Type A Tips for Making Your Bed

The laundry can pile up, I don’t mind if you chew your gum on the phone with me, and I certainly do not give a thought to a phone having 800 notifications. I can make a hefty list of things that don’t bother me. But do you know what I’m just absolutely ridiculous about? A bed. My sister will tell you that I will just go ahead and make your bed for you, swapping your duvet system just because I want you to have luxury hotel snuggles- because you deserve it. Pillows have to be upright and tight. I’m particular about my detergent. It’s all quite silly, BUT I’m particular because I know how great a bed CAN be. You can have the showroom bed of your dreams that you melt into when you crawl in. You just have to make a few tweaks here and there to achieve the look.

Because I can’t even walk by a pillow in our home not fluffed to my liking, I figure we’d add to the absurdity and write a blog post. Just in case you want another Type-A tendency in your life, I give you a guide you surely don’t need: Type A Tips for Making Your Bed.

  1. Let’s start with your mattress. I’ve tried many a mattress topper, as I want fantastic sleep for the 4 hours I get it at night, as I’m still nursing a 7-month-old. ha. The Peacock Alley mattress topper is the Goldilocks of mattress toppers. It’s not too firm. It’s not too soft. You melt into it, but still don’t get a backache. When I first purchased it and it came in, I wasn’t convinced. My parents gave us a gift card for Christmas and I used it on this and about had buyer’s remorse. I took it out of the box and thought, “Wait…this? This will make a difference?” It makes ALL the difference. You melt into your mattress in the best way. I usually am nuts and freak out if I don’t get up at 5 to get work finished, and let me tell you, since getting this I hit snooze 200 times. So maybe don’t buy it. haha. It’s amazing. I have had such great sleep, even in the midst of waking up every 2 hours. Grab one at Target or try the Peacock Alley one, just treat yourself to a mattress topper that is similar so you, too, can melt in bed as you watch another cheesy episode of The Bachelor. P.S. This one has great reviews on Amazon for a fraction of the cost!
  2. Now that we’ve got your base covered, let’s talk sheets. Make sure you do hospital corners while making your bed. You can watch the video here. It is a step that takes 30 seconds but automatically makes you feel like your room is a luxury hotel. P.S. here is how to fold a fitted sheet.
  3. If you are wanting to purchase new sheets, there are a few brands I’d recommend looking. On a budget? I have purchased these sheets from Amazon quite a few times for our bed, a guest bed, Maxi’s bed, etc. The price and quality is incredible. If you want to make a Target run, I love their Threshold line. These are our current sheets for winter. I typically always go for all white, but something about these felt cozy for cold temperatures and I love them! Crane and Canopy is lovely if you want to treat yourself. For fun prints {and what I use for my children’s’ beds} I recommend Biscuit Home.
  4. You know I am ridiculous about detergents. My girlfriend, Skylar, and I joke about our detergent systems. We are like, “Okay its 90% fragrance-free with one part of this and then we use these essential oils for that.” We could write a whole blog post on the system, but then y’all may be embarrassed for me more than you already are- ha. The ultimate is Tyler’s detergent, it can last you AGES as you just add a splash to fragrance-free detergent. It is quite concentrated! You can get a smaller size to try it here. But if you want something you can grab at Target, Noodle and Boo detergent is my favorite shopping market option and what I repurchase most often.
  5. Once you’ve got your sheets on your bed, I like to add a blanket. This blanket from Pottery Barn is the best, and I am so sorry the King is out of stock until May! Pottery Barn shipping delays in COVID are some of the most extreme I’ve seen from stores. Let’s chat about why this blanket is special. My mom actually puts this blanket on TOP of her fitted sheet, then adds her top sheet. So she sleeps on this. It is so soft and I love to crawl in bed with her to watch a movie and lay on this blanket. It’s soft, doesn’t get too hot in a Texas summer, but adds a layer of texture. I searched for similar options. I ordered one from Peacock Alley with my gift card, and y’all it is NOT a dupe for it at all. I talked to another reader that said she tried to find a dupe and ordered from all the luxury bedding stores and no one makes a blanket like this, so we must have patience for our Pottery Barn one. 🙁
  6. I used to always have a duvet on top of my sheets and then felt as if my duvets weren’t lasting that long. I was using them as more of a blanket, so I decided to add layers to make our bedding last longer. I had to order a few different quilts to find the perfect one that would fold and layer the way I wanted- I told you, I’m way too specific on these things! I found the Davenport Quilt from Pottery Barn to be perfect! I tuck that in as you would a sheet over my sheets and blankets. Then, to sleep I can bring the duvet or other blankets up if I want extra warmth! Like a good outfit, a bed looks fabulous layered. It may seem silly {oh who am I kidding…this entire post is silly} but I think I sleep better with layered sheets, blankets, etc. It gives you options depending on the temperatures and how you feel.
  7. You know when you go in a store and see a bed with a duvet that looks like a cloud? You probably think, “Where are they shopping for duvets? Because my Target one is not that thick?” The trick is to stuff your duvet with 2 duvet inserts. I stuff our duvets with 2 inserts and if you do nothing from this post, just try that! It will make your bed extremely full, I’ve always done this for my sister whether she was in an apartment or dorm room, and it gives her the most gorgeous looking bedding. If you use 2 inserts, you can use 2 inexpensive ones and still get a designer look. Now whenever I share this tip, I have people ask to just use one insert and what is the fluffiest one I’ve ever found? The answer is Rachel Ashwell! She makes the fluffiest duvet inserts if you just want to use one. They are luxury living, ladies! Luxury living. This is our duvet cover at the end of our bed, but any duvet cover works well!
  8. Switching to king-sized pillows was a game-changer for sleep! I ordered our pillows from Amazon almost 2 years ago with a birthday gift card, and *yes* they were a huge splurge! I feel like pillows in general are a splurge when you get nice ones, even from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. WHY is that?! But I’m so grateful I read reviews and ordered them because they were my BFF during morning sickness and bed rest. I can’t imagine not having them. Top your pillows with silk pillowcases to keep your hairstyle lasting longer.
  9. For your Euro Shams, I use 26×26 pillows from Little Design Co! I find them to stay upright and more full {get their inserts for this size!} than traditional Euro Shams/Inserts. And I love pillows that are upright to the heavens and not slanted. Any pillow that is already very stuffed and full makes it easier to make the bed, as I’m not having to fluff and adjust as much. If you need your own inserts and have a different size for your bed, I get pillow inserts here from Amazon. Remember, go up ONE size of your inserts compared to your pillow cover. So if you have a 21×21 pillow cover, you get a 22×22 insert. That gives you the karate chop look.
  10. I’m a big fan of Etsy for everything. Party decor? Etsy. Monogrammed gifts? Etsy. Look-for-less shams? Etsy. Applique shams can be PRICEY {think Leontine Linens}- but I found this shop on Etsy and they are my favorite Etsy purchase ever. Big statement, I know. But, it is the truth. Our sham applique is in the color “Parchment” and the style is “Carter.”
  11. With your quilt tucked in, duvet double stuffed, and folded, you can also add a pop of texture with a faux fur throw for winter. I toss this blanket on by Pottery Barn during the cooler months.

