We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
We aren’t the only ones who are excited about this year’s biggest bedroom trends. Interior designers Alvin Wayne and Julia Sobrepeña King of Studio Roen recently joined Domino’s editor-and-chief Lindsey Mather on Substack Live to weigh in on all the color-blocking, pattern-drenching, and duvet-ditching we’re seeing, and they had thoughts. In case you missed their conversation, here are a few of the low-lift bed styling tips they shared during our catch-up.
Change the Vibe with a Covered Lumbar Pillow
You know that scene from Along Came Polly where Ben Stiller’s character destroys all the throw pillows on his bed? We feel that to our core. Luckily, the pros are simplifying bed-styling down to one single, extra-long bolster or lumbar pillow. Wayne and King approve. “I love how clean and modern and simple it looks,” says Wayne, noting that it’s a real headache-saver for guests. “Having to move all the pillows onto the floor when you’re trying to lay in bed…it feels chaotic,” King adds.
Tip 1: Recover it when you get bored. “You can buy multiple covers and swap it out, that way you’re not always switching out your bedding,” says Wayne.
Tip 2: Choose one that stands out. “I end up going with a lot of solid colors for bedding and then I’ll do a pattern on the pillow or an interesting contrast color. It’s a way of adding something fun,” says King.
Combine Cool and Warm Fields of Color
While King can appreciate a crisp, all-white bed at a hotel, she personally wants a little more happening at home. “Especially in this bedroom where there wasn’t a lot of furniture in the room,” King says, referring to the project pictured above where she combined marigold, hunter green, and lavender. “It’s very simple moves, but I think it really added drama to the room.” It’s a three-part formula: pick one solid hue for your headboard, another for the sheets, and the last for your top layer (blanket, coverlet etc.).
Tip: Jump around the color wheel. “I always try to go with opposites. If I pick one fabric that’s really warm, [I] balance it with something cool. There’s a little bit of a range and it’s not just all the same value or the same family,” says King.
Drench a Bedroom in Pattern
The trend these design pros want to try next? Swathing the curtains, walls, and furniture in a single pattern. “Your pajamas need to also match,” jokes Wayne.
Tip 1: Break it up with your sheets. “If you do a pattern situation, mix it up with the sheets. Maybe it’s just the top layer of bedding that matches everything and then you have a little solid in it to break it up. There are ways to inch it in so it’s not overwhelming,” says Wayne.
Tip 2: Try it with a teeny print. “I would lean towards a smaller scale print. Probably a floral…and maybe the colors are more muted or easy on the eye. I think that would help make it feel softer,” says King.
Swap the Duvet for a Quilt
Maybe we’re all just hot sleepers or maybe we just love the folksy look a handmade quilt lends to a bed. Either way, we’re seeing fewer puffy duvets these days. “Duvets feel very heavy to me,” says Wayne. “But design-wise, a quilt is so much more interesting because you can go in any direction: traditional, contemporary, modern.”
Tip: Bring a XL suitcase on your next vacation. “Looking online and going to shops that have really pretty quilts is one thing, but I like to look for things on my travels—at a flea market or somewhere unexpected,” says King.
Tidy Up Your Pillow Hump
Who said you had to have decorative bed pillows at all? The coolest way to make your bed right now is to fold a coverlet around—and slightly under—your sleeping pillows. It sounds simple, but the look can get messy quickly if your tucks aren’t even or if you’ve got more than two bed pillows. “You have to make it every day for it to look good, you can’t be sloppy,” warns King.
Tip: Use a coverlet made for this exact styling scenario. “A lot of quilts won’t be able to do this because they won’t reach the foot of the bed. But they make linen coverlets that are oversized that are perfect for this,” says King.