Hot Tip: A Bed Canopy Might Help You Get 8 Hours of Sleep

How to create the coziest cocoon.
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lilac four poster bed
photography by Christopher Stark

Crackling fires and throw blankets are great and all, but have you ever bundled up under the covers beneath swoops of excess fabric or a canopy dripping in chintz? Now, that’s cozy. A bed is, by its very nature, a snug place; the one way to make it even more welcoming is to surround it with drapery. 

Let us guess: You’re picturing something princess-y. While you can’t help but feel a little royal when your bedroom is cloaked in cloth, the right print will ensure it looks modern, not medieval. This idyllic cocoon can go a few different ways: a four-poster frame with corner panels, curtains hooked up on a sliding track along the edges, or a bed cornice over the headboard. It’s not just for show—you’ll also gain a bit of privacy and, hopefully, get some better shut-eye (so long, sleep masks). Using maximalist floral patterns and bold colors are two of our favorite ways to pull off this storybook look in 2019. Here are six beds we wouldn’t mind curling up in: 

The Grand Illusion 

red floral drapery around a bed that matches the walls
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA ANTOLA

Chiara de Rege, the designer behind The Wing’s aesthetic, took the more-is-more route, matching this canopy in her Manhattan bedroom to her company Maison C’s Eden wallpaper. She could have had the blooms appear on the bedding, too, but opted for a moment of contrast with a white embroidered comforter instead. The effect is the most impressive indoor garden we’ve seen. 

The Lady Lavender 

lilac four poster bed
photography by Christopher Stark

For this year’s San Francisco Showcase, designer Dina Bandman channeled Marie Antoinette, covering this serene space in 3-D flowers and lilac linens. The drapes around the bed, in Holland and Sherry’s Bebe Lavender, are a reminder that the magic is in the details: Separate panels with a different colored trim line the ceiling, and a sheet of pleats hides the wall behind the headboard. 

The Western Wonderland 

Cowboy wallpaper sets the scene in this kids’ room in a Washington, D.C., home designed by Cameron Ruppert, but it’s the chevron-esque Kismet fabric from Sister Parrish that completes the Wild West theme. The space is both an imaginative playground and a soothing spot for slumber; hidden tracks make it easy for little ones to draw the curtains around the bunk beds shut when it’s time for lights-out. 

The Toile Nook

ETC.etera’s Sally Breer managed to make the French-inspired textile covering the cornice, curtains, and bed frame in the Blue Room at L.A.’s new Firehouse Hotel feel ultramodern with a bold color palette and the addition of Block Shop’s serpentine print. The real wow moment is when your head hits the coral pillow and you find yourself staring up at a sea of cobalt roses.

The Dainty Florals  

bed cloacked in red floral fabric
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK CLINE

Kate Schelter also went with a botanical pattern in her New York City apartment (this chintz is from John Robshaw and coordinates with a mural of geraniums that Schelter painted on another side of the room). The individual panels are looped through a metal frame inside the posters, making it extra easy to move them around. 

The Pastel Pavilion

blue canopy over a red bed
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA ANTOLA

A small sliver of lush fabric can go a long way if you’ve got the right color scheme going on. Georgia-based painter Angela Chrusciaki Blehm paired her daughter’s lipstick-red arched headboard with a baby blue overhang. The folds of fabric only add to the room’s painterly vibes. 

This is our idea of a fairy-tale ending.

See more stories like this:  Rise and Shine: Parachute’s First-Ever Silk Collection Is Here The Coolest New Sheets Are Made With Ultrasonic Tech and Natural Dyes The Case for Funky Headboards Couldn’t Be Clearer

Lydia Geisel Avatar

Lydia Geisel

Home Editor

Lydia Geisel has been on the editorial team at Domino since 2017. Today, she writes and edits home and renovation stories, including house tours, before and afters, and DIYs, and leads our design news coverage. She lives in New York City.