Make Sure Your Bedding Choices Suit Your Personal Needs

Your bedroom is the best place to unwind and enjoy downtime after the entire day of hard work.  Comfortable bedding can do wonders to your tired body and busy mind.  Not only does luxurious bedding add to your home décor, but it also provides you with special warmth and peace of mind.  Whether you want to feel warm and cozy during the chilling winters or fresh and cool during the sizzling summers, bedding will provide you with all peace and pleasure.

The most important factor to be considered in bedding is the type of linen. Once you have a bed with gorgeous bedspreads crafted in luxurious polyester and embroidered with flowers and vines, lavish sequins and satin stitched leaves you can relax in its soothing touches. To give a typical Victorian touch to your home décor, you can get bedding with laces and ruffles and tiny rose garlands encircling the larger blooms in shades of pink and red across the bedspread.

For typical summer time you can use bedding made of ecru cotton bedspreads. The top is quilted in diamond designs with an assortment of multi-colored wildflowers sprinkled with crochet stitching. The pillow can have a center flower with garlands of light colored flowers embroidered all around. These varieties of bedspreads with attached flounced waves, linings and embroideries enhance the look of beauty and touch of warmth to your bedding. You should get bed linens with higher thread counts, as that will make them more soft and comfortable.

Right after the bed linens you should start thinking of other bedding accessories like the pillowcases, bed skirts, pillow shams and bed covers. The color and design of these bedding accessories should largely depend on the design of the bedspread and bed linens.

Make sure to choose the proper bedding and comforter sets for your children, and make them different from that of your own style. You should make sure that the words “cute” and “sweet” define the bedding of your children. Try to get bedspreads with cartoon characters, pretty flowers, and caricature of children printed on them. They should be soft to touch and your child should feel absolutely comfortable in them. The bedding should also include comforters, top flat sheets, oilcloth, bottom fitted sheets, bed skirts, pillow shams and sweet pillowcases. You can get pillows in shape of cartoon characters, fishes, and teddy bears or birds to produce wonder in the eyes of your children.  Popular Disney characters are great selections for children's bedding. Whether you are wanting coordinating Disney sheets or comforter sets, they are available in a variety of styles such as Disney Princesses, Disney Pixar Cars, Disney Tinkerbell Fairies and more. Always make sure to choose comfortable and soft bedding to feel rejuvenated while you sleep.

Martha Stewart Mariposa - Butterflies and Beautiful Bedding

The Martha Stewart Mariposa Meadow Floral bedding collection is probably one of the very few sets that I can really say I like and would decorate a bedroom in the pattern. I have always stayed away from print patterns because they are so busy, and I am quick to get tired of looking at printed bedding. But I must say that I really like the look of the Mariposa Meadow collection because it is very subtle and feminine not too bold and in your face. The colors are a calm hue of neutrals and beige with just a hint of peach coral in it. The duvet cover is very pretty and soft as well. The coverlet and quilted pillow shams confused me a little because it does add too much print to the collection in my opinion. I would probably stay with a solid beige blanket or quilt instead of the pattern that was put out to coordinate with the collection. I actually really like the quilted coverlet even by itself as the print is busy enough to decorate your bed without adding much more to it except for maybe a little pop of color. Here is a few of the favorite and most popular pieces from the Martha Stewart Mariposa Floral bedding collection.

Mariposa Meadow Duvet Cover by Martha Stewart

Mariposa Meadow Quilted Coverlet by Martha Stewart

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6 Bedroom Renovation Tips on a Budget

Bedroom renovation does not necessarily mean having to splurge your cash too. You don’t have to take down walls, change all your furniture and even repaint. The following tips will help you revamp your private space without digging a hole in your pocket.

1.     Clear the clutter

Sometimes, the only reason why you or your guests cannot appreciate your room is because there are just too many clothes laying around. Other times, it could be cluttered with things that you don’t really need. So the first step to bedroom renovation on a budget would be to clear the clutter.

Sort things out and put those that you still need on one side and separate the things that you no longer need. You can either sell the things you no longer need or give them away.

