How to Make a Bed

Drift off to dreamland in a delightfully soothing, artfully dressed bed worthy of a posh hotel

Lisa FrederickJuly 22, 2012

Houzz Contributor. After journalism school, I fell into decorating media and immediately discovered a new passion. An Atlanta native, I spent several years as an editor for Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine before making the leap to national publications and websites such as Houzz, Better Homes and Gardens and Southern Accents. I live in Birmingham, Alabama, with my husband and son, who’ve gotten used to coming home and finding the furniture rearranged. When I'm not dragging case goods across the floor, I enjoy good food and wine, college football, music of all kinds, and traveling.

I’m a hotel junkie. One of my favorite things about travel is collapsing at the end of a busy day onto a king-size mattress layered with smartly folded coverlets, piles of pillows arranged just so and smooth sheets pulled tight as a drum. It’s a luxurious change from my less-than-perfect bed making at home (despite my best efforts, the art of the hospital corner eludes me).

However, as I often remind myself, that’s no reason to settle for sloppy sleeping quarters. Here’s a step-by-step guide to a well-dressed, pretty and polished bed. If you’ve got another great tip, share it in the Comments below!

1. Gather your bed linens. The type and quantity of linens you use depends on the style of both your room and your bed. However, most include the following:

• Mattress pad with elastic edging
• Fitted sheet
• Flat sheet
• Pillowcases
• Blanket (lightweight or heavyweight, depending on your climate and the season)
• Quilt, comforter or duvet
• 2 standard pillow shams
• 2 European pillow shams (optional)
• Accent pillows (optional)
• Throw or coverlet (optional)
• Bed skirt or box-spring cover (optional)

2. Break out the iron. If you're anything like me, you'd rather walk through Death Valley at high noon in a parka than put your iron to its intended use. (Full disclosure: The last time I unearthed mine, it had cobwebs on it.)

But pressed linens are crisp linens, so face your nemesis. A standard ironing board is too small to handle sheets with ease — cover an inexpensive folding table, or even a large sheet of plywood, with heatproof foam or batting to give you more surface area to work with. Don't forget the bed skirt and shams while you're at it.

3. Center and straighten the bedskirt. If your bed style doesn’t require a skirt, you can skip this step, though you may want to invest in a box-spring cover if your box spring is exposed.

If you’re using a bed skirt, center it in place, making sure the edges are even at the foot and sides. Use unobtrusive pins to anchor it in place.

Shop: Don’t want a bedskirt? Buy a panel bed

Liz Williams Interiors

4. Pull the mattress pad smooth. Nothing ruins bedtime comfort faster than a lumpy bottom layer, and pads are notorious for bunching in the center of the bed.

Elastic edges help, but for extra insurance, hold them in place with safety pins around the bottom edges. Or use corner fasteners, found at major bed and bath retailers.

Croma Design Inc.

5. Tuck the fitted sheet tightly. For optimal fit, use an extra-deep sheet if you have a pillow-top or an especially tall mattress; otherwise a standard size should work fine. Pull it taut and tuck the edges beneath the mattress.

As with the mattress pad, corner fasteners can keep the sheet from creeping inward.

6. Drape the flat sheet. Now the tricky part begins. Center the flat sheet on the bed, with equal overhang on either side. Align the top edge with the top edge of the mattress.

Atmosphere Interior Design Inc.

7. Add the blanket. If your blanket is slightly shorter than the sheet, pull it down from the top of the mattress rather than up from the bottom. You want the bottom and side edges to be as even with the sheet as possible.

8. Tuck in the flat sheet and the blanket together. Make your best attempt at hospital corners at the bottom. Hold the long edges of the sheet and blanket away from the bed and pull them atop the mattress to form a 45-degree angle at the corner. Lift the foot of the mattress slightly and use your hand to slide the draping bottom edges of the bed linens beneath it. Be sure to smooth them out as much as possible to avoid the "princess and the pea" effect.

Now tuck in the side edges so that they form a crisp crease. Can't get the corners just right? Don't lose sleep (ha ha) over them; simply do the best you can.

Tobi Fairley Interior Design

9. Turn down the sheet and the blanket tops. Fold the flat sheet and the blanket down about 12 to 18 inches (roughly the width of a pillow). Then tuck the long edges under the mattress along the sides.

10. Add your desired topper. Whether you go with a cozy quilt, a puffy comforter or a downy duvet, spread it over the bed and center it so that it hangs evenly. Leave the folded-down sheet and blanket exposed at the top, but be sure to cover their bottom edges.

Shop: Accent your bed with a bedroom bench

Living Stone Design + Build

11. Layer the pillows. Start with the pillows you’ll sleep on — slip them into their cases, tag ends first, and align the pillowcase seams with their edges. Plump them up and prop them against the headboard or wall. If you’re using European shams, which are usually between 26 and 32 inches square, add those next. Then come standard-size shams, and finally, throw and bolster pillows (three are usually plenty).

Dreamy Whites

12. Top it off with a coverlet or throw. Fold the coverlet so that it's about 18 to 24 inches across, and place it graphically at the foot of the bed. Or consider rolling it for a fresher twist.

Su Casa Designs

13. Bounce a quarter. Can't do it? Start over. Just kidding ... after all your work, you've earned the right to a little nap in your luxuriously outfitted nest. Sweet dreams!

Too many steps for you? How to Make a Minimalist Bed