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If ever there was a season that invites more time spent in bed, it is fall—with winter close behind. As the days grow shorter and darker, and temperatures drop, there’s nothing quite like knowing there’s a warm, welcoming bed awaiting you at home to usher in a cozy night’s sleep, and long, languorous mornings when time allows. But how to make the perfect bed?
“You want the bed to welcome you upon walking into the room,” says Patrick Williams, founder of Berdoulat. “I believe there’s a balance to be struck between considered juxtaposition of fabric and colour, and an inviting, relaxed, laissez-faire look.”
Here, Vogue enlists the help of top interior designers to uncover what works, what doesn’t, and how to make your bed sing now.
Consider forgoing a duvet—but layer up
The prospect of a bed without a duvet may seem like a step too far—no matter how good it might look—but Heidi Caillier insists it’s worth reconsidering. “I do not use duvets or comforters,” she says. “I don’t like how lumpy they are and personally find them uncomfortable to sleep under.”
Her secret lies in layering: start with a crisp bottom sheet, then build warmth and texture with quilts and blankets in a mix of colours and patterns. “It feels more collected and less perfect,” she says—creating a bed that is not just beautiful, but invitingly lived-in.
If you’re not yet willing to part with your duvet, then layering is still a good port of call. Katie Monkhouse keeps things minimal with one large lumbar pillow and a throw on the end of the bed: “This combination is usually enough to make it feel stylish but inviting,” she says.
Layering pattern is also a good idea, says Williams: “A bed with solely one-coloured bedding can feel rather ominous, so I love layering—varying texture and colour or tone. There is a lovely moment of discovery when getting into the bed and seeing, let’s say, a ticking stripe pink and blue sheet beneath an otherwise very neutral ochre linen set.”
Don’t forget what you’re layering it all on, either. For the ultimate hotel-worthy comfort, Charlotte and Angus Buchanan, co-founders of Buchanan Studio, recommend starting with an excellent quality mattress and mattress topper. The latter is best made out of feathers and/or down, or cashmere, and should be between 2-3 inches thick for a cloud-like feel.
What to do with your pillows
While some like a bed well endowed in the pillow department, others prefer to keep it minimal. Most of the experts I spoke to agreed that too many is not a good look. If the bed is a double, Cailler typically utilises four sleeping pillows (two on both sides) placed one on top of the other, then places a single decorative pillow in front. “I prefer to keep these smaller and strongly dislike the large European pillows,” she says.
When it comes to decorative cushions, you can’t go wrong with a long lumbar cushion—see Sister by Studio Ashby’s Afua Bed Cushion—or two 20x20cm pillows with a small lumbar, says Monkhouse. “Try pulling the top blanket up and over the sleeping pillows and then rest the long lumbar in front for a clean, minimal look,” she says.
Quilts and eiderdowns are a yes
Great for layering, warmth and aesthetic appeal, quilts, bedspreads and eiderdowns are having somewhat of a moment. “American designers have always had a thing for English country style and creating that layered, cosy, slightly nostalgic look, and things like eiderdowns and quilts fit into that well,” says Cinny Aumonier. “The combination of down and detailed stitching creates a plump, sculptural quality that gives the bed real presence.” Finished in a modern wide stripe, Cinny’s offering is bold rather than overly chintzy, and Toast’s patchwork quilts are also popular.
“I love some of the quilts from John Derian and Nickey Kehoe and use a quilted one from Parachute Home all the time,” says Caillier. “I also love vintage—I’m always looking for new and interesting bedding resources, the more mismatched the layers on a bed, the better.”
For a little drama?
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Try framing the bed with either a fabric canopy or curtains—see the latter in the peaceful room above by Buchanan. “We wanted to soften the geometry of a perfectly symmetrical master bedroom and bring in a sense of calm and sensuality, so we added curtains on an oversized curved curtain pole—when drawn, they almost create a room within a room, and when open, they still offer a cocoooned and private world within the main space,” the duo explain. Bringing a sense of calm and coziness, it wasn’t a simple installation, but the effort was worth the squeeze.
A fabric canopy is a little simpler to execute, but no less impactful. Tori Murphy created her bestselling line of striped canopies as a way to bring texture and warmth to the bedroom. “A simple trick to recreate a similar effect is to hang a curtain rail behind your bed—above the headboard if you have one—and drape your chosen fabric from it. It looks incredibly striking but is also deceptively easy,” she says. Even a plain cotton or linen can bring a sense of serenity to your space.
And if you’re in the market for something more opulent, maybe a four poster bed will fit the bill. Having designed the Berdoulat Gable Four Poster to look a little more “dressed down” than traditional four poster options, Williams struck a balance between the “sumptuousness of the silky walnut, with a degree of grandeur in its form, and a plain, simple, humble feel—as such, the bed will work in both a grand room and simpler, smaller space.”
What not to do
The resounding advice from every expert? “Don’t overcomplicate it. Too many decorative elements can make a bed fussy and too staged,” says Monkhouse.
Williams agrees: “I am not a fan of overly dressed beds where one must deconstruct and remove piles of cushions to gain entry,” he says, recommending the use of blankets, quilts, and cushions that are actually there to be used, rather than purely for show.