Do you ever stare longingly at all those beautifully made beds on Instagram and Pinterest, then turn to look at your own sad attempt at bed styling and wonder what you’ve done wrong? I’ve been in this position for years – my bed has always either looked TOO well made and clearly staged, or like a bomb has hit it, because I’ve given up on making my bed altogether…
Well, I’ve decided that it’s high time I learned how to style a bed once and for all! And who better to teach me than the styling superstars whose bedrooms I envy so much? I was fortunate enough to have these gurus share their bed styling pearls of wisdom with me – with all that experience, talent and expertise between them, even a novice like me can’t fail!
Here are 5 experts with their top tips for styling a bed…scroll to the end to see how I applied their advice to transform my own bed and comment below to let me know what you think!
1. Az de la Cruz of @hausofcruze
“Land on a colour palette that showcases one prominent colour and accentuate it through your artwork and accent pieces to create cohesion and harmony. We have chosen hues of green as our palette for our current master bedroom pairing it with our rich, warm timber bed frame and side tables.”
Styled + shot by Az of @hausofcruze
Az de la Cruz
2. Catherine Heraghty of @the_stables_
“A lot of people ask me what my “formula” is, and while I am not married to this, I tend to use a textured quilt cover as the basis – always filled with a fluffy feather doona with a high lift – this forms the basis of your bed styling! I add a beautiful subtly coloured bed spread to the bottom of the bed - as these are so big in size, I generally fold it in halves or thirds and let it drape to the floor so it feels a little luxurious. I use four standard pillows, two euros and three scatter cushions. I take my cue for colours from the artwork, flooring and window treatments.”
Styled + shot by Catherine of @the_stables_
Catherine Heraghty
3. Eve Gunson of @dotandpop
“I like to mix complementary colours when styling a bed to keep it interesting and tactile. Use layers to create a luxurious feeling, textured linens, soft throws, add a faux fur and a few cushions for some fun."
Styled + shot by Eve of @dotandpop
Eve Gunson
4. Nat Spadavecchia of @the.palm.co
“My main styling tip, for all of my styling has always been 'keep it simple but significant'. I think every stylist approaches their bedroom styling a little bit differently, some love 6 main cushions plus your decorative pieces to frame the bed, my approach is a little bit more minimal. I always recommend investing in quality over quantity…a cheap doona insert can really flatten the look of your bed when photographed so it won't have that "I want to jump on into that cosy nest" kinda vibe. Once you have your base sorted, choose 2 - 3 accent cushions and ALWAYS use feather inserts.”
Styled + shot by Nat of @the.palm.co in collaboration with Catherine of @the_stables_
Nat Spadavecchia
5. Tara Wokulski of @coco.camellia_
“When styling your bed always consider texture. Texture is one key element that can transform this space from boring to simply gorgeous. Adding texture can be done by adding different materials like linen and cotton, and also through different patterned and textured cushions, layered upon one another as pictured below.”
Styled + shot by Tara of @coco.camellia_
Tara Wokulski
My Turn to Style!
Armed with all these expert tips, I gave my bed a long overdue makeover! Using Az’s advice, I chose blue as my prominent colour, and featured various hues of blue in other parts of the room too, such as through accent pieces on the bedside and also the artwork above my bed (beautifully painted for me by my talented little sister!).
Taking my cue from Catherine, I found a textured quilt cover to form my base. I love this gorgeous Avoca Navy Quilt Cover Set – with its horizontal stripe pattern in tonal blues, sandy taupe and white, it brings a relaxed elegance to the space and is very forgiving of creases! The rows of contrasting embroidery throughout the quilt cover add some pretty little details and lovely subtle texture.
So that the room wouldn’t be overwhelming blue, I followed Eve’s tip of adding in complementary colours to keep it visually interesting. I opted for some pops of copper, green and purple to mix things up.
Inspired by cushion styling a la Nat, I chose 3 accent cushions, and swapped out the inserts for super karate-choppable feather inserts (you get them real cheap from Ikea)! I made sure the cushions were all of different materials, as advised by Tara, to bring in a variety of patterns and textures.
For added texture and luxury, I included this beautiful knitted Ombre Indigo Throw. It’s so soft to touch and easy to style, and rich shades of indigo fade in an attractive ombre dip-dye effect.
In the end, I was glad to discover that bed styling isn’t so daunting after all! I’m pretty happy with the end result, and so is my styling judge, Rowdy…
Shop the Look
Like what you see? Here’s a list of pieces I used in styling my bedroom:
- Avoca Navy Quilt Cover Set from Just Bedding
- Ombre Indigo Throw from Cushion Room
- Natsumi Bedside Table from The Design Edit
- Kipp Desk Lamp from Amalfi
- Munroe Desk Lamp from Emporium
- Chanel: Collections + Creations by Thame + Hudson
- Concrete Dala Horse in Black by Zakkia
- String of Pearls in Concrete Pot by Rogue
Banner image: Catherine Heraghty of @the_stables_