Bedroom

10 easy steps to make your bed like a pro

Get the luxury hotel room look
Cath Muscat

Making your bed can be a painful task.

From trying to make your fitted sheet fit perfectly on your mattress to putting your quilt or doona cover on, it can be a real challenge.

By the end of making the bed, quite often it looks nothing like you wanted it to.

But with these simple tips, you can make your bed look like a luxury hotel room or something out of an interior design magazine.

Here are 10 easy tips to make your bed like a pro.

1. Gather the bed linen you need

The first thing you need to do is get all your bed linen together. Depending on your styling and budget, your bed can have many layers of linen. The main essentials are a mattress protector, fitted sheet, flat sheet, doona or quilt, cover for your doona or quilt and your pillows and pillowcases. There are also optional extras such as European pillows and pillowcases, cushions, throws and blankets, bed runners and bed skirts. Once you have all your linen together, you can get to work.

2. Iron your crinkly bed linen

If you’ve got time on your hands and you want smooth, crinkle free sheets and linen, then it might be time to get the iron out. You might hate ironing, but pressing or ironing your bed linen will make it crisper. This will allow your sheets to sit better on your bed and look like nobody has slept on or in them! Chances are your ironing board will be too small to easily iron sheets. Try covering a folding table or a large sheet of plywood and ironing your bed linen on that instead.

Cushions | Home Beautiful Australia
(Credit: Cath Muscat)

3. Smooth out your mattress protector

A lumpy mattress protector can ruin your sleep and make your bed super uncomfortable. Before putting any sheets on your bed, make your sure mattress protector is fitted smoothly across your bed. You can try holding your mattress protector in place better with safety pins around the bottom edges, or you can buy corner fasteners at major bed retailers.

4. Tuck your fitted sheet tightly

If you want a great fit, you can try using an extra-deep fitted sheet or opt for a size bigger than your bed. This is particularly handy if you have a thicker or pillow-topped mattress. When fitting the sheet, pull it tight and tuck the edges underneath your mattress. Just like your mattress protector, try using corner fasteners to stop your fitted sheet for creeping inward or falling off.

5. Place your flat sheet evenly on the bed

Getting your flat sheet evenly on the bed can be a trick. Try placing the sheet centred on the bed so there is equal overhang on both sides. Make sure the top edge of the sheet aligns with the top edge of the mattress. If you want to add an extra blanket, now is the time to do so. Centre the blanket like you did with the sheet, making sure there is an even amount of overhang on the sides. If the blanket is smaller than the sheet, pull it down from the top – not the bottom.

Cushions | Home Beautiful Australia
(Credit: Cath Muscat)

6. Tuck your flat sheet and optional blanket in together

The first tucking you need to do with the flat sheet and blanket is at the foot of the bed and the bottom corners. To do the corners, try lifting the mattress slightly and sliding the draping bottom edge of the bed linen underneath. Make sure it’s as smoothed out a possible underneath the mattress. Tuck in the side edges at the corners, making sure they form a crisp crease. If they don’t look 100% neat, don’t stress – it’s not something you should lose sleep over. Now, take the top of the flat sheet and blanket and fold them down around the width of pillow to expose the fitted sheet and create the turned down look.  All you have to do now is tuck the long edges underneath the mattress at the the sides of the bed.

7. Put your doona/quilt cover on and lay it on the bed

Usually is the most difficult part of the whole bed making process. If you hate putting on your doona or quilt cover, then you’ll love this easy tip! First, turn your doona cover inside out, lay it on your mattress with the opening at the foot of the bed. Next, lay the doona or quilt on top and safety pin the bottom corners to the cover. Starting at the head of the bed, roll the doona up like a sausage right down to the end of the bed. Once you get to the end, put the end of the doona inside the cover. All you have to do then is unroll is back to the head of the bed, and it’ll be all fit and ready to place nicely. Once you’ve added the quilt/doona cover, lay your quilt or doona centred on the bed. Make sure it hangs evenly on either side of the bed. The folded down sheet and blanket should remain exposed at the top, but should they should be completely covered at the end of the bed.

8. Cover your pillows and fluff them up

When covering your pillows, put them into the pillowcase tag end first. Align the pillowcases with the seams along the edges of the pillow. To make your pillows and cushions plump, you can either shake them or leave them in the sun for a few hours, turning them half-way through.

9. Layer your pillows and cushions

When layering your pillows, start with the ones you plan on sleeping on. Prop them against your headboard or wall. If you’ve got European pillows, add them next – propping them up against your sleeping pillows. Next, add any cushions or smaller pillows you want. Normally three is plenty for your bed, but depending on the size of your bed a few extras won’t hurt if they match the style of your bed.

10. Add a throw, comforter or bed runner 

Adding a throw, comforter or bed runner is the final step to making your bed pop. Whether it’s something furry and warm, a nice pattern that fits your style or something simple, this final extra is a great addition to dressing up your bed. Try folding your comforter or throw and placing it at the foot of your bed or roll it to add a stylish twist to your bed.

This article originally appeared at Starts at 60

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