How to Make a Bed That You Will Look Forward to Sleeping In

As I get older I care about different things. I care much more about how well things perform the function they are meant for than I do about what they look like.

My bed is a perfect of this. I care most about how my bed feels and how well I can sleep in it. I care a little about what it looks like.

Ok, maybe more than just a little but it’s like 80% how does the bed feel and how do I sleep and 20% what does it look like.

That means that if I’m making decisions about what to buy and what to spend money on in the bedroom, then the quality of the pillows, and the sheets are going to take precedence over the amount of throw pillows on the bed.

But then again, I’ve never been a fan of throw pillows on the bed unless it’s a throw pillow I can sleep on.

Let’s look at how to make a bed that meets your function expectations first, and then also looks good too, ok?

How to Make a Bed: What Do You Really Need On the Bed?

There’s not a lot that you need on the bed and therefore, my bed isn’t going to have a lot on it.

a made bed in a room with coastal decor, how to make a bed properly

The first thing you want to think about when deciding what you need to make your bed really comfortable is what do you plan on doing in bed?

The Essentials For Sleeping In Your Bed

Sleeping is obviously the main thing you are doing in your bed, right?! Which means you need a good mattress, comfortable sheets, comfortable pillows and a comforter or quilt.

What You Need On Your Bed For Napping

When I nap, I don’t want to get into my bed. That’s a little too indulgent for me. So I want a throw blanket and some sort of a pillow. That pillow should look cute and also be comfortable enough to nap on and easy to clean.

Why easy to clean? Because if I take a nap in the middle of the day, I’m not taking off my makeup if I happen to have some on, so I want something that I can chuck in the wash easily.

What You Need On Your Bed For Reading

I like to read in bed, usually right before I go to sleep and for some reason at the age 40 I’ve discovered that I need some type of reading aid. Like, I just can’t get comfortable with the normal pillows while reading anymore. So that’s going to be something that I need on my bed.

What You Don’t Need On Your Bed

Nobody needs 87 decorative throw pillows on their bed. I take that back; my 10 year old daughter needs tons of accent pillows and stuffed animals on her bed. She likes when there is not an inch of blank space left. Again, I’ll reiterate that this is not needed and it’s definitely not the proper way to make a bed.

Let’s take a look at some options for each piece for a comfy bed.

a bed with 8 decorative throw pillows

How to Choose Comfortable Sheets

For me, cotton is the way to go for sheets. I’ve tried the microfiber sheets that are cheaper and very soft, but I think they are a little hot and so they aren’t my favorite.

If you’re on a super tight budget and you don’t mind being extra warm in bed, then they aren’t a bad choice.

But I’m looking at cotton.

Most people will look at thread count when buying sheets, but that’s kind of an outdated practice. You can get good sheets with lower thread counts and sometimes super high thread counts aren’t any better than a lower thread count. I like to make sure I don’t go below 300 thread count, but otherwise, I ignore that number.

Instead I look at Egyptian Cotton, Pima, Supima. These three types of sheets are made with longer fibers which mean they will be more comfortable and more durable. There are some differences between the three and Supima is considered the best of the three, but I usually look for the best price on any of those three cottons and go with that.

This is a good article that explains some of the finer differences between each type of cotton sheet.

I almost always go with all white sheets. But I can be persuaded to try a cute but minimal print that I can still wash in hot water if I need to.

These Supima sheets from Amazon are a good deal:

a white farmhouse bedroom with a bed with white sheets and 4 white pillows, how to make a bed


And there’s also this Pima set:

how to make a bed

And here’s an Egyptian Cotton:

how to make a bed

How to Choose a Comfortable Pillow

Once you’ve got some comfy sheets, you need something comfortable to rest your head on. In this case, I’m talking about the pillows you sleep on at night, not any type of decorative pillow you might have on the bed.

Pick A Pillow Based On Sleeping Position

One thing you need to know when deciding which pillow is going to be most comfortable for you is how you sleep. On your stomach? Side? Back? All of them?

I start off sleeping on my side then sometimes I flip to my stomach and I think I even sleep on my back sometimes. But I almost always wake up on my side, so I’m going with I’m a side sleeper.

Pillow Fills

Once you know what position you are sleeping in, you want to think about what the pillow is filled with. If you’ve got allergies, you’ll want to take that into account.

The fill can also determine how “hot” the pillow is. I like a cool pillow, so a memory foam pillow which can retain heat would not be a good choice for me. Down or cotton or even wool are better for regulating temperature.

Something to keep in mind while you’re choosing the perfect pillow is that even the best pillow should be tossed at around 18 months. This might factor into the budget you are willing to allot to purchasing a pillow.

Because choosing a pillow is so very personal, I’d suggest taking a look at this post to see which qualities might work best for you.

I would also direct you to Wayfair for picking out your pillow. They have the best options for narrowing things down and comparing and contrasting.

I just purchased two of these and I promise I will update how they are after I’ve slept on them a bit:

how to make a bed

What Kind of Blanket Should You Choose?

There are soooo many options with types of blankets to choose for your bed.

I’m always a fan of a great down comforter (or down alternative). They are decent for regulation temperature, they look amazing and they are super cozy.

Be prepared to spend a decent amount of money if you want a good down comforter like this one:

how to make a bed

I have however recently discovered the joys of a weighted blanket and I highly, highly recommend them if you need help keeping cool at night or with staying a sleep all through the night.

how to make a bed

There is a downside to the weighted blanket, potentially, however. If you have a dog who chews things, she may chew your weighted blanket and it will then spill it’s sand. Everywhere.

There are also quilts, which are sort of, in my opinion, a lighter version of the weighted blanket. They are sort of the precursor to the weighted blanket. A quilt has a pleasant heaviness to it.

how to make a bed

Quilts are also great because they come in so many different beautiful patterns and they have a lot of texture. I also like how they drape heavily to the floor.

A lot of quilts are reversible, too, so you have options. I like options.

The Bedding Support Pieces

We got sheets, we got pillows and we got a blanket of some sort. The rest of these things are the “support pieces”. For me that means a throw blanket for my naps, one or two at most throw pillows and something to help with my reading in bed problem.

Let’s start with that one.

There’s the traditional reading pillow that looks like this:

how to make a bed

I like these. It is kind of big and I’m not completely sure how I would deal with this in the bed on a daily basis. Do I take it out when I’m not reading? That’s kind of annoying.

Then there’s also this wedge that goes across the whole bed, right up against the headboard. I’m kind of feeling this:

how to make a bed

Then your normal pillows go in front of it? I may have to test this out. It looks like it doesn’t take up a lot of mattress real estate.

With something like that wedge or even two of the reading pillows, then regular bed pillows, I think I’d only want one more decorative throw pillow.

I love these round ones:

how to make a bed

But for a potentially drooly nap, a pillow cover is probably a better idea for me:

how to make a bed

That just leaves the throw blanket for my naps. The options for throw blankets are truly endless. I love this one:

how to make a bed

And someday I’d love to splurge on a Pendleton throw:

how to make a bed

And Now You Know How to Make a Bed That You’ll Love!

I can’t wait to get all the stuff I ordered for my new bed and to get it all made up and take a great big nap in it.

I hope you’ve made a bed you’ll love, too!

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