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why I still make the bed even though our mattress is on the floor

    Today is National Make Your Bed day (did you even know there was such a thing?!).

    Several months ago, Crane & Canopy offered to send us a new Belgian linen duvet and sham set and I, of course, said yes. If you’ve been around here for long, you know that I have a longstanding thing for linen. Linen sofa, linen pillows, linen curtains … and now linen bedding.

    You guys. I love this bedding so much. It is so soft and lightweight, crisp and classic, and the wrinkly casualness is just right for our cozy house. I always go for white duvet covers and shams because they feel so hotel-ish and this new linen set is for sure my favorite we’ve ever had.

    Months have passed since our new bedding came and I’ve been waiting for some updates to be made to our bedroom until I shared.

    We sold our old metal bedframe (see it here) after we moved in almost a year ago and planned on replacing it with something more substantial, a little cozier and more masculine in style to fit in better with this house. I genuinely wanted to put our bedroom together first because master bedrooms always end up being the very last to get any attention in a house. I even put together a great design plan! We have plans to add architectural interest to the wall behind the bed (and potentially cover up the hexagon window that is oddly placed), we need nightstands and a reading chair/loveseat over by the window and we’re even considering putting a tv in the room (gasp!).

    And yet, here we are all these months later with our mattresses on the ground, an ikea step stool for a nightstand and an otherwise empty room.

    But here’s the thing: even though we don’t have our perfect furniture, I still make the bed.

    I make the bed because it’s something I can do to make our bedroom feel put together.

    I make the bed because it looks pretty.

    I make the bed because if the bed is made, I feel a little more in control of my life (weird, I know. I feel the same way about having a clean car. When it’s out of control messy, it stresses me out.)

    I make the bed because it feels so good to get into a nicely made bed at night.

    My recipe for a well-made bed consists of a subtly pattered sheet set, a coverlet, duvet (with down comforter inside) folded at the foot of the bed, two sleeping pillows (on regular and one memory foam), decorative sham and a few accent pillows.

    I’m such a fan of mixing patterns and textures and it makes my neutral tendencies so much more visually interesting.

    For instance, we have a petite pattern on the sheets, a striped pillowcase for the memory foam old-lady pillow, a quilted velvet coverlet, linen duvet and shams and and embossed design on the throw pillows. The whole mix feels casual, classic and a little bit preppy.

    Over the weekend, I painted a scribble art piece to hang over the makeshift nightstand … and I’m totally smitten with it. It adds a quirky graphic punch to keep the room from going too traditional.

    So even though our room is far from where we hope it will end up, I’m so committed to making it work in the meantime. And sometimes all that means is taking a few minutes each day to make the bed.

    SOURCES

    sheet set | coverlet (similar) | duvet + shams | floral pillows | step stool (aka nightstand)


    Hop on over to my fellow-bed-makers to see how they are pulling things together in their rooms on this national make your bed day: Kristi at I Should be Mopping the Floor, Anne at Flax & Twine, Camila at Effortless Style.

    43 thoughts on “why I still make the bed even though our mattress is on the floor”

      1. My honest review: I have them on every bed in our house :) Great price, soft, deep elastic pockets to make bedmaking easier, great patterns. I’m a fan!

    1. Beautiful space! Fellow “old lady” here wondering what kind of memory foam pillow you like? I’ve tried some and they make me so hot.

    2. I make my bed everyday, too. I always have. I can’t stand it not being made, now if I could convince my kids of the benefits of getting into this habit, I would feel like a successful mom.

    3. Interesting thread about a year ago on EHow. Many people disagreed but I can’t stand an unmade bed. I spritz sheets with homemade lavender spray and make the bed when it’s dried. Lovely fragrance when you pull back the covers at night.

