I love a pretty bed

If you follow me on instagram, you have seen lots of beds in my feed lately.  There's really not much I love more than putting together a good bedding mix!

Two different looks for a new client: same elements, but one is pretty soft and the other crisp.

She has a cherry sleigh bed and matching nightstands, light carpet, and tall ceilings.  We chose a grey-green for the walls.

Look 1: soft

Here the soft palette comes from that awesome suzani long lumbar pillow.  I love green and purple together (was my favorite wardrobe combo in 6th grade), and these very soft greyed out colors are lovely and unexpected.  The raised medallion pattern on the euro shams and duvet add interest while keeping it neutral.

Look 2: crisp

Of course, your wall color does not need to reappear anywhere else.  Here we let it be the backdrop for a white, coral, and blue scheme with a pretty, fresh floral on the drapes and some lighter wood mixed in.

It's making me want to redo my bedroom...again!

Spring Bedroom Refresh (the best pillowcases)

Spring!

One of the quickest ways to refresh for the new season is to address your bedding.  Out with the heavy duvets and extra throws and in with light, bright, and fresh.

You know I love a good printed pillowcase, and have been known to splurge on them in the past.  Well, I recently found a secret source for CHEAP pillowcases that look straight our of John Robshaw, or Kerry Cassil, or Anthropologie.

From World Market, only available in stores:

Cool

Warm

At $14.99/pair, I find myself picking up a new pattern every time I'm at the store.

I had the small-scale print on the bed when I had my house photographed last fall:

Then moved on to the yellow-and-olive design:

And Just recently swapped in this new print with strong red, blue, and green.

I couldn't bring myself to invest in new bedding (yet), so I borrowed the blue hotel bedding from the guest room and I love the brighter/ crisper color in here!

I brought back the floral bolster and leopard pillow--two of my favorites, that had been taking a breather in the basement.

I also did a pillow swap to match the palette.  From this:

To this:

My room feels so happy and bright, and the only expense was the pillowcases--$14.99

Perfect Bedding

I often think about what I would do differently with my wedding registry today, nearly 10 years later.  One thing that I did right was my hotel bedding from Macys, in white with a neutral golden/taupe embroidery, seen here in its original place, my Brooklyn bedroom.  It is plain and simple, a great backdrop for changing it up with pillows, and the hotel stripe gives it enough structure to avoid looking like a sheet.  ( I recently went with a similar option in my guest room.)

After 10 years of near-continuous use, the duvet cover is literally coming apart at the seams, putting me in the market for a new one.

In the "if it ain't broke" camp, some hotel-style options:

Pottery Barn

(I used a similar "dotty" duvet here)

Restoration Hardware

Restoration  Hardware

Restoration Hardware

(I used similar, here)

Crate and Barrel

Another possibility is white on white, with texture for interest.  I can still layer in an ever-rotating cast of pillows, and the duvet is interesting enough on its own.

West Elm

West Elm

Crane and Canopy

Coyuchi

Coyuchi

Ballard Designs

This is sort of where I'm at in the bedroom.  

What bedding would you go for?

Of course there's always the wild card:

So in love with these embroidered stripe options from Coyuchi!

Crochet shams

Sometimes I realize that I have suggested the same item to many clients, without any of them biting. And sometimes when this happens it turns out that I am the one who really wants whatever it is that I'm pushing.  Whoops!  Luckily, I'm very easy about clients saying "no" and I have a strict policy that if you don't like it I won't try to put it in your home.  (Seems obvious, but surprisingly isn't how all decorators operate.)

Case in point: crochet shams.  It's no secret that I love a pillow case with a pretty detail--the ones that look great and can actually be used.  Linen shams with a crochet edge are the perfect example, and they bring in texture instead of pattern.

When PBTeen recently had theirs on sale for the price of a regular old pillowcase, I snapped up a pair.

They're no longer available, but the whole Pottery Barn family does a great job with these--not too fussy, not too country, not too sweet.

PB Kids version has a smaller, more delicate edge, but the same even scalloping.  The colors are pretty for a kids room, but for an adult space I would stick with the white or the (surprisingly sophisticated) grey.

The Pottery Barn version is scaled like the PBTeen, but a little more detailed and delicate.

