When it comes to bedding I am historically unable to make a decision. It’s a fantastic application for prints, pattern and bold color (which I love) but it’s also a great place to keep things simple, crisp and serene. I absolutely love the lowered-blood-pressure-inducing ensemble of a white duvet with subtle embroidered frame border and a couple of great pillows- however- if you have dogs that sleep in bed with you (ahem!) things don’t stay crisp and clean for long. I’ve been through probably 5 white duvet covers in the last couple years for this reason and a certain someone in this house has said I am not allowed to “try one more time”…. or am I? :)
What’s your preference- bold bedding or simple clean whites?
BOLD
SERENE
I ask this question because I am trying to pick bedding for my bedroom. I have kind of fallen in love with this one by Dwell Studio (amazing agazinst my black wall) but am concerned about busyness. With the bench done in a light blue small pattern or even a solid velvet , tall gourd lamps and my fab white and black embroidered shams it could be amazing!
This is so hard for me to choose because I love my bold and bright colours, but also appreciate the simplicity of white linens. Perhaps a mix of the two? White sheets with a brightly coloured border running around the outside. Then maybe a further punch of colour in the pillowcases.
P.S. Liking your new profile pic…fabulous in animal print!
I’m a big fan of serene for the bedroom! Love the photos you included. I think a bedroom should almost have a spa feeling to it – it’s where your mind should rest and be at peace.
I totally agree with Will’s idea! a white bed/sheets and some bright colorful pillows would look fantastic! I think a bright bedding will more likely be looking like circus and then forget about serenity!
…I know the others have said “serene” but I think with the dogs I would go for “mildly bold” just for practical reasons. I would definitely pick something that goes with the paint you chose for the back wall.
I love the serene white look — but I know what you mean, with pets its just a silly idea.
I’m actually hemming and hawing over a new bedding choice right now, and have that dwell bedding in yellow on my short list — it looks so gorgeous!
Serene. Done.
what if you did the swell studio comforter folded at the end of your bed with a white coverlet? best of both worlds?
I love the serenity of white, but like you, it’s just not practical with my baby dog. Your black wall and crisp white curtains make your bedroom serene enough. Punch it up with that amazing bedding!!!
can you find a serene, yet subtle, print? it doesn’t have to necessarily be all white to be relaxing.
I love the serene look of white linens with an embroidered border, accented with bold pops of color throughout the room. However, I am in LOVE with your Dwell Studio choice. I would struggle at first with the business, too, but your bedroom is so grand with its high ceilings, I think it would be perfect — especially if set off by a solid velvet bench (so luxe) and your white Greek key shams. Erin, you have to!
Definitely serene.
A friend of mine who is a feng shui master tells me that colors in the bedroom should be soft, subtle and conducive to creating an environment that encourages sleep. Colors should be pastel, patterns should be subtle. Bright colors like red and orange are too energetic.
My bed is a linen-upholstered bed from Crate and Barrel with a wonderful, curved headboard with nickel nail heads. I chose linens around the color of the bed and have been using white, tan, taupe with a teeny bit of blue thrown in. I was lucky that my landlord had already painted my bedroom walls a nice slate blue.
Recently, I was inspired by a duvet cover I saw in the Potter Barn catalog to mix it up a bit and now I have a duvet cover and European pillow sham in a watercolor-esque seashell print that has browns, creams, a bit of blue and some salmony, pinky red. I like the introduction of an ocean element. The element of water supports the idea of creating a dreamy atmosphere for sleep.
serene, serene, serene. i have the same problem because girl loves me some bright colors and patterns, but i just gravitate towards images of those crisp white bed linens.
I love the look of an all white bed with fabulous bold pillows and a throw or duvet in a pattern at the foot of the bed. Adds some personality but easy to change.
I love the look of bold, but always seem to not be able to live it. Serene is the way I go. I too am not allowed to buy any more bedding, boo.