2.     Get new bedding set.

If you already have one, you can actually beautify your bedding set with a duvet cover. A duvet cover can help create a new look to your room. With the many options that you have, you can go anywhere from girly to graphic, from classic to modern and from pastel to primary. Sky’s the limit when it comes to the style or design. You can even match your bedding to the season. For instance, there’s the Lake House Floral by Ralph Lauren Home that best goes with spring.

Best of all, duvet covers can be washed and folded for easy and hygienic storage.

3.     Add decorative pillows.

Because your bed is the star of your room, why not add a notch of creativity by adorning it with decorative pillows too? Decorative pillows come in all shapes, sizes and colors too. They can be used to add color to your pastel or white walls and bedroom furniture.

If there are too many colors in your room, you can use light colored decorative pillows to break them and harmonize your elements. But aside from adding style to your room, these pillows also provide comfort to you.

4.     Shake things up!

Maybe the way your furniture pieces are arranged hinders you from maximizing your room’s space. So feel free to shake things up. While you’re already moving things around, don’t forget to flip your mattress to prevent uneven wear.

5.     Dress up the dresser

Painting or decorating the dresser is a quick and easy way of incorporating new design elements. If painting takes too much of your time, you can use washi tapes to make your dresser look newer. If you change your bedding too often, make sure that you use colors or washi tape designs that can be universally accepted to avoid a “messy-looking room” aesthetic-wise.

6.     Change your curtains.

Experiment with your window treatments in order to create the effect that you are aiming for. You can use lace curtains to add a classy and more feminine look to your room. If your room gets too much sunlight during the day, you can use heavy and dark-colored drapes to filter the light. Again, just make sure that whatever you choose, there should be a harmony in design at all times.

These six cheap bedroom makeovers are sure to bring a new personality to your private space. 

Tips to Decorate your Bedroom with Bedspreads and Decorative Throw Pillows

Decorating your bedroom is a necessity if you wish to turn it into a lovely place to lie in. However, a lot of people think that this task takes a lot of effort, not to mention money, to turn a bedroom into a dream home. Some people even go as far as taking up courses on interior decorating just to find out how to spruce up their homes. But what a few people know is that enhancing the look of your bedroom does not really entail expensive changes. Here are some tips.

Accentuate your bedroom design with throw pillows.

One way to improve the look of your bedroom is to accentuate it with beautiful throw pillows. Pillows are not just for putting your head on but you could also use them to improve the look of your bedroom. For instance, if your room looks too plain with neutral wall paint, you can spruce it up by putting some pillows with bold colors and designs on your bedroom sofa or bed. You may also experiment with floral designs or abstract designs that you think will reflect your personality.

Apart from the design, take into account how many pillows you should use to improve the look of your home. You certainly don’t need a lot. Since you are only using these decorative pillows to accessorize your bedroom, putting too many can make your bedroom look like an overgrown dollhouse instead of a cozy room. The best way to determine how many throw pillows you would need is to consider the size of your bed or sofa. Most importantly, check out the pillow’s quality. Although you are only using the pillows for decorative purpose, you certainly don’t want them to shrink after a couple of use. You also want them to be so soft to provide you comfort as you are lying in your bed or sitting on your couch. You also want them to be easy to maintain and easy to wash. You might also want to consider the fabrics used to cover the decorative pillows. Are they cool that you will love to lay your head on them even during the hot days? Do they provide you warmth during the winter months?

In other words, you should not only consider the design and color of the throw pillows to buy but the thread count, fabric and materials as well. Just personal preference but if you are buying throw pillows for your regular master or children's bedroom, I recommend you stay away from ivory, white, or very light decorative pillows because they have the name toss pillow for a reason. You have a really good chance of them getting dusty or dirty so darker colors or prints are the best choice. Also, you want to buy throw pillows that have a removable cover that is machine washable if possible. In the event your throw pillow gets dirty, it is much easy to launder the pillow by removing the cover then having to try to spot clean it and worry about water spots.

