Wednesday, April 8, 2009

confession: I don't make the bed.

Today's post is inspired (okay borrowed) from one of my favorite blogs, Door Sixteen. You must go check out her post here. In honor of her sharing beautiful, messy beds I thought I'd share my dirty little secret - my husband and I never ever make the bed.

See - here's the thing. I have time in the morning. I could easily make the bed every morning. But I choose not to. There is just something about climbing into an unmade bed and snuggling up with a poofy, casual duvet that hasn't been smoothed out. I love it, it really is one of my favorite parts of the day.

I do think there is an art to the unmade bed, though. Here are my rules:
  1. NO top sheet. Our bed has a feather bed, fitted sheet and duvet and pillows. That's it.
  2. Big, fluffy comforter to put in your duvet cover. The fluffier, the better.
  3. Duvet cover with no pattern. I live by "K.I.S.S." (Keep It Simple Stupid)
  4. Six, yes six, pillows but no throw pillows. We don't keep any pillows on our bed that would have to be thrown to the ground at night. What's the point? We each have three pillows per side that we sleep with. The back one lies straight up against the wood headboard, and the other two we arrange per our comfort level.
One thing I've noticed that makes an unmade bed look amazing is a dark, fitted sheet with a light duvet cover. I just discovered this this week, actually. Our white fitted sheets were not quite dry yet so I put on a navy blue fitted sheet with our white duvet and white pillow cases. I really love the look - it makes the bed put together but not matchy-matchy.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of our unmade bed for this post, but I think I may have to take some in the near future :)

Head on over to Door Sixteen for her unmade bed pics, and here are some great ones I've found:









{ all images from Domino }

Do you want your own messy bed? Here are some picks that I think would make the perfect messy bed:


{ simple four post bed, fluffy down comforter, dark fitted sheet with light pillow cases, light blue duvet cover, bright+neutral throw for chilly nights }


update: I had a couple people inquired about my no top sheet business. I used to be like you, horrified by the idea... I always grew up with a top sheet, why would one sleep without it?! But for some reason, I think it was a really hot night, my husband and I took off the top sheet and never went back. If you use a duvet cover, a top sheet is really unnecessary. Every laundry day, we wash the fitted sheet, the duvet cover and all the pillow cases. When I get hot, I stick my legs out of the comforter, and so does my husband. We never really get cold, because we live in California. During the summer I replace our down feather comforter with a lighter comforter. The whole thing works really well, and makes our unmade bed a little less messy looking!

There is one thing I will never understand re: sleeping - people who wear the same pajamas multiple nights in a row. Ick!! I know you are not running a marathon in your pajamas, but still. I'm a new t-shirt and boxers/night type of girl.

32 comments:

  1. We only make our bed if we have people over... I too love the fluff!

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  2. We have almost the exact same bed philosphy. I HATE flat sheets. I like my legs to dangle free. We only use the fitted sheet and our down-alternative comfortor. In the summer we dont even use a duvet to help keep us cool- we also dislike heavy use of AC.
    Also, making the bed is so overrated. messy beds are the way to go.

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  3. I don't make my bed either. Not b/c I prefer it that way - I just don't choose to spend my precious minutes doing it most days. (Unless I'm photographing it or company is coming over and then I get cracking)

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  4. Ok so you HAVE to explain the whole "no top sheet" thing. My mother in law doesn't believe in them either, and I was sincerely disturbed the first time I slept over there. Call me a traditionalist (or lazy when it comes to laundering my duvet...it IS a hassle to load and unload that bulky thing), but I require a top sheet. Anyway.

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  5. I didn't learn to make my bed till I was 7 or 8. We had a housekeeper and I sweet talked her into the idea that making MY bed was her job.

    But then she went away and my Navy Dad showed me how. The first two weeks we bounced a quarter on it just to make sure I was making it right.

    I can't not make my bed. To me the bed looks dirty. Plus Auntie Martha wouldn't approve.

    The no top sheet thing baffles me. What do you do when it's hot? No covers at all??

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  6. I started not using a top sheet when I got married also - I would put it on but my husband didn't like it so we ended up really tangled with one of us sleeping on top and one under it so now we just use the duvet. Also, this winter (even though we are in So Cal too - I hate using the heat and I love having a cool room when we go to sleep) we have this super soft blanket that I put underneath the duvet/down blanket so there is soft right against us and then fluff on top!

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  7. I'm so the opposite of you! :) Usually, I try to make my bed every. single. morning. And it's really not just because I like to keep things neat. It's more because I love the feel of sliding into crisp, tight sheets at night. So much so that on the rare days my bed didn't get made in the morning, I'll make it before climbing in for the night just to get that "tight sheet" feel. My husband thinks I'm crazy, but hey, it's not like I subject him to bed-making! :)

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  8. Interesting! I'm the opposite--crawling into an unmade bed just feels sloppy and stale.

    I grew up w/ no top sheet. Then in college I started using one (my roomie made me try it out) and love having that extra layer of swaddling.

    Plus, I HATE struggling w/ cramming a down comforter back into our duvet, so I'd much rather wash a top sheet every week (and the duvet cover every few weeks).

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  9. In college I avoided the top-sheet like the plague. I have no idea why - but I would not sleep with one. But now- I don't know- I just feel like the boy needs a top sheet. Also- a month ago, I would have said that we never make out bed wither- but for some reason- I have been making the bed almost every day. weird.

