How To Layer Your Bed Like a Designer This Summer

Bedroom with a black metal four-poster bed, lilac linen bedding and a neutral lumbar pillow, four framed prints on the wall in black frames, and black nightstands on either side with table lamps. — (Image credit: Selena Michele / Charlotte Lea Photography)

As soon as the weather starts to warm up, a lot of focus goes on how to update your outdoor spaces – cleaning the patio tiles, getting the outdoor furniture out of storage, and hanging up string lights. It’s a lovely ritual of shifting out of the winter months and into lighter, longer, warmer days. But there’s one space in your home that could benefit from the same attention: your bed.

And we’re not just talking about changing the look to match more seasonal colors and prints – switching out to cooling sheets is just the start. For a bed that offers the ultimate relief on hot summer nights, you actually need layers – the right layers.

A truly well-designed bed doesn’t stop at a duvet and a pair of throw pillows. From investing in an organic mattress to layering quality linen, there’s an art to designing a cooling bedroom. ‘Gone are the days of overly layered beds with a mountain of throw pillows that all end up on the floor at night,’ says Selena Reif, founder of Selena Michele Interiors. ‘The most luxurious summer beds lately have intentional layers and a more minimal approach to styling.’

1. Start With a Natural Base

white bedroom with canopy bed — Keep things pared-back and simple when designing your bedscape, starting with a quality base.

Before styling a bed for summer with the right linens, throws, and pillows, you need to get the base right. While the best mattress is essential year-round, one that's organic and heat-resistant will ensure a cool night's rest.

'Heat can make it difficult to fall asleep and affects how well we sleep, and particularly during the warm summer months, temperature regulation is imperative for getting a great night's sleep,' explains Clare Schifano, Global Marketing Director at Vispring.

'Building a good base is fundamental to a well-designed bedscape, and this begins with the mattress. In bedmaking, natural materials, including wool, cotton, and horsehair, have been trusted for centuries for their exceptional performance. Prized for their durability, breathability, and temperature-regulating qualities, these fibers are designed to keep you cool on hot summer evenings, whilst also providing inherent spring-like resilience and outstanding luxury.'

Our head of interiors, Hebe Hatton, switched to a cooling mattress five years ago after one too many hot summers in the city. Hebe chose the Leesa Chill Hybrid. 'It's been a game-changer when the weather starts to heat up,' she explains. 'It feels so cool to the touch, a bit like the cold side of the pillow, but it doesn't heat up just 30 seconds later and is the perfect base for summer layering.'

2. Invest in Breathable Sheets

Bedroom with a wooden midcentury low bed, neutral linen bedding, a gold wall sconce, a still life painting of a chair, a dark red rug, and a wooden nightstand with a vase of flowers. — Lightweight, breathable sheets are fundamental to a good night's rest. Look for linen or percale.

'Unsurprisingly, a summer-ready bed is fitted with breathable sheets. Start with your bed sheets, as these form the foundation of any well-dressed bed,' says Cristiano Quieti, Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer at Frette.

'The best bedding material feels comfortable to sleep in depending on the weather, the surroundings, and body heat,' continues Cristiano. 'As nights become warmer in the summer months, we recommend opting for bed sheets made from lighter, more breathable fabrics that help regulate your temperature throughout the night.'

'The best materials for summer are breathable natural fibers,' explains Selena. 'I love the softness of percale cotton for the sheet set; it really is the best material against your skin, breathable and cooling. Other materials to layer in are linens, lightweight gauzes, or anything else that regulates body temperature.'

'You also want to stick with hues that give off that summer vibe: soft ivory, warm whites, dusty blues, pale sage, dusty clay tones. My favorite is to combine a few of those colors to create a tonal palette that feels relaxed and effortless, just like the best summer evenings themselves.'

