Of all the elements that go into decorating a bedroom and creating a personal oasis, bedding can have an amazing affect on the overall look and mood of the room. Your choice of bedding can accentuate or diminish your room-decorating efforts. You can spend an outlandish amount of time and money decorating your bedroom, but the wrong choice of bedding may leave you with disappointing results.



There are three important factors when making a decision on bedding: color, style, and quality.

When choosing bedding color and style check to make sure it is in sync with your decorating goals. First, think about the mood you are trying to achieve. This is sometimes an element that is overlooked by do-it-yourselfers. If you want calm and relaxation, stick with cool colors such as green or blue. If you want sexy or vibrant, choose warm colors such as red or orange. Create a sophisticated enclave with soft yellows. Neutral colors can help bring balance to any room. Add black for a dramatic effect and a touch of elegance and mystery. If using mostly neutral colors in the room be sure to add a splash of color for interest and contrast. A combination of neutrals and small amounts of color can create a cozy feeling. Different intensities of a color can create different moods. For example, soft pinks are associated with little girls or babies and are calming. Rosier pinks create a romantic feel to a room. Bright pinks, like reds, are energizing and stimulating. Many books are available that explain the effects of color and suggestions for color schemes. It is well worth the time to study this aspect of decorating.

Choose bedding that matches your personality or the personality of the person who will be using the room. Just because bedding may work for the room does not mean it is right its occupant. If the style preference is contemporary, then choose bedding with clean lines and unfussy details. Embroidery, jacquards, and some patterns are more traditional. Add decorative pillows in accent colors for a dramatic touch. Don't forget the mood you are creating and keep the bedding formal or casual depending on your goals. Find bedding that makes YOU happy and meets all of your requirements. After all, we spend about a third of our lives in the bedroom. Why not make it your place of solitude or escapism where your can enjoy the fruits of your life and experience some self-indulgence.

Before making a decision, obtain a swatch or purchase a pillowcase or sham to determine if the fabric will work properly with your d'cor. Fabric color and texture can take on a completely different appearance depending on the room's natural and artificial lighting and at different times of the day.

Initially you may have seen the bedding in a store and may have loved the color. But colors are not constant and are greatly influenced by light and other colors. They may look dramatically different in different environments. Or, you may have seen the bedding on the Internet, but colors on the Internet are never a perfect match to the real thing. Consider that Internet colors are often distorted first by the photography and software, then by your monitor and computer hardware. Two computers with the same hardware can still render colors differently because the color settings may be different.

Purchase high quality bedding for its durability and luxurious look. High thread count sheets in Egyptian cotton are good indicators of high quality linens, but other fabrics are offered in luxury linens as well such as silk, linen, and organic cotton. Purchase the highest quality sheets and bedding you can afford. Why spend money on bargain bedding that will soon pill, fade, and loose its luster? Dress your bed with quality linens in the right color and style for you and your d'cor and you'll have a private sanctuary that you'll love for years.