Provide the look of comfort with quality bedspreads and quilts

One major reason why you should buy high-quality bed spreads is the comfort it provides you with when you are lying in your bed. Another reason is that high-quality bed spreads look soft and inviting, giving off that comforting atmosphere that you deserve as you step inside your bedroom. So, you certainly can improve the look of your bedroom without having to tear down a wall or change your wall paint. A quality bed spread can give that comforting ambiance any bedroom should have. As when selecting a throw pillow, the design and color are not only the major considerations when selecting bed spreads. The thread count, quality of threads, as well as the type of weaving should also be considered. Make sure your quilt or bedspread does not clash or look distracting and tacky with your regular bedding ensemble. If you currently have a printed comforter set or duvet cover especially with floral prints, stripes, or lots of colors then definitely buy a quilt that is a solid color that coordinates with the colors in your bedding. Just because you buy a solid quilt or bedspread does not mean it has to be boring. Solid Quilts and bedspreads can have beautiful sewing textures and matelasse patterns but still be one color.

Buy Decorative Pillow Completer Sets, Bedspreads, Quilts or Coverlets

One of the most efficient ways to coordinate your throw pillows and your bedding is to see if the designer collection offers a pillow completer set. Basically, most of the name brand collections will sell completer sets that have 2 or more coordinating decorative pillows so you don't have to purchase them individually. Bedroom Designers like Martha Stewart Collection Bedding and Eva Mendes offer great options to buy bed pillow completer sets for all of their collections which can be quite affordable. Browsing through the internet can help you figure out what kind of accessories would go best with your room and Swanky Outlet is one site that has lots of option for you to choose from. Go through the site and you’ll see several branded bedspreads and throw pillows that can easily make your bedroom a beautiful abode. Swanky Outlet has a long list of bedspreads, pillows and other bedroom accessories from DKNY to the Martha Stewart collection that would look awesome in your house. It’s quite a collection of bedding and pillows and you’ll be amazed at how beautiful and varied their items are. If you’re wondering what bedspreads famous actresses are promoting this is definitely the best place to go. 

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Mattresses: The Foundation of Our Daily Lives

Mattresses are a the “foundation” pun intended when referring to bedding.  Since the majority of us spend over a third of our life in bed trying to rest, finding a premium quality mattress is a huge key factor as improper sleep can hinder our emotional and physical state as well as affect our quality of life.  General mattresses are made of some kind of foam and synthetic fibers or the older versions with the metal coil springs for support that you can put directly over your box spring. Newer more high tech mattresses like airbeds and sleep number beds use some kind of air chamber technology to increase and decrease the pressure in the mattress to allow each person to reach their best level for a night full of peaceful relaxation and rest.

Most people have no idea the size of a bed mattress, and even more people don’t really know what size mattress they sleep on every day. Ever gone to buy a new set of sheets and thought, What is the size of my bed mattress? How do I know what size bedding to buy? Here are a few of the standard mattress sizes that you can use for a general idea of your mattress size. Knowing your mattress size is very important when purchasing bedding such as sheets, bedskirts, comforters, and mattress pads and toppers. You must know your mattress dimensions in order for your new bedding to fit the bed.

What are the sizes and dimensions of bed mattresses?

Mattress Sizes

Standard USA mattress sizes are Twin/Single (39” X 75”)

Double/Full (54” X 75”)

Queen (60” X 80”)

King/Western King (78” X 80”)

California King/Eastern King (72” X 80”) Not as common as Regular western king mattress but still common enough that most brands make California king bedding to fit these mattresses

How often Should You replace Your mattress?

We have customers ask us all the time how often they should wait before they replace their mattress, but I am not the right person to answer because my health issues have been so bad lately that I replaced my mattress about 4 times in 5 years until I found one that worked for me. Most manufacturers recommend every 8-10 years depending on how well you have protected your mattress which is why it is so important to buy mattress pads and mattress protectors. Mattress pads and mattress protectors not only save the mattress from stains and spills but also prolongs the life of it and keeps away dust, dirt, pet dander, bed bugs, mold, and many other allergens. If you keep your mattress covered and protected in a nice dry area, then it can last up to 15 years. Moist and humid areas must really keep mattresses protected because mold spores and germs can manifest within your mattress and cause it to mildew and be harmful to your overall health.
  

Did you know the history of mattresses?

