A long day at work, a boss you’re at loggerheads with, and a fight with the BFF. Don’t you want to rush home and sink into a cocoon of your own? A bed that seems to be made for dreaming. But how does one get a hotel-style plush bed at home?
Find the perfect mattress first. Mattresses have evolved as have lifestyle. In earlier times, natural materials (straw, horse hair and feathers) were used as fillings. In early 20th century, manufacturers adopted innerspring cores and cotton batting/ fibrefill. These days, mattresses usually have an inner spring core or are made of materials like latex, viscoelastic or flexible polyurethane foams. The options now include innerspring mattresses, air beds, waterbeds, memory foam, latex and coir.
What should you look for? The most important thing to consider while buying a mattress is comfort. A good mattress should support your entire body and should keep your spine in the same position as when you are standing in a good posture. The shoulders, hips and lower back need special attention. The life span of a mattress depends on its quality and usage, but, by and large, a mattress no longer provides the essential comfort and support after being in use between five and seven years. Make sure you try out the mattress you’re looking at investing in to see if it works for you.
Ideally, you should have a good mattress, a mattress pad, a fitted sheet, blanket (or quilt, comforter or duvet), pillows, pillow cases, accent pillows. A bed skirt and bed runner are optional, but they score high on the style quotient.
The type and quantity of linen depends on the style of your room and bed. Rule of thumb: Never compromise on the quality of linen.
A fitted sheet takes a bed from a drab necessity at home to the fab one you see in hotels. Use a larger sheet than needed to ensure that it fits well and tuck ends in tightly beneath the mattress.
You may not iron your bed linen regularly, but take the time out. A pressed bed sheet looks way different from a crumpled one when spread out on the bed.
If you’re using a bed skirt, center it and ensure that the edges are even at the foot and sides. Simple pins can help keep it in place.
Pull the mattress pad smooth to ensure it doesn’t bunch in the centre of the bed. The elastic edges work well, but you can add corner fasteners to keep things straight.
Centre the flat sheet, with equal overhang on either side. Add the blanket or covering sheet; keeping the bottom and side edges to be as even with the sheet as possible. Tuck in the flat sheet and the blanket together.
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.
Stack pillows and cushions on the headboard. Start with the pillows you'll sleep on and prop them up. Accentuate with throw pillows.
Add the finishing touch in the form of a topper — a pretty runner, a cozy quilt or a downy duvet.
And you’re all set to journey into dreamland. Zzzzzz!
