Decorating Your Bedroom
Choosing Beds and Bedding

You will spend 20,000 hours in bed over your lifetime.

Read this advice on choosing the right bed and bedding.

Your bed, mattress, duvet and pillows all affect the quality of your sleep.

Do you wake up every morning feeling refreshed, revitalised and raring to go? If not, perhaps you need to check if your bed is doing it's job properly.

Decorating your bedroom, and buying a new bed is a big investment, and it's confusing trying to make sense of all the different options and sales pitches.

This information guide should help you to choose your best options, when decorating your bedroom.

Choosing a Bed Frame

Choosing a Mattress

Choosing Pillows and Bedding

Choosing a Bed Frame

• A divan is an upholstered base, usually on little wheels.


• Some divans come with storage drawers in the sides. These are very useful, but you don't really get any extra underbed storage as the base comes quite close to the floor. It is a much neater option than just stuffing things under your bed, though.


• It is best if you buy your mattress and divan base together (they are usually sold together, anyway) as the two must be compatible.


• A Sprung-edge divan has lots of little springs across the whole of the mattress, giving equal support all over. It is the most expensive option.


• A Firm-edge divan has less, but larger, springs. It is a good, mid-range option.


• A Solid divan or Platform-top divan has a single base of hardboard for support. It is very firm, and much cheaper.


• A Flexible-slatted divan uses wooden slats as support. This makes it far more 'springy' than the solid divan.


• Consider whether a divan will be too bulky to move upstairs, even if it splits into two pieces.


• You will usually need to buy a separate headboard for a divan bed. Choose from wood, metal, or upholstered in fabric, leather or suede. You can change your headboard without changing your bed, to change the whole look and style of the room, and make decorating your bedroom in the future much simpler - and cheaper. Choose a large headboard for comfort, and to create a great focal point out of your bed.

Slatted bedsteads

• Slatted bedsteads create support for the mattress with wooden slats. These can be fixed/rigid, or flexible.


• Check that the wooden slats are firm enough to give support to the mattress, and choose slats that are close together to give the best support.


• When you buy your slatted bedstead, check what type of mattress is suitable. Some pocket-sprung mattresses can be damaged by a slatted bedstead that does not provide enough support.


• Choose from a wooden, metal or upholstered bedstead style to match your bedroom decor. Traditionally-styled metal bedsteads tend to give you a high sleeping platform, whereas wooden bedsteads, especially those with a modern, oriental styling, are much lower. Consider what level you want to sleep at - as well as how much clutter you want to stuff under your bed - before you make your purchase.


• Bedsteads are easier to move upstairs than divans, as they generally arrive flat-packed.


• You will not need to purchase an extra headboard - it comes as part of the bedstead. This does mean, though, that if you change your mind or fancy decorating your bedroom in a different style in the future, you may need to buy a whole new bed.

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Choosing Your Mattress

Experts say that we should change our mattress every 7 years - so consider if you are due a new mattress next time you are decorating your bedroom.

Sprung mattresses

• Basically, these have springs in. Generally, the more springs, the better the mattress. The average amount of springs is 1,500. Quality mattresses have around 4,000 springs. They also have layers of soft and supportive material, around the springs. This is made up of such diverse materials as horsehair, coir, wool, polyester, cotton, foam and silk. Choose natural fibres, such as cotton and wool, which are soft and breathable.


• Open-coil or Open-sprung mattresses are the cheapest option.


• Continuous-sprung mattresses are slightly more expensive. They have more springs, which are evenly spaced across the whole mattress, and give more support.


• Pocket-sprung mattresses are the most expensive. They have more, smaller springs, each working independently, to give you support exactly where you need it.

Non-sprung mattresses

• Basically, these do not have springs in them. They are made of foam, latex (which has anti-bacterial and hypo-allergenic qualities), and visco-elastic or memory foam (which springs slowly back into place after use).


• My mattress is made of visco-elastic foam. It is heat-sensitive, and as you lay on it, it softens, and moulds itself around your body-shape. When you get up it returns to it's original shape. It is definitely the most comfortable mattress I have ever had!

Firm or Soft

• When decorating your bedroom, and investing in a new mattress, the choice of firm or soft is very much a personal one.


• Make sure you try before you buy. Lie down on each of your choices for a good long time in the showroom, to check that they are really comfortable.


• As a rule of thumb, if you are light in weight, a soft mattress is likely to suit you better. If you are heavier, a firm mattress is likely to be your best choice.


• By the way, the idea that a firm mattress is best for a bad back is just not true. As long as you are getting enough support from your mattress, just choose the one that feels the best for you. And always make sure that your mattress is compatible with your chosen base.

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Choosing Pillows and Bedding

Tog ratings for Duvets (UK)
A low tog number means it's for warm nights, and a high tog number means it's for cold nights.

• 4.5 togs - for warm Summer nights
• 6-9 togs - for Spring and Autumn
• 10-15 togs - for cold Winter nights

Fillings for Duvets and Pillows

• Down (Goose or Duck)
  • Very warm and absorbs moisture well
  • Comes in a range of prices
  • Unsuitable for allergy sufferers


• Silk
  • Soft and very warm with a luxury feel
  • Expensive
  • Can feel quite heavy
  • Requires specialist cleaning
  • Suitable for allergy sufferers


• Polyester
  • Warm, light and cosy.
  • Easy to wash
  • Great for allergy sufferers
  • The filling can get lumpy over time


• Feather Pillows
  • Cheap to buy
  • Not suitable for allergy sufferers
  • Filling goes flat over time


• Latex and Memory foam Pillows
  • These can come in a traditional pillow shape, or a fixed shape ortho-pillow, ideal if you have back problems.
  • My fiance swears by his solid foam pillow, but I can't get on with one at all - it feels like lying on a brick to me!

Bedding

• When decorating your bedroom, really think about your choice and quality of bedding - it could make or break your scheme, and could even affect your nights sleep.


• The best bed linen to choose is 100% cotton. Cotton 'breathes' well, it's warm, smooth and soft, and absorbs moisture well.


• A higher thread count means softer cotton.
  • 150 is standard
  • 180+ is good quality, sometimes called 'percale'.
  • Egyptian Cotton is the best at 200+.


• Also consider the length of the cotton fibre - the longer the better. Egyptian Cotton has the longest cotton fibre.


• Take care though, as some companies measure thread count by a different standard. You should be OK with recognised and big-name manufacturers, but for bargain options, go by softness and feel, rather than thread count, to be sure of what you are getting.

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So, go for practicality, comfort and quality in your choice of beds and bedding, when decorating your bedroom.

Do you want to read more practical decorating bedroom ideas, to get a clutter free bedroom layout?

Look at these tips and advice for getting great bedroom decorating styles and designs, in your home.

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