How To Make Your Bed LooK Like It’s In a Catalog: My Exact Styling Process
If you have a catalog lying around somewhere, grab it and flip through until you find a bed.
Take a long look… what do you notice?
Chances are that the first thing you focus on is how comfortable it looks – would you LOVE to cozy up on those crisp, cool sheets under those fluffy covers and rest your head on that fluffy, overstuffed pillow?
Yeah- that’s how I always feel when I look at them too.
Since I love styling, I spend more time staring at these types of images than most people do. I dissect every little detail from how the corners of the sheets are tucked to the mix of materials the stylist selected to achieve this layered look.
Over the years I’ve fine-tuned the steps into the formula that I’m sharing with you today.
You may already know how to ‘make your bed’, but if you follow these steps you will learn how to “make your bed look like it’s in a catalog.”
And that’s an important styling skill when you are working on improving your home decorating skills!
How To Make Your Bed Look Like It’s In A Catalog
1. | Start with a clean slate
- Remove all bedding, including pillowcases, sheets, blankets, and duvet cover.
- While you wash your bedding, sprinkle baking powder on your mattress. Let sit for an hour or so, then vacuum the mattress with the upholstery attachment from your vacuum. I like to open the windows while I do this!
Tip: I like to add a dryer ball with a few drops of lavender essential oil to the dryer when I dry my sheets.
2. | Fluff pillows and duvet inserts
Make sure they are evenly distributed and smooth out any lumps before you replace the covers.
If your pillows are looking flat, it’s time to upgrade your pillows because it’s hard to make your bed look like the catalogs with sad, flat pillows.
I like how fluffy these pillows look on my bed. Alternatively, a few months ago I spoke to the photo stylist at the 4 Hands warehouse in Austin, and he recommended these pillows for a nice fluffy style.
3. | Iron or steam linens
Admittedly, this step is probably not something you’ll do each week when you’re in survival mode and just trying to check things off your list. But if you’re really wanting to make your bed look like it’s in a catalog for a showing, for houseguests, or just for fun, this is part of what makes those beds look so perfect.
Removing wrinkles will give your bedding a crisp and fresh look. I recently bought a steamer for photo shoots and it has made such a big difference in how smooth the sheets and comforters look in photos.
Tip: Try this in a room where you don’t have to change the bedding often, such as in a guest room. Your guests will feel spoiled!
4. |Start with a Good Base Layer + a fitted sheet
Add a mattress protector on top of your freshly cleaned mattress. If you’re feeling fancy, you can add a feather bed as well (I have had one since high school and will never not have one-they’re so luxurious!).
Next, add a crisp fitted sheet.
- I generally prefer a solid neutral, such as ivory or white.
- You can swap out fun prints and patterns for an easy holiday update.
- Make sure the corners are snugly tucked in and there are no wrinkles or creases.
5.| Add The Flat Sheet
Full disclosure: I stopped using the flat sheets from bedding sets in our house a long time ago because it makes daily bed-making so much easier.
But this article is about how to make your bed look like it’s in a catalog, so if that’s your goal you need to add your fitted sheet.
- Float the sheet on top of the bed with the decorative trim on the border facing down. The top edge of the flat sheet should be flush with the headboard. (Don’t pull it back quite yet).
- Make sure to tuck the sides and edges tightly under the mattress. Smooth the sides down with your hands to remove any bumps and hide excess under the mattress.
- If you want to get super fancy, here is an HGTV article about how to fold “hospital corners” aka mitered corners.
6. | Top It Off With A Quilt, Blanket, or Bedspread
On top of your flat sheet (which should still be flat and covering the whole bed), layer on a lightweight quilt or blanket to cover the entire bed and repeat the same process as you did with your flat sheet.
My mother-in-law makes the most beautiful beds, and this is one of her current favorites for the “blanket layer”. I love the squishy, touchable texture.
I also really like a lightweight minimal quilt with some interesting stitching or channeling like this one from one of my favorite bedding companies.
Introduce Color
Color wise, this is a good place to introduce a moody color. The great thing is that often these sets come with a coordinating sham, which will help you pull the same hue up into your pillowscape (more on that in a minute).
Add Texture
This quilt/blanket/beadspread layer will be the largest visible surface area of your finished bed. Make sure it’s smooth and has a texture that feels cozy and comfortable to you. Maybe that’s luxe velvet in the cooler months and crisp cotton in the summer. Or maybe you prefer linen all year long?
Peel it Back
Once you have your flat sheet and your fitted sheet stacked neatly and smoothed out, you’ll want to grab the top edge (near the headboard) and peel the stack back about 1-2 feet (as shown in the photos above).
This will expose the decorative edge of the flat sheet and allow your sheets to show at the top of the bed a bit.
7. | Arrange the duvet or comforter
More than any other, this is the layer that will make your bed look look like it’s in a catalog.
Most people make their daily bed with the comforter or duvet pulled straight across the top.
But for a truly catalog-worthy bed you need VOLUME and height. This is what creates that fluffy, inviting look. The quickest way to achieve this is to fold your comforter in half or thirds across the foot of your bed.
