The Layered Bed – How to a Achieve Magazine Worthy Look
Hey there friends!
Have you ever seen bedding in a catalogue or online at sites like Pottery Barn and fallen in LOVE with it? Then you order or it, come home, make your bed, and it falls flat?
This GORGEOUS example from Pottery Barn features 2 comforters, quilts and a ton of professional styling.
Take a look at the image you fell in love with… notice how it is absolutely FULL of layers? In addition to the utilitarian sheets and sleeping pillows, there are quilts, shams, duvets filled with lofty down comforters, and extra throw blankets. And it is all artfully draped on the bed and surrounded by a beautiful space with perfect lighting - professionally styled. Suddenly, the single duvet and two shams you’ve purchased seem dull and your perfect bed fantasy is over.
We can’t live realistically with all of those layers that make the online images so appealing. Inevitably one person in the bed is too hot, one too cold, etc. For my model homes, I often achieve beds you will want to get right into because they look so fluffy and layered. And because I am often working with tight budgets, the beds I layer are achievable and realistic. Here’s how my team and I make that happen… (For this exercise I will speak in terms of a king bed – but this formula works on all bed sizes)
We start with selecting the perfect duvet and euro shams. I will say that I absolutely love Pottery Barn, West Elm, and the ENTIRE WS Home family of brands, so I can say with confidence that nearly 100% of the bedding I order for my model homes comes from one or more of those sources.
Let’s use their Hotel Collection Grand Organic Bedding in yellow. For a king bed, I need a king duvet and three euro sham covers. (Plus you’ll need a down/down alternative comforter and pillows to fill – make sure you take into account the time of year and how hot/cold you sleep)
Click here to go to my Source the Room page!
Now that you have the important base bedding selected, you can now expand on your layers. Assuming you’ll use the three euro shams in the back against your headboard, we can now move forward. For the next layer, I would either put two king shams, or sometimes I use another layer of contrasting euro shams.
In this case, I wanted to enhance the rich yellow from the scheme, so I used two solid mustard euro shams in front of my back layer.
The next two layers are optional – now we have finishing accent pillows. For my example, I added a layer of three smaller throw pillows in a graphic pattern. I finished the look with mustard wedding blanket pillows. I say ‘optional’ because you don’t need another two layers. However, I do suggest you add at least one additional accent layer in front of your base euros and shams. Something that ties the room together and makes you happy to look at. The more layers here, the fuller the bed looks without having to sleep under a ton of layers. Pillows are easy and non committal. HAVE FUN with this step!
Now here is THE SECRET to having a bed that will make you want to get right back in because it will be so fluffy and layered… It’s so simple. When you make your bed, straighten the sheets and tuck them tightly. Then, you simply fold down your comforter. This uncomplicated fold will instantly give your bed loft and softness.
You can see in this image, the completed bed – all the pillows tie it together, add softness and layers, and the fold down makes it soft and inviting. A catalogue-worthy bed for sure! (And budget friendly!)
The finished look from my model home I installed for MP STUDIO!
If you still want more, you can add a throw blanket or even a folded quilt to the end of the bed. These will only add to the design and are easy to take off at night if it is all too much to actually sleep with. But you may find the previous steps were enough to feel pulled together.
Sheets – since they are seen in a folded down bed, selecting your sheets is important. Because I often use pattern in my pillows, I love solid sheets for my model homes generally.
Head over to my Source the Room page for links!
Cheers!
Shana
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