We’ve all been spending a lot of time at home these days, which makes us notice ALL the things that we want to change. And since we spend one third of our lives sleeping – invest in your bedding, people! This is a great time of year for a Spring refresh anyway, but why not upgrade your sleep situation while you’re stuck at home? We could all always use a better nights sleep! Whether you like bright, white bedding or crazy, fun patterns and color, we’ve mapped out the best way to create the BEST bed, layer by layer. Perfect for all those Sunday snuggles during quarantine and after.

Design by Tiffany Leigh Design | Photography by Patrick Biller

Start with the basics. Do you like a firm or soft mattress? Do you sleep hot or do you need to bundle up under a bunch of layers? Also, think about the way you sleep. Side sleepers should opt for something on the softer side, while stomach sleepers need something firmer, and back sleepers fall somewhere in between. Your mattress can do a world of difference, but unless it’s time to replace your mattress (do so every 7-10 years), you can probably just upgrade your mattress topper so that you don’t break the bank. A mattress topper also protects your mattress, so it’s a win-win. If you sleep hot – try a cooling memory foam mattress topper. One that’s only 3-4 inches thick will feel like you’re on a completely different mattress. If you get chilly at night, a down feather bed is your best bet. We LOVE this one from Parachute Home, you might just forget you’re sleeping in a bed and not a cloud.

Design by BANDD Design Interiors | Photography by Molly Culver

Once you have the core of your bed the way that you like it to feel, you can move onto the sheets. We love organic cotton sheets, especially if you sleep a little hot. They can be on the pricier side, but this is self-care, amirite?! If you like that “crisp” feeling when you crawl into bed, look for some with a sateen finish. If you really want to feel extra luxurious, linen sheets are also a dream to sleep on. They are very breathable and tend to get better with each washing. Both cotton and linen sheets tend to wrinkle, you can either embrace it as part of the “look” or run an iron over them. We’ve got nothing but free time right now, so why not treat yourself? Jersey sheets are also great if you sleep cold and feel like you’re bundled up in an old t-shirt. These are also great for kiddos as they are usually more affordable and don’t wrinkle. Regardless of which material you go with, you’ll need a fitted sheet and a flat sheet. Fitted sheets range in depth based on the thickness of the mattress – so keep in mind all your newly added layers! Pro-tip: lay the flat sheet with the finished side down so you can fold it over the coverlet or quilt and make for a more polished looking bed.

Design by Juniper Home

During the cooler months (or the 3 days of winter we experience in Texas), you can opt for a blanket on top of the sheets. If you sleep hot, try a thin cotton blanket. For something a little cozier, wool or alpaca is great. A quilt or coverlet is the next layer on your dream bed. A quilt tends to be a little thicker than a coverlet, so again, think about how you sleep. We like to use this as the “main” sleeping cover because it’s significantly easier to wash than a duvet. So bundling up with this nightly makes that fresh bed feeling last just a little bit longer. BUT because we love that plushy feeling you can only get from a duvet, keep one folded in half at the end of your bed when the bed is made. But that way it’s also easily accessible if you wake up in the middle of the night with a chill.

The last, but certainly not least, layer on your bed is a favorite of ours – the pillows! We like to keep 1-2 sleeping pillows stacked flat with one of top of each other in the back. For a Full, Queen or King size bed, you’ll have two sets of sleeping pillows. On a Twin, you’ll just need two. Your flat sheet, quilt and blanket should be neatly folded right in front of those. On a Twin or Full size bed, one standard size decorative sham will sit vertically in front of the sleeping pillows. If you like a more formal look on the twin bed, you can use a Euro sham instead. On a Queen bed, two Euro shams will sit vertically in front of your sleeping pillows. If you like more pillows or a more formal look, place two standard size shams vertically in front of the Euros. On a King bed, you’ll place three Euro shams vertically in front of your sleeping pillows, then two King size shams in front of those. For the sham pillow inserts on all these size beds, we like to use a firmer fill so they keep their shape a little better. Since these aren’t used for sleeping, you can definitely opt for cheaper down-alternative inserts, here. FINALLY, add one last layer of decorative throw pillows (if you like), this is a great opportunity to add color or pattern to your bed. Opt for either one long lumbar pillow or 2 square decorative pillows.

Design by Neelem Interiors | Photography by Lindsay Nichols

We hope this tips and tricks help you sleep better and stay sane during these crazy times!