Here’s to adding detail into the monotonous things in life like bed making! Are you Type A in how you make a bed?!

Leave a Note

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

10 Comments

  1. I never make my bed – time to start, I guess! ❤️✨
    Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
    http://charmainenyw.com

    Published 25 Jan 21Reply
  2. Ana Finck wrote:

    If a single post can make all your dreams come true. I’m sure this was mine! 🙂

    Published 25 Jan 21Reply
  3. Thanks! SO very helpful and NOT too specific-just right!!
    Sharon H.

    Published 25 Jan 21Reply
  4. Lane Ciborowski wrote:

    Hi Katey! What type of insert do you use in your monogramed king shams? Your bed looks beautiful! These tips are so helpful! Thank you so much!

    Published 25 Jan 21Reply
    • Katey wrote:

      Hi Lane! I just got “king sized” pillows from Amazon, but not anything fancy! xx, Katey

      Published 26 Jan 21Reply
      • Lane Ciborowski wrote:

        Thank you so much, Katey!

        Published 26 Jan 21Reply
  5. Shana wrote:

    This post speaks to my heart! It is NOT silly. Comfort added to our daily lives is so very important and needed for peace of mind so I loved your post!

    Published 26 Jan 21Reply
    • Katey wrote:

      Aw thank you!!! I love this and feel the same! xx, K

      Published 26 Jan 21Reply
  6. Ursula wrote:

    This post is so awesome and speaks to my OCD heart! Thank you for all the tips and links!

    Published 31 Jan 21Reply
  7. Breeyn wrote:

    I had an extra down comforter and had never thought to put two into my duvet – I had much bulkier ideas for my bed – this hack was LIFECHANGING. I feel like I’m sleeping in the clouds. Thank you!! xo

    Published 12 Feb 21Reply