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  10. Same thing at our place!
    No top sheet, fitted sheet only & fluffy comforter and pillows.

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  11. I do the same thing! No top sheet in my house, thank you. It took my boyfriend a while to adjust but now he has been converted...it is the best way to sleep!!

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  12. I'm with you on the no top sheet. For years, I would just kick mine down to the bottom of the bed in my sleep. Then one day, my boyfriend said, "Why don't you just go without." It was like a lightbulb had gone off!

    I do try to make my bed when folks might be coming over -- I especially followed this rule when I lived in my tiny studio -- but the no top sheet makes it so much easier to keep tidy!

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  13. I never make our bed either. Unless company is coming, of course.

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  14. We don't use a top sheet either. I don't really know why, we just prefer it.

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  15. I am telling on all of you ladies! LOL

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  16. One of my friends son told me, he makes it at night, right before he goes to sleep. I love that idea.
    I think I will never look at making the bed in quite the same way-

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  17. I grew up in a house where beds had to be made before school and I'm with FC- normally I hate crawling into a lumpy bed. But...we have been doing some painting in the bedroom this week and I haven't been able to make the bed. And who knew...but the "I took the time to sort of straighten but it's still messy" look is sort of growing on me.

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  18. I can't NOT make the bed. Our bed isn't fussy (just a duvet, sheets, two shams, two sleeping pillows and one little pillow) so it only takes me 30 seconds. Growing up, we couldn't leave for school until our beds were made and I guess it stuck!

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  19. The funny thing is that in the pictures it looks to me like the beds ARE made. They're basically neat, aftera all! I make my bed every day - I just feel depressed if I look at a tangled up sweaty bed clothes. Also for me, I like the top sheet because it allows you to regulate your temperature -- keeps you warmer in winter and allows you a cooler option in the summer.

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  20. I LOVE this post and the comments after. Part of me wants to say Oh my God, no top sheet? And the other part of me wants to run home on my lunch hour and rip it off immediately and never go back. but I'm afraid to for some reason! I had no idea that people didn't use top sheets. Wow. You have seriously thrown me for a loop with this one.

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  21. I don't think I could sleep without a top sheet - I've never even considered it! Even in the summer I need sleep under something, hence the sheet. I also make my bed every morning but that's mainly because our two dogs spend most of the day sleeping on it. We make it and then cover it with a blanket so their hair doesn't get on our duvet or sheets. It's not the most attractive solution but it works for now.

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  22. I don't think I could sleep without a top sheet - I've never even considered it! Even in the summer I need sleep under something, hence the sheet. I also make my bed every morning but that's mainly because our two dogs spend most of the day sleeping on it. We make it and then cover it with a blanket so their hair doesn't get on our duvet or sheets. It's not the most attractive solution but it works for now.

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  23. I love this post!! We are the same way. I never make the bed, love my white duvet and HATE flat sheets. LOVE IT!

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  24. Here's my one question though -- do you wash your duvet cover all the time? Because to me that's a big plus of a top and bottom sheet -- you can usually just wash the sheets weekly and then you only have to do the duvet cover a few times a year.

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  25. funny because 1. i make my bed every single day 2. i think no top sheet is icky because i don't wash my duvet cover every week (it would be ruined if i did) 3. i change my sheets 2 times a week and 4. i wear the same pjs for 3 or 4 days at a time, which i wear post night time shower and only while in bed and sleeping.

    funny how people are so different huh

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  26. funny because 1. i make my bed every single day 2. i think no top sheet is icky because i don't wash my duvet cover every week (it would be ruined if i did) 3. i change my sheets 2 times a week and 4. i wear the same pjs for 3 or 4 days at a time, which i wear post night time shower and only while in bed and sleeping.

    funny how people are so different huh

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  27. I can't NOT make the bed. Our bed isn't fussy (just a duvet, sheets, two shams, two sleeping pillows and one little pillow) so it only takes me 30 seconds. Growing up, we couldn't leave for school until our beds were made and I guess it stuck!

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  28. One of my friends son told me, he makes it at night, right before he goes to sleep. I love that idea.
    I think I will never look at making the bed in quite the same way-

    ReplyDelete
  29. Same thing at our place!
    No top sheet, fitted sheet only & fluffy comforter and pillows.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Interesting! I'm the opposite--crawling into an unmade bed just feels sloppy and stale.

    I grew up w/ no top sheet. Then in college I started using one (my roomie made me try it out) and love having that extra layer of swaddling.

    Plus, I HATE struggling w/ cramming a down comforter back into our duvet, so I'd much rather wash a top sheet every week (and the duvet cover every few weeks).

    ReplyDelete
  31. I didn't learn to make my bed till I was 7 or 8. We had a housekeeper and I sweet talked her into the idea that making MY bed was her job.

    But then she went away and my Navy Dad showed me how. The first two weeks we bounced a quarter on it just to make sure I was making it right.

    I can't not make my bed. To me the bed looks dirty. Plus Auntie Martha wouldn't approve.

    The no top sheet thing baffles me. What do you do when it's hot? No covers at all??

    ReplyDelete
  32. I don't make my bed either. Not b/c I prefer it that way - I just don't choose to spend my precious minutes doing it most days. (Unless I'm photographing it or company is coming over and then I get cracking)

    ReplyDelete

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