How you make the bed can make or break a bedroom. I’ve seen many beautiful bedrooms let down by a poorly made bed, but making a glamorous and inviting bed is actually very simple, so I’ve outlined my process, and some designer tips here.
The first step is deciding on your aesthetic and colour scheme. I will often create mood boards with images or samples of the different fabrics next to each other so I can play around with different ideas. I usually like to select one dominant colour (usually the quilt cover) and then select complimentary or contrasting fabrics to complete the scheme. Try to limit the bed linen to no more than three different fabrics to avoid it being too busy visually. My recipe is one fabric for the quilt cover and two pillow cases, one fabric for the sheets and two more pillow cases, and then one last one for European pillow cases.
If you’re not finding anything in stores that you’re liking, try having a quilt cover made. This takes a little more expertise but if you visit reputable fabric suppliers they can help direct you to suitable fabrics.
For a designer finish, purchase a quilt and quilt cover one size bigger than the bed size. Having the extra length on the sides gives you more opportunity to tuck it neatly into the frame, or cover more of the mattress as these are often quite tall nowadays.
When you’re ready to put it all together, follow this formula;
Step 1 - Put the fitted sheet on, and then the flat sheet, folding the top of the fitted sheet back about 300-400mm and tucking it in neatly with nurses corners - if you’ve never done one before it’s worth finding a youtube tutorial, it’s easy and finishes the bed off professionally.
Step 2 - Lay your quilt over the bed, and fold the top back about 300-400mm. If you have a bed frame with a foot board, tuck all the edges in neatly around the whole perimeter. If you have an ensemble style bed you can leave it hanging over the edge as long as it hangs down over the bottom of the mattress.
Step 3 - Arrange your pillows in the following configuration, from the headboard towards the footboard; the pillows you use for sleeping (these should be covered in the same fabric as your sheets), then your European pillows, and then two more pillows at the front (these should be covered in the same fabric as your quilt cover).
Step 4 - Add some decorative elements. If you take anything away from this, it should be not to over accessorise - nothing is worse than having to throw off forty-five cushions every night just to get into bed! You only need two decorative cushions for a double or queen size bed, or three if it’s a king size bed and 500 x 500mm square is usually a good size. I like to use different patterns in one colour-way, black and white for example. If you’re not feeling confident, you can use two of the same fabric. I’m personally not a fan of throw rugs, but if you want to fold a coverlet into a neat rectangle and place it over the end of the bed this can add an extra layer, particularly if you’re keeping your fabrics simple.
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