I am also torn between the two options. For now, I have chosen simple and serene with a light bluish gray quilt from CB and gray paint on the walls with chocolate furniture. We sleep with the dogs too and it seems to be ok since the quilt is not white. However, my decision was based more on the size of the room we are in. It’s military housing and the room is small, I was afraid of a print just being too overwhelming. We also have a lot of color elsewhere in the house (i.e. orange walls in the living room) and felt that simple and serene for the bedroom would make for a nice retreat. That being said, I am getting a little bored with the bedding and am on the hunt for some fun throw pillows.
I’d say I’m a “somewhere in the middle” kind of gal. Crisp white doesn’t work in my house (babies and a sweaty husband…haha), but I’m not really into really bold prints either. We currently have a soft blue and yellow striped duvet and I think it works perfectly. It doesn’t scream at me when I am tired and want to go to bed and it doesn’t show messes.
Oh dear, I have the same issue, with the indecision, and the dogs. We compromise by using white sheets, nice crisp linen pillow covers, and a gray and white matelisse (hehehe can’t spell it either!) With a duvet at the end of the bed, and I have several duvet covers, so we can switch them out. In the winter, we put the down comforter under the matelisse, very comfy, and use fur throws, or interesting vintage ones for interest. Hope it helps! I wouldn’t give up sleeping with my puppies, they are just too much fun.
I’m a white, crisp, clean (I-iron-my-sheets-OCD) kinda gal.
Serene, definitely. I love the crisp look of white sheets and spa-like bedding but that Dwell stuff is bananas!
Ooh I love all of these – I’m also always torn in our bedroom between going super simple and white and doing something fun like the ones you have pictured here – serena and lily always has me swooning as well when it comes to patterns in the bedroom!
i like bold bedding – love the stuff at anthropologie. all white makes me think of a hotel and isn’t serene to me.
I am a color-addict, despite trying to love the neutral look, and I LOVE the print on the dwell duvet- but when it comes to bedding- I like it clean and simple-light, solid bedding.
* Great examples here, eRIN… Am personally (as well as my husband), supremely happy w/ our resently completed total MBR redo~~~ IT’S BEAUTIFULLY SERENE all the way~~~ sooooo calm n’ peaceful… I must say that w/ a 20′, almost floor-to-ceiling round glass window, & a 20′ curved, now-stoned fireplace wall, w/ the bed wall facing both and overlooking the pool n’ spa, desert and city * lights below, I honestly and truly ADOOOORE going to bed as well as waking up in here & seeing the dove & quail out at the pool for THEIR morning “get-together”!!!…
A “SOFTLY bold” approach for guest rooms fulfills my need for a little more color n’ fun, being mindful that at the end of the day, houseguests are tired too, and probably look forward to some personal, calming “down-time”, too…
Warmest wishes,
Linda in AZ *
bellesmom1234@comcast.net
i am totally 100% for serene & white! i also have pups sleeping in the bed, so the white duvet gets washed often!
I like serene. But it depends on you. I know some people can’t sleep in anything but dull, soft colors with no prints. I like the bold bedding more, but I know that I won’t feel at ease without a clean, simple look.
I was going to say go bold but then I started scrolling down through the pretty serene pictures!! So apparently, I’m torn! Perhaps a stylish reversible duvet – bold on one side serene on the other??
I like serene and all white, but like you said, I can’t do it because the dogs sleep w/ us.
I want to say definitely serene. Love the 4th serene pic, but I do like the 1st Bold picture. Maybe a combination of both.
Now you have me doing it…yikes, I’d say serene too although a few of those patterns captured my heart. I shy from patterned more now ever since they came out with the ‘bed in a bag’..so dislike the matchy look. However rich fabric such as the ikat, or medallion is so classy. On this I must ride the fence & ultimately say it’s a case bye case decision..how’s that?!!
Good luck to you Erin, you will make the perfect decision ~
I’m totally a fan of serene crisp white bedding! Love the way it looks and feels. And i iron my sheets too:)
I’d definitely go with Serene… since you have a black wall and the contrast will be fabulous!!