Around 8,000-6,000 B.C., people stopped sleeping on the ground and started making their own area for comfort and warmth which now we refer to as a bed. Of course, they didn’t quite have the technology or the high end Egyptian cotton sheets we have around now, so they used grass, leaves or anything available and held it together with animal fur to keep themselves warm. Persians were the first to come up with the idea of waterbeds. Basically, they filled goats with water and used them to sleep on. The Romans which were quite wealthier at the time used premium bird feathers to sleep on and keep themselves warm. In more modern times, the premium feathers associated with bedding are only for those that can afford such luxuries. In the time of the Romans, the family with the most money to spend was able to buy more feathers in order to make sure their bedding was more comfortable and warm. The spring coils mattress idea was not patented until 1865, so man had to make do with whatever things he could find around him to make the bed more comfortable. We have come a long way since then with our high end quality long staple cotton sheets and Hungarian goose down feather bedding, the more modern society has no idea how difficult it must have been to sleep in luxury back then.

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Ralph Lauren Marrakesh Jacquard vs Rug: Swanky Outlet Bedding Reviews

If you are not familiar with the Ralph Lauren Marrakesh bedding that has been out this year, it consists of two morrocan style themes called the tan jacquard and rug patterns, one which I love the other not so much. There should be no surprise that I am a dedicated lover of soft bedding (not really sateen), comfortable cotton, and egyptian cotton sheets that breathe really well and will give most any bedding a chance, the Ralph Lauren Marrakesh collection seems to be making me turn my nose up quite a bit. I am not sure if the pattern is just too distracting or the overuse of too much pattern has become a turnoff with this collection. Decorative bedding can be so beautiful for show on the bed, but if it is not comfortable and soft then it is not going to be in my bedroom. With that said, my favorite of the two is the Rug pattern because the fabric material is of course really soft 300 thread count cotton, and the print has that eclectic laid back bohemian look that is just my style. The other pattern is called Jacquard which the material is a jacquard weave cotton but definitely not soft on the face of the bedding plus the color of the bedding is a muted dried out looking tan with a faint thick stripe pattern that coordinates with burgundy reds and navy blues so to me it is definitely quite bland and not very appealing. It reminds me of something that would be in my grandmother's house back in the early 1980's but instead of being green, the bedding is a tan color. No offense to the team at Ralph Lauren because they obviously know what people like and want when it comes to bedding, because the Marrakesh Jacquard stripe pattern is one of our best sellers even more so than the rug print. Mind you this is my blog, my thoughts, and my opinions, so please do not take offense that I do not like that pattern very much, but I can say that everyone has different taste and most of the world loves it because this Marrakesh collection by Ralph Lauren is one of the most popular bedding collections for 2013.

Now on to the part of this bedding collection that I really like and would buy to dress up my bedroom, the Marrakesh Rug print is my favorite choice. I really like the pattern, but even more I like the fact that the colors are not too bold and bright so the material can be used almost all year round. Some patterns give off that bright summer vibe and don't really look very good on the bed in November, but I will say this bedding is definitely one that you can keep on your bed most of the year. I will say that I do not like how the stock photos recommend a complete ensemble of the same rug pattern which to me is way to busy and needs to be broken up by more solids and some throw pillows. Since I am not a fan of the Marrakesh Jacquard Print the stripe neckroll pillow in the picture below would not be my first choice. I do like the look of the solid navy pillow, but it almost looks like the lone ranger because the other pillows tend to blend too much with the duvet or comforter pattern and actually the stripes print is too busy on the eyes which kind of makes them clash.

I am pleasantly surprised that I have been drawn to this Ralph Lauren Marrakesh Rug bedding print because as a general rule most bedding that is not solids or very simple is just not the choice for me. It is hard to get bored of solids and simple bedding, but after a week of staring at this pattern, I am scared that I would be wanting to completely redecorate my bedroom in a whole different color and pattern scheme.