Folded in Half
In this first image from Restoration Hardware, you can see the principles we’ve discussed so far in action. An ivory sheet is pulled back over a caramel-colored coverlet and a fluffy duvet is doubled up across the foot of the bed.
Folded in Thirds
Here, Pottery Barn bumps up the volume a notch by folding the duvet into thirds for even more volume. In this picture the quilt isn’t tucked into the flat sheet, but all the basic layers are still there.
Duvet covers/inserts are the best way to get maximum fluffiness for this top layer, but if you’ve had it to here with wrestling them into submission, you can also accomplish the same look with an extra squishy comforter.
I’m currently using this one doubled up at the foot of my bed, and it is a STEAL for $150 for a King. It’s sometimes low in stock, but there are usually similar options from the same collection.
This is another comforter that is super fluffy and easy to layer with. It comes in a ton of solid colors and you can choose the perfect “warmth level” (how heavy it is) depending on your sleeping preferences.
I’m currently using it on my son’s bed in a queen size. I love that it’s so easy to wash in the washing machine and it dries really well too.
Tip: This layer can be used for actual sleeping if that’s your preference but if it feels like too much, just pull it off the foot of the bed at bedtime. And if you prefer a more minimal bed? No problem! You can either skip the duvet layer altogether or remove the quilt/coverlet from the previous step and tuck the duvet or comforter on top of the flat sheet instead.
8. | Add decorative pillows and shams
Once the bedding is in place, it’s time to arrange your pillows.
There are a wide range of ways to arrange your pillows. If you are truly trying to make your bed look like a catalog and convenience/practicality are less of a concern… pile them on! Catalog stylists use A LOT of pillows. But for real life, you may want to use a more realistic amount.
Pillow Sizes
When building your “pillowscape”, you’ll need to consider what sizes of pillows you want to use.
I have created this graphic to show you some of the most common dimensions for both bed and throw pillows.
For a very basic queen bed, you would simply stack 2 standard pillows in pillowcases that coordinate with your sheets and layer 2 standard pillows with shams that coordinate with your quilt/bedspread layer on top of those. If you have a king, swap out standard pillows for king-sized pillows to span the entire width of the bed.
But if you’re still reading this article, you probably aren’t going for basic. So let’s check out some options for a more layered look.
Euro Pillows
One way to build height at the back your pillow arrangement is to start with large, square euro pillows. These are a great anchor for your decorative pillow display. You will purchase shams for these inserts, or you can purchase euro pillows at your local home store that include a sham/insert.
It’s important that these are OVERSTUFFED and not floppy or sagging. I sometimes double up two inserts inside a single sham to beef up the volume of my euro pillows. You don’t sleep on these- these are purely decorative.
For a full or queen bed, two euro pillows are perfect. You can layer an accent or pillow or two in front of them as shown and your actual sleeping pillows (in pillowcases) would be tucked flat and hidden behind these decorative pillows.
If you have a king bed, you will want to use three euro pillows as your base. Because you have more width to cover, you will probably need a few more accent pillows to finish off the grouping.
Standard Pillows
Of course, there are a million other ways to style your bed pillows without euro pillows. Here are a few more pillow layering ideas (again, the ‘sleeping pillows’ would be hidden in behind these and if you have a king you’ll use king pillows instead of standard).
Decorative Throw Pillows
Decorative pillows are where you can really have fun and experiment with textures, patterns and color.
I prefer to buy high-quality down inserts and then select removable, zippered pillow covers that can be swapped out when I need a refresh. They’re easier to store than standard pillows and reduce waste.
Some fun design elements to look for in decorative pillows include:
- Interesting Textures: Leather, cable knits, velvet, Kilim, metallics, hair-on-hide
- Pretty Trim: Ribbon, tassels, buttons
- Patterns: Plaids, florals, checks, stripes
Flip through catalogs and home decor magazines for more examples and inspiration and keep making adjustments until you find the perfect mix of pillows for you!
9 . | Finish with a throw blanket
This purely decorative step is the finishing touch on many a catalog bed and it’s pretty easy to implement in real life.
It’s a great opportunity to pull your color palette together, add a fun pattern, and bump up the variety of textures a little bit more. Try to coordinate the fabric with what you selected for your decorative pillows.
You can either casually toss it on the corner (pictured below), or fold it neatly and lay it straight across the foot of the bed.
10 . | Step Back and Admire Your Work
If you’ve ready any of my other posts you know I’m never NOT going to tell you to do this.
It’s so important to pause and appreciate the fruits of your labor every day. Especially when you’ve taken the time to complete a process like this.
Making your bed look like it’s in a catalog isn’t about anyone else ever seeing it (because it’s in such a private space). It’s about taking the time and care to do something nice for yourself, enjoying the process, and feeling proud of what you’ve accomplished.
If you tackle this project, I’d love to see your results! Send me a picture (suzette@suzettegebhardt.com) or tag me on Instagram (@suzettegebhardt_creative). It makes me so happy to see readers gain new skills and build their confidence in decorating their homes.
If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy some of my other recent articles:
Thanks for reading. I’m so happy you’re here.
xoxo,
