October: Bedding
Are you ready for month two of A Year of Details? After working hard in September on my command center, which was pure organization, I’m relishing going into the bedroom and concentrating on luxury this month. Ok, I really need to focus on decluttering and storage as well, but let’s start with coziness and decadence! In this post I’m going to talk a lot about our senses and just generally feeling relaxed and wonderful in your bedroom. We’ll get into the organizational side of things mid-month.
The bedroom is such an important part of our home, it’s where we spend the most hours. And yet this room is often neglected and overlooked primarily because it’s the room not everyone sees. A lot of energy (and budget) goes into spaces like the living room because that’s where guests hang out. The bedroom is often where we skimp on important details like bedding. This is a room where I can really say details matter. But I am guilty of doing the skimping too!
You may have followed along last year as I completely redecorated my bedroom for the fall One Room Challenge (you can see the reveal post here).
This is what my bedroom looked like before. I can’t even put into words how much better I now feel in my bedroom, especially in the evening as I get into bed at the end of a long day.
There are so many elements that go into a bedroom (beds, dressers, nightstands, lamps, rugs) but probably the most important aspect to feeling cozy and comfortable is your bedding. So let’s focus on that this month.
My skimping secret
As I mentioned above, I am just as guilty as the next when it comes to scimping and neglecting things around my house, including in the bedroom. When I redid my bedroom last year I bought new duvet covers. I went with all white on the bed to create a hotel-like feel. Then I concentrated all my efforts on the pillows and throws because, honestly, it was a huge online event and the photographs were my priority.
I didn’t have time to think about the sheets and pillow cases. The white ones I had were fine. In fact all the beds in my house, from my kids’ beds to the guest bed, use white sheets. We have a traditional style of German bed, meaning there are two single mattresses next to each other on the big bed frame. So every mattress in our house is the same size and uses white twin sheets. Somehow all of those sheets have become interchangable. Sometimes I end up with totally worn out sheets from being washed too many time (I still have a bed wetter at home) on my pretty bed 🙁
I have been meaning for ages to sort out the bedding situation and buy nice new sheets for our master bed. It’s been on my to-do list for months. But life gets in the way and things don’t always get done. It’s time to put an end to the skimping and neglect going on in my bedroom. I deserve nice sheets. So you do! And by nice I DO NOT necessarily mean expensive! I mean sheets that feel wonderful to you.
My Bedding Revamp for this month
Here is a list of the things I would like to do this month to sort out the details of my bedding:
- Buy wonderul-to-the-touch fitted sheets and pillow cases
- Add color to my bed. I’ve had black and white for a while now, it’s time for something new!
- Add in the cozy textures for fall/winter.
- Sort through all the bedding in my house and come up with a better storage system.
What do you want to do this month?
Your Bed Should Be Pure Luxury
Simply imagining your bed should make you feel happy. If this isn’t entirely the case, I suggest you imagine what kind of bed would make you feel blissfully happy? I’m willing to bet that your fantasy bed is at a hotel or resort. Am I right?
So the big question for you to ponder is: what is it about that hotel bed makes you feel so wonderful? And how can you recreate that in your own home?
(I’m focussing on bedding here, but feel free to take it further. What else about the hotel room makes you feel so great? Is it the lighting? The uncluttered feeling? How can you bring that into your own bedroom?)
THE SENSES
Touch
For me, touch and feel is at the top of my list when it comes to bedding. I am not going to recommend what kind of fabrics you use because this is an extremely personal choice. Everyone has their own preference for feel and texture and it’s important to think about this. Do you consider the feel when you buy bedding? Please make sure you do. If I have to chose feel over looks, I will go with feel every time. I would rather have plain white bedding with an absolute decadent feel than the most beautiful patterned bedding on earth that just feels meh. Think about nice hotels with their plain white sheets but very high thread count = decadent.
Personally, I love percale. It’s crisp and cool to the touch. One of the reasons I love it is because I tend to be very warm. A cool bed, even in winter, is what I love.
I know a lot of people who adore flannel sheets in winter. For anyone who tends to get cold, there is probably nothing more cozy than getting into a flannel covered mattress in the cooler months. And flannel doesn’t just come in plaid. There are loads of beautiful colors and patterns that won’t remind you of a lumber jack, if that’s not your thing.
