How to Make a Perfect Bed
Beds are of Many Types. But do you know How to make them Comfortable & Perfect for sleeping? There are Beds, then come the Mattress, then Mattress Protectors, Flat Sheets, Bedspreads- But First things First!
Let us start with Beds. Wooden Beds & Metal Beds:
Wooden Beds:
1. Four Poster Bed
2. Wooden Bed with a High Headboard & High Footboard (or Footboard higher than the mattress height) also known as 'Sleigh Bed' in the Classic Form.
3. Bed with a Headboard but no footboard & without storage.
Bed with storage underneath; sometimes also called 'Captain's Bed'.
4. Modern, Minimalist Platform Bed.
Metal Beds:
1. Four Poster Metal Beds.
2. Metal Bed with a High Headboard & High Footboard.
3. Normal Modern Bed with or without Headboard but without Footboard.
With a 12"or 16" metal frame Under a Single Mattress
With approx. 4" metal frame Under Two 8" thick Mattresses, the lower one containing the springs. Both Basic Types of Beds have similar overall construction. Almost all Beds are variations of these Types with some Extras added as Finishes.
Other than the bed with 2 mattresses (bottom one having the springs) on 4" Metal Frame, all others have a Single mattress over a Base/ Frame. The Mattress gets its share of rough treatment during its Lifetime! You can prolong its Life by treating it Right & with Care!
After getting slept on for Days & Months the mattress gets pressed at the same spots daily & loses its shape after only a few months.
Tip: To prevent the mattress from going out of shape you should Rotate & / or Flip the mattress every 3 to 6 Months. [You could write the names of 3different Months on each corner of the mattress.(Jan, Feb, Mar on one-Apr, May, Jun on the other, etc.) On those particular months that corner should be on top left, for example.]
We Protect our furniture by giving it a coat of Varnish / Polish in different forms. Similarly you should Protect your mattress top with a Mattress Protector.
A Mattress Protector is a removable bedding item that lies on top of or acts as a mattress cover to provide protection to the mattress. Some mattress protectors also provide protection to the individual sleeping on the mattress from allergens like Bed bugs, dust mites as well as dead skin (dandruff).
A very lightly Quilted Fitted Sheet is the simplest form of a mattress protector. Fitted bed sheet normally has its four corners fitted with elastic & is used as bottom sheet over the mattress. The purpose of a fitted bottom sheet is to keep it from slipping off the mattress while the bed is in use. Fitted Sheet though is not waterproof & cannot protect the mattress from Liquid spills / urine stains, etc. For that Waterproof mattress protectors are used.
They can be like ones used for Baby beds with felt top & Rubberized back or made in totally waterproof material & fit the mattress like a shower cap. Another type of mattress protector is the 'Flat Sheet or the 'Bed Sheet' as we know it normally. This is a piece of sheet of high quality (high thread count) cloth {usually white}, which is larger in size than the mattress, so that it can be tucked around & under the mattress.
Many a times both these sheets-Fitted sheet & Flat sheet -are used together (specially in hotels), Flat sheet on top of Fitted sheet for better mattress protection & comfort.
On top of Flat sheet comes Bedspread.
Bedspread is a bed cover with sides that go to the floor.
A Bedspread can be a Printed / Woven sheet of fabric or can be a bed cover Quilted with cotton / polyester batting (wadding). Cotton, Silk, Chenille, Polyester, satin, Denim, Jute, Linen, etc. all these kind of fabrics are used to make Bedspreads; either as single sheets or quilted bed covers. Bedspreads can be of many styles, such as with Bed skirt / without Bed skirt / with Reverse pleat at corners / fitted with Piping on edges, etc. There are Two simple & Basic ways that Bedspreads can be arranged on top of the mattress.
1.First is Where a Bedspread is spread over the Flat sheet & the sleeping pillows, Euro shams, throw cushions, neck-roll, boudoir cushions, etc. either all of these together or only a few of these cushion accessories are arranged on top towards the Headboard side.
2.Second type is where the Sleeping Pillows are the First ones to go over the Flat sheet / Bed sheet, over which a longer Bedspread is put in such a way that the Bedspread gets partially tucked under the Sleeping pillows before continuing down the bed towards the foot of the bed.
These Sleeping Pillows can be one per person or two per person (two tiered) depending on individual choice or comfort.
In case of two tiered pillows the Bedspread is partially tucked under each tier for neater look.
In some cases the Bedspread set comes with a Bed Skirt or Bed Ruffle, which is a decorative piece, used to cover the box spring and legs of the bed. It fits between the mattress and box spring and hangs to the floor.
A bed with a Bed skirt & a beautifully quilted Bedspread & matching cushion accessories looks extremely elegant.
In these days of Minimalism / post Minimalism people prefer Less Cluttered Look!
Even the beds are less fussy, with straight lines, no carvings or ornamentation but with a combination of different Textures. Platform Beds, which are low lying (usually bigger than the mattress from 3 sides), & cantilevered with Japanese 'Zen' style influence are in vogue!
In keeping with the Minimalist Style the Bedspreads are usually tucked around the mattress showing the 'platform' of the bed. Bedspreads & Pillows are also normally white or monochromatic without any prominent design on it. Even the quilting on the Bedspreads is simple like straight lines.
Now, with so much simplicity & less or no color does the bed look like a Plain Jane? No, because normally in this condition a Bed Runner set comes into action!
A Bed Runner set usually consists of a pair of Boudoir Pillows (Small rectangular decorative throw pillows also known as Breakfast Pillows)in a contrasting color but complimenting the theme & Bed Runner -a strip of the same Beautifully & heavily worked / woven fabric about 18"to 24" wide including a matching fabric border band & about 24" to 30" longer than the width of the mattress; so that it hangs about 12" to 15" on either side of the bed.
As the Bed Runner is kept hanging on two sides of the bed, it should have an excellent Fall to be effective! A Bed Runner is either quilted or kept plain with a matching backing fabric depending upon the fall of its fabric. A Bed Runner is the modern equivalent of the heavily quilted Bedspreads of the highly indulgent times!
By:Sammeer Talpade