open I will begin painting and redoing our room. Loved the photos in this post.

  208. We have a solid white quilt on top of our bed. We sleep with our dogs and I can bleach it and have it looking great all the time! I always had colored comforters before and washing them or dry cleaning them always made me nervous.

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