3. Add a Lightweight Quilt

Neutral bedroom with a wooden bed with a leather headboard, linen sheets and a dark brown lumbar pillow, a geometric cream rug, a mustard yellow upholstered ottoman, and a black round table lamp. — Switch out a thick duvet for a lightweight coverlet or quilt like this creamy bedscape layered with linens.

'Next, layer on a light duvet – and use an insert that is appropriate for the weather,' advises Selena. 'You definitely want to go with a thinner duvet in the summer months. I like the duvet in an accent color or pattern that coordinates with the sheets but isn’t overly matchy-matchy. This is also a great opportunity to lean into linens and other natural materials that are so gorgeous.'

Jennifer Baxter, founder of Baxter Hill Interiors, agrees. 'The next layer is a lightweight coverlet or quilted throw rather than a heavy duvet. This is your structural layer that carries the color or texture story of the bed. A duvet in summer lives folded at the foot or stored away altogether.'

'Put that down comforter away already!' advises designer Megan Cherin, Principal at Cherin Studio. Instead, Megan suggests switching in something lighter that you can use to add comfort and warmth as you need it, and when not in use can look chic layered at the end of the bed.

'During the day, you can pull it up over the whole bed, including over the pillows, and leave it either draped to the floor for a chic laid-back vibe or tucked neatly under the mattress for something a little more streamlined. At night, all the extra material from the bedspread allows you to snuggle into something soft and cool.'

4. Drape a Summery Throw

Bedroom with high ceilings painted dusty pink and crown moulding painted green, large bed with midcentury wooden headboard, pale pink bedding with velvet throw, and a portrait painting above the bed — Get creative with color by draping a vibrant throw at the end of your bed.

'Top all of this off with a lightweight blanket or coverlet,' says Selena. 'If the sheet set and duvet are all stunning and you want to see them throughout the day, I keep this layer folded towards the bottom of the bed. It can also be super chic to drape a linen bed cover over the entire thing and go for a beautifully refined look.'

While you might associate styling a blanket with winter, a lightweight throw can bring a lived-in ease to a bedscape that feels so fitting for summer. Whether it's a thin linen throw or a thicker waffled blanket, here is your chance to add more color, pattern and texture to your bed.

It's also a great option if your climate can be a little unreliable. 'Consider adding a throw to add a little texture and offer an in-between option if you’re not ready for the duvet, but need a little something more than your coverlet,' adds Jennifer Wilson, founder of Jennifer J Interiors.

5. Finish It With (Limited) Throw Pillows

Bedroom with beige painted walls, a canopy bed in a pink fabric, an orange upholstered headboard, yellow and neutral throw pillows, a brown wool throw, and a grey daybed at the end of the bed — Bring in color, pattern, or texture with throw pillows, whether you're scattering multiple or sticking to one vibrant bolster.

Now's the time to add the throw pillows, a switch that takes seconds but really makes your bed feel like it shifts with the seasons. 'Don’t forget your throw pillows in the seasonal swap – it’s time for your linen and cotton to shine, and for your velvets to have some downtime,' says Jennifer.

Whether it's a frilly decorative pillow or a block-printed floral, throw pillows will give your bedscape some much-needed personality. 'From there, introduce a lightweight throw at the foot of the bed for warmth on cooler spring evenings, then add a couple of pillows in complementary seasonal tones, soft pastels or warm earthy hues, to bring color and personality whilst keeping the overall look curated and serene,' advises Cristiano.

Alternatively, you could keep things simple with just one striking choice. 'To finish off the look, add just one lumbar pillow across the top of the bed so you aren’t left with a mountain to move at the end of the day before climbing into bed,' says Selena.

The Summer Bedding Edit

'For me, the keyword when it comes to bedscapes is simplicity, particularly in the summertime,' says Megan. 'No need to get all fussy with lots of pillows! I pare it back to the absolute minimum when the summer warmth is seeping in. My formula is: a nice, cool set of percale sheets, four pillows (two per side), and an oversized linen bedspread. That's it! What I love about this is that nothing is getting in the way here; it's as unadorned as you can get.'

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