Posted by Caren – September 24, 2007 4:20 PM
Tags: bedroom, hotel style

Remember Stephanie, my coworker with a love for birds? She posed a decorating question to me earlier today, oblivious of the "Caren's brain doesn't work until Mondays at noon" rule. She and her husband are in the middle of renovating a "yucky cookie-cutter mid-80s style" four bed-three bath home, with the goal of turning it into a transitional, comfy casual space for their little one to grow up in. Her question went a little something like this:

"I was just telling my husband about hotel-style bedding and of course, his mind went to ugly polyester Red Roof Inn bedding. I'm like: No, like the layered, luxury hotel bedding. He just looked at me with a raised eyebrow. And then I thought, hey, how DO they layer and tuck and get it to look so perfect?"

Left to right: Bedrooms designed by Lori Dennis and Nicole Sassaman

I took a look through our archives (after lunch) and found some photo galleries we've done on "Hotel Chic" style, but realized we've never outlined the exact steps to take to recreate a luxury bed.

First, a little background to see what all the fuss is about. In 1999, Westin Hotels and Resorts introduced its Heavenly Bed (below), sparking the "bed wars" between hotels.

The Hilton (left: Serenity Collection) and Marriot (right: Wool Damask Bed Scarf) soon followed with their own versions, and it was only a matter of time before you could literally bring your sleep "experience" to your own home.

I'm a sleep connoisseur, and can tell you from experience that the Heavenly Bed is indeed heavenly. Unfortunately, it means ponying up — at the very least — $2,570 for a Queen Heavenly Bed Ensemble: cotton blend, 230-thread count deep pocket fitted sheet, decorative flat middle sheet, top flat sheet and pillowcases. And that's before the $1,300 Heavenly Bed queen mattress and box spring.

When you look at it that way, your $120/night hotel room suddenly looks like a bargain.

If you truly want to get a bargain, and I know Stephanie does, here are my top 5 hotel-style essentials for your bed:

5. Pay attention to percale. Everyone has a different opinion about thread count, but my magic numbers are higher than 100 and lower than 400. The higher the thread count, the softer and more durable the fabric, which is essentially for optimum sheet tucking. Even higher thread counts usually mean they're 2-ply, making for thicker and heavier sheets. Plus, after a certain point the difference you'd feel in softness is negligible. Try Overstock.com for great deals on expensive sheets.

4. Fluffy mattress pads boost your comfort — unless you're allergic to down. The key to a sumptuous, hotel style bed is more about the first layer of your bed than the last. Featherbeds (or the alternative: fiberbeds) create that first level of comfort. With a fitted sheet to hold it in place, your bed will begin to take shape. Note: If you are allergy prone, make sure you add a hypo-allergenic mattress pad and spray the bed regularly with allergy-reducing Febreze.

3. Choose your comforter wisely. This is the part everyone agonizes over, because the bed is usually the focal point of a bedroom. And while hotel-chic style is usually classic white, I say go for what you love. If you want a bed that beckons to be slept in, choose fluffier comforters with sleek lines. And if you're a sucker for white like me, you can always add color with a throw.

2. Prevent pillow overload. This is where I deviate from hotel style to bring you practical style. Hotels overdose on pillows because it's an easy way to make their beds look luxurious and inviting. While I'm a fan of pillows as much as the next girl, who wants to go through the pre-bedtime ritual of throwing them all onto the floor? Invest in two good pillows — not three lackluster versions you have to stack to feel comfortable. One, or maybe two, throw pillows will do for looks and proppage if you read in bed.

1. Realize your bed will probably never be as perfect as a hotel's. This is because a) you do not have a housekeeper, b) you have kids or c) you have a pet. Combat "imperfect bed syndrome" by making it every day, no matter what. A made bed always awaits you at a hotel, and isn't that the best part?