How can I get my bed to be really lovely?

[CambridgeBlue]

My actual bed is OK but the mattress, duvet, pillows and linen have seen better days. I'd like to replace them all with something half decent (on a sensible budget) and would love tips on what makes for a really comfortable, inviting bed. In particular I'd like some bed linen that actually fits and looks nice for longer than 5 minutes - everything I've bought lately seems to be very poor quality regardless of where I get it and how much I spend.

Feather pillows. A down duvet.

DH says our bed is the comfiest bed ever!

Mattress topper, thick brushed cotton bottom sheet, bolster along the back with three pillows each, tesco finest bedding, 15tog duvet and huge quilted throw that touches the floor on both sides plus optional fleece throws.... bliss

no wonder I have so much laundry...

Always buy a quilt a size too big eg if you have a king sized bed buy a super king quilt and cover. If you have a single use a double quilt. That way the quilt hangs down over the side of the bed which keeps you much warmer and stops the tug of war.

We spent money in our bed this year. We bought a new mattress, memory foam mattress topper, electric mattress cover with dual controls, Hungarian goose down summer to winter duvet and a set of fitted sheets with extra depth to make sure it goes over the mattress topper without squishing it. We also have goose down pillows and change these every two years when they tend to go floppy.

I love going to bed!

Next do lovely bedding at reasonable prices.

Buy more pillows, extra cushions, a throw or warm blanket over the top.

I heart my bed.

Oooh id love a bolster!

What's a bolster??

I have bought duvets and bedding from DAPW. The quality is fantastic and the prices are very good.

A bolster is a long round pillow, goes right at the back next to the headboard then pillows on top.

Feather pillows, down duvet, 100% cotton sheets, must be ironed!! Pure white. I love my bed.... Also adding a bolster to my list!!

John Lewis All seasons duvet is so soft and light - lovely. Great mattress or good mattress plus topper. Pure white cotton bedding. Hotel quality is best if you can get it.

Get the right mattress, pillows and duvet for you. Hard to say which as I think personal preference varies so much.

Add pure cotton bedding, the highest thread count you can afford.

Next bedding "bobbles" pretty quickly, IME.

I bought my bed linen in TX max. It is lush.

I have a John Lewis king size duvet, it is nice and soft. The pillows are M&S anti allergy medium firm. They are great. Love my bed/.

Mattress protector, I never thought it would make a difference but it did.

I like flat sheets more than fitted, we had one on holiday and it was really nice, much better than fitted.

Go for high threadcount linen, we got ours from TK Maxx after being badly let down by the white company.

Lots of cushions in tonal colours but different textures look nice.

So where can a bolster be purchased??!

Best bolsters and covers (and geberally great bed linen sets though v.spendy) Ive seen are La Redoute.

yy to feather pillows and duvet.

All cotton bedding! (I find polycotton very scratchy).

Have 4 pillows for two of you (for sitting up reading)
Quilted mattress cover.
Yy to larger quilt- we have super king on a king bed for 2/3 of us (the 3yo takes up more room than either of us and kicks her covers off constantly grrr)
Nice throw over end of quilt keeps feet nice and toasty.

Thanks all this is great - I had a look at DAPW and have fallen in love with most of the site! La Redoute sounds worth a look as well as they often have good offers - would never have thought to look there.

Here's to a lovely, cosy, toasty bed coming soon :)

If you look at some good websites they will have room sets, where you can .buy the duvet cover with matching curtains, cushions, throws etc, taking all of the work out of trying to co-ordinate stuff yourself. I agree with some of the comments above, always better to pay a bit more and get better quality sets, as they look better for longer and last longer. I'm not huge fan of 100% cotton as it takes ages to iron, but prefer a high thread count polycotton. Good pillows are a must. We have used www.Homespacedirect.com a few times, for duvets and duvet covers, and always find they've got great designs at very competitive prices. The quality on there mid to high range duvet covers is great too.