      1. OMG! I love it! He is so right. That is exactly how I feel when I make my bed in the morning; like I have accomplished something and am ready to move on to other things. And I love coming home to a bed that’s made. Emily, I can totally relate to how your bedroom looks. We are currently in the process of getting a new mattress, boxspring. Do they still sell them together? I see so many beds with just one mattress. Yes, getting the master bedroom together is always the last thing on the list and in my case seems to be on-going. I get so far and then run out of steam. Thanks for being a normal person, Emily:}

    4. I have those same sheets from Target on my kids’ beds!! And, thank you for having mattresses on the floor in your house, too. 😉 I currently have 2 (both kids’ beds) because I can’t make up my mind about what I want. 🤷🏻‍♀️

      1. The little bench is a few years old from Target. It was previously in Audrey’s room at the old house and keeps moving around this new house looking for a home :)

    5. Hi! I love your bed linens! Also, I have a question about the coverlet and comforter. Do you keep the coverlet on while you sleep? We have both on our bed as well, and when I do make the bed, I make it like you do…but I don’t like sleeping under the coverlet and the comforter. Any tricks for making the bed easier or faster? It’s a pain to take the coverlet on and off!

    6. “I make the bed because if the bed is made, I feel a little more in control of my life.”

      YES. YES. YES. This is exactly how I feel. Glad to know I’m not alone. :)

    7. I noticed that the sheets you linked are exactly the sheets that are on your bed, would you mind telling me the brand on your bed? and the pillow cases with ticking too? thanks a bunch!

    8. Love this! When I saw the linen bedding from Crane & Canopy I immediately thought of you. I love the relaxed yet chic look of it. I’m a big bed maker! I can’t start my day without doing it. I have known to actually start with my husband still in it sometimes!

    9. I make my bed every day too! As soon as I get up.
      I am not afraid of spiders, but I have an irrational fear that if my bed is all messy, a spider might get in there & I wouldn’t see it, then I might hop in & lay right on it. YUCK! So I know if my bed is all straight & nicely made, if there is a spider in there, I will see it & I can get the cat to take care of it right away!

      Our room might be a disaster with extra clothes & clutter everywhere, but at least the bed is made.

    10. Emily, your room is truly lovely. There is nothing better than linen coverings on the bed. Love the fun, preppy vibe of the whole space. Beautiful! xoxo

    11. Any non-bed-makers hanging around? Raises hand. It’s a beautiful look, but I just can’t it to stick. I make my bed on Saturdays when I was the sheets and it probably doesn’t get made again until the next Saturday. Hangs head in shame.

      1. So many typos. I’ve tried to get into a routine of making my bed, but I can’t get it to stick. And I make my bed every Saturday when I wash sheets. That’s all 🤷🏽‍♀️

      2. I’ve just read that researchers say it may be “healthier” to not make your bed–at least right away. They found that letting the bed air out for a while helped reduce moisture, which let the dust mites dehydrate and die off. So they suggest waiting until later in the day. :-)

        1. Yes, I’ve read that too! And now that my husband has come down with allergies to dust mites, we don’t make the bed anymore. Although I do pull it up partway and fluff the pillows!

    12. I make my bed every day too. The last thing I want to do is walk by another mess. Even my hubs will make the bed now although a little wonky :-) It calms to me know that even if the rest of the house is a little crazy, I can come in here and it calms me.

    13. I love making my bed too! It makes me feel as though I have accomplished something today! I have a {possibly silly} question. How often do you wash your white bed linens and in what? I LOVE white bed linens, but cannot seem to keep them bright white.

      1. I don’t wash our duvet or shams very often – because they are not technically on our skin. And to tell you the truth, I have a hard time keeping whites white as well. Hot water + bleach is my best tip.

    14. I always make the bed as soon as I get up. If nothing else goes well or gets done that day (I have chronic migraines and not often the energy to do much) at least whenever I go by the bedroom, the bed is made and I feel like I’ve accomplished something. I love the linens you have too!

    15. So the more I look at the shot of your bed with the window in it (3rd one down), the more I think your wonky window looks like a beauty mark. I know you’re not loving it, but I really do.

      Thank you for sharing!

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