The subtle art of making your bed

Start your day off the right way with a sleeping area that has been organised and furnished to perfection, writes Anya Cooklin-Lofting

It’s more important than ever that we create a space in which we’re happy to spend time in (Bedfolk)

One surefire way to give yourself a sense of accomplishment before you’ve finished your first coffee is to make your bed – and make it properly. Because we are spending more (read: all) of our time at home, it’s important that we create for ourselves a space in which we are happy to spend time in. The best way to start is with a well-made bed.

Living with an unmade bed that Tracey Emin would be proud of will certainly not “spark joy” in the Kondo-ian sense, neither for you nor for your colleagues when you’ve been relegated from the living room to avoid call-clashing with your partner/flatmate/any miscellaneous individual.

This week, I spoke to the experts in bed making for some top tips on how to get it right. Whether you covet the crisp sheets of hotels or want to perfect the effortless rustic look, read on – but prepare to say goodbye to the half-baked “duvet wave” forever.

The essentials

First things first, you need to acquaint yourself with the rudiments of bed making. For these basic principles, I spoke to Emily and Jonathan Atwood, founders of Scooms, a bedding brand specialising in duvets and pillows. They are the experts in caring for bedding and making sure your bed looks inviting using basic but effective techniques.

“When you wake up in the morning, there are a few things you can do to set the scene for the day ahead,” the pair suggest. “Firstly, pull back your duvet and covers to give them time to breathe. Once aired, grab your duvet from the bottom and shake your duvet to keep the filling fluffy and insulating. Shaking vertically rather than horizontally will allow the duvet to spread across the whole duvet cover, resulting in a comfier feeling duvet.”

Where pillows are concerned, the Atwoods advise shaking and plumping your pillows every day. “For a general design rule,” they say, “place your pillows in line with your headboard and make sure your duvet cover is evenly hanging over each side of the bed. Lastly, add any decorative cushions. Five is the ideal number to give a sumptuous look without overdoing it.”

Almost effortless

A rustic, effortless, still-warm-looking bed that still looks “made” need not be the preserve of hazy, dreamlike Instagram content. The balance is hard to strike, but it seems that this look has much to do with the material you choose for your bedding.

Egyptian cotton is perfect for an airy feel to your bedroom (Scooms) (scooms)

Linen bedding is the way forward for this relaxed look, according to Nick and Jo James, the husband-and-wife founders of Bedfolk, an online bed linen brand that launched this week.

Jo says: “Linen is perfect for an effortlessly elegant ‘I woke up like this’ bed, as it’s got a beautiful, naturally crumpled texture. Don’t be afraid to step away from the tight tucks and serious folds of a ‘hotel bed’ and celebrate the soft informality of a more casual bed.”

For the best results when using linen, you need to start with the drying process after you’ve washed it: “Skip the ironing by removing your bedding from the tumble dryer whilst still slightly damp and allow it to finish drying flat, or over a drying rack,” Jo says. “This will allow any big creases to fall out naturally. Of course, with linen, you can fully embrace that inviting crumple!”

Hotel luxury

Finally, a note for the traditionalists looking to make their bed in hotel-inspired fashion. This starched, formal style suits crisp, cotton bed linen and complements a refined colour palette of fresh white and sophisticated navy.

Linen is great for hotel-inspired furnishings (Bed Folk)

Sheridan, the Australian bedding and homeware brand, is a pioneer of the hotel-perfect bed, and its general manager of design, Jo Jaggs, believes this style is grounded in the principle of symmetry. “Creating a beautiful, luxurious look is all about formal structure,” she says. “The final look should be completely symmetrical when you stand at the foot of your bed and look towards the pillows.”

The process of making a hotel bed, Jaggs tells me, begins with tightly tucking the fitted and flat sheets in at the bottom of the mattress, leaving the top sides of your flat sheet untucked. Then, you should place your duvet on top of the bed, and fold over the top quarter, layering your flat sheet over that in turn.

Next come the pillows, which should comprise two large sleeping pillows, and two standard ones stacked in front of them. She adds: “Scatter cushions should be positioned upright, so that when you stand back from the bed you can see all the detail on each cushion.”

For a final, hotel-inspired flourish, Jaggs suggests “[folding] the bed cover symmetrically and placing it under the turned over duvet cover and flat sheet”. I think we may have just stumbled upon our next lockdown Instagram challenge.