Ralph Lauren bedding even at outlet prices is not what one would call the average affordable bedding. Usually Ralph Lauren bedding like the Marrakesh rug photograph shown above has a unique look associated with that certain collection. The Ralph Lauren Marrakesh bedding in both the Jacquard tan pattern and the rug bohemian are a little over $500 retail for the duvet covers and comforters which do not include pillow shams and the bedskirt. If I were to choose one of these bedding ensembles to decorate my bedroom, it would definitely be the rug pattern, but I would go with a subtle solid bedskirt and some bold navy and/or burgundy euro shams and throw pillows. The Rug pattern has too much going on in the print to use the same pattern for shams as well in my opinion. The texture on the Marrakesh jacquard tan bedding is even thick enough that you could coordinate with a lightweight denim bedskirt and throw pillows. I am not a fan of the stripe sheets print with with the Jacquard or the Rug pattern. I think it looks like two fabrics got into a fight when the rug print is next too the stripe pattern. When the stripe sheets are coordinated with the Marrakesh Tan Jacquard comforter or duvet cover, the look is tolerable but seems to not be worth the price for such a "blah" look in the room.

Swanky Outlet Reviews: The Marrakesh bedding by Ralph Lauren is one of my least favorite collections because personally the colors seem boring and bland while the prints are anything but boring bordering on too much going on in the collection. The design makes me feel disctracted and not really sure which way to look first or allow me to find a focal point on the bed. The bedding is too expensive to not have a really good wow factor so this set rates at a 4 out of 10. To each his own but remember before you buy this bedding, you must ask yourself are you going to be tired of the way it looks in a few weeks or months because the only way that it should be purchased should either be on closeout at the department stores or somewhere online at a really good discounted price.

Swanky Outlet Review of Overall Collection 4/10

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Diane Von Furstenberg Sensational Solids Sheets: Bold and Bright

There is no denying that I have always been a fan of designer Diane Von Furstenberg. Her bedding collections are such a true reflection of her talent as a designer. Of course when we received our first shipment of DVF Sheets a last year, I almost tripped and fell trying to make sure I was able to get the first glance and choice of which sheets were coming home with me. The DVF sensational solids sheets are by far some of the most popular sheets that we carry and for good reason as well. The palette colors are a mixture of stunning bold solids and vibrant colors that will stand out no matter what your bedroom decor. Not only are they gorgeous by just viewing them on the bed, they are also extremely soft since they are made of 500 thread count high quality premium cotton sateen. For anyone looking to buy modern or contemporary bed sheets that feel amazing and extremely soft, superior quality, durable, and quite affordable, then the Diane Von Furstenberg sensational solids would definitely be my suggestion.

With two children under the age of ten, I can attest that sometimes bed sheets do not always hold up as long as I would like them to and not the designer's fault of course, but both my daughters have had DVF bedding (yes spoiled I know right :)) in their rooms as back up sheets for almost a year now with no problems at all. The sheets wash very well and after quite a few times of being laundered actually still maintain the same bright color as when they were first opened. Just like most of the high end name brand sheets, these DVF sheets actually get softer with each wash so we hope to enjoy them for many more season to come. I really like the fact that with solids like these sheets, they are so easy to mix and match in the bedroom and change up the decor with just changing your bed sheets. All DVF bedding sheets are solid individually and not as sets.

Now onto the beautiful selection of color options available for the Diane von Furstenberg Sensational solids sheets. If I had to choose a favorite color out of the dvf solids collection, then I probably could not just narrow it down to one, but I do really love the mauve purple options of light and dark or dusty mauve and mauve smoke as well as the always gorgeous lime green cream leaf color. The dvf cream leaf sheet is such an amazing color that even on a bad day, just looking at it would make you smile. Other colors available include the basics white, ivory or pristine as they refer to it, grey teal which is a version of teal blue, artic ice which is a pale baby sky blue, sunlight yellow, Light Rose Pink, and of course cerulean blue. I am normally not a fan of sateen sheets just because we live in the most humid and hot area of the United States, and typically sateen sheets do not breathe very well and absorb moisture, but when I saw these DVF sheets for the first time it was love at first sight. With as many brands and sheets sets that I have to my disposal on a regular basis, the DVF sensational solids are in my top three favorite casual back up sheets to own especially if you have kids or pets because they are easy to clean and put back on the bed.

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