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Pillow Talk: How To Spruce Up Your Bed

January is white sale season, which means it’s a perfect time to give your bed a makeover...

Posted January 25, 2012

sleepingShouldn’t your bed be the most inviting and alluring part of your bedroom?  We chatted up Marsha Schoen, a sales consultant at Scandia Home, to get some tips on how to spruce up this most crucial piece of furniture.

A solid foundation

“A perfect bed should start with comfort,” she says.  “I recommend starting with the right foundation: a high quality mattress pad and certified hypoallergenic pure down pillows and comforter.” Be sure to choose European white goose down over duck down, Schoen adds.

How to shop for sheets

In choosing sheets, you want to look for the highest quality 100% Egyptian cotton, Schoen says. Thread count should not be the deciding factor.

“Many mass-produced 1000 thread count sheets actually do not feel as good as a high quality 300 thread count,” she says. “The lower thread count sheet made from high quality Egyptian cotton will last longer than a higher thread count sheet made from inferior cotton. More significant is where the cotton is grown and how it has been woven.”

So be sure to touch the sheets before you buy. The weave is important, but so is the finish.  A high quality percale will feel soft yet cool and crisp and is “an excellent choice for people who sleep hot,” Schoen says. Sateen has a shinier finish and will feel soft and silky. Another option is eco-friendly bamboo or lyocell, which is very soft with good absorbency and wrinkle resistance. T-shirt (also sometimes called “jersey”) is another cozy option, ideal for cool weather.

Plush it up

Pillows are crucial. Contemporary beds often use stacked pillows. For a king or cal king bed, you would use four king pillows, two stacked on each side and with a queen bed you would do the same using standard size pillows, Schoen says. For a more traditional look you would use European (26" square) size pillows.

Play with texture

Decorative pillows are a great way to add texture and color to your bed and the whole room. “If your duvet and shams are a solid color, you can then have an easy option to change the look of your bedroom by using different colors and textures of pillows,” Schoen says, adding, “I like using an odd number of decorative pillows to give the bed a more interesting look.”

Now the only problem is: with a bed this comfortable, you’re never going to want to leave it.

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