Buy That Bed

If there's one thing that you should splurge on, it's your bed. There is nothing better than coming home from a hard day's work or a late night out on the town and falling like a feather into a downy pile of comfort. When I was in college, I shared a room with my best friend, and she had the absolute best comforter in the world. She called it "The Cloud" and we would pile four or five deep under that thing and watch movies for days on end. (Exams? What exams?). Ever since then, I have not been able to settle for less in a bed. The mattress needs to be firm enough to support you and soft enough to nurture you. The sheets should feel like heavy cream. And then comforter should be a soft, comforting cloud.

Not only should your bed feel like a little piece of heaven; it should look like it too. After all, those sheets and pillows are the last thing you see before you fall asleep and that headboard is the first thing you see when you wake up every day. So taking the time to buy a comfortable, good-looking bed is important.

The first thing you need to buy is the frame. A bed frame can range from affordably sufficient to extraordinarily decadent. Basically, first you need to think about how tall you want your bed to be. Beds that are higher up give a more imposing feel to the room, and they also allow for storage space underneath them. Beds that are closer to the ground may make the room look bigger, but if space is a problem, you'll have to consider the benefits of under-the-bed storage.

Bed frames come in a wide range of varieties. Some have a headboard and a footboard, some just have a headboard, and some have neither. A headboard adds a lots to a bed, though. Without one, your bed is just going to look like an elevated mattress. A simple headboard can add a great deal of elegance and character to the room.

If you buy a bed with a headboard, you will be able to choose from a variety of types. Brass headboards give that princess feel to your bed, while wooden headboards offer a simple, elegant look. Plush leather headboards or fabric headboards upholstered to match your bedroom set are also options. More recent additions to the market include headboards that double as bookshelves. These are perfect for the nighttime readers or writers who like to sit up in bed with the light on, winding down with a book.

If, however, you buy a bed without a headboard, you may have even more choices. You can make your own headboard by simply hanging something on the wall at the head of the bed. My mother always had a gorgeous, intricate wooden panel that she hung at the head of her bed as a headboard. For those with even more creativity, you could hang something that really shouts out your character. For example, if you love surfing, you could hang an old surfboard (after a good scrub, of course) on the wall at the head of your bed. Anything long and narrow will work.

Once you have your bed frame set, it's time to work on what I consider to be the most important part of the bed: the linens. Not only should they look fabulous, but they should feel fabulous. This is the place you go for comfort, shelter, and rest. This is the place you want to curl up and feel completely safe and warm. Softer than soft jersey knit sheets are a great option, and sheets with a high thread-count make for the most comfortable.

And for me there is just no question about it: you have to have a duvet. Inspired by my former roommate's "Cloud," I have never gone back to regular comforters. Not only are duvets the softest, most luxurious things to wrap yourself up in at night; they also have covers that you can change. This makes them easier to clean than regular comforters, and if you get tired of the same old pattern you can change it up without buying a whole new comforter.

If you're looking to spruce up your room with a great new bedding set, check out www.anthropologie.com. They have absolutely the most gorgeous fabrics around. If you want to wake up to beautiful surroundings, Anthropologie is a great place to start. After all, you deserve to fall asleep in comfort and to open your eyes to beauty.

-Emily J Weitz

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