According to interior designer Nina Campbell, your bed should be a ‘work of art’.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Nina, who has worked with the Duke and Duchess of York, as well as with members of the Jordanian royal family, shared her tips for creating a beautiful bed.
She also tackled the age-old question when it comes to bedding:are duvets downmarket, and should you be using a blanket instead?
Those who love their fluffy duvets can heave a sigh of relief: while it is true that a number of royal residences (including Windsor Castle and Balmoral) are made using a flat sheet topped with a blanket, according to Nina, a duvet is fine.
Her concessions are using a light one, and then topping it with a blanket cover – she likes old tablecloths to give the look of old lace or embroidery – and tucking everything in neatly.
Do you want to make your bed fit for royalty? There are a number of tips and tricks you can follow to create a beautiful sleeping set up (stock image)
Describing the set-up of her bed, she said: ‘[First I use a] fitted sheet, then a flat sheet, then a light duvet [instead of a blanket], then a blanket cover.’
Nina uses three pillows: a square one at the base, topped with an Oxford pillow, finished with a Porthault baby pillow.
She explained: ‘The square pillow is a little bit harder, and makes it possible to sit up in bed and read. I just chuck that out at night, and sleep on the Oxford, and then I tuck the baby pillow somewhere round my neck.’
Another major question when it comes to bedding regards the thread count of your sheets.
The general thought has been that the higher the thread count, the better.
However, this is not necessarily the case, according to Ruth Douglas, the managing director of Heirloom Linens.
The company makes bespoke linens for the Royal family, which it has done since it was given a royal warrant by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2005. King Charles recently renewed its warrant.
According to Ruth, simply looking at the thread count of linen does not paint the full picture when it comes to quality.
There are different types of fabric used for bed linen, with their own pros and cons, and their own qualities (stock image)
Thread count refers to the number of threads per square inch. A very fine yarn, for example, can have a 1,000 thread count.
Ruth explained that it is the quality of the yarn used that is important, adding that she has seen high street bed linen with a 1,000 thread count that is lower in quality than Heirloom Linens’ 300 thread count.
This, she explained to the Telegraph can come down to a number of factors.
While higher thread counts should technically correspond to a smoother and silkier feel, there are other things to consider.
Aside from the quality of the yarn, the length of the fibres is important. For example, manufacturers can create high thread count bed sheets at a lower price point by mixing in shorter pieces of yarn with longer ones.
While this increases the thread count, it will not create a softer finish, or a more durable fabric.
Looking for long staple and extra-long staple fibres is important when trying to find softer feeling and harder wearing bed linen.
Another topic Ruth Douglas touched on was the type of fabric used for bedding, with the three most common being percale, sateen cotton, and traditional linen.
Experts recommend ironing your bedding (or getting someone else to do it if possible) for a truly elegant finish (stock image)
According to Ruth, percale requires more care with washing and ironing, but in return, it has a soft feel (which is softer as the thread count increases), and has natural cooling properties.
Another fabric with natural cooling properties is linen, however, it is very prone to looking rumpled and wrinkled. To try and counter this, Ruth recommends ironing before it’s totally dry, but you are unlikely to totally avoid the crumpled look.
While sateen cotton requires less effort when ironing, and can be washed at higher temperatures, it is thicker.
Regarding ironing – a step many people eschew when it comes to bed linen – designer Nina Campbell compares un-ironed sheets to an unmade bed, adding that ‘the whole idea of getting into an unmade bed is so unpleasant’.
Sending your bedding to be commercially cleaned and pressed is one option, but for the majority of people who can’t spare the expense, an option to keep your sheets looking crisper is to avoid frills and details.
Daniel Browne, managing director of dry-cleaning and laundering firm Blossom & Browne’s Sycamore (which also has a royal warrant), said if you choose linens with ‘lacy frills’, they will never look good, unless you are able to have them commercially laundered and have them ironed.
When it comes to washing your bedding, according to Daniel Browne, if you’re not sending them to be commercially laundered, you should ensure you follow the care label when cleaning.
While it is traditional to use blankets instead of duvets, with some royal residences doing so, experts agree it is fine to use one (stock image)
When drying, he recommends a high spin, to avoid your sheets coming out of the machine wet.
And if you’re drying them outside, he recommends you space the sheets out.
Finally, a tip from Salomé Orr, executive head housekeeper at the Lanesborough Hotel in Knightsbridge, is to use a mattress protector underneath your bottom sheet.
And while most people use fitted sheets as their bottom sheet, for ease of bed making and speed, for a really quality look, Salomé recommends using a flat sheet.
You need to pull it taut over the mattress, then tuck it in using envelope corners, for a truly regal finish.