We spend a large chunk of our lives in our beds, so you should make sure yours is perfect. Here’s how to make the perfect bed.
There’s nothing like adding extra coziness to make your house feel like home. And there’s no better way to end a stressful day than to find yourself in an environment designed to help you relax.
That’s why you need to know how to make the perfect bed. After all, we spend a third of our lives asleep. It should be the safest, coziest environment you know.
Here we tell you everything you need to know about designing the perfect bed.
Find the Right Frame for Your Personal Style
Bet you thought we were going to start talking about the mattress huh. Nope! While the frame isn’t as essential to your perfect bed, it’s still an important element to consider.
What tones do you want to evoke? Are you looking for something sleek and minimalist or elegant? Rustic or sea-side? Do you want to consider other bed activities that your frame could help you enjoy?
Are you okay with saving money here by using only a metal frame and a headboard? Does your mattress need a box spring or does the frame need to support the mattress without one? How high do you want to be off the ground?
These are all things to consider when you pick out your bed frame. Whatever you choose will be up to your personal style and preferences – there is no right or wrong answer.
Do You Need a Bed Skirt?
We’re putting this up front, because you may not even need one. If you have an elegant frame and no box spring, you can skip the bed skirt.
But if you do want a bed skirt to cover your frame or box spring, iron it first. Then secure it with pins or corner fasteners to make sure it doesn’t slip.
This is another area of your perfect bed you can skimp on to preserve your budget.
The Right Mattress is the Foundation to a Perfect Bed
The right mattress will make or break your bed. Do you want something softer or more firm? Do you want to go crazy with a waterbed or a feather bed?
Whatever you choose, buy the best you can afford, and make sure it fits your personal sleep needs.
The perfect mattress will give you support where you need it, and also reduce pressure. You should wake up feeling refreshed and pain-free!
You can view more mattress options here.
A Mattress Protector Doubles the Life of Your Mattress
After you’ve dropped all that cash on a new mattress, you need to protect it with a mattress cover. An uncovered mattress can double in weight by collecting dust.
You want to secure your mattress cover with corner fasteners to keep it from slipping. After all mattress covers are notorious for bunching up in the middle of the bed.
Do you want to splurge? Consider adding a feather topper. A decent feather topper ranges between $50-$100 but the luxurious ones are over $250.
Sheets Hug You While You Sleep
Invest in a good set of sheets, but don’t rely on the thread count. Any thread count above 430 is unnecessary. Instead, invest in classic linens that are light in color, linen or cotton, easy to maintain, and always in style.
Origin and material are important. The best sheets are Italian made. The best materials are Egyptian cotton, sea island cotton, or Pima cotton.
You should have two sheets – one fitted and one flat. Put on the fitted sheet first, so the elastic fits around the corners. The tag should go on the bottom right corner.
Again, corner fasteners or safety pins can help keep your sheets from sliding off.
Once your fitted sheet is in place, add the flat sheet. Lay your sheets with the print side down and line them up on top of the mattress.
If you want to add an extra blanket between your flat sheet, put that on next. If the blanket is shorter than the flat sheet, line it up with the edges and bottom.
Now you’re ready for the hospital corner. This can take some practice, so don’t worry about getting it right away.
The hospital corner ads an extra touch of style, intention, and security to your bed.
To make a hospital corner, tuck in the sheet and blanket at the same time. Start at the foot of the bed, lifting up the mattress to get the fabric to lay smooth. On one side, fold the corner of the sheet up against the side of the mattress. Tuck in the rest of that side. Then tuck in the hanging edge of the sheet. Repeat the process on the other side.
Or you can watch this handy tutorial.
If You Want, Add an Extra Blanket
Making the bed during winter? Go ahead and add an extra blanket for some extra warmth.
Quilt vs. Bedspread vs. Comforter vs Duvet vs Coverlet
Now it’s time to talk about the cover for your beautiful bed. We break down the difference between the covers, so you can pick the style that works best for you.