:)
Serene.
I love the bold bedding. It’s usually hard for me to pull off, but I think it looks great. The Dwell bedding is a perfect mix of the two a bold print in serene colors
I love serene because it makes the bedroom the calmest room in the house.
And my dog is banished to a pillow on the floor. Covered in a homemade pillowcase of bold print (to keep the room from being boring)
I thought I liked bold bedding, but after seeing the serene pictures you posted now I can’t decide! However, I too am considering the same duvet from Dwell, only in the mustard color since my walls are chocolate brown. I’m trying to decide if I want to spend nearly $300 on a duvet though!!
Here’s my take on beds. I find solids (white or otherwise) relaxing both visually on the eyes on for your stress level. When someone wants pattern I do this formula:
Solid: Standard Shams, quilt/matelasse
Pattern 1: Duvet, Euro Sham, Bedskirt
Pattern 2: Sheets/Pillow, Bedskirt
Now, when you make the bed, the sheets, then matelassee, with the duvet folded down at the foot of the bed.
You can layer the pillows either:
Back to front: Euro, Standard, Pillow, Toss And the eye is drawn from the duvet to the Euro
OR
Back to front: Pillow, Standard, Euro, Toss and the Euros essentially become the trow pillow, but the eye gets to rest between teh folded duvet and euro.
BedSkirt: match to one of the two, but with teh Collette bed, none is needed!
DAM
My choice is serene. And that was by bedroom before husband and two black cats. Now I need to go somewhere in the middle. I cannot do all white. Not only because of the cats but because my husband sweats a lot while sleeping. I know this is gross but I am sure others have had to deal with it so I bring it up. The white sheets and duvet end up with a yellowish ting. Yuck. So it is light grays and blues for me. Serene still but not the pristine white I would love. That said, I love the bedding you have your eye on. I think it fits in both categories in some aspects.
I have to say I’m currently loving serene bedding – but I also love the bold. I used to have the anthropologie bedding in the top left corner (green & white) and LOVED it- especially because the underside is mostly white. But I think a combination of both is ideal….bold bedding & serene room, or serene bedding and bold accessories! Love all these rooms though
I have a tip for the dog situation as I have run into the same problem with my white duvet. Just throw an old sheet over the bed before everyone piiles in this way you’ll just have to wash the sheet instead of the duvet over and over again. Works like a charm for me and now I get to keep my favorte white duvet with blue/brown border and my pup :)
I die for the twin beds in the black and white. Is the bedding custom? What fabric? I’ll just add this to my list of things to obsess over. Team Bold all the way.
I have to go with serene…the white with a hint of pink works great.
My bedroom post Master Bedrooms
I have fallen into the serene camp my entire life, but that gorgeous green print is calling to me….I think when we move I’ll re-do our bedroom to be a bit bolder…
PLEASE go for the Dwell Studio print cover, I think it is simply divine and have had my eye on it for a little while now :). It will look SO wonderful in you fab apartment.
Go for the bold! ;) I’ve tried the white thing with just me and the hubs and even just the eventual dinginess bothers me. You can always do some serenity with white sheets under the bold duvet. That works for me!
I like white, but I’m a huge klutz so all-white anything always inspires a certain fear in me.
That said I’m a fan of the peacock pattern in this colour scheme. The citrine is too busy for me, but these colours are more muted and I think would look fab with the black wall.
Serene all the way. I do love that Dwell duvet cover but honestly, I see it EVERYWHERE. I feel like it’s over-done already. It is great, though – so if you love it then go for it. You can always have a white one as your back up!
Love the Collette. Oh so jealous!!
I can never quite get serene quite right, always seem to end up with bold. Must just be my natural instincts…
If my rooms could look that great in the “bolds”.. I would take a chance! I have all white bedding now….. and love the crisp, cool look of it.. maybe…. I’ll add a touch of “bold” in a bolster or some accent pillows! love the images in this post!!!
this makes me want to throw evetything out but the bed. :) So pretty.