How to dress (your bed) for success!
Want a comfortable and stylish bed that hugs you at night? We’ve got you covered! A dear friend (and mega-lifestyle influencer) Anna Mae Groves recently stayed in our Guest Cottage. She loved it so much, her TikTok tour went viral, and she asked for tips on how to recreate the look/comfort of our guest bed. We are finally breaking down our robust guide to bed styling/comfort so you can have the dreamiest bedscape of the season!
Here’s what we’ll cover:
Top Styling Tips
3 Items your bed is missing for ULTIMATE comfort
What Not to Do: the mistake everyone makes with their pillows, how to fix it!
Top Styling Tips
start with your Bedding
We get asked all the time about our recommendations for sheets, blankets, and duvets. Here are our favorites (and what we have in our Guest Cottage Bedroom.)
Give us all the fluff: this goose feather down insert from Amazon is our favorite start to a fluffy bedscape - don’t underestimate the power of a fluffy duvet!
We adore linen: It is beautiful, durable, and it gets softer the more you wash it. You can’t go wrong with this stonewashed set from Portugal, that even comes with a duvet cover. Because high-quality linens are a style & slumber staple.
Blankets & throws: These are key layers, and both thinner bed blankets and chunkier throws have their place on a well-styled bed! (Read on for how to style them) In the Guest Cottage Bedroom, we used this bed blanket, and this wool throw.
Styling
Layer. Once you’ve applied your fitted sheet, you’ll want to pull the top of your flat sheet all the way to the top edge of your mattress. Here’s where we like to sneak in another thin sheet or bed blanket that can peek out from the top edge of the duvet. Pull this extra layer up about 3/4 of the bed, to add visual fullness and extra coziness in colder months.
Fold. Stretch your duvet all the way out flush with the headboard and then fold it down, draping it 1/3 of the way. This asymmetry creates visual interest and allows a peek at all those fluffy layers, which let’s be honest. . . is an invitation to nap (like right now!)
Add Texture. Consider adding a sheet style blanket near the end of your bed, and as a bonus, toss on a chunky throw. Adding a variety of textures and colors, combined with all these lovely layers really crafts the moment.
Pillow Talk
Let’s get real, can you ever have too many pillows? We don’t think so either!
Stack four pillows flat (two per person) on either side of your bed. We suggest investing in quality bedding and pillows that are going to serve dual purpose, giving your space both aesthetic beauty, and longevity.
Pro-Tip: Ideally, one set of pillow covers should match your sheets, and the other match your duvet, to tie it all together. We love this version of our favorite linen bedding bundle, that allows you to mix and match your colors.
For decorative pillows, we used two embellished square pillows with one long bolster to diversify and add balance. This will work for you too!
3 Items Your Bed is Missing for ULTIMATE Comfort
Start with these foundational elements:
A quality Mattress
A thick mattress pad (we recommend memory foam)
A quilted mattress topper
Let’s break this down a little bit more. . . .
A quality mattress
This one is a no-brainer. We’ve all slept on a horrible mattress at some point and will avoid reliving that experience at all costs. Everyone has their preferences, but if you’re looking for our favorite…This mattress really is a dream! Featuring both a traditional coil spring on one side and memory foam on the other, dual functionality makes The Layla Hybrid our top choice for your next quality mattress. It’s a great option for a guest bedroom since you or your guests can flip it according to their preference! (And it’s up to $200 off right now at the link above)
A thick mattress pad
Is essential to give your bed that plush, boutique hotel vibe. And who wouldn’t want that? The key is to make it thick! Go for one that is 2 inches or more in thickness. Check out our favorite options: this luxe memory foam ($60 off right now!) or this great budget friendly option.
A quilted mattress topper
Yes, we recommend a pad and a topper! We’re pretty sure this was the *cherry on top* that had our friend Anna raving about “the best sleep she’s ever had”. It adds the fluffiest depth (which boosts the layered effect!) and lends comfort and breathability. Plus, it’s vital for cooling, which is thought to lead to more restorative sleep. Pretty and smart? Yes, please!! We suggest a breathable one like this one from Parachute.
What Not to Do:
The mistake everyone makes with their pillows, and how to fix it!
Scale is SO important in design. Your artwork should scale to the size of your wall, your furniture to the size of your room, etc...Well, guess what? The same principle applies to your bed, and it's what so many people miss:
Scale Your Sleeping Pillows - this tip seems like common sense, but we’ve seen enough of our clients make this simple mistake that we knew we had to address it: your sleeping pillows need to be proportionate to the size of your bed! So, if you have a king-size bed, you will want to use king-size pillows. If you have a full bed, use full-sized pillows. When the scale of your pillows is off, it leaves your bed feeling too big or small. Scale is everything! Even with sleeping pillows. Who knew?
The Urbanology Cottage Primary Bedroom is stacked with the comfiest sleeping pillows, and our favorite mattress.
We recently upgraded our sleeping pillows to these - memory foam, cooling, and you can adjust the firmness! We’re never going back.
*Want to try them for free? When you buy our favorite mattress, these pillows come with it, and have a 120-day money-back trial period.
Sometimes, its so right to be Wrong - this is going to sound weird, but trust us: you need to get the WRONG size inserts for your accent pillow covers. The secret to achieving the perky, just fluffed look you see in magazines? Get a pillow insert that is 1 size up from your pillow cover. Here's an example: If you have a 20x20" cover, use a 22" x 22" insert. We promise it will give your accent pillows a full, fluffy new life.
This doesn't just apply to your bedroom! Once you see the difference with one pillow, you'll want to change your inserts throughout your home.
Complete your vignette
Choose a piece of artwork, framed photography, a tapestry, or even a fedora to hang above your bed to complete your beautiful bedscape. Here’s a favorite tapestry of ours that we used in our Guest Cottage bedroom!
If you have an art piece that you love, but it doesn't scale correctly over your bed, we LOVE placing it way off of the center of the bed, to give it a unique, artsy vibe. See how we did it here, in our Bent Tree Beauty Project.
