What comes to mind when you think of a cozy country bed? I know five things that can make it perfect for a good night's sleep and it be beautiful, too. Keep reading if you've been thinking of redecorating your bedroom or there's some things you seem to be missing in your bedroom.
What It Takes to Make a Cozy Country Bed
It really doesn't matter what your style is country, primitive, colonial, or farmhouse. They all have some common “must have” items you need to make your bed comfortable and pretty at the same time. Nobody wants a bed that looks beautiful but you can't get a beautiful night's sleep in it. It's got to serve two purposes: feels good to sleep and looks good in the bedroom. I think there's 5 things your bed needs.
#1 The Mattress
I've had my share of bad mattresses. There's nothing worse than waking up with a sore back. You're suppose to wake up rested and feeling good. But a mattress that doesn't support your body well just makes you sleep badly and wake up sore. We had a pillow top and at first it was great. But, I learned a problem with pillow tops. They go flat. We tried turning it around and that only helped for awhile. We couldn't flip it because the bottom wasn't a pillow top.
To fix this we're getting a new mattress from Nectar. Unlike some mattress it uses cooling technology to help you stay cool. It's medium/firm memory foam so it's not too soft or not too hard. They are getting great reviews for comfort and affordability. Visit their site to learn more (I'll also be writing a review when our mattress arrives!).
#2 The Sheets
Over the years, I've had a variety of sheet sets. Some I hated to see get worn out; others I disliked more with every use. You know what I'm talking about. Perfect sheets fit on the mattress just right, not too loose and not too tight. Ever have a set of sheets that no matter how neatly you make the bed in the morning by next morning they have popped off at 3 corners of the bed? Or you buy a pretty set, to find out with every wash they get more lint balls on them. Instead of smooth, you have bumpy, scratchy sheets. Yuck!
When shopping for bed sheets that you will truly enjoy having your cozy country bed, look for one of these. The top quality sheets are 100% Egyptian cotton. These are the highest priced because they are best quality in strength and long-time wear. Second is 100% pima cotton, trademarked Supima. And third, cotton-polyester blend. This is usually the lowest priced of the these three, is durable and comfortable.
#3 The Blanket
Blankets are that part of the bed you don't often think much about. Yet, they can they make sleeping comfortably much more easy. If you prefer to pull down the top layers of the bed covers, your blanket keeps you from getting cold. Or for extra cold nights, a blanket provides a little extra warmth. I like having a blanket between my sheets and quilt because for some reason I like the added weight. It's not too heavy but just enough to feel I'm covered up and cozy.
There's a big variety of blankets from woven to to fleece to micro-fiber. Of all the types I tried over the years, I found woven blankets to be my favorite. It's natural fibers let your body breath. It doesn't fall apart being washed or pulled like the other two finds start to do. And the style of the woven type looks nice on a country style bed.
#4 The Pillows
Where you rest your head at night makes a big difference. The wrong pillow can make you lose sleep and cause stiff neck. In my case, a bad pillow causes headaches. Choose a pillow especially for you, be it soft, medium, or firm. There are guidelines of what type of pillow is best: Firm for side sleeping, Medium for back sleeping, and Soft for stomach sleeping.
I've tried pillows of different price ranges and they all seem about the same. I've purchased higher priced department store pillows to have them go flat just as quickly as an economy pillow from a discount store. Those I can put in the wash tend to last the longest because they can be cleaned and fluffed up again.
#5 The Quilt or Comforter
Are you quilt or comforter person? I definitely prefer quilts. There's something about sleeping under a quilt knowing it was pieced together and quilted by someone. Even a machine made quilt is preferred because there's patterns and texture you don't get with a comforter. I'd combined the two kinds before. We had an old quilt I really liked but it was worn. I used it across the foot of the bed over a comforter just for decorative purposes.
There's also bed spreads, such as the colonial period woven spreads. These can be very beautiful in a country primitive or colonial style home. Or if you're more into farmhouse or cottage decor, you could choose chenille bedspread.
