I’m one of those people who changes bedding with the seasons. Sure, you don’t need heavy bedding in July, but I change bedding for the sheer joy of it all! Some folks, with money to burn, have custom bedding made, to the tune of thousands. Ka-ching!

My formula for a beautiful bed that’s easy to make in the morning, is to start with the “foundation”, a coverlet for the bed in a neutral solid color. Over time, you can collect several of these easy-care bed covers, often in 100% cotton and machine washable. Some beds require a bed skirt, others do not. I prefer a pleated bed skirt, if one’s needed, because I like a more tailored look. Stripes are great for bed skirts, in a similar color palate as the rest of the bedding.

Once you have the skirt and coverlet in place, every bed in my house has at least one set of Euro (26×26″) pillows at the headboard. Right now, in our master bedroom, the Euro pillows are two deep, in complementary fabrics. I love the Euro pillow because it’s height brings the eye up, for a more interesting “bedscape”. I also love the luxe look of the big, cushy pillows. Finally, the bed pillow is usually well hidden behind the Euro pillow, so you don’t easily see a wrinkled pillow case peaking out.

Last of all, at least during the cold months is a down comforter covered by duvet cover, all folded, but still fluffy, at the foot of the bed. By interchanging coverlets and pillow and duvet covers during the year, you can mix and match, until you find a brand new look.

P.S.: Don’t feel bad if what looked good in the store doesn’t look so great on the bed. It’s just as hard to imagine bedding on the bed in your room as it is to imagine a paint color on your walls, from a little 2×2″ swatch. While I might have a bit better luck than the novice bedding buyer, I never buy bedding that can’t be returned!

Here’s a winter time bedding combo…and I’ve been into the John Robshaw look for a while now…

Now if I wanted to go John Robshaw all the way, it would look more like…

Or, how about…

You get the idea. It’s all so much fun, because it’s so easy to make your bedroom look brand new! So, the next time you’re out and see a Marshall’s or TJ Max, take a look to see if you can find that neutral coverlet, (usually for about $40) I spoke about and build from there!

By all means, don’t let your dog on the bed, like a cousin of mine does!

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