When we registered for our wedding, I chose plain white cotton napkins made special by a simple crochet edge.  I love how this detail makes them prettier, but also brings another layer to a space--in the case of my guest room, I love the femininity coupled with the hotel bedding.  And paired with the embroidered suzani, it's just a bit Bohemian, too.

What about you:  anything you've always wanted in home decor?  Will you treat yourself?

P.S. I posted two days in a row--crazy, I know.  Don't miss yesterday's post.

Found!

Years ago, living in NYC, I splurged on a pair of hand blocked pillowcases from that revered emporium of all things home, ABC.  I made several major investments at the ABC outlet in the Bronx over the years, but this lone pair of pillowcases was my only purchase at the store proper.  I loved the colors, the Indian motif, and the little quilted triangle design at the edge, which made the cases feel both hand-made and high-end.

After years of washing, the beautiful cotton finally gave way, but I couldn't bring myself to toss the cases out.  (Weird?  Maybe.)  They lived in this bedroom in Park Slope over a decade ago

Moved to this bedroom in our South Slope row-house

(yes, we have had some intense bedroom wall colors!)

Skipped our house in Boulder, but found their way into my current house's guest room's very early (very unfinished) schemes

And stayed in the room even when the walls went dark,

At which point they really finally bit the dust.

I love a well-traveled textile or accessory, don't you?  Just goes to show how collected pieces can give us a sense of our own history while changing with their surroundings.

Anyway, when working on this bedroom, I stumbled upon the website of Kerry Cassil design.  I loved the prints and patterns, and the (relatively) reasonable price tag for such individual-feeling pieces.  And then I noticed something.  The little quilted triangle detail at the pillowcase edges.  

Boom: Kerry Cassil is the designer of my favorite-ever pillowcases!  (you can see the quilted edge best on the stripes, just above.)

Now that we've been reunited, this will quickly become one of my favorite bedding sources, putting so many of these (and these) sheets and shams to shame.

Go forth and purchase.  You will be happy for years to come.

Fun Summer Bedding

There are so many great bedding collections out there nowadays, it's tempting to switch things up on a regular basis.

While I tend towards white bedding that can be layered with textiles (a more economical way to cater to variety), lately I am drawn to bright, patterned beds as well.

Bed Bath and Beyond has some terrific design collaborations (Barbara Barry!  Diane von Furstenberg!  Orla Kiely!)  Yet they often seem to be overlooked.  Last time I was there (picking up a curtain rod for this project), I was taken with the Trina Turk spring line.

So fun and bright.  And the patterns bear a striking resemblance to some of her designs for Schumacher, like this peacock for BBB:

Which is like this peacock for Schumacher.

What do you think: do you go bold on the bed?

Is it a sign?

Do you do this thing, where you don't buy something and then you think about it all the time, and when you go back to get it but it's gone you tell yourself it wasn't meant to be?

There are so many variations on this theme.

I was at Pottery Barn the other day picking something up for a client, when I noticed they had the Hotel bedding in blue majorly on sale.  With the addition of my trade discount, I was looking at half off.

We could actually use new bedding for the guest room, but I walked away thinking it was final sale, and unsure whether the blue would be the right blue.

But the more I thought about it, the more I knew it was perfect.  I love hotel bedding, and in this case I love the idea of something a little proper to temper the new bohemian print on the headboard.  And suddenly I had a vision: I would love it with these red-printed sheets underneath and my favorite leopard pillow.  And then I started seeing little inspirations everywhere, like Jenny's blue hotel bedding, the red bed at the newly revamped Biscuit, and the ribbon-trim shams on the pattern-heavy bed at Furbish.

But, considering the final sale thing, I wanted to be sure.  So I went to Target to find out how little I could spend on a full/queen duvet.  And they were completely sold out!  At TWO Targets!  And guess what else? The first Target didn't have those red sheets at all.  At the second one they were rain checked.  An entire aisle of sheets all lined up in rows, and ONLY this pattern in the size I needed was out of stock.

But all's well that ends well.

I went to Pottery Barn, they still had the duvet cover and shams, which had been further marked down.  I had a random gift card and merch credit in my wallet which had a combined $117 on them.  ("FREE MONEY!"  Do you do that one, too?)  And the bedding was not final sale after all.  I ordered a duvet on line from overstock with a major coupon.  And I realized the red sheets were unnecessary.

