It's time to sleep in style

Your bed linen is a simple and effective way of adding style to your bedroom. This is a style that may constantly evolve with you, writes Ruth Dsouza Prabhu.

There is a certain pleasure in coming home at the end of a long day and simply flopping down on your comfortable bed.

As the soft layers of bed linen envelope your tired body, you tend to feel safe, well cocooned, and may drift off into blissful slumber.

Your bedroom is nothing short of a private sanctuary.

Giving it a sense of style, while enhancing its ability to soothe you at the end of the day, may be just the trick.

A colour to suit the mood & style

As with any bedroom, the bed is naturally the main focus point of your room.

Ranjitha B, an interior designer, says that there are a range of colours available in bed linen that may actually serve as a reflection of your personality.

“For example,” she explains, “Pink linen is for the flirt, yellow is for the spontaneous, blue is the colour of the compassionate and red represents confidence.”

Your personality is not the only thing reflected in your colour palette for your bed linen.

“With every new sheet we can change the mood or language of the room,” says Arun Bhawsingka, CEO, Creative Portico Pvt. Ltd. He goes on to explain that the choice of colour remains very personalised based on the way walls are treated in your bedroom.

For example, black with white may work exceptionally well. If a room is small, keep the walls pristine white, he suggests. 

Blues give a cooling effect to the room. A lot of drama may be created with digitally printed pillows and dyed sheets.

The use of bold forms with large motifs works best. It adds glamour to the room and makes the bed look larger.

Bed linen to suit a decor theme

You may choose to base your bed linen on a colour scheme reflecting your personality or you may opt to continue the central decor theme running through your home.

Ranjitha outlines some of the popular decor themes you may consider bringing into your bedroom.

The modern look: Best described as being with a touch of sophistication, linen in whites, beiges and grey work well to achieve this. Mixing up a range of neutral shades too helps achieve this look.

The Victorian look: Warm and inviting are predominant features of this look.

Dark shades of brown, maroon as well as royal, deep purples and blues are the colours to go for.

The contemporary look: Bright colours are what you need here to work on a chic look. Multi-coloured linen or those that have a single shade stand to attention is what you must look for.

Match your furniture

The bed is not the only piece of furniture you will have in your bedroom. Consider matching your bed linen to your furniture or perhaps turn things on its head — match your furniture to your bed linen.

Acquiring a night stand or a dressing table in the same shade as your bed linen makes for a great change in looks.

Your choice in materials

There are quite a few materials that go into the making of great bed linen.

Some of them are:

Combed cotton which is very popular for its soft and smooth feel.

Egyptian cotton is an upgraded version with a higher thread count and luxurious feel.

Flannel is a cotton blend and is often used in children’s beds for the warmth it provides.

Satin often construed to be a fibre, is actually a weave of multiple fibres.

They are smooth. Arun agrees that the feel-good factor cannot be ignored when discussing bed linen.

He says, “The use of fine count satin in 100% combed mercerised cotton gives the best feel. In addition, though expensive, percales work really well for those who do not like much sheen on the beds.”

Silk too is often chosen for its luxurious feel.

When choosing your bed linen, the first and foremost consideration is the composition of fabric, says Arun.

“Keeping Indian weather conditions in mind, 100% cotton bed sheets are smooth and comfortable as they keep the body temperature cool. The colour of the bed sheets must also be considered.”

There is a wide range of bed linen available in the market today — the main considerations in making a choice are style, colour, decor and material.

Examine your preferences in each of these categories and create a collection of great bed linen for your home.