Quilt
Quilting refers both to the artistic hobby of making quilts, and the style used to make a quilt. There are three layers, the top, the batting, and the bottom.
The top is different fabrics stitched together to create an intricate design. Many manufactured quilts are all one piece dyed various colors.
The batting is a thin layer of wool or down that gives the quilt its insulation. The bottom is a solid piece of fabric upon which the other two aspects are sewn.
A quilt works in a country, rustic, or coastal styles. And since this is your perfect bed, consider including a quilt made by a loved one.
Comforter
A comforter is usually very thick, filled with down, or a synthetic substitute. It’s not patterned but might have designed stitching. The filling determines how warm the comforter is. And it’s usually the cheapest option.
Duvet
A duvet is technically a comforter, but it has a fabric envelope that fits over it. Most often, the duvet is plain white and usually filled with down. The cover closes with large buttons, ties, or a zipper.
Duvets have been popular in Europe for some time now but only came into fashion in America. Duvets are popular because the covers are easy to remove for laundering.
You can find duvet covers sold with matching shams. Duvets are good for a minimalist style, or a sophisticated or modern bedroom.
Bedspread
A bedspread is a single-layer of bedding that reaches all the way to the floor. They usually have elaborate finishes, like pompoms, corduroy, or chenille. They even have a fringe.
They’re lightweight and good for summer, but otherwise, they’ve fallen out of style.
Coverlet
A coverlet is a single-sided blanket. It’s lightweight and usually quilted or woven. Coverlets most often go at the foot of the bed. They can be accent pieces, or they can be extra security for long winter nights.
How to Make a Bed
After you’ve chosen your cover, put the pieces together as we’ve described.
Then Fold the top third (about a pillow’s width) of your bedding from the flat sheet up towards the end of the bed. You should see the pretty pattern from your flat sheet on top.
Now you’re ready for pillows!
Is There Such a Thing as Too Many Pillows?
The perfect bed has 7 to 9 pillows, but the perfect bed also has to match your taste! If you want all the pillows, then have as many pillows as you like!
But if you’re looking for a more refined approach to pillows, follow these guidelines.
You should have two sets of queen pillows, or king pillows if you have a king-sized bed. Make sure they’re hot water washable to kill germs. Like your mattress, your pillows should always have protectors.
Two of your queen pillows should have flat pillow cases and the other two should have shams. These are your base pillows.
From there, you can add two square euro pillows that match your sham. Then add your decorative pillows. Two square pillows and one lumbar pillow look best together. Lumbar pillows are long, rectangular, or sometimes round pillows.
When you lay your pillows on the bed, stack them vertically instead of laying them flat. Put the biggest pillows in the back and the smallest pillows up front. Put the open side of the pillowcase to face the nearest side of the bed.
Add a Throw Blanket for an Accent or Extra Warmth
We talked about a cover blanket before to put at the end of the bed for extra decor or warmth. Now’s the time to add it! Pro tip: roll the blanket for extra texture.
Best Tips and Tricks
Keep a lavender linen spray on your nightstand to spray your bed before you go to sleep.
Take time to make nice folds. It pays off for a clean finish.
Don’t make your bed first thing in the morning. This can actually encourage dust mites to thrive. Instead, open the windows and let in some sun. Fold your duvet in a Z pattern across the foot of your bed to help your bed air out throughout the day.
Follow other sleep tips, like not drinking before bed, to get the best sleep possible.
Now You Know How to Make the Perfect Bed
There you have it! To build the perfect bed, invest in quality linens that go well together. Take time with your corners and tucking to make a smooth bed. Stack your pillows largest to smallest and stand them upright.
Now you know how to make the perfect bed. The trick is to make it every day.
Love this article? Scroll to the bottom of the page and sign up for our newsletter! We’ll send you the best tips you need to know for your amazing odd life.
