How to Dress a Bed You Won't Want to Leave
You spend the longest, laziest hours in your bedroom so it's only right to make it the most extraordinary room in the house. Liberty shows you how to build a bedscape for dreaming
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How to Dress a Bed You Won't Want to Leave
You spend the longest, laziest hours in your bedroom so it's only right to make it the most extraordinary room in the house. Liberty shows you how to build a bedscape for dreaming
By: Shannon Peter
Indulging in real, meaningful me-time starts with the object centric to our relaxation: the bed. It only makes sense that the more inviting yours is, the more inclined you are to sink into it – and that’s precisely the motive behind curating a bed built for dreaming. Sure, if we’re talking about man-handling a duvet cover and stretching a sheet over a mattress, we all know how to make the bed. But do you know how to dress a bed? How to seamlessly layer up textures and prints? How to perfectly pile up marshmallow-y cushions so they look enticing, and not an obstacle? Or in other words: how to make your bed look like it’s straight out of a Liberty shoot?
We corralled Alyce Taylor, interior stylist, creative director and the mastermind behind our elevated bedscapes, into sharing her expert tips for dressing a bed that begs to be slept in. So what about the tools required? Enter: Liberty’s new collection of elevated bed linen.
Read More: How to Put a Duvet Cover on
How to Dress a Bed Like a Designer
Every bed requires a few key elements: a duvet cover, pillow cases and sheets. “I love a layered bed so I like to use fitted sheets as they are quick and easy to fit, while using a flat sheet on top will add a decorative layer, particularly if it’s in a contrasting colour or print to your duvet and pillow cases,” explains Taylor.
You could lean into uniformity, matching the corresponding sheet, duvet cover and pillowcases, or take Taylor’s preferred route of mixing prints with wild abandon. “I like to mix pattern, texture and colour with cushions and quilts; these are the accessories you can have some fun with and add more personality to the bed,” she advises. “Think about contrasting material types, and pattern scale when layering in different soft accessories.”
Read more: How to Get a Goods Nights Sleep
How to Dress a Bed Like a Hotel
Think of all the hotel beds you’ve slept in: it’s the ones that look cloud-like and billowing rather than flat or austere, that offer the greatest nights sleep. Thankfully, creating the illusion of pillowy plumpness is easier than you might think. “I often order my duvet cover one size smaller than the duvet to ensure that the duvet fills the cover right into the corners,” recommends Taylor. “Selecting a feather duvet rather than synthetic will also help to create a fuller feel.” And be sure to fold over the top of the duvet; highlighting this entry point will make the bed look all the more inviting.
Read More: Bedside Manner: Helpful Ideas for Organising Your Nightstand
How to Dress a Bed with Texture
Granted, not everyone can muster the energy to iron their bedsheets, but it can make a difference to the overall finish. “It’s very much down to personal preference and also down to the material selected for your bedlinen,” Taylor explains. “An unironed linen bedding set will give you a crumpled relaxed look, however when choosing cotton or sateen, a cleaner crisper look can be achieved by ironing the sheets or steaming them once fitted.”
How to Dress a Bed with Cushions
There’s a real science behind how to dress a bed with cushions. Too few and the bed will look empty or uninspiring, too many, and you leave little space to climb into – and you lumber yourself with the daily chore of picking them all up off the floor each morning. “You don't want to make it too tricky to get into bed, so I think three or four decorative cushions is a nice balance,” Taylor says. “Pick either a large matching set, paired with a single oblong shaped cushion, or four cushions in two varying square sizes, layered in front of one another.”
Read more: Four Winning Cushion Colour Combinations
How to Dress a Bed with a Throw
With all those sheets and a perfectly plump duvet, you’d be forgiven for forgoing any kind of blanket altogether, but they can add a decorative element to complete your bedscape. But how do you dress a bed with a quilt or throw? “I like to keep quilts quite neat and folded at the end of a bed, but lighter weight throws can have a more informal touch, and be styled in a more relaxed way across the bed,” suggests Taylor.
Read more: The Best Quilts For a Romantic Bedscape
