People Are Forever Asking Us Where They Should Invest in Their Homes. Our Answer Is Never What They're Expecting: Bedtime
We believe the greatest luxury isn't reserved for special occasions – it's waiting quietly at the end of an ordinary Tuesday
There are very few things we consider entirely non-negotiable. Fresh flowers? Lovely, and a big yes every day. An antique over something new? Usually. One hundred per cent cotton sheets? Always.
People are forever asking us where they should invest in their homes. Marble. Lighting. A beautiful vintage chair. Our answer is almost never what they're expecting: your bed. Not because it's the most expensive thing you'll buy, but because it's the one you'll experience every single day.
Getting ready for bed is one of our favorite most sacred rituals. We look forward to it in much the same way other people look forward to dinner at their favorite restaurant in Positano.
It's the moment the day begins to soften. The lamps are dimmed, skincare is lined up on the vanity, and a few spritzes of Osea pillow mist land on freshly laundered bed sheets. The bedroom quietly announces that the day is over. We spend so much time talking about designing beautiful bedrooms, but what we're really designing is this feeling.
"A beautifully dressed bed doesn't simply change the way a bedroom looks. It changes the way we feel about turning in for the night."
If you've followed us for a while, you already know where we stand on sheets. They must be 100 per cent cotton. When it comes to the best luxury bed sheets, we're simply not entertaining alternatives.
There is no greater luxury than slipping into freshly laundered cotton sheets at the end of the day. We plan our week around fresh linen day, and yes, they are washed every single week. Without discussion and preferably with a beautiful laundry scent. If your bed doesn't feel better than the one at your favorite hotel on vacation, we think there's room for improvement!
Summer, however, belongs to linen. There isn't another fabric we'd rather sleep in once the weather turns warm. Linen naturally regulates temperature, allowing heat to escape instead of trapping it, which means it stays beautifully cool through the night.
We also happen to love its personality. It wrinkles. It relaxes. It softens with every season. Like the most stylish people we know, linen understands that perfection is terribly overrated!
A beautifully dressed bed is all about proportion. Generous pillows, a perfectly tailored bolster, and a quilt folded, not arranged, at the foot of the bed.
Then comes the finishing touch: a throw in a color that wakes the entire room up depending on the season. Olive. Cinnamon. Aubergine. Perhaps an extravagant print. The bedroom doesn't need another beige blanket! It needs one thing that's just a little unexpected. Fashion has always understood this. Interiors should too. The best rooms are beautifully edited, never overworked, and the same goes for a bed.
A silk pillowcase has earned permanent residence in our bedrooms. Better hair, fewer sleep creases, more radiant skin, end of discussion! And then there's the Sleep Crown. Calling it an eye mask feels like calling Champagne sparkling wine. Technically true. Entirely missing the point. It settles gently over your eyes and somehow convinces your brain that tomorrow can wait until tomorrow. Look it up; it's handmade in Austin, Texas.
Every evening ends the same way: a few sprays of Osea pillow mist, the Sleep Crown, and the lamps turned low. There's a comfort in repetition. Rituals have a wonderful way of teaching the body that it's finally time to rest.
Nightstands say a surprising amount about a person. Ours are beautifully edited: a hand cream we never want to run out of, a lip mask, a box of tissues, because sometimes we have the sniffles. A favorite book, Osea pillow mist, and a beautiful carafe of water to keep us hydrated. Nothing unnecessary. Everything beautiful to make us feel like Joan Crawford.
Which brings us to the overhead bedroom light. We've never quite understood it. It's terribly useful if you've dropped an earring or you're packing for an early flight. Otherwise, we'd rather pretend it doesn't exist. Bedrooms deserve lamplight. Always. Warm, soft light that flatters both the room and the people in it, you of course.
We often talk about the idea of being beautifully selfish. Not selfish in the way the word usually suggests, but beautifully selfish.
Buying the beautiful sheets because you'll enjoy them every single evening. Choosing the silk pillowcase because you'll wake up happier and looking more beautiful tomorrow morning. Lighting the lamp instead of reaching for the switch overhead. Spraying the pillow mist. Taking the extra five minutes to meditate, not because anyone else will notice, but because you will trust.
We've always believed the greatest luxury isn't something reserved for special occasions or exorbitant amounts of money; it's something waiting quietly for you at the end of an ordinary Tuesday.
Perhaps that's why we invest in beds before almost anything else. Because a beautifully dressed bed doesn't simply change the way a bedroom looks. It changes the way we feel about turning in for the night.
LA LA Reimagined are some of Homes & Gardens' Editors-At-Large for By Design, where they share their thoughts on decor. See the rest of their articles here.
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