So, wham.  The bedding in situ.  (I guess I should get out the iron).  Waiting on the duvet, but at the end of the day I spent not a lot on the duvet and still have $27 to spend at Pottery Barn.

I guess it was just meant to be.

Until I change my mind.  I have 30 days to return!

Small Measures

Source: designsponge.com via Heather on Pinterest

Can't find the right patterned bedding?  Create your own.  This DIY iron-on duvet cover from designsponge is genius.  Check out the instructions here.

(pssst.  Don't forget to enter the Novica giveaway for a $75 gift card. Details and entry here.)

Smokin Sheets and Shams part 2

More options for making a pretty bed without a pile of pillows.  (the first thirty, here.)
Mix and match shams, plus a single accent pillow, and voila.

Lots of florals and polka dots today.  Fun!

Bold

Top row: Left, middle, right
Second row: Left, middle, right
Third row: Left, middle, right
Fourth row: Left, middle, right (polka dot is similar--the one shown here just sold out)
Bottom row: Left, middle, right

Ethnics plus Geometrics

Top row: Left, middle, right

Second row: Left, middle, right

Third row: Left, middle, right

Fourth row: Left, middle, right

Bottom row: Left, middle, right

Feminine

Top row: Left, middle, right
Second row: Left, middle, right
Third row: Left, middle, right
Fourth row: Left, middle, right
Bottom row: Left, middle, right

As usual, I wish I had done the research first, bought my own new pillowcases second!  I kind of want to re-make all the beds.  But it will have to wait.

Sixty Smokin Sheets and Shams to Mix and Match

Yesterday I mentioned my preferred formula for a pretty and practical bed:

Sheet set pillowcases + pretty shams + one decorative pillow (of any size or shape) = easy peasy lemon squeezy (as my 6 year old is fond of saying).

I rounded up a ton of excellent options and went to town mixing an matching.  To mix your patterns, try one of these rules:

Big print + small print + textured or Wild print + geometric print + structured. 

Let's start with the most fun, shall we?


Whimsical
(I've grouped them in rows, with the accent pillow on the right)

Top row: Left, right

Second row, Left, middle, right

Third row: Left, middle, right

Fourth row: Left, middle, right

Fifth row: Left, middle, right

Bold

Top row: Left, middle, right

Second row: Left, middle, right

Third row: Left, middle, right

Fourth row: Left, middle, right

Fifth row: Left, middle, right

Sophisticated

Top row: Left, middle, right

Second row: Left, middle, right

Third row: Left, middle, right

Fourth row: Left, middle, right

Fifth row: Left, middle, right

Tomorrow, I'll be back with 30 more.

Any favorites from this batch?

Pssst.  I should, perhaps, mention that plenty of these have not been seen by my own two peepers.  I make no promises that colors will go in real life as nicely as they do on screen.

Making a pretty bed without a pile of pillows

Source: design-crisis.com via Heather on Pinterest

I'm sensing a pillow backlash.

I've heard a lot of complaints lately about the impracticality of extra pillows on a bed (some of them, yes, from my husband).  Apparently people no longer want to go to the trouble of swapping out the "pretty" pillows for the "real" pillows, and I get it: you might want to use your underbed storage to store something other than decorative pillow forms.

At the same time, we want our beds to look nice, yes?

Source: gallery.apartmenttherapy.com via Heather on Pinterest

I have a simple solution: pretty pillow cases and useable shams.  My favorite formula is to use two standard pillows on each side of the bed (or king pillows on a king bed), with a single decorative pillow in front.

Pillow cases are both less expensive than other bedding and tend to wear out faster, needing more frequent replacement.  If you keep your bedding neutral and have fun with the shams and cases, you can make over your room as often as you want without breaking the bank.

Source: everythingleb.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

The key? Choose pillowcases you can actually sleep on and that wash easily. Buy a couple of sets to mix and match. I actually have a bunch of sets that can mostly all go in any bedroom in my house, giving me endless possibilities.

Source: designsponge.com via Heather on Pinterest

I've been digging up tons of great options, and will share a bunch of combos all week long. Next in the series of "amazing and afforable" round ups.


What do you think: do you keep it simple with your bed pillows?