Egyptian cotton, jersey, linen, silk satin: there are many possibilities and I suggest you choose what you love the feel of. It’s not important what the thread count is or where you buy it. I have been buying percale sheets from IKEA (SÖMNTUTA) for years because I simply like the feel. Follow your senses and choose something that feels wonderful to you.
Temperature
This topic is so important when it comes to bedding and can be really tricky if you have a bedmate that has a different internal climate than you! My husband and I are totally opposite in this respect, and contrary to the cliche: I’m always warm and he’s always cold. If you have a traditional German bed, like we do, it becomes much easier because we have two separate mattresses with two separate duvets together in our big king-size bed. I thought this was so unromantic when I moved to Germany many years ago, but now I really appreciate it because he can still have his winter weight down duvet on in summer while I have just the duvet cover. LOL.
If you don’t have separate sides of the bed, think about using an extra throw or quilt on the bed for the “cold” person to use at night. During the day it can make a lovely throw at the foot of the bed. I just got my zebra-striped fur throw out again as the weather has cooled down. It adds warmth plus the right amount of cozy for a wintery feel in the bedroom.
A beautiful quilt or throw at the end of the bed can be a wonderful design element that adds color and texture to your bed. I tend to spend more on this than I do on the bedding because the throw is less likely to wear out and will last a long time.
Sight
Your bedding should, of course, be pleasing to your eye. Whether it’s plain white or a bold pattern, it should something you love the look of. I don’t buy very expensive duvet covers because I don’t want to keep them forever. It’s nice to change out the color or go in a different direction when the season changes. Maybe crisp white or a pale linen for summer and a sumptuous and dark pattern to keep you cozy in winter?
I mentioned above that I want to add some color into my bedroom this month. I have already ordered the rose-colored duvet covers above from H&M Home and I can’t wait to get them on my bed. Because I have a very bold print wallpaper on one of my bedroom walls, I am staying with a solid color on my duvets.
But if I had white or solid-colored walls I would definitely feel like adding a print! The French brand La Redoute has some wonderful patterns and they are now available in Germany.
Decorative Pillows
I’m a designer, this stuff is my job, so of course I have multiple decorative pillows gracing my bed. But you really don’t need to. Don’t have lots of pillows if it’s going to make your bed feel cluttered and you’re not going to arrange them perfectly every morning. I often recommend one long pillow for decoration. That’s easy enough to put on and take off on a daily basis.
Scent
Touch and sight are certainly the most important senses regarding bedding, but we won’t overlook the other senses in the bedroom.
Scent can help us sleep better. Essential oils like lavendar and cedarwood are relaxing and you can use them in the form of a room spray or a diffuser. My personal favorite is a mix of lavendar, neroli and vanilla extract. I spritz it over my pillow and it smells divine.
I love the look of candles but I save them for romance rather than everyday use as I don’t like the toxic smoke to fall asleep to. But even the look of a beautiful candle on my nightstand and dresser makes the room feel cozy.
And speaking of keeping the air fresh, there are certain plants that are great for the bedroom because they purify the air: areca palm, aloe vera, snake plant and peace lily to name a few.
Sound
Ok, this isn’t directly related to the bedding, but we want to be relaxed in our bedroom and sleep well!
Both my husband and I are very light sleepers and can be easily awoken by sounds. Since our kids were babies we have intermittently used white noise (the sound of waves crashing or rain) to block out sound. This has also allowed one of us to sleep in on the weekends while the other got up with the rambunctious kiddos.
Before you fall asleep you might want to think about playing relaxing music or a meditation.
BUT keep your mobile phone out of your bedroom! Besides the possible health risks, I guarantee you will sleep more soundly if you are not looking at your phone right before you fall asleep and first thing when you wake up. I don’t say this lightly, I know it is a big struggle. So much easier said than done. But for the sake of your sleep, give it a try and put your phone in a charging station at your command center.
Taste
Hmmm, taste related to bedding? How about a chocolate on your pillow? Put there by the housekeeper who turns down your bed of course 😉 Or a relaxing herbal tea. You decide.
I hope this gives you some thoughts on bedding and making your bedroom cozy and relaxing. Mid-month I will be back with ideas on how to declutter and store your bedding.
Have a great start to